Std 9 English chapters › Unit 3 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: The lesson teaches that we should listen more and talk less, because spoken words cannot be taken back, and gives Socrates' three tests before speaking: is it true, is it pleasant, is it useful?
(आपण जास्त ऐकावे आणि कमी बोलावे, कारण बोललेले शब्द परत घेता येत नाहीत, असे हा पाठ शिकवतो; आणि बोलण्यापूर्वी सॉक्रेटिसच्या तीन कसोट्या सांगतो: ते खरे आहे का, गोड आहे का, उपयुक्त आहे का?)
- Type: Prose (essay with a story)
- Topic: Being careful with words
- Unit: 3
Summary in English
The British statesman Benjamin Disraeli said that nature gave us two ears and one mouth, because we were meant to listen more and talk less. Our ears are always open like funnels, but a word must pass through two fences, our teeth and our lips, before it is spoken. Of the unspoken word we are masters; of the spoken word we are slaves.
A young man who had hurt his friend with harsh words asked his teacher how to make amends. The teacher made him write the harsh words on paper, tear it into bits and throw them out of the window on a windy day. Then he asked him to collect the bits. The young man could not find even one. Spoken words, the teacher said, are just as hard to take back.
The wise Socrates told his disciples to speak only after asking three questions and getting 'yes' to each: Is it true? Is it pleasant? Is it useful? If not, it is better to stay silent.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
इंग्रज राजकारणी बेंजामिन डिझरायली म्हणाले की निसर्गाने आपल्याला दोन कान आणि एकच तोंड दिले आहे, कारण आपण जास्त ऐकावे आणि कमी बोलावे. आपले कान नरसाळ्यासारखे नेहमी उघडे असतात, पण शब्द बोलण्यापूर्वी त्याला दात आणि ओठ या दोन कुंपणांतून जावे लागते. न बोललेल्या शब्दाचे आपण मालक असतो, तर बोललेल्या शब्दाचे गुलाम.
कठोर शब्दांनी मित्राला दुखावलेल्या एका तरुणाने आपल्या गुरूंना चूक कशी सुधारायची ते विचारले. गुरूंनी त्याला ते कठोर शब्द कागदावर लिहायला लावले, कागद फाडून तुकडे वाऱ्याच्या दिवशी खिडकीबाहेर टाकायला लावले आणि मग ते गोळा करून आणायला सांगितले. त्याला एकही तुकडा सापडला नाही. बोललेले शब्दही असेच परत घेणे कठीण असते, असे गुरू म्हणाले.
ज्ञानी सॉक्रेटिसने शिष्यांना सांगितले की बोलण्यापूर्वी तीन प्रश्न विचारा आणि तिन्हींचे उत्तर 'हो' आले तरच बोला: ते खरे आहे का? ते गोड (सुखद) आहे का? ते उपयुक्त आहे का? नाहीतर गप्प राहणेच चांगले.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
Words have great power; think before you speak, especially in anger, because hurtful words cannot be taken back.
शब्दांमध्ये मोठी ताकद असते; विशेषतः रागात बोलण्यापूर्वी विचार करा, कारण दुखावणारे शब्द परत घेता येत नाहीत.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| endowed | (देणगी म्हणून) दिलेले | She is endowed with a sweet voice. |
| funnel | नरसाळे | Pour the oil through a funnel. |
| amends | (चुकीची) भरपाई | He made amends by saying sorry. |
| taken aback | आश्चर्यचकित, गोंधळलेला | I was taken aback by his rude reply. |
| counselled | सल्ला दिला | The teacher counselled the students. |
| veracity | सत्यता | We doubted the veracity of the news. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Learn antithesis from this lesson: ‘of the unspoken word you are a master, of the spoken word you are a slave’; ‘Speech is silver, but silence is gold.’
- Language study: the same word as a noun and a verb (remark, change, show), and noun, adjective and adverb clauses.
3.4 Think Before You Speak!: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this lesson, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🤔 Think as you read
Disraeli said we have two ears and one mouth because ___.
Answer: A light-hearted but effective way of giving a message.
Of the unspoken word you are a master; of the spoken word you are ___.
Answer: Once spoken, words cannot be taken back or controlled.
What did the scattered bits of paper teach the young man?
Answer: Like the bits blown away by the wind, spoken words spread and cannot be collected again.
🎬 Socrates’ three questions
Put Socrates’ questions in the order he gave them.
Ask yourself before you speak
- Is it true?
- Is it pleasant?
- Is it useful?
Q1. Noun or verb?
🗂️ Is the underlined word a noun or a verb?
Same word, two jobs
Q2. Complete the comparisons
🧩 Match each comparison with its reason.
Why is it like that?
Q3. The young man tells his story
✍️ Write it with the young man as narrator, then compare
I went quickly to my spiritual teacher for advice because I had spoken harsh words to my friend and hurt him deeply. My teacher asked me to write all those words on a sheet of paper, tear it into tiny bits and throw them out of the window. Then he asked me to collect them. It was a windy day, and after half an hour I came back exhausted, without a single bit. My teacher explained that spoken words are just like that: once they leave our lips, we can never take them back. I learnt to think before I speak in anger.
Q4. Translate Socrates’ questions
Marathi translation
- बोलण्यापूर्वी स्वतःला विचारायचा पहिला प्रश्न: हे खरे आहे का?
- दुसरा प्रश्न: हे आनंददायी (गोड) आहे का?
- सॉक्रेटिसच्या मते तिसरा प्रश्न: हे उपयुक्त आहे का?
Q5 and Q6. Antithesis
🎯 Antithesis puts opposite ideas side by side. Tap the opposite pairs.
Opposites in famous sayings
Which sentence is an example of antithesis?
Answer: Two contrasting ideas (speech/silence, silver/gold) are placed together.
Marathi examples of antithesis
- उक्ती तसे कृती नाही. → Words are many, deeds are none (He says one thing and does another).
- दिसतं तसं नसतं. → What you see is not always what is.
- करावे तसे भरावे. → As you sow, so shall you reap.
Q7. Noun, adjective or adverb clause?
🗂️ Sort the underlined clauses.
What kind of clause?
Live English: reading a food packet
🎯 Tap a packet symbol or label and what it tells you.
What does the packet tell us?
✍️ Q8. Ready-to-eat food: is it necessary? Discuss, then compare
Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods (instant noodles, packaged soups, frozen snacks) save time for busy families and travellers. But many contain too much salt, sugar, oil and preservatives. Eaten often, they can lead to obesity, high blood pressure and poor digestion. They are fine once in a while, but fresh home-cooked food is healthier. Always read the ingredients and expiry date before buying.
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Describe a time when someone's angry words hurt you. What did you do?
- Apply Socrates' three tests to something you said today.
- Write the story of the young man as if you were the young man.
Online test · 15 questions
3.4 Think Before You Speak !: Lesson Test
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शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.