English XI Ch 15 University Days SQ & Notes FSc FA ICS ICom KPK FBISE

To view other notes of FBISE & KPK Board English 11th Short Questions and Notes. Click Here.

Q.1) Compare Thurber’s approach to seeing the cell of the flower with that of his teacher and other students. Is he, in your view, making fun of himself, other students or of teacher’s ways of instruction? Explain.

Answer: Thurber is always witty in his writings. One can feel sense of humour in his literary work. In this essay, Thurber approach to seeing the cell of flower with that of his teacher and other students is quite different. The reason behind is his disinterest in the subject of botany and some eyesight issues as well. Due to this, he never understands the botany lectures and he is also unable to see anything in the microscope. He is in one way or the other is making fun of fellow students and his teacher’s way of instruction as well. We come to know about this as his attitude always irritate the botany teacher and the way the teacher shows his frustration really become a source of amusement to Thurber.

Q.2) James Thurber gives a great deal of descriptive detail in his essay “University Days”; what senses does the description appeal to? How does this detail make us feel and connect with experience of the writer?
Answer: In this essay, Thurber gives a great deal of descriptive detail that helps readers to visualize the whole scenario of the happenings that take place in the college premises. The readers really find his college experience interesting, exciting and amusing. He shares his college experience quite well through the effective use of sense of sight and hearing. Every situation is explained so clearly that the readers can easily imagine the scene when a professor is in rage, or the students looking into the microscope and drawing plant cells in their notebooks.

Q.3) What is the thesis of the ‘University Days’? Is it stated or implied?
Answer: The thesis statement of ‘University Days’ is:
“I passed all the other courses that I took at my university, but I could never pass botany. This was because all botany students had to spend several hours a week in a laboratory looking through a microscope at plant cells, and I could never see through a microscope.”
The thesis is implied in nature. Thurber has not stated anything directly, instead he explains everything through his personal ideas and experiences in an indirect way.

Q.4) What is the implied message of ‘University Days’?
Answer: The implied message of ‘University Days’ is that it is the prime responsibility of students to pay attention to studies and follow teachers’ instructions properly. Apart from this, the teachers should know about the inabilities, and weaknesses of their students. The teacher should try to find the reasons of disinterest of the student in the subject or studies. The teacher should try to probe into the matter why the student/s are not taking interest in studies or not following the instructions of the teacher.

Q.5) Why was the instructor irritated with Thurber?
Answer: The instructor was irritated with Thurber because he was continuously guiding, instructing and helping Thurber to see something in the microscope but to vain. Thurber was unable to follow the instructions of his instructor and to see anything specific in the microscope and that act of him really became a source of irritation and frustration for the instructor.

---

Writing

A. Write a letter to your friend about your experiences when you were unable to follow the instructions of the teacher. Recreate the whole experience keeping in view the features of personal narrative.

Answer:

Letter:
                                                                                                               Examination Hall,
                                                                                                               A.B.C.
                                                                                                               September 27, 2020.

Dear Friend,

     I am writing this letter to you to share one of the embarrassing experiences of my college life, when I was unable to follow the instructions of the teacher and that really irritated her.

       After completing my matriculation, being interested in the subject of arts I decided to take admission in humanities that offer a wide range of courses including painting, sketching, pottery making, etc. In the first semester, I have selected the course that deal with portraits and illustration.

        In the first few classes of painting, my teacher gave the lecture on colour mixing technique. She told the class that when we mix different colours, we get a number of unique hues that give an individual look to our illustration and paintings. When it was our practical class, she asked all of us to mix blue with red in order to get purple colour. Everyone followed her instructions, and developed the same colour as it was desired by the teacher. All the students were amazed to know the colour mixing technique and they started trying mixing other colours as well.

        When the teacher came to my desk and had a look at my colour, she was shocked to see the colour that I had developed. She became a bit angry and said, “What have you done? Now do the colour mixing in front of me.” When I mixed the colours from the colour palette, it turned to be a colour somewhat near to blackish grey. My teacher then scolded me in front of the whole class and that was really an embarrassing moment for me. I looked at her with tears floating in my eyes as what wrong I had done. I was pretty sure that I had mixed the same colours as she instructed me to. Then she asked me about the colour that I developed, I told her its purple. It was at the moment when she understood the whole situation and got to know the problem that I have and that is of colour blindness. I, too forgot to tell her that I had this disorder.

         Knowing the problem, the teacher became a little worried. After the class ended, she said, “Come to my office in break time as I want to discuss something important with you.” When I went to her office, I found her quite a different person, she politely asked me to sit down. Before she would start saying anything, I mustered up courage and told her that I have a disorder and that is of colour blindness. Then she said, “I too got to know about it today that during the practical class.” She gave me a suggestion and said, “You should switch your subject to any other because in this subject all the time we had to play with colours and your weakness would not let you excel in this subject.” I asked her if I would go for pottery making. She said, “Yes you can opt for that subject”. I then thanked her for her advice and changed my subject right in the beginning of the semester. That really worked as I got A grade in the subject of pottery making in the first semester examination.

       I know I have written a long letter to you but I just wanted to share that experience of mine with you as you are one of the best buddies I ever have. Best of luck for your upcoming examinations.

        Pay my regards to all at home.

                                                                                                                    Your loving friend,

                                                                                                                    X.Y.Z.

B. Analyze James Thurber’s “University days” and highlight the features of personal narrative that you have learnt and are employed in this essay.
Answer:

“University Days” is a well-written piece of literature by James Thurber that is a perfect example of a personal narrative as Thurber has skillfully employed almost all the features of personal narrative in it.

