ON DESRTOYING BOOKS

 

On Destroying Books

Question No. 1:    What sorts of books were presented by the British public to soldiers?

Ans:     Most of the books sent to soldiers were ordinary and suitable. But they were also presented oddest books such as twenty years old magazine, guides to Lake District and back numbers of Whitaker’s almanac.

Question No. 2:    Was it interest of soldiers that prompted their action, it was wish to get rid of the useless books?       

Ans:     No, it was not the interest of soldiers. In fact, they want to get rid of their old and useless books. So they sent them to the soldiers.

Question No. 3:    Why should bad books be destroyed?

Ans:     Bad books should be destroyed so that there should be space for good and new books in the shelves. Moreover, it saves one’s heir from the trouble of sorting them out and storing them.

Question No. 4:    Why is it difficult to destroy books?

Ans:     It is difficult to destroy books because they die hard. We do not have proper place to burn them. They are like cats and it is difficult to find a scaffold for them.

Question No. 5:    Why could not the author burn the unwanted books?

Ans:     The author could not burn the unwanted books because he had no cooking range and he could not burn them on gas cooker.

Question No. 6:    How did he decide to get rid of them?

Ans:     He decided to get rid of them by throwing them into the river. He stuffed them into a sack and went to the river to throw them.

Question No. 7:    Describe the authors midnight venture to throw the books in the river and the suspicion which his action were likely to arouse?

Ans:     At midnight, the author stuffed the books in a sack. He shouldered them and went to fling them into the river. He was terribly frightened at the sight of a policeman and a stranger. At last, he threw the books into the river after many difficulties.     

Question No. 8:    How did he muster up courage at last to fling them into the river?

Ans:     The writer was hesitant to throw them. Then he abused himself for his cowardice. At last, he mustered up courage and threw the sack into the river.

Question No. 9:    Did he come to have a feeling for those books once he had got rid of them?

Ans:     He was sad after throwing the books. He thought that poor books met a fate worse than they deserve.

Question No. 10:   What did the writer think about the splash?

Ans:     The writer thought that people would catch him. They would think that he had thrown a baby into the river. Therefore, he was afraid of the splash of the sack.

Question No. 11:   Give the names of the books that the writer threw into the river?

Ans:     The names of the books are Odes to Diana, Sonnets to Ethel, and Dramas on Love of Lancelot and Stanzas on a first Glimpse of Venice.

Question No. 12:   What did the writer think when he saw the policeman on the way?

Ans:     When he saw a policeman on the way, he became afraid. He thought that he would consider him a thief and arrest him. But the policeman did not take any notice of him.

OR

Question No. 1: What sorts of books were presented by the British nation to the soldiers?

British people sent old and useless books to the soldiers. They sent twenty years old magazines, maps and guides.

Question No. 2: Why should bad books be destroyed?

Bad books should be destroyed to make room for new and good books.

Question No. 3: Why is it difficult to destroy books?

We have not right place to dispose of the books. Sometimes we cannot decide which book should be destroyed and which book should be kept.

Question No. 4: Why could not the author burn the un-wanted books?

The writer could not burn the useless books because he had no kitchen range. He also could not burn a large number of books leaf by leaf.

Question No. 5: How did author decide to get rid of useless books?

The writer decided to stuff the useless books into a sack and throw them into the river.

Question No. 6: Describe the author’s midnight venture to throw the books into the river.

When he went to the river he was fearful and reluctant. Then he felt ashamed to be afraid. At last he mustered up his courage and threw the sack into the river.

Question No. 7: Did the author come to have a feeling for those books one he had got rid of them?

Yes, he felt sorrow for the time being but soon he got well.

Question No. 8: What idea made the writer frightened when he decided to throw the books in the river?

He thought that someone will catch him taking him for a thief or a murderer. This idea made him frightened.