Read the following passage carefully :
(1) Jonathan Seagull discovered that boredom, fear and anger are the reasons a gull’s life is so short and with those gone from his thought, he lived a long, fine life indeed.
(2) They laughed at him. The other gulls scorned him. ‘Such nonsense’, they would squawk, as he practised flying, not for food but for the joy of flight itself. But Jonathan, undeterred, flew higher and faster than any gull before him. He learned that the secret to flight was not merely flapping wings, but in knowing the purpose of flying.
(3) ‘Break the chain of your thought’, he told himself, ‘And you break the chains of your body.’ In solitude, he mastered loops, dives and rolls. He flew at speeds that blurred the ocean below. The flock cast him out for defying tradition, he discovered that exile was not the end but a beginning. Alone, he found peace. Alone, he found the sky.
(4) One morning, soaring silently above the clouds, Jonathan was joined by two radiant gulls. Their wings shone with light and their presence was calm and sure. ‘We’ve been watching you’, they said. ‘You’re ready to come with us.’
‘Where ?’ Jonathan asked blinking in the sunlight.
‘To a higher level of being,’ they answered.
‘You have learned much but there is more – more to flying, more to being a gull.’
(5) He followed them into a realm where flight was pure thought and time had no meaning. There, gulls didn’t fight over scraps of bread or squawk at one another in fear. They flew to understand themselves to explore the limitless. There Jonathan met Chiang, the wisest gull, who told him : ‘The only true law is that which leads to freedom – there is no other.’
(6) Jonathan began to teach others what he had learned, sharing not just flight techniques but freedom of thought. ‘You can go as far as you wish,’ he would say. ‘Because you have the right to learn. You have the right to be free.’ No longer bound by rules, written in sand, Jonathan soared not just through the skies but through understanding. And as he flew, he knew that greatness is not measured in a wingspan but in the courage to break free. (365 words)
Source : Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach.
According to Jonathan, what was the secret of living a long life ? (para-1)
According to Jonathan, what was the secret of living a long life ? (para-1)
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Solution and Explanation
Paragraph 1 states the reason why a gull's life is usually so short. It names three things: boredom, fear and anger.
Step 2: Link cause and effect:
The passage adds that when these three were gone from his thought, Jonathan lived a long, fine life. So the secret lies in removing them from the mind.
Final Answer:
Getting rid of (being free from) boredom, fear and anger.
How did Jonathan’s unconventional passion for flying lead to his exclusion from the flock ? (para-2)
How did Jonathan’s unconventional passion for flying lead to his exclusion from the flock ? (para-2)
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Solution and Explanation
Paragraph 2 shows that Jonathan practised flying not for food but for the joy of flight itself. This was against the accepted ways of the flock.
Step 2: The flock's reaction:
The other gulls laughed at him and scorned him, saying 'Such nonsense'. He kept flying higher and faster than any gull before him, so he was seen as defying tradition and was cast out.
Final Answer:
He flew for joy and not for food, defied tradition and excelled beyond the flock, so the other gulls scorned him and excluded him.
Read and complete the following sentence suitably :
‘Break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body’, suggests : (para-3)
Choose the correct response from the two options to complete the sentence :
Read and complete the following sentence suitably :
‘Break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body’, suggests : (para-3)
Choose the correct response from the two options to complete the sentence :
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- freedom is achieved through physical strength.
- mental liberation is the key to true freedom.
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
The 'chains of thought' are the limits we place on our own thinking. The line says that once the mind is freed, the body is free as well.
Step 2: Check the options:
Option 1 talks about physical strength, which the line never mentions. Option 2 says mental liberation leads to true freedom, which matches the line exactly.
Final Answer:
Option 2: mental liberation is the key to true freedom.
Complete the following suitably with ONE advantage with reference to paragraph 3.
It was ironical that Jonathan Seagull’s exile did not mean isolation but _________.
Complete the following suitably with ONE advantage with reference to paragraph 3.
It was ironical that Jonathan Seagull’s exile did not mean isolation but _________.
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Solution and Explanation
Exile normally means loneliness and loss. In paragraph 3 the opposite happens: the flock casts Jonathan out, yet he calls exile 'a beginning'.
