Passage Practice: The Noun

The Noun

Shakespeare was born in 1564 at Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He was a poet, playwright and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writer in English and the most prominent dramatist of the world. He enjoys enormous popularity even in the modern age for his plays and poems.

These are all nouns. The noun is a naming word. It may name a person, place or thing. There is a bewildering variety of things in the world. So there is a bewildering number of nouns in a language.

A. 1) a — The passage says, “Shakespeare was born in 1564.”; 2) b — The passage names Stratford-upon-Avon in England as his birthplace.; 3) a — The passage says he was “a poet, playwright and actor.”; 4) a — The passage directly says that he enjoys popularity “for his plays and poems.”; 5) a — The passage defines the noun as “a naming word.”; 6) b — The passage says that a noun may name “a person, place or thing.”; 7) a — The passage connects the variety of things in the world with the large number of nouns.

B.

1. Shakespeare was a poet, playwright and actor. He was also a famous dramatist.
2. His plays and poems made Shakespeare popular even in the modern age.
3. It mentions this variety to explain why a language has a bewildering number of nouns.
4. A noun helps us name people, places and things. Therefore, it is called a naming word.
5. Shakespeare's name is a noun because it names a particular person. The passage also contains nouns naming places, professions and things.

C. (i) 1564; (ii) Stratford-upon-Avon; (iii) poet, playwright and actor; (iv) plays and poems; (v) a naming word

D. Model summary: Shakespeare was born in 1564 at Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He was a poet, playwright and actor and became one of the world’s most prominent dramatists. His plays and poems keep him popular even in the modern age. The passage then explains that a noun is a naming word. It may name a person, place or thing, and the wide variety of things creates many nouns in language.

E.

1. prominent: important and well known (synonym: famous)
2. dramatist: a person who writes plays (synonym: playwright)
3. enormous: very great or large (synonym: huge)
4. bewildering: very confusing because of its great variety (synonym: confusing)

Hasan is a rich farmer who lives in a village in the district of Sirajganj. He has a lot of cultivable land. He grows rice, wheat and other crops. He has a herd of cattle and other domestic animals. They provide him with milk and meat. Hasan is a kind man. He has love and sympathy for the poor class of people.

A. 1) a — The passage begins by calling Hasan “a rich farmer.”; 2) b — The passage says that he lives in a village in the district of Sirajganj.; 3) a — The passage states that he grows rice, wheat and other crops.; 4) a — The passage says that he has a herd of cattle and other domestic animals.; 5) a — The passage directly says, “They provide him with milk and meat.”; 6) a — The passage says, “Hasan is a kind man.”; 7) a — He farms and keeps animals, while his love and sympathy show that he is sympathetic.

B.

1. Hasan has a lot of cultivable land.
2. His domestic animals provide him with milk and meat.
3. Hasan can be called a useful farmer because he grows crops and keeps cattle and other domestic animals.
4. He shows kindness by having love and sympathy for poor people.
5. The passage suggests that Hasan lives a productive rural life. He farms, keeps animals and cares about poor people.

C. (i) rich farmer; (ii) a village; (iii) Sirajganj; (iv) rice, wheat and crops; (v) love and sympathy

D. Model summary: Hasan is a rich farmer who lives in a village in Sirajganj. He owns much cultivable land and grows rice, wheat and other crops. He also keeps cattle and other domestic animals, which provide milk and meat. Besides being successful in farming, Hasan is kind. He has love and sympathy for poor people, showing that he cares for others.

E.

1. cultivable: suitable for growing crops (synonym: fertile)
2. crops: plants grown by farmers (synonym: produce)
3. herd: a group of animals kept or living together (synonym: group)
4. sympathy: a feeling of care for another person’s suffering (synonym: compassion)

On Monday, Rima’s English teacher, Mr Karim, announced a Noun Exhibition at Sonapur High School. Each student had to prepare a small display about nouns. Rima chose her village, Sonapur, as a proper noun because it named a particular place. She placed a picture of a farmer, a river and a school beside it. “Farmer, river and school are common nouns,” she explained, “because each can name many members of the same class.”

Her friend Nabil brought a model of a team of players and a herd of cattle. He labelled each collection or group as a collective noun. Rima added rice, water and iron to a tray and called them material nouns because they could not be counted as separate units in their ordinary forms. She also wrote kindness, honesty and courage on coloured cards. These were abstract nouns, for they named qualities without shape or size.

Before the visitors arrived, the students checked number and gender. Rima changed “one box” into “three boxes” and “one child” into “three children” to show singular and plural forms. Nabil wrote “the teacher’s table” and “the students’ books” to show possessive forms. They also placed “teacher” and “student” under common gender, since either word could refer to a male or a female. The exhibition was successful because every label was clear, and the visitors learned that careful examples can make grammar easy to understand.

A. 1) a — The passage says that Sonapur was a proper noun because it named a particular place.; 2) c — Rima explained that farmer, river and school were common nouns.; 3) a — The passage says that Nabil brought a model of a team of players and a herd of cattle.; 4) b — The passage states that they were material nouns because they could not be counted as separate units in their ordinary forms.; 5) c — The students showed plural forms by changing one box and one child into three boxes and three children.; 6) b — Their many labelled examples of noun kinds, number, gender and possession show careful preparation.; 7) b — The final sentence says that the exhibition was successful because every label was clear and the examples made grammar easy to understand.

B.

1. Mr Karim announced the Noun Exhibition, and it was held at Sonapur High School.
2. Rima wrote kindness, honesty and courage on the coloured cards to show abstract nouns, or qualities without shape or size.
3. Nabil demonstrated collective nouns by bringing models of a team of players and a herd of cattle, both of which showed a collection or group.
4. They were placed under common gender because each word can refer to either a male or a female. This made the display clearer for the visitors.
5. The exhibition was useful because clear labels and familiar examples helped the visitors understand several kinds and forms of nouns.

C. (i) Noun Exhibition; (ii) Sonapur; (iii) team and herd; (iv) boxes and children; (v) grammar easy

D. Model summary: Mr Karim arranged a Noun Exhibition at Sonapur High School. Rima displayed proper and common nouns, while Nabil showed collective nouns. Material nouns and abstract nouns were also explained with suitable examples. The students then demonstrated plural forms, possessive forms and common gender. Their careful labels and clear examples made the exhibition successful and helped visitors understand the main ideas about nouns.

E.

1. particular: specific or clearly identified (synonym: specific)
2. collection: a group of people or things (synonym: group)
3. ordinary: usual or normal (synonym: usual)
4. possessive: showing ownership or relationship (synonym: ownership-related)

• Read the questions first, then read the passage once for the main idea and once for the details.
• For short answers, begin with words from the question and answer in a full sentence. Copy facts from the passage but do not copy long lines.
• True / False / Not given: if the passage says the opposite, it is False; if the passage says nothing about it, it is Not given.
• For a word in context, read the sentence before and after it, then choose the meaning that fits both.
• A summary is short: the main idea and two or three key points, in your own words.