I. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. (5)An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the pay cheque, but he needed to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said ‘yes’, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior material. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.When the carpenter finished his work, his employer handed over the key of the house to the carpenter— “This is your house, my gift to you.”What a shock! What a shame ! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently! Now he had to live in a poorly built house. So it is with us. We build our lives, a dayat a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently. But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build wisely!
Question 1 : Write the moral of the story and describe it using several examples from the passage.
The moral of the story is that one should always put their best effort into everything they do because the consequences of their actions will ultimately affect them. This is illustrated through the carpenter's experience of building his own house.
Firstly, the passage mentions that the carpenter, who was ready to retire, agreed to build one more house as a personal favor for his employer. However, because his heart was not in the work and he had already mentally retired, he resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. As a result, he ended up living in a poorly built house.
Secondly, the passage highlights how we often put less-than-adequate effort into building our lives. Just like the carpenter's house, the choices and actions we make each day contribute to the "house" we will live in tomorrow. If we constantly make negative choices or do not put our best effort into our work and relationships, we will have to live with the consequences and regrets later on.
Overall, the moral of the story emphasizes the importance of giving our best effort in all aspects of life and making wise choices, as these actions shape our future and the quality of life we will have to live.
The moral of the story is that we should put our best efforts into everything we do and make wise choices because the consequences of our actions will eventually affect us. This is exemplified in the passage through the story of the elderly carpenter who, despite being ready to retire, agrees to build one more house for his employer as a personal favor. However, since his heart is not in his work, he resorts to shoddy workmanship and uses inferior materials. The consequence of his lack of effort and poor choices is that he ends up living in a poorly built house.
Another example is when the employer surprises the carpenter by giving him the house he built as a gift. This serves as a realization for the carpenter that if he had known the house was for him, he would have put in more effort and done a better job. The fact that he now has to live in a substandard house emphasizes the need to take responsibility for our actions and make the most of every opportunity.
The passage further emphasizes the moral by comparing our lives to the process of building a house. It suggests that our attitude and the choices we make every day contribute to the quality of the "house" we will live in tomorrow. If we invest our time and efforts wisely, making each day count, we will have a better future. On the other hand, if we approach life with a lack of care and make poor choices, we will have to face the consequences of living in a poorly built life.