Passage: ‘D’ FOR DISCIPLINE
(1) A friend who went on a trip to Canada, came back, very impressed with the courtesy shown by drivers on the roads there. Like all of us, he was used to chaos on the streets and the absolute disregard for anyone else walking or driving on the same route.
(2) So he was astonished to see that the minute he put one foot off the pavement, cars on both sides of the road stopped at once; waited for him to cross; even if he had not yet walked up to the zebra crossing.
(3) The first couple of times this thing happened, he froze, wondering what he had done to stop the traffic. But the cars just waited patiently till he crossed the road, with no angry honking or anyone putting his head out of the car-window to scream, “O hero, chal na, tere baap ka sadak hai kya?”
(4) Unfortunately, discipline is a trait lacked by the majority of Indians. All of us must have been guilty at some time or the other, of dashing across the street, making the nearest driver slam his brakes in panic.
(5) Drivers are even less disciplined than pedestrians. How many of them slow down at zebra crossings and intersections? How many stop at a red light, if there are no cops around?
(6) I’ve seen a Delhi driver arguing, when he was stopped for trying to zip by at a red light. “Abbe tere liye red hai to tu ruk, mere liye to green hai.”
(7) When discipline is inculcated in people, you see cars stopping at a red light, even when there’s no traffic for miles around. Nobody tries to overtake a row of waiting cars and zip ahead, even if there is no traffic coming from the opposite side.
(8) In India it’s not just the problem of road discipline, people crash queues if they can get away with it. They try clothes in a shop and leave them in a heap on the floor. They do not bother to stop a moment to hold the door and let it slam into the face of the person behind them.
(9) There’s no point even getting into the littering and spitting menace. Years of teachers’ droning and parents’ scolding has failed to instil discipline. Surprisingly, one trip to Singapore or Canada brings out the desired result.
Questions and Answers:
Q1: What impressed the friend about drivers in Canada?
A1: The friend was impressed by how drivers in Canada stopped their cars patiently to let people cross the road.
Q2: How do people behave on roads in India according to the passage?
A2: In India, people often dash across the street, causing drivers to brake suddenly. Drivers also do not stop at red lights if there are no police around.
Q3: What happened when the friend first experienced cars stopping for him in Canada?
A3: The friend froze, wondering what he had done to stop the traffic, but the cars waited patiently without honking.
Q4: What do some people in India do in shops?
A4: In India, some people try on clothes in shops and leave them in a heap on the floor.
Q5: What brings about discipline in Indians, according to the passage?
A5: A trip to disciplined countries like Singapore or Canada brings about discipline in Indians.
Q6: What is the main problem discussed in the passage?
A6: The main problem is the lack of discipline among Indians in everyday behaviour, including road manners, queue discipline, and littering.
Q7: Why did the Delhi driver argue with the police?
A7: The Delhi driver argued that while the light was red for others, it was green for him.
Q8: What is the message of the passage?
A8: The passage emphasizes the importance of discipline in making life better and more organized for everyone.
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Grammar-Based Questions:
Q1: Identify the noun in the sentence: “A friend who went on a trip to Canada came back, very impressed with the courtesy shown by drivers on the roads there.”
A1: Nouns: friend, trip, Canada, courtesy, drivers, roads.
Q2: Find the verbs in this sentence: “The cars just waited patiently till he crossed the road.”
A2: Verbs: waited, crossed.
Q3: What is the tense of the sentence: “He froze, wondering what he had done to stop the traffic”?
A3: The sentence is in the past tense.
Q4: Pick out the adjective in this sentence: “He was astonished to see that the minute he put one foot off the pavement, cars on both sides of the road stopped at once.”
A4: Adjectives: astonished, one, both.
Q5: Identify the prepositions in the sentence: “All of us must have been guilty at some time or the other, of dashing across the street.”
A5: Prepositions: at, of, across.
Q6: Which conjunction is used in this sentence: “Years of teachers’ droning and parents’ scolding has failed to instil discipline”?
A6: Conjunction: and.
Q7: Rewrite the sentence in the future tense: “People crash queues if they can get away with it.”
A7: “People will crash queues if they can get away with it.”
Q8: Identify the adverb in the sentence: “The cars just waited patiently till he crossed the road.”
A8: Adverbs: just, patiently.
Q9: What is the subject and predicate in this sentence: “Nobody tries to overtake a row of waiting cars and zip ahead”?
A9:
- Subject: Nobody.
- Predicate: tries to overtake a row of waiting cars and zip ahead.
Q10: Identify the direct speech in the passage and change it to indirect speech.
A10:
Direct Speech: “O hero, chal na, tere baap ka sadak hai kya?”
Indirect Speech: He shouted rudely, asking if the road belonged to someone’s father.
Q11: Find a pronoun in this sentence: “In India, it’s not just the problem of road discipline.”
A11: Pronoun: it.
Q12: Identify the article in this sentence: “A friend who went on a trip to Canada, came back.”
A12: Article: A.
Q13: What is the type of sentence: “Drivers are even less disciplined than pedestrians”?
A13: It is a declarative sentence.
Q14: Change the sentence into a question: “Discipline is a trait lacked by the majority of Indians.”
A14: “Is discipline a trait lacked by the majority of Indians?”
Q15: Find the conjunctions in the sentence: “When discipline is inculcated in people, you see cars stopping at a red light, even when there’s no traffic for miles around.”
A15: Conjunctions: when, even.
