Ways with Words

A. Match the words with their meanings.

a. Proclaim
➜ To declare publicly or officially

b. Unswerving
➜ Steady, constant, and determined

c. Magnanimous
➜ Generous and forgiving

d. Trample
➜ To crush by stepping heavily on something

e. Tremendous
➜ Extremely large or great

f. Inevitable
➜ Unavoidable or certain to happen

g. Dire
➜ Extremely serious or dreadful

h. Anguish
➜ Severe physical or mental distress

i. Impending
➜ About to happen or upcoming

j. Ruthless
➜ Having no pity or compassion

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the list.

Words:
Appalling, sanguine, slaughter, absurdity, futility, reluctance, bestir

a.

The soldiers suffered appalling injuries during the attack.

b.

She is sanguine about the prospects for the economic development of the country.

c.

Innocent people face unexpected slaughter during war.

d.

The crowd laughed at the absurdity of the singer’s behaviour.

e.

Intellectuals should be concerned about the horror and futility of war.

f.

He sensed her reluctance to continue the work.

g.

They bestir themselves at the first light of morning.

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

a. Why was the Italian socialist Mergari treated like a madman?

Answer:

The Italian socialist Mergari was treated like a madman because he spoke a few natural and humane words against war at a time when society was strongly influenced by militarism and nationalism.

b. Can political aims be attained through the criminal instrumentality of war? If yes, how?

Answer:

Yes, political aims can sometimes be attained through war. Political leaders may create a strong sense of nationalism and persuade citizens to fight and die for their country.

However, achieving political goals through war is criminal and destructive because it causes immense suffering, loss of life, and damage to society.

c. Which hopes and plans were said to be mutually contradictory?

Answer:

The hopes and plans of preventing war while simultaneously preparing for a new massacre of unimaginable scale were described as mutually contradictory.

d. What can be the sacred duty of every person of goodwill on Earth?

Answer:

The sacred duty of every person of goodwill is not to remain indifferent and allow events to take their course. People should make every possible effort to prevent war and the final catastrophe it may bring.

e. Is it good to accept war silently as an instrument of politics? If not, what should be done?

Answer:

No, it is not good to accept war silently as an instrument of politics. People should oppose war sincerely and demand peaceful solutions to political disputes.

Dialogue, negotiation, diplomacy, mutual understanding, and international cooperation should be used instead of violence.

f. How can we stop war in the world?

Answer:

War can be stopped if people refuse to remain lazy, indifferent, cowardly, or silent. Citizens should oppose militarism, challenge leaders who promote violence, and support peaceful negotiation.

Countries should resolve disagreements through diplomacy, justice, cooperation, and respect for human rights.

g. What is the main message of the essay?

Answer:

The main message of the essay is that war is destructive and unnecessary, while peace can be achieved through sincere human effort.

People should promote peace, friendship, understanding, and brotherhood instead of hatred, violence, and war.

Critical Thinking

a. Are warmongers the greatest enemies of peace? What would you suggest to them?

Answer:

A warmonger is a person who encourages, promotes, or supports war instead of peaceful solutions. Warmongers can be considered some of the greatest enemies of peace because their actions increase fear, hatred, violence, and instability.

They often use nationalism, propaganda, revenge, religion, or political ambition to persuade people to support conflict. However, it is usually ordinary citizens and soldiers who suffer most during war.

Not every conflict begins with an entirely evil motive. Some wars have been fought in self-defence or to resist oppression. Nevertheless, people whose primary aim is conquest, destruction, or personal power remain serious threats to peace.

I would suggest that warmongers think about humanity before promoting violence. They should consider the lives of innocent children, women, families, and soldiers who suffer because of war.

Disputes should be resolved through dialogue, mediation, diplomacy, and international law. No political or territorial goal is worth the destruction of thousands of human lives.

Therefore, warmongers should abandon violence and use their influence to promote reconciliation, justice, cooperation, and lasting peace.

b. John Steinbeck said, “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.” Do you agree? Why?

Answer:

Yes, I agree with John Steinbeck’s statement that war represents humanity’s failure to think rationally.

