Q1. [4]
Printed Words
This is how Mercier describes the impact of the printed word, and the power of reading in one of his books :
'Anyone who had seen me reading would have compared me to a man dying of thirst who was gulping down some fresh, pure water.... Lighting my lamp with extraordinary caution, I threw myself hungrily into the reading. An easy eloquence, effortless and animated, carried me from one page to the next without my noticing it. A clock struck off the hours in the silence of the shadows, and I heard nothing. My lamp began to run out of oil and produced only a pale light, but still I read on. I could not even take out time to raise the wick for fear of interrupting my pleasure. How those new ideas rushed into my brain! How my intelligence adopted them!'
Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow :
- 34.1 How does the passage reflect the immersive nature of reading of Mercier ? [1]
- 34.2 Why did Mercier describe himself as a virtual writer ? [1]
- 34.3 How did reading influence Mercier's intellectual capacity and his engagement with new concepts ? Explain in any two points. [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2024 32/1/1 Q34
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:01 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
34.1 The passage reflects the immersive nature of Mercier's reading through his intense absorption — he was unaware of time passing, heard no clock strikes, and continued reading even when his lamp ran out of oil, unable to stop for fear of interrupting his pleasure.
34.2 This question cannot be answered from the given passage. The passage does not mention Mercier describing himself as a "virtual writer." (Answer based strictly on the source provided.)
34.3
- Rush of new ideas: Mercier says "How those new ideas rushed into my brain!" — showing reading actively introduced fresh concepts into his thinking.
- Intellectual adoption: His intelligence "adopted" these new ideas, meaning reading did not just inform him but shaped and expanded his thinking capacity deeply.
Source: Chapter – Print Culture and the Modern World
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Explanation
- 34.1 Focus on details showing he lost track of time, ignored the dimming lamp, and read uninterruptedly — these prove immersion.
- 34.2 The passage gives no information about Mercier calling himself a "virtual writer." In a board exam, never fabricate an answer; state that the passage does not support it. (This sub-question may be based on the broader chapter text, not this extract — if the full chapter was given, Mercier called himself a "nocturnal writer" writing by lamplight.)
- 34.3 Examiners look for two distinct points: (i) new ideas flooding the mind, and (ii) intelligence actively adopting/internalising those ideas. Use direct textual evidence (quotes) to support each point.
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