Though reading a book connects us with humanity, it is also the last truly private act in a world that has become too public. As a nourishment for the mind, it is slow food in a world given over to fast food. Blogs, text messages and e-books, bring relevance and instant gratification, much as newspapers and magazines do. But however important such forms are, they endure only as long as the stuff they are printed on. The comforts of books defy time, and break borders. Books offer other types of pleasures as well. The joy of their touch, sound and fragrance is immeasurable. The pleasure of their understanding is an addition to it. The sharing of a book with friends is still another form of joy. Libraries are the evidence of grandeur of a civilisation.
It is important that we work to give every person the opportunity to enjoy books as shelters, sustenance, and roads forward. To imagine a world without books is to imagine a world without thought, feeling, compassion, history, or voice.
THEME
It is a well-known fact that when there were no televisions or computers, reading was a primary leisure activity. People would spend hours reading books and travel to lands far away-in their minds. The reading habit can become a healthy addiction and make us sensitive to global issues. It can also broaden our minds and improve our knowledge.
Question 1: Why does the passage describe reading as the last truly private act in today's world?
Answer: The passage describes reading as the last truly private act because it allows individuals to immerse themselves in a private world of their own thoughts and imagination, away from the increasingly public nature of modern technology and social media.
Question 2: How does the passage compare reading to fast food culture?
Answer: The passage compares reading to slow food in a world dominated by fast food culture. While blogs, text messages, and e-books provide instant gratification similar to fast food, reading is portrayed as a slower, more nourishing activity that offers deeper satisfaction and meaning.
Question 3: What unique pleasures do books offer, according to the passage?
Answer: According to the passage, books offer unique pleasures such as the tactile sensation of their touch, the sound of flipping through their pages, the fragrance of their paper, and the joy of understanding their content. Additionally, sharing a book with friends is also described as a form of joy.
Question 4: Why does the passage emphasize the importance of giving every person the opportunity to enjoy books?
Answer: The passage emphasizes the importance of giving every person the opportunity to enjoy books because they serve as shelters, sustenance, and roads forward. Books provide individuals with mental nourishment, offer solace and comfort, and act as pathways to knowledge and personal growth.
Question 5: What would a world without books entail, according to the passage?
Answer: According to the passage, imagining a world without books would entail a loss of thought, feeling, compassion, history, and voice. Books are depicted as essential elements of civilization that preserve human experiences, emotions, and ideas, and without them, society would be deprived of its cultural richness and intellectual heritage.
