Unit 11: Arts And Creation Solution
(Why is the Renaissance Important?)

Ways with words

A. Circle the correct meanings of the underlined words.

a. Martin Luther started a revolt against the conventions of the Roman Catholic Church.
customs

b. It blended classical styles with new ideas.
mixed together

c. The dome marks the beginning of Renaissance architecture.
serves as a sign of

d. The arts flourished during the Renaissance.
grew and improved

e. The new passion for learning also led to amazing discoveries in science.
enthusiasm

C. What do the following idioms mean? Use them in sensible sentences.
Ans:

a. hot potato: a problem or situation that is difficult and unpleasant to deal with
Her behavior has become a hot potato I cannot tolerate it any more.

b. once in a blue moon: very rarely.
He goes to visit his mother once in a blue moon so she remains unhappy.

c.a bed of roses; an easy or a pleasant situation.
He is very happy, his life has become a bed of roses.

d. when pigs fly: When something is impossible to do
You will be successful in your business when pigs fly.

e. miss the boat: to be unable to take advantage of something because you are too late.
The boys could not get admission in the university because they missed the boat.

f. zip your lip: Stop talking, to be quiet
You’d better zip your lip, I am tired of listening to you.

g. fight tooth and nail: to fight in a very determined way for what you want.
We are fighting tooth and nail to get rid of poverty.

h. when life gives lemon: Nagative things in life.
you cannot control the situation when life gives you lemon.

i.goose egg: a zero score in a game.
We are very unfortunate our team just got a big goose egg.

D. Match the following phrasal verbs with their meanings.

a. break down : to stop functioning

b. check out : to leave a hotel

c. fed up : tired of something or someone

d. fill out : to complete a form

e. get away : to escape

f. give away : to give something to someone for free

g. give up : to quit a habit

h. look forward to : to wait anxiously for something or an event

i. make up : to invent a story or lie

j. pass away : to die

k. put out : to extinguish

l. take off : to remove clothes or shoes from the body, to depart as in airplane

Comprehension

Answer these questions. 

a. What does the word Renaissance mean? Which language is it derived from?

Ans: Renaissance means rebirth. It is derived from French language.

b. What did the Greek scholars do in their new locations after leaving the Greek city?

Ans: When Greek scholars left Greek city settled in new locations, they taught Greek and shared their precious books.

c.How did ‘new learning’ teach people to think in different ways?

Ans: New learning taught people to think in different ways, encouraging them to make statues, paint pictures, make buildings and write great literature.

d.Describe the artistic developments of Renaissance in brief. 

Ans: Artistic developments of Renaissance began from Florence, Italy. The people of the cities such as Florence, Milan and venice became rich, they had now both money and time to enjoy music, art and poetry. Famous painters and Sculptors, like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael created some excellent works of art.

e.Name the three Renaissance scientists who made great discoveries?

Ans: The scientists who made great discoveries in Renaissance are Galileo, Kepler and Newton.

f. Who developed the printing press? Which country was he from?

Ans: Johannes Gutenberg developed the printing press and he was from Gernany.

g. Why is the development of the printing press considered as one of the gifts of Renaissance? 

Ans: The development of printing press is considered as one of the gifsts of Renaissance because it revolutionsed in the publication of books. Now the books were cheap and they were easily available. Middle class people could afford books, different kinds of books were available to all which helped to develop learning culture.

h.Name the five famous explorers of the Renaissance ?
Ans: Any five famous explorers of the Renaissance are: Columbus, Vaseo de Gama, Cabot, Magellan, and Drake.

i.Why do some people think of the Renaissance as the beginning of modern history?
Ans: Some people think of Renaissance as the beginning of modern history because new inventions, discoveries, and creations were made in this period. New learning was develeloped and people began thinking in new ways. New lands and routes were explored and so on.

B. What do you infer from the reading? Tick (√) the best answer.

a. Before the Renaissance…
education was limited to scholars and privileged

b. Which statement is true?
The Greeks had a strong influence on Renaissance thinking

c. What did the Renaissance do?
It caused people to make changes in their lives

d. What were the major causes of the Renaissance?
printing, reading and learning

Critical thinking


a.Do you agree with Machiavelli’s view that a good leader can do bad and dishonest things in order to preserve his power and protect his government? Explain.
Ans: Yes, I agree that a good leader can do bad and dishonest things in order to preserve his power and protect his government. People have hunger of power. Once a person gets power he/she wants to remain in power forever. Some people misuse their power to remain in power. We can see

Different examples around the globe. Some rulers/leaders become autocratic and tyrant for their position. Misuse of security force, position and government property is frequently seen specially in developing countries.

b.Do you think that art and literature are important assets of a country? Give reasons.

Ans: Yes, it is true that art and literature are important assets of a country. Art and literature preserve culture and reflect the society. They give identity to people and nation. They are the valuable properties of a country. For example: Shakespear’s dramas have given a different identity to English literature. Immortal creations by writers, artists, sculptors are properties of the world. People judge a particular country through its art and literature. It can also promote tourism industry which supports the economy of the country. They are the real identity of any country.

