Comprehension Part- 2

When the dance had finished, Odysseus stood, his voice raised for all to hear. "We are truly honoured by your performance; not everyone can say that they have seen the dancers of Scyros. As tokens of our admiration we have brought gifts for you and your king." A murmur of excitement. Luxuries did not come often to Scyros; no one here had the money to buy them. "You are too kind." Lycomedes' face was flushed with genuine pleasure; he had not expected this generosity. The servants brought trunks forth at Odysseus' signal and began unloading them on the long tables. I saw the glitter of silver, the shine of glass and gems. All of us, men and women both, leaned towards them, eager to see. 'Please, take what you like, Odysseus said. The girls moved swiftly to the tables, and I watched them fingering the bright trinkets: perfumes in delicate glass bottles stoppered with a bit of wax; mirrors with carved ivory for handles; bracelets of twisted gold; ribbons, dyed deep in purples and reds. Among these were a few things I assumed were meant for Lycomedes and his counsellors: leather-bound shields, carved spear hafts, and silvered swords with supple kidskin sheathes. Lycomedes' eyes had caught on one of these, like a fish snagged by a line. Odysseus stood near, presiding benevolently. Achilles kept to the back, drifting slowly along the table. He paused to dab some perfume on his slender wrists, stroke the smooth handle of a mirror. He lingered a moment over a pair of earrings, blue stones set in silver wire. A movement at the far end of the hall caught my eye. Diomedes had crossed the chamber and was speaking with one of his servants, who nodded and left through the large double doors. Whatever it was could not be important; Diomedes seemed half-asleep, his eyes heavy-lidded and bored. I looked back to Achilles. He was holding the earrings up to his ears now, turning them this way and that, pursing his lips, playing at girlishness. It amused him, and the corner of his mouth curved up. His eyes flicked around the hall, catching for a moment on my face. I could not help myself. I smiled.

Which word in the passage is OPPOSITE in meaning to 'advanced'?

"He was holding the earrings up to his ears now, turning them this way and that, pursing his lips, playing at girlishness."

What do you infer as the most probable reason for Achilles' behaviour?

Why was Odysseus distributing the gifts?

"Lycomedes' eyes had caught on one of these, like a fish snagged by a line." What can be inferred from this statement?

What is the passage based upon?

Time is the essence of life. It is the wealth given to us by God. Everyday all of us get 24 hours; nothing less, nothing more. Now, it is up to us how we use it. People who know how to make the best use of every moment easily open the doors of success in their lives and those who misuse time get failures one after the other. There is a saying that, "Spent time and spent words cannot come back." Everybody is tied by the limits of time. Work wins appreciation only when it gets completed in a requisite time frame. Beyond the time allotted, work loses all its utility, however good may have been its quality. Just as falling of rains after the crops have dried up have no use; likewise, when the time is past the deadline, the work loses its importance and value. When iron is hot it can be cast into whichever shape we want. Once it gets cold nothing can be made out of it, however much we may beat the same. In the same way, a person who has learnt to wisely use his time and has understood how to cast himself according to the need of the time has actually learnt the true mantra of life. Shakespeare wrote in one of his plays, "I wasted time, and now doth time waste me." It is true that a person who wastes even a little bit of time loses wonderful opportunities that he could have otherwise availed of by utilising that time. All the great leaders have one thing in common. They wisely utilise every moment of their time. When other people are busy in wasting time in laziness, great men are busy in making plans for the future. There is no person in history who wasted his time and still managed to achieve greatness. Therefore, there is great need to manage time wisely. "Careful Time Management" refers to careful planning of time and sincere execution of this plan. This is the only mantra to attain success in any endeavour. A simple change in outlook and some modification in one's daily routine can result in a big jump forward towards greater achievements.

Select the most appropriate synonym of the word 'endeavour' given in the second paragraph.

What should be done in order to achieve success in whatever you do?

What do great leaders have in common?

Identify the tone of the passage.

Select the most appropriate ANTONYM of the word 'laziness' given in the second paragraph.