Theme Writing- Prose / Theme Writing for HSC Examination/ Writing Theme of the Short Story / Most Important Short Stories for HSC English 1st Paper Examination / Theme Writing on Prose- Short Stories

APPRECIATING A SHORT STORY

Examination Requirement

পরীক্ষায় একটি Short Story অথবা Poem দেওয়া থাকবে। শিক্ষার্থীদেরকে অনধিক ৫০ শব্দের মধ্যে প্রদত্ত গল্প বা কবিতার Theme লিখতে হবে।

Theme

The main idea, central message, or underlying significance of a literary work is called its Theme.

থিম

কোনো সাহিত্যকর্মের মূলভাব, কেন্দ্রীয় বার্তা বা অন্তর্নিহিত তাৎপর্যকে Theme (থিম) বলা হয়।

Purpose of Literary Works

Writers create stories and poems with specific purposes. They often focus on social realities, human emotions, happiness and sorrow, conflicts, love, anger, philosophy of life, patriotism, nature, war, and many other aspects of human experience.

সাহিত্যকর্মের উদ্দেশ্য

সাহিত্যিকরা নির্দিষ্ট উদ্দেশ্য নিয়ে গল্প ও কবিতা রচনা করেন। তারা সমাজবাস্তবতা, মানুষের আবেগ-অনুভূতি, সুখ-দুঃখ, দ্বন্দ্ব, প্রেম, ক্ষোভ, জীবনদর্শন, দেশপ্রেম, প্রকৃতি, যুদ্ধসহ মানবজীবনের বিভিন্ন দিক তুলে ধরেন।

 

Common Themes in Stories and Poems

1. Existentialism and Human Crisis

অস্তিত্ববাদ ও মানব অস্তিত্বের সংকট

2. Tradition and Culture

ঐতিহ্য ও সংস্কৃতি

3. Human Greatness and Glory

মানবের শ্রেষ্ঠত্ব ও গৌরব

4. Heroism and Courage

বীরত্বগাঁথা, শৌর্য ও বীর্য

5. Conflict Between Truth and Falsehood

সত্য ও মিথ্যার দ্বন্দ্ব

6. Emptiness and Loneliness

শূন্যতা ও নিঃসঙ্গতা

7. Love of Nature and Unity with Nature

প্রকৃতিচেতনা ও প্রকৃতির সাথে একাত্মতা

8. Purpose of Life and the Universe

জীবন ও জগতের উদ্দেশ্য

9. Love, Affection, and Compassion

প্রেম, ভালোবাসা ও মমত্ববোধ

10. Love for Living Creatures

জীবপ্রেম ও প্রাণীর প্রতি সহানুভূতি

11. Sadness and Suffering

বিষণ্ণতা ও বেদনাবোধ

12. Patriotism

স্বদেশপ্রেম

13. Conflict Between Justice and Injustice

ন্যায় ও অন্যায়ের দ্বন্দ্ব

14. Appreciation of Beauty

সৌন্দর্যপ্রীতি

15. Motherhood and Parental Affection

মাতৃত্ববোধ ও সন্তানের প্রতি মমত্ববোধ

16. True Friendship and Enmity

প্রকৃত বন্ধুত্ব ও শত্রুতার ধরন

17. Morality and Ethical Values

নীতিবোধ

18. Social Class Division, Deprivation, and Exploitation

সামাজিক শ্রেণিবিভেদ, বঞ্চনা ও শোষণ

19. Horrors of War and Ethnic Conflict

যুদ্ধের ভয়াবহতা ও জাতিগত সংঘর্ষ

20. Relationship Between Creator and Creation

স্রষ্টা ও সৃষ্টির সম্পর্ক, ধর্মীয় চেতনা

21. Political Analysis and Conflict

রাজনৈতিক বিশ্লেষণ ও সংঘর্ষ

22. Power Struggle and Conflict

ক্ষমতার লড়াই ও দ্বন্দ্ব

23. Gender Discrimination and Patriarchy

লিঙ্গবৈষম্য ও পিতৃতান্ত্রিক সমাজের আধিপত্য

24. Capitalism and Poverty

পুঁজিবাদ ও দারিদ্র্য

25. Socialist Revolution and Communism

সমাজতান্ত্রিক বিপ্লব ও সাম্যবাদ

26. Separation and Heartbreak

বিরহবোধ ও বিচ্ছেদবেদনা

27. Death and Life After Death

মৃত্যুচেতনা ও পারলৌকিকবোধ

28. Supernatural Events and Human Imagination

অতিপ্রাকৃতিক ঘটনা ও মানব কল্পনাশক্তির বহিঃপ্রকাশ

29. Historical Inspiration and Historical Consciousness

ঐতিহাসিক চরিত্রের অনুপ্রেরণা ও ইতিহাসচেতনা

30. Psychological Analysis and Exploration of the Mind

মনস্তাত্ত্বিক বিশ্লেষণ ও মনোজাগতিক অনুসন্ধান

31. Mystery and Vastness of Creation

সৃষ্টির রহস্য ও বিশালতার অনুসন্ধান

32. Racism and Racial Discrimination

বর্ণবাদ ও বর্ণবৈষম্য

33. Social Injustice and Satire on Social Problems

সামাজিক অবিচার ও অসংগতির পরিহাস

34. Awakening of Knowledge and Science

জ্ঞানবিজ্ঞান ও তার উদ্বোধন

35. Consequences of Greed, Jealousy, and Evil Desires

লোভ, হিংসা ও ষড়রিপুর পরিণতি

মনে রাখার কৌশল

Theme = The central message, lesson, idea, or insight that the writer wants to convey through a story or poem.

