54. Reading Skills Comprehension: Useful Purpose

Useful Purpose

Useful Purpose

Read the following passages and answer the questions given at the end of each:

Debating societies serve several useful purposes. In the first place, a good debate is not only interesting and amusing, but it also has an educative value in sharpening people’s wits and brightening their intelligence. To be a good debate, one has to listen carefully to seize on opponent’s point quickly, to be able to see the weak points in his arguments, to think rapidly of telling rejoinder and generally to he mentally alert. As Bacon said, “conference makes a ready man”. All this is itself a good education. Debating also broadens the mind and encourages tolerance of other people’s opinion. It is like reading the newspapers of the opposite political party, which is a very healthy thing to do. In a debate, one has to hear the other side and understand it. A wise man soon learns from this that there are at least two sides to every question, and that truth has many aspects. So free discussion helps to prevent narrow-mindedness.

Questions :

(a) What is the use of debating society?

 (b) What are the characteristics of a good debate?

 (c) How can we prevent narrow-mindedness?

 (d) Use the word ‘amusing’ in a sentence of your own.

 (e) Give the opposite of ‘rapidly’.

Answers :

(a) A debating society is useful because debates have educative value and they sharpen the mind.

(b) A good debate is interesting, amusing and has an educative value.

 (c) We can prevent narrow-mindedness by good debates.

 (d) It was amusing to see the tricks of the magician.

(e) Slowly.

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