Directions : Read the following passage to answer the given questions based on it. Some words or phrases are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

This world of ours is made up of different people leading different kinds of lives. Some are healthy, wealthy and wise. Many are rich, poor and foolish. Some suffer throughout their lives. Some lead their lives without ever tasting sorrow or pain. Some people are great achievers and rise high in society, while others pine away without achieving any success. For some, life is a tragedy, while for others it is a comedy. How can we explain these differences ?

According to some thinkers, these differences can be explained by the fate of each one. Fate is an irresistible power or force controlling the destiny of man. Man, according to them, is a helpless creature. What is fated must be endured. According of this theory, the powers above control every action of man. He is only a puppet with no true will of his own. He has to accept whatever happens as the will of God. He can neither resist nor challenge his fate.

Man is said to be a rational animal. He has the power to think unlike the other animals. With the rationally and intelligence with which he has been created, it is not possible for him to accept this explanation.

This philosophy leads to a situation which will make man inactive or passive. If it is accepted, man will question the need to work hard, to be virtuous and to be creative. Like Macbeth, he will say, “If I am to be king, I shall become one without my stir.” If my fate is not to become an engineer, a doctor, a nurse, an officer or a leader, no amount of efforts on my part will be fruitful. It leads to a very sad and disappointing situation.

Man is the king of God’s creation. It is foolish to think that God has made him a puppet. If that was His intention, He would not have endowed him with rationality and intelligence. No father on this earth wishes to treat his children like puppets. We are God’s children. He is much kinder than any earthly father. Certainly man is not a victime of fate.

Man has a free will. He has the freedom of choice. Only many accept this of that. One may choose one thing or another. One may study or not study. One can choose the good or the evil. The final choice is that of the individual. One can be responsible for one’s actions only if one has the choice. If there is no choice, there is no responsibility, for one is forced to do a particular act. We are responsible for our actions because we deliberately choose to act like that with our free will.

Man has rationality and freedom. He is not forced or compelled to act this way or that way. In this way he makes his fate. I chart the way I want to go. I decide what I should eat or what I should do. Thus man is not a victim but the master of his fate.

It is foolishness to take shelter behind ‘fate’. Fate does not rule man. Man rules fate. A student who fails in an examination cannot blame fate for his failure. He must blame himself. If one does not succeed in one thing or the other, the fault often lies with him and not with fate. It is the excuse of the cowards, the lazy and the weak. When we don’t work hard or strive towards our goal we fail and then we blame our fate. Success can be achieved by anyone who wants it. Greatness can be reached by all those who struggle towards it. Fate will neither bring it nor take it away.

Directions : Read the following passage to answer the given questions based on it. Some words or phrases are printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.

This world of ours is made up of different people leading different kinds of lives. Some are healthy, wealthy and wise. Many are rich, poor and foolish. Some suffer throughout their lives. Some lead their lives without ever tasting sorrow or pain. Some people are great achievers and rise high in society, while others pine away without achieving any success. For some, life is a tragedy, while for others it is a comedy. How can we explain these differences ?

According to some thinkers, these differences can be explained by the fate of each one. Fate is an irresistible power or force controlling the destiny of man. Man, according to them, is a helpless creature. What is fated must be endured. According of this theory, the powers above control every action of man. He is only a puppet with no true will of his own. He has to accept whatever happens as the will of God. He can neither resist nor challenge his fate.

Man is said to be a rational animal. He has the power to think unlike the other animals. With the rationally and intelligence with which he has been created, it is not possible for him to accept this explanation.

This philosophy leads to a situation which will make man inactive or passive. If it is accepted, man will question the need to work hard, to be virtuous and to be creative. Like Macbeth, he will say, “If I am to be king, I shall become one without my stir.” If my fate is not to become an engineer, a doctor, a nurse, an officer or a leader, no amount of efforts on my part will be fruitful. It leads to a very sad and disappointing situation.

Man is the king of God’s creation. It is foolish to think that God has made him a puppet. If that was His intention, He would not have endowed him with rationality and intelligence. No father on this earth wishes to treat his children like puppets. We are God’s children. He is much kinder than any earthly father. Certainly man is not a victime of fate.

Man has a free will. He has the freedom of choice. Only many accept this of that. One may choose one thing or another. One may study or not study. One can choose the good or the evil. The final choice is that of the individual. One can be responsible for one’s actions only if one has the choice. If there is no choice, there is no responsibility, for one is forced to do a particular act. We are responsible for our actions because we deliberately choose to act like that with our free will.

Man has rationality and freedom. He is not forced or compelled to act this way or that way. In this way he makes his fate. I chart the way I want to go. I decide what I should eat or what I should do. Thus man is not a victim but the master of his fate.

It is foolishness to take shelter behind ‘fate’. Fate does not rule man. Man rules fate. A student who fails in an examination cannot blame fate for his failure. He must blame himself. If one does not succeed in one thing or the other, the fault often lies with him and not with fate. It is the excuse of the cowards, the lazy and the weak. When we don’t work hard or strive towards our goal we fail and then we blame our fate. Success can be achieved by anyone who wants it. Greatness can be reached by all those who struggle towards it. Fate will neither bring it nor take it away.