“University Days” and Features of Personal Narrative

Thurber has written the whole experience in the first person form. He has shared his own personal experience in the form of a story as it is one of the vital features of a personal narrative. Throughout the story, he has used past tense as it too is a part of a personal narrative. Some other features of personal narrative that are beautifully employed by Thurber are narrative techniques of dialogue, description, and pacing. All the events of the story are recorded in a sequence, right from the beginning till the end. He has used concrete words and phrases and sensory details to describe the events and people. Sense of sight is employed repeatedly throughout this personal narrative such as “nebulous milky substance”, “vivid, restless clockwork of sharply defined plant cells”, “a variegated constellation of flecks, specks, and dots” etc.

---

Vocabulary

B. Read the words in the list below. Use two words from the list to make one compound word and use them in sentences.

grand	space	door	shake	room	air	half
broad	father	soft	board	boat	in	walk
out	bell	mother	hand	plane	milk	steam
suit	mate	ball	way

Compound Words	Sentences
motherboard	Last night, I replaced the motherboard of my PC.
grandfather	My grandfather died due to lung cancer.
spacesuit	The spacesuit that I wanted to buy was too expensive.
doorbell	I rang the doorbell but no one answered.
handout	Yesterday, I lost my Physics handout.
roommate	My roommate belongs to one of the remote villages of Punjab.
airplane	My brother-in-law is an airplane mechanic.
halfway	He was halfway up the ladder.
indoor	I like to play indoor games with my siblings.
broadway	The play opened on Broadway in December.
milkshake	My younger brother likes to take milkshake in breakfast.
softball	The boys played softball.
steamboat	John Fitch was the first man to build a steamboat in the United States.
walkout	The factory workers walkout for their rights.

---

Grammar

A. Tell which of the sentences are in the usual correct order of adjective.

Statement	Answer
1. She was wearing red beautiful shoes.     She was wearing beautiful red shoes.	1. She was wearing red beautiful shoes.  She was wearing beautiful red shoes.
2. He is just an old silly man.      He is just a silly old man.	2. He is just an old silly man. He is just a silly old man.
3. She bought a new powerful computer.     She bought a powerful new computer.	3. She bought a new powerful computer. She bought a powerful new computer.
4. They have just moved into a modern big house.      They have just moved into a big modern house.	4. They have just moved into a modern big house. They have just moved into a big modern house.
5. Last night I watched an interesting German film.      Last night I watched a German interesting film.	5. Last night I watched an interesting German film.     Last night I watched a German interesting film.
6. I need a new electronic dictionary.      I need an electronic new dictionary.	6. I need a new electronic dictionary.     I need an electronic new dictionary.
7. My cellar is full of black big spiders.     My cellar is full of big black spiders.	7. My cellar is full of black big spiders. My cellar is full of big black spiders.
8. She was carrying a new beautiful bag.      She was carrying a beautiful new bag.	8. She was carrying a new beautiful bag.  She was carrying a beautiful new bag.
9. I hate this awful wet weather.      I hate this wet awful weather.	9. I hate this awful wet weather.      I hate this wet awful weather.
10. I like that small glass coffee table.         I like that glass small coffee table.         I like that coffee glass small table.	10. I like that small glass coffee table.       I like that glass small coffee table.       I like that coffee glass small table.
11. There is a red horrible insect on your back.         There is a horrible red insect on your back.	11. There is a red horrible insect on your back.      There is a horrible red insect on your back.
12. Sim City is a new exciting computer game.      Sim City is a new computer exciting game.       Sim City is an exciting new computer game.	12. Sim City is a new exciting computer game.      Sim City is a new computer exciting game.       Sim City is an exciting new computer game.
13. I ate hot delicious soup for lunch.         I ate delicious hot soup for lunch.	13. I ate hot delicious soup for lunch.       I ate delicious hot soup for lunch.
14. They live in a wonderful old wooden house.         They live in an old wonderful wooden house.         They live in a wooden wonderful old house.	14. They live in a wonderful old wooden house.      They live in an old wonderful wooden house.      They live in a wooden wonderful old house.
15. They are a heavy loud metal band.         They are a loud heavy metal band.         They are a metal heavy loud band.	15. They are a heavy loud metal band. They are a loud heavy metal band.       They are a metal heavy loud band.

---

C. Complete two sentences together to make one sentence. Put the adjective clause after the noun that it describes. You can use “who” or “that” to put the clauses together.

Statement	Answer
1. We sent a package to our relatives. They live in Karachi.	1. We sent a package to our relatives who live in Karachi.
2. The woman works as a cashier. She sits next to me in class.	2. The woman who works as a cashier sits next to me in class.
3. That’s the book. Everyone is reading it.	3. That’s the book that everyone is reading.
4. We bought some trees. Our neighbor told us they were on sale.	4. We bought some trees that our neighbor told us were on sale.
5. The car has a bad engine. I bought it last month.	5. The car that I bought last month has a bad engine.
6. I lived in an apartment building. It had a very slow elevator.	6. I lived in an apartment building that had a very slow elevator.
7. You should see a doctor. He can help you with your back problems.	7. You should see a doctor who can help you with our back problems.
8.The tornado was extremely powerful. It hit Minnesota.	8.The tornado that hit Minnesota was extremely powerful.
9. We saw the woman at the grocery store. She lives next door to us.	9. We saw the woman at the grocery store who lives net door to us.
10. My wife returned the pants. They were too big for me.	10. My wife returned the pants that were too big for me.