FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH - KSEEB - CLASS 10 - COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - CONSUMERIST CULTURE

 

Unit - 09

CONSUMERIST CULTURE

Cheriyan Alexander

Comprehension

Answer the following questions briefly.

1) The writer refers to the catchy phrase, “shop till you drop” in an advertisement.

a)What is the meaning intended by the advertisers?

Ans: The meaning intended by the advertisers is to draw in deal customers to purchase items at limited prizes, till they run out of cash or become tired

 

b) Why does the writer call this apt and ironic?

Ans: The writer calls this apt and ironic because to sum up of the media, driven mania of mindless consumption is feature of the globalized 21^st century.

 

c) Which word shows that the writer is condemning consumerism?

Ans: “Mania” word shows that the writer is condemning consumerism.

 

2) In the very first paragraph, the writer makes it clear that

a) he supports shopping and shopping malls.

b) he is very critical of them.

Ans: b) he is very critical of them.

 

3) The writer puts Pepsi, Coca Cola and other “artificially colored, flavored and sweetened water” under absolutely unessential to human health and happiness.

a) Do you agree with his view?

Ans: Yes, I agree with his view.

 

b) List any five such articles/gadgets/ food items which your family has been using at home and which are not absolutely essential for your health and happiness.

Ans: Food items which your family has been using at home and which are not absolutely essential for your health and happiness are pizzas, burgers, chats, fried foods, junk food, and carbonated drinks.

 

4) What is the success story of Pepsi and Coca-Cola?

Ans: Pepsi and Coca -Cola are sold in cities and towns even in the remotest corner of the world today

 

5) The second paragraph ends with “a seemingly never-ending list”. What list is the writer talking about?

Ans: The list the writer talking is about are cigarettes, liquor, cosmetics, hamburgers and friend chicken.

 

6) a) What phrase does the writer use in paragraph 3 to refer to the advertisement?

Ans: “The machinery of persuasion” is referred by the writer in paragraph 3.

 

b) What does an advertisement aim to do?

Ans: An advertisement mainly aims to generate revenue for a particular product or service and generate demands of the products.

 

7) In the writer’s opinion, shopping has become …………. (complete the sentence)

Ans: Shopping has become more than a need.

 

8) What thrills the present day Indian shoppers?

Ans: Indian shoppers have many choices of any products that thrills the present day to them.

 

9) What was the “dream come true” for the US returned Indian?

Ans: America has 83 flavours of ice cream to choose, similarly the Indian who returned from US dreamt something like that should happen in India and he dream has come true in present time to have many option to choose.  

 

10) In the sentence, “And they take to it like ducks to water” (paragraph 5)

a) Who do “they” refer to?

Ans: “they” in the sentence refers to the upper middle class people.

 

b) What does “it” refer to?

Ans: “it” refers to the high consumption lifestyles.

 

c) What does “like ducks to water” mean?

Ans: Western life styles have been adapted so easily by Indians and without problem they have changed.

 

11) Does the writer approve of the attitude of the Indians spoken of in paragraph 5?

Ans: The writer does not approve of the attitude of the Indians spoken of in paragraph 5.

 

12) a) What is the “deep irony” referred to in paragraph 6?

Ans: Pockets of private opulence are growing; there is paucity of resources that belong to the community. This is the deep irony referred to in paragraph 6.

 

b) Substantiate your answer with anyone example from the paragraph.

Ans: Smart comfortable resorts coming up for the wealthy but lung spaces for the public necessity such as public parks, play grounds for children and gardens are decreasing.

 

13) a) What is the trend referred to in paragraph 6?

Ans: The most basic administrations into the private domain with the goal that some organization or others can make a benefit on them, this is trend referred to in paragraph 6.

 

b) Who does the trend benefit?

Ans: The trend benefits to private companies.

 

c) What is the impact of the trend on the poor?

Ans: The poor people would suffer a lot due to expensive goods and products which they have to buy to fulfill their needs.

14) a) What are the advertisers and marketing professionals working hard at?

Ans: The advertisers and marketing professionals are working hard to lure the pockets of every consumer even from remotest areas to buy their products.

 

b) How will it affect our villagers?

Ans: It will affect our villagers a lot, they will be commercially exploited.

 

c) What impact will it have on our environment?

Ans: Plastic garbage would increase in our environment.

 

15) a)  What kind of vision do the enthusiasts of the free market economy have for India?

Ans: Dreaming of making India look life the United States is the vision do the enthusiasts of the free market economy have for India.

 

b) Do you like India to become another U.S? Why? /Why not?

Ans: No, I won’t like India to become another US because  they would lot of impact of our environment due to plastic garbage across our country.

 

c) What negative impact will the free market economy have on our country?