Writing

a. Write an essay on “Literature is the reflection of society.”

Ans: Literature is a piece of writing that includes different genres like story, poem, novel, essay, drama and so on. Again there are varieties in all of them. Literature reflects culture, tradition, custom and people’s lifestyle of a particular society. It also preserves our culture and tradition. Many authors represent social, political, ecological, historical, scientific phenomenon in their works. A writer’s way of thinking and presenting his/her ideas is highly influenced by the society. History of literature began with the human civilization. In those early days literary creations were transposed orally through songs or words. Aesop was the famous story teller from Greece and his stories spread in oral form. But gradually people started writing so that we can read them at present. Writing is the accurate way of passing down the information. Following this literature was born as many people started writing on different subjects. Through this literature began taking shape of various form such as poetry, drama, novel etc. Even there are varieties in each of them. In many conditions literature is the reflection of society. It presents a writer’s prespective which depicts culture and the lifestyle of people in the than society. Literature allows us to see humanity through the eyes of a person. It is a form of expression in different ways and what the writer expresses is the reflection of society. For example, in his dramas. Shakespeare has portrayed history and culture of the than England and society, George orwell’s novel 1984 describes the seenerio which still reflects many societies. It is true that society influences the literatue and later on a piece of literature may change the society.

Literature plays an important role to reform the society as it points out the evils of society. It presents the picture of what people think, say and do in the society. A character in a piece of writing represents the people and their lifestyle. In Nepali literature too many prominent writers have written many books which reflect our society. For example, Devkota’s masterprece’ ‘Muna Madan’ depicts the poverty and unemployment problem that was prevalent in the then Nepalese society. It doesnot only present the ills of the society but also depicts glory. Like Barbara Nimri Aziz, Niharik have written abut Yogamaya that portmays the condition of Nepalese women in the than society and her struggle against inequality and corruption.

Thus literature is the reflection of society. Literature reflects society and in the same way a piece of writing influences society and helps to reform it.

b.It is said that today’s reader is tomorrow’s leader. Do you agree with this statement? Explain.

Ans: I agree with this statement. Reading equips people with knowledge and wisdom. The leaders are the people who reach to the level of making proper plans and policies for the nation. If they do not have knowledge how to they do so. Education helps to develop vision, wisdom and leads them to success. Their decisions and actions have long term effects on people and country. If we do not read now we cannot lead the nation. The reason behind why our country is back ward in development is that today’s leaders were not yesterdays readers. They lack vision and leadership capacity. It is sure that today’s reader will be equipped with all those qualities to be tomorrow’s leader. Until and unless the country gets qualified leader progress and prosperity of the country is impossible.

c.Write a short biography of a national literary, artistic or historical figure you appreciate most.

Ans:

Biography of Laxmi Prasad Devkota

Laxmi Prasad Devkota was born on 27th Kartik, 1966 BS in Dillibazar, Kathmandu. He was the son of Tilmadhav Devkota and Rajyalaxmi Devkota. He was born on the day of Laxmipuja so that he was named Laxmi Prasad.

He is known as ‘Mahakabi’ in the field of Nepali literature for his contribution in different creations. He has written many books of different genres such as essays, stories, poems and so on. He is still one of the most read authors today. He has proved himself a versatile personality through his creations. He became the Minister of Education in 2013 BS and played a significant role to establish Tribhuvan University. During his tenure as a Minister, he contributed to establish many educational institutions.

He has written many popular books including Muna Madan, Kunjini, Shakuntal, Laxmi Katha Sangraha, Laxmi Nibandha Sangraha and many others. His creation, Muna Madan is still one of the best selling books in Nepal. As a litterateur his multidimensional personality has a significant role for the enhancement of Nepali literature.

Unfortunately, Devkota died of cancer in 2016. Although he is no more with us, he will always be remembered for his immortal literary creations.

Grammar

B. Complete the following sentences with correct relative pronouns and write whether the clauses are defining or non-defining.
a. That’s the house where I was born.

b. My aunt Nita, whoa journalist, is coming to visit next week.

c. People wholike outdoor activities will love our holidays.

d. The early 1960s, when the Beatles first started, was a very exciting time in pop culture.

e. My essay on Shakespeare, which I found quite difficult, got a really good mark in the end.

f. The Mayans, who lived in Central America, built many stunning temples.

g. That’s the girl whose brother is in your class.

h. The snake that was in the garden last week belongs to our next-door neighbor.

C. Join the following pairs of sentences with an appropriate relative clauses.

a. He is a musician. His albums have sold millions.
He is a musician whose albums have sold millions.

b. Amelia speaks English and Chines fluently. She is from Shanghai.
Amelia who is from Shanghai speaks English and Chines fluently.

c. That’s the stadium. Real Madrid plays there.
That’s the stadium where Real Madrid plays there.

d. Dublin is my favourite city. It is the capital of Ireland.
Dublin is my favourite city which is the capital of Ireland.

e. The person was really helpful. They spoke to him.
The person to whom they spoke was really helpful.

f. This smartphone takes great photos. I bought it last week.
This smartphone takes great photos whioch I bought it last week.