Question 14
ComprehensionJAMB 2008 Passage III: The story of life
Life is often difficult to describe. Men of wisdom in every society often find time to discuss life in order to explain it to the younger generation. I had been present in such meetings a number of times. One topic that was discussed in one of them was the beginning of life. 'When did life begin?' asked one of the men of wisdom. It was such an open-ended question. None of us could say precisely what happened when he was born. If he was born poor, he hardly would be very rich, particularly, if he was honest in a corrupt society. If he was born rich, he might lose all his riches in one day. So, we often gather to tell one another about life. Recently, a statement was introduced into the vocabulary of the English language – 'The rich also cry'. The statement demonstrates, to a large extent, that even the rich people have their own periods of time when life may prove very difficult and even meaningless to them. Have you not heard of the experience of a very rich family whose vast business empire crumbled in just one day? I have heard of a very rich man who lost his wife and three children in just one accident. Another rich man lost his thriving manufacturing company in an inferno. The compensation from his insurer could not solve half his financial problem.
When one is poverty-stricken, that is a difficult dimension to the story of life. The poor person may prefer to die. Imagine when members of a family eat once a day! The quality of food becomes a different kettle of fish in such a circumstance. The dietician's prayer that every normal human being must have a balance diet is cock and bull story to the poor. It is either that the poor do not have any opportunity that serves as a recourse for them to be rich or that they are lazy people. Provisions must be made to create opportunities for self-development and self-realization. A lazy person cannot have his cake and eat it. People like him are just not only a problem to themselves but also to others in society. At times, such people are dangerous to their communities.
Finally, what can one say about people who are terminally ill or insane? Perhaps silence becomes golden in that respect.
When one is poverty-stricken, that is a difficult dimension to the story of life. The poor person may prefer to die. Imagine when members of a family eat once a day! The quality of food becomes a different kettle of fish in such a circumstance. The dietician's prayer that every normal human being must have a balance diet is cock and bull story to the poor. It is either that the poor do not have any opportunity that serves as a recourse for them to be rich or that they are lazy people. Provisions must be made to create opportunities for self-development and self-realization. A lazy person cannot have his cake and eat it. People like him are just not only a problem to themselves but also to others in society. At times, such people are dangerous to their communities.
Finally, what can one say about people who are terminally ill or insane? Perhaps silence becomes golden in that respect.
According to the passage, dietician's prayer is one that
- A.brings succour to the poor man
- B.the poor will not believe in
- C.says any poor person can be lazy
- D.appeals to the poor.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: B (the poor will not believe in)
Explanation
The writer calls the dietician's prayer for a balanced diet a 'cock and bull story' to the poor, that is, something they cannot believe.