Bacon's Of Studies Important SAQ for class 11, sem 2

Of Studies — 15 Important Short Answer Questions

Concise question–answer notes for quick revision.

1. 1. What are the three main purposes of studies according to Bacon? Studies serve for delight, ornament, and ability.
2. 2. Where does study provide ‘delight’? Study provides delight in private and leisure time, especially when one is alone.
3. 3. Why does Bacon say learned men are fit for general advice? Bacon said that learned men are fit for general advice because they can judge matters broadly, give long-term perspective, and arrange things systematically.
4. 4. What does Bacon mean by “To spend too much time in studies is sloth”? Excessive reading may cause idleness and make one unfit for active life.
5. 5. How does study become complete according to Bacon? Study makes nature perfect, and experience makes study perfect—both must go together.
6. 6. Explain “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Some books should be read only in parts, some quickly and entirely, while a few must be studied deeply with attention and reflection.
7. 7. What wrong approaches to study does Bacon disapprove of? To study for contradiction, for blind acceptance, or merely for talk, according to Bacon, is wrong approaches to study .
8. 8. What do reading, conference, and writing respectively make a man? Reading makes a full man, conference makes a ready man, and writing makes an exact man.
9. 9. What happens if a man writes little, according to Bacon? He needs great memory; if he reads little, he must be cunning.
10. 10. What does “Abeunt studia in mores” mean? Studies pass into character — learning gradually shapes one’s behaviour and nature.
11. 11. What are ‘distilled books’? Summaries and abridgements which give only surface knowledge but lack depth and richness of the original are considered 'distilled books'.
12. 12. Which study is recommended for a man who lacks concentration? A man who lacks concentration must study Mathematics, because if the mind wanders during demonstration, one must begin again, thus training focus.
13. 13. What should a man study if he cannot distinguish fine differences? If a man cannot distinguish fine differences, he should study The Schoolmen (scholastic philosophers), since their work trains the mind in subtle distinctions.
14. 14. How does Bacon relate different subjects to faculties of the mind? History makes men wise; poetry witty; mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral philosophy grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.
15. 15. What is Bacon’s overall view on the right use of studies? Studies should be used for delight, ornament, and ability — not in excess, but in balance with experience and practice.

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