Human beings possess intelligence, language, morality, and the ability to solve problems. Despite these qualities, countries still use violence to settle political, economic, religious, and territorial disputes.

War benefits very few people but causes immense suffering to millions. Both victorious and defeated countries lose soldiers, civilians, property, resources, and economic stability.

The First and Second World Wars are among the darkest events in human history. They caused widespread destruction, displacement, hunger, and death.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9, 1945, demonstrated the horrifying consequences of modern warfare. Thousands of people died immediately, while many others suffered from burns, radiation, disease, and long-term health effects.

War does not permanently solve conflict. Instead, it often creates revenge, poverty, political instability, and further violence.

Civilised societies should settle disputes through negotiation, mediation, international law, and peaceful discussion.

Therefore, when people choose war despite having the ability to reason and communicate, it shows that human thinking, morality, and diplomacy have failed.

c. Can any war end all wars and bring lasting peace to the world? Discuss.

Answer:

No war can completely end all wars or guarantee permanent peace.

War is an organised conflict between countries or groups. It may temporarily defeat an enemy or settle a particular dispute, but it usually creates new suffering, anger, and resentment.

The First World War was once described as a war that would end all wars. However, its unfair settlements, economic problems, and unresolved tensions later contributed to the Second World War.

War causes the loss of human life, property, infrastructure, and national wealth. Even after fighting ends, countries may continue to experience emotional trauma, poverty, disability, displacement, and political instability.

True peace cannot be created through fear and destruction. Lasting peace requires justice, dialogue, cooperation, mutual respect, and fair agreements.

Countries should negotiate terms that protect the legitimate interests of all sides. International organisations can also help mediate disputes and prevent violence.

Human beings may differ in religion, race, nationality, language, and culture, but everyone belongs to the same human family.

Therefore, war cannot end all wars. Sustainable peace can be achieved only through diplomacy, understanding, equality, and the peaceful settlement of disagreements.

d. Why do countries go to war?

Answer:

Countries go to war for many political, economic, territorial, religious, and social reasons. Usually, war does not have one single cause. Several interconnected factors may contribute to it.

1. Economic gain

A country may go to war to control another nation’s wealth, natural resources, trade routes, markets, or industries.

2. Territorial expansion

Countries may fight to gain land for settlement, agriculture, strategic security, or access to important resources.

3. Political power

Leaders may start wars to expand their influence, strengthen their rule, distract citizens from internal problems, or weaken political opponents.

4. Religion

Religious differences can cause conflict when groups become intolerant or attempt to impose their beliefs on others.

5. Nationalism

Extreme nationalism may make people believe that their country or ethnic group is superior to others. This can lead to aggression and invasion.

6. Revenge

A country may go to war to punish another country for a previous attack, humiliation, or historical injustice.

7. Self-defence

Countries may fight to defend their borders, citizens, independence, and national sovereignty from invasion.

8. Ideological differences

Conflicts may arise between countries that follow different political or economic systems.

Most wars begin when negotiation and diplomacy fail. Therefore, countries should use peaceful dialogue and international cooperation before considering military force.

Writing

a. Write an essay on “War and Peace” in about 500 words.

War and Peace

War and peace are two opposite conditions that have shaped human history. Peace represents harmony, cooperation, security, and development, whereas war represents violence, destruction, fear, and suffering.

Human beings have fought wars since ancient times. Countries have gone to war for territory, wealth, political power, religion, revenge, and national pride. Despite repeated attempts to eliminate war, conflicts continue in different parts of the world.

War always causes destruction on a massive scale. Soldiers and innocent civilians lose their lives. Families are separated, children become orphans, and many people are forced to leave their homes.

Schools, hospitals, industries, roads, bridges, and cultural sites may also be destroyed. As a result, war affects education, healthcare, economic development, and social stability.

The two World Wars demonstrated the terrible consequences of organised violence. Millions of people were killed, injured, displaced, or left without food and shelter.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revealed that modern weapons could destroy entire cities within moments. Nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons now pose an even greater threat to humanity.

War is not a permanent solution to political problems. It may defeat an enemy temporarily, but it often creates hatred, revenge, poverty, and future conflicts.

Peace does not mean only the absence of war. True peace requires justice, equality, human rights, mutual respect, and freedom from fear.