Step 2: Pick one advantage:
The paragraph says 'Alone, he found peace'. So his exile brought him peace and a new beginning.
Final Answer:
...but peace and a new beginning.
What do the two radiant gulls who approached Jonathan, most likely represent ? (para-4)
What do the two radiant gulls who approached Jonathan, most likely represent ? (para-4)
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- rivals sent to watch his skills.
- a hallucination formed out of his loneliness.
- fellow gulls returning from his original flock.
- spiritual guides leading him to a higher plane.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
The two gulls have wings that shine with light and a calm, sure presence. They say they have been watching him and invite him 'to a higher level of being'.
Step 2: Test each option:
Rivals would not offer to lift him higher, and the gulls are calm, not hostile. A hallucination is not suggested; they speak and he follows them. His own flock had cast him out, so they cannot be fellow gulls returning. Only 'spiritual guides leading him to a higher plane' fits.
Final Answer:
Option 4: spiritual guides leading him to a higher plane.
Provide one textual evidence with reference to paragraph 4 to prove the following :
You are ready to come with us.
Provide one textual evidence with reference to paragraph 4 to prove the following :
You are ready to come with us.
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Solution and Explanation
The gulls say Jonathan is ready, so we need a line in paragraph 4 that shows he has already reached a high level of skill and understanding.
Step 2: Find the evidence:
The paragraph says he was 'soaring silently above the clouds', a height no ordinary gull reaches. It also records the gulls' words: 'You have learned much'.
Final Answer:
He was soaring silently above the clouds.
In Chiang’s statement, “the only true law is that which leads to freedom – there is no other”, what does the phrase ‘the only true law’ refer to ? (para-5)
In Chiang’s statement, “the only true law is that which leads to freedom – there is no other”, what does the phrase ‘the only true law’ refer to ? (para-5)
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Solution and Explanation
Chiang says the only true law is the one that leads to freedom. So the phrase must stand for the principle that brings freedom.
Step 2: Use the context of para 5:
In that realm gulls fly to understand themselves and to explore the limitless. The true law therefore means freedom as the highest aim, reached by self-understanding.
Final Answer:
It refers to freedom as the ultimate goal of life, achieved through self-realisation.
Select the option that best explains Jonathan’s transformation after meeting Chiang.
Select the option that best explains Jonathan’s transformation after meeting Chiang.
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- becomes more aggressive and fearless
- forgets that past and returns to his flock.
- learns to use his skills to dominate the other gulls.
- internalises freedom and shares his wisdom with others.
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Paragraph 6 says Jonathan began to teach others, sharing not just flight techniques but freedom of thought, telling them they have the right to be free.
Step 2: Weigh the options:
He is not aggressive; the passage stresses peace and calm. He does not return to the flock or try to dominate anyone. He absorbs the idea of freedom and passes it on, which is option 4.
Final Answer:
Option 4: internalises freedom and shares his wisdom with others.
Complete the analogy with ONE word from paragraph 6 :
free : bound
dropped : _________
Complete the analogy with ONE word from paragraph 6 :
free : bound
dropped : _________
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- soared
- learned
- measured
- break
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
'Free' and 'bound' are opposites (antonyms). So the missing word must be the opposite of 'dropped'.
Step 2: Choose from para 6:
'Soared' means rose high, the opposite of dropped. 'Learned', 'measured' and 'break' have no such opposite relation to dropped.
Final Answer:
Option 1: soared.
In what way did Jonathan’s journey challenge traditional beliefs ? Give an example.
In what way did Jonathan’s journey challenge traditional beliefs ? Give an example.
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Solution and Explanation
The flock believed a gull flies only to find food and must follow the flock's rules. Success meant fitting in with what others expected.
Step 2: How Jonathan challenged it:
Jonathan showed that flying could be done for joy and for knowing its purpose, not just for survival. For example, he practised flying for the joy of flight itself and mastered loops, dives and rolls, proving that greatness lies in self-realisation and freedom.
Final Answer:
He proved that life is about purpose and freedom, not about meeting the flock's expectations; for example, he flew for joy and not for food.
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