Ans: There would be tons of garbage filled in our environment including all sorts of house and industrial wastes and would spoil our ecosystem.

 

16) Why does the writer say that the model of development based on consumerism is suicidal?

Ans: The writer says that the model of development based on consumerism is suicidal because the price will be paid in terms of ecological imbalance.

 

17) What according to the writer is the only way to restore sanity?

Ans: According to the writer to restore sanity local and government bodies to initiate their development traded away from global business corporation.

 

18) As one of the remedies to the mess we have created, the writer suggests a re-awakening. What does he want to reawaken?

Ans: The numerous enabling spiritualities and wisdom traditions of the various people of the world that the writer wants to be reawaken.

 

19) Go back to the advertiser’s catchy phrase, “Shop till you drop” in the first paragraph.

a) What was the intended meaning of the advertisers?

Ans: The advertisers’ clear intention was that the consumers should spend all their money to buy their products.

 

b) How does the writer interpret its meaning in the last paragraph?

Ans: One should buy within limits and do not shop for unnecessary items that are no value and cause.

 

c) Now explain why the writer calls this apt and ironic.

Ans: Shopping never ends and people will by needlessly to satisfy their greed rather than on their need.

 

20) Read paragraph 4 carefully and match the statements under A with the examples given under B.

Ans: 1) Shopping has become more than a need - I was so impressed by this latest version of smart phone that I bought it using my credit card.

2) It has become an obsessive Compulsion over which we have no control – Buying, additional pair of branded shoes because they are on 50% sale.

3) Shopping is an end in itself – I spend my weekend evenings in the nearby mall.

4) It has become a form of entertainment – I enjoy shopping.

 

II. Close Study

Read the following extracts carefully. Discuss in pairs and then write the answers to the questions given below:

1) It is to actualize this vision that millions of our youth are rushing to get their MBA degrees.

a) What is the vision referred to here?

Ans: The vision referred to here is to become developed country rather than developing country like US.

 

b) When the vision is actualized what will India be referred to as?

Ans: India will be referred to a developed country when the vision is actualized.

 

c) Is the writer critical of or admiring our youth who are rushing to get their MBA degrees?

Ans: Yes, the writer is critical of our youth who are rushing to get their MBA degrees.

 

2) It is not a wise thing to hand over to businessmen the task of ruling the world as we have just done today.

a) Why shouldn’t the businessmen be given the task to rule the world?

Ans: The businessmen should not be given the task to rule the world because they don’t have wisdom or the ability to think to human beings welfare.

 

b) What are they mainly trained for?

Ans: To maximize profits for the corporations are mainly they trained for.

 

c) According to the writer, which is the way to restore sanity?

Ans: According to the writer to restore sanity local and government bodies to initiate their development traded away from global business corporation.

 

III. Paragraph Writing:

Discuss in pairs/groups of 4 each, the answers to the following questions. Note down the important points for each question and then develop the points into one paragraph answers:

1) Man today is an unstoppable buying machine. Elucidate with examples.

Ans: Man today is an unstoppable buying machine. It is absolutely true which is mentioned by the author. The author brings to the readers to see their own ways of managing money. Is there shopping meeting their essential necessities or would they say they are enjoying superfluous buys? He needs the readers to comprehend why they are shopping and what are they looking for. A case of it would purchase enhanced beverages with no nutritive worth. He considers publicists and huge companies liable for making an enticing business sector where the customers become relentless purchasing machines.

 

2) Write a short note on the views expressed by the writer on the tragic comedy of “development”. Why does he call it a tragic comedy?

Ans:  The writer believes that with so much of development taking place there should be a positive progress in our society. Improvement should mean the general advancement of an economy yet with current industrialism; we see particular turn of events. In a customer's very own life, the person has numerous alternatives to browse. Streets are awful, public parks are not kept up. These are only a couple instances of it. Be that as it may, in the public area, things are as yet immature.

 

3) Do you personally share the concerns raised by the writer here? If “yes”, what individual initiative can you take?

Ans:  Yes, I do agree with the writer’s concern of the consumerist culture. People now buy expensive items needlessly, without thinking. It has arrived at a level which is absolutely thoughtless and pointless. Consumerism is because of the tremendous extension of businesses and markets. It is straightforwardly a result of Western impact. In spite of the fact that we have to profit by the upgrades in science and innovation, we need not carelessly chimp the West. Different parts of a consumable like eco-cordiality, its profile degradability and individual requirement for the item are more significant. A wide assortment in consumables is certifiably not an alluring thing on the off chance that it is to just give more decision to the customer. Frequently decision can prompt disarray and superfluous exercise in futility, exertion and cash.

 

Click Here For Exercise Grammar