Mahatma Gandhi showed that non-violence could be a powerful means of opposing injustice. Through peaceful resistance, he contributed to India’s struggle for independence.

Countries should resolve their disagreements through negotiation, diplomacy, mediation, and international law. Organisations such as the United Nations can also help prevent conflicts and support peaceful settlements.

Education plays an important role in promoting peace. Schools should teach tolerance, cooperation, respect for diversity, and peaceful conflict resolution.

Political leaders must also avoid using hatred and nationalism to gain public support. Citizens should question propaganda and refuse to support unnecessary violence.

In conclusion, war is one of the greatest threats to humanity. It causes suffering without creating lasting solutions. Peace, dialogue, justice, and cooperation are the only reliable foundations for a secure and prosperous world.

b. Write an essay on “Responsible Youths for Peace and Prosperity.”

Responsible Youths for Peace and Prosperity

Young people are among the most important resources of a country. They possess energy, creativity, courage, fresh ideas, and the ability to bring social change.

Youths play an important role in building a peaceful and prosperous society. They should promote tolerance, cooperation, equality, and respect for diversity.

The world consists of people from different religions, cultures, languages, ethnic groups, and social backgrounds. Young people must learn to accept these differences instead of using them as reasons for conflict.

Responsible youths should reject violence, extremism, hatred, discrimination, and prejudice. They should solve disagreements through discussion, negotiation, and mutual understanding.

At the community level, young people can organise awareness programmes, educational campaigns, environmental activities, and peace-building projects.

They can volunteer in schools, health camps, disaster-response programmes, and organisations working for social justice.

Education is essential for responsible youth participation. Young people should develop knowledge, critical thinking, communication skills, and awareness of national and international issues.

They must also learn to identify misinformation and propaganda, especially on social media. False information can increase communal hatred, political tension, and violence.

Youth entrepreneurship can contribute to prosperity by creating employment, developing local industries, and solving community problems.

Young people should also participate in democratic processes. They can vote responsibly, question leaders, oppose corruption, and demand transparent government.

At the international level, youths should work against racism, terrorism, religious extremism, and ethnocentrism. Exchanges between people from different cultures can reduce misunderstanding and promote friendship.

Peace and prosperity are closely connected. A country cannot achieve sustainable development when it is affected by violence, discrimination, corruption, and instability.

Therefore, responsible youths must become agents of positive change. Through education, hard work, tolerance, innovation, and civic participation, they can build a peaceful, balanced, and prosperous society.

Grammar

B. Divide the following sentences into their different grammatical parts.

a. The children are playing now.

• Subject: The children
• Verb: Are playing
• Adverbial: Now

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Adverbial

b. Srijana will be reading a story.

• Subject: Srijana
• Verb: Will be reading
• Object: A story

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Object

c. Bimala is a very beautiful girl.

• Subject: Bimala
• Linking verb: Is
• Subject complement: A very beautiful girl

Pattern: Subject + Linking Verb + Complement

d. She usually wears glasses.

• Subject: She
• Adverbial: Usually
• Verb: Wears
• Object: Glasses

Pattern: Subject + Adverbial + Verb + Object

e. They elected him President.

• Subject: They
• Verb: Elected
• Object: Him
• Object complement: President

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Object + Complement

f. Rabin is laughing.

• Subject: Rabin
• Verb: Is laughing

Pattern: Subject + Verb

g. He has a big house in Butwal.

• Subject: He
• Verb: Has
• Object: A big house
• Adverbial: In Butwal

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Object + Adverbial

h. The man who lives next door is a professor.

• Subject: The man who lives next door
• Linking verb: Is
• Subject complement: A professor

Pattern: Subject + Linking Verb + Complement

i. Her uncle has been living in Kathmandu for fifteen years.

• Subject: Her uncle
• Verb: Has been living
• Adverbial of place: In Kathmandu
• Adverbial of duration: For fifteen years

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Adverbial + Adverbial

j. The girl with long hair asked me a question last week.

• Subject: The girl with long hair
• Verb: Asked
• Indirect object: Me
• Direct object: A question
• Adverbial: Last week

Pattern: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object + Adverbial