থিম = গল্প বা কবিতার মাধ্যমে লেখক যে মূল বার্তা, শিক্ষা, ধারণা বা উপলব্ধি পাঠকের কাছে পৌঁছে দিতে চান।

Appreciating Short Stories

01 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

There were two brothers in a village. One was Karim by name and the other was Bashir. Karim was elder brother of Bashir. They began to grow up gradually. Suddenly, their father died. They fell in problems to some extent. Karim was cleverer than Bashir. The younger was very simple and honest. Karim always made his brother do difficult work and did not do any work himself. They had two things. One was a cow and the other was a palm tree. One day the two brothers divided their properties. Karim took the back part of the cow and gave the front to his brother. In the same way, Karim himself took the top of the palm tree and gave the bottom to his brother. Karim began to enjoy the benefit of the properties. But Bashir was deprived of getting any advantage. Karim began to drink milk and juice of the palm tree. One day a clever man in the village advised Bashir to cut down the palm tree of his own portion and stopped feeding the cow. Then the problem was solved. [Ctg. B. 2017]

Ans (Theme): Fraternal conflict and injustice especially after parental death, is allegorised here by Karim and Bashir. Like Biblical Abel and Cane, Bashir symbolises 'good' whereas Karim echoes 'evil'. However, deception and evil are temporary. As usual, good triumphs over evil in the end of the story. Thus, Bashir, the embodiment of goodness regains his due rights and justice is established.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: পিতার মৃত্যুর পর ভ্রাতৃত্বের দ্বন্দ্ব ও অবিচার এখানে করিম ও রহিমের মাধ্যমে রূপকায়িত হয়েছে। বাইবেলে উল্লিখিত আবেল ও কেইনের মতো বশির 'ভালো'-র প্রতীক অথচ করিম 'মন্দ'-র প্রতীক। তবে, প্রতারণা ও মন্দকাজের ফল ক্ষণস্থায়ী। এ গল্পের শেষে 'ভালো' যথারীতি বিজয়লাভ করে 'মন্দের' ওপর। এভাবে, সততার প্রতীক বশির তার যথোচিত অধিকার ফিরে পায় এবং ন্যায্যতা প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয়।

02 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Once upon a time, there was a hungry fox that was looking for something to eat. He was very hungry. No matter how hard he tried, the fox could not find food. Finally, he went to the edge of and he became very happy. Inside the hole was a package. He jumped into the hole and when he opened the package, he saw there were a lot of food, bread, meat and fruit in it! The hungry fox immediately thought that there might be food in it, was going to eat it for his lunch. trunk while he cut down trees in the forest. He The fox happily began to eat. After the fox had finished eating, he felt thirsty and decided to leave the trunk and drink some water from a nearby sprihed eating, he felt thirsty and decided to leave became too big to get through the hole. know whyrings However, matter how hard he tried, he jumping into the hole. and upset. said to himself, "I wish that I had thought a little before

Ans Theme The popular saying, "Look before you leap" is the main theme of the does not think at all prior to doing any work, one has to pay duly for the path after-effect, it would not have jumped into the hole out of greed.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: জনসাধারণ্যে প্রচলিত প্রবাদ "দেখে শুনে পা বাড়াও” হচ্ছে এ গল্পের মূল বক্তব্য। কোনো কাজ করার আগে কেউ যদি এ সম্পর্কে মোটেও না ভাবে, তাহলে তাকে এর চরম মূল্য দিতে হয়। অবিচক্ষণ শিয়ালের করুণ পরিণতি এ ধরনের অবিবেচক কাজের জ্বলন্ত দৃষ্টান্ত। শিয়ালটি এর পরিণতি সম্পর্কে চিন্তা করলে, লোভের বশবর্তী হয়ে এটি এভাবে গর্তের মুখে লাফ দিত না।

03 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink. So all constructed boats and left. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no space here for you." Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you, Love. You You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered..

Sadness was close by, so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!" Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at a dry land, the elder went on his own way. Realizing how much was owed to the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped me?" "It was Time," Knowledge answered.

Ans (Theme): Overwhelmed with overpowering feelings of richness, sadness and vanity, humans fail to realise their psychological and intellectual shortcomings. However, the importance of knowledge and love surpasses their trivial animalistic passions. This fact is well understood during the turbulent sinking of life. Eventually, 'Time' and wisdom mature them to appreciate love and knowledge as the greatest assets of life.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: ভোগবিলাস, অহমিকাবোধ ও নৈরাশ্যের অনুভূতিতে নিমগ্ন হয়ে মানুষ তার মনস্তাত্ত্বিক ও বুদ্ধিগত ত্রুটিবিচ্যুতি অনুধাবন করতে ব্যর্থ হয়। তথাপি, জ্ঞান ও প্রেমবোধের মতো মানবিক গুণাবলির গুরুত্ব সব ধরনের পাশবিকবোধকে ছাড়িয়ে যায়। জীবনের ঘাতপ্রতিঘাতে এ সত্য ভালো বুঝা যায়। অবশেষে, মহাকাল ও প্রজ্ঞা ভালোবাসা ও জ্ঞানকে জীবনের বৃহত্তম সম্পদ হিসেবে মূল্যায়ন করতে তাদের পরিপক্ব করে।

04 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

There was a proud teak tree in the forest. He was tall and strong. There was a small herb next to the tree. The teak tree said, "I am very handsome and strong. No one can defeat me." Hearing this the herb replied, "Dear friend, too much pride is harmful. Even the strong will fall one day."

The teak ignored the herb's words. He continued to praise himself. A strong wind blew. The teak stood firmly. Even when it rained, the teak stood strong by spreading its leaves. At the same time, the herb bowed low. The teak made fun of the herb.

One day there was a storm in the forest. The herb bowed low. As usual the teak did not want to bow. The storm kept growing stronger. The teak could no longer bear it. He felt his strength giving way. He fell down. This was the end of the proud tree. When everything was calm, the herb stood straight. He looked around. He saw the proud teak had fallen.

Ans (Theme): This allegorical story, thematically, refers to the downfall of a proud person. Pride surely leads to humiliation and ruin. We need to remain modest and humble so that we may face the adversities and miseries of life.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: রূপকধর্মী এ গল্পটি ভাববস্তুর দিক দিয়ে একজন দাম্ভিক ব্যক্তির পতনকে নির্দেশ করে। গর্ব নিশ্চিতভাবে অসম্মান ও ধ্বংস ডেকে আনে। আমাদের নম্র ও শান্ত প্রকৃতির হওয়া উচিত যাতে আমরা জীবনের প্রতিকূলতা ও দুঃখকে মোকাবিলা করতে পারি।

05 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

John and James were best friends. They fought for many reasons and never gave up their friendship. They went in search of a job and visited many places to earn more money. They passed through various places, villages, towns, forests, beaches, and were supporting each other all the way throughout their journey.

One day they reached a desert and they had a very little food and water, John told James to eat half the quantity of food and then once they get very tired and feel like they cannot make a step, they can eat another half and save water for later use. However, James disagreed. He wanted to drink water as he was very thirsty. They quarrelled each other to have water. John slapped James and they walked in silence. They decided to have food and continue their journey. James wrote in sand, 'My best friend slapped me!

They shared the meagre amount of food and water and finally reached an oasis. They were very tired after passing through the dry and hot desert. James was so happy to see the oasts and had a lot of fun in the water. While they both were bathing, James was a bit careless and began to drown. John rushed to him and saved James. James hugged his friend and thanked him. They had a little nap and decided to leave the place.

They were about to leave and James carved something on the rock. It was 'My best friend saved my life!' John asked. Why were you marking all these here, James? James replied, "You slapped me, I wrote in sand. It was definitely not not good. goo However, if you go and see the sand, you can find n letter written on the sand. Now, I carved the good thing on the stone, and it will remain forever!"

Ans (Theme): An optimistic view of life is the theme of the story. James should be our idol in this regard. If we try to forget the negative and sad things of life and cherish the positive and good ones instead of it. our life will become much easier and more enjoyable.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: জীবনের প্রতি ইতিবাচক মনোভাব হচ্ছে এ গল্পের মূল বক্তব্য। এক্ষেত্রে জে আমাদের আরাধ্য হওয়া উচিত। আমরা যদি নেতিবাচক এবং খারাপ জিনিস ভুলতে চেষ্টা করি ও তার পরিবর্তে ইতিবাচক এবং ভালো জিনিসসমূহ লালন করি, তাহলে আমাদের জীবন অনেক সহজ ও আরও বেশি উপভোগ্য হয়ে উঠবে।

06 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Once upon a time, a hippopotamus lived in a river next to a big and solitary tree. One day, a bird came and nested in the tree. The songs and the flight of the bird caused such envy in the hippo that he couldn't think of anything else. Everyday he would lament the fact that he had been born a hippo. To pacify the hippo, the bird told him that he was so lucky to be so big and such a good swimmer.

all too clear Finally, the hippo made up his mind that he would come out of the river, climb the tree, go out to perch on a branch, and start singing. However, when he tried to climb the tree, it was all too that the hippo didn't have wings not claws to climb with, and neither could he hop. Realizing that he would never manage it, he angrily rammed his whole weight against the tree until it came crashing to the ground. Then, triumphantly, he stepped onto the leaves of the fallen tree, and began singing. Unfortunately, hippo can't sing either. All that came from his mouth were horrible noises, and when the other animals heard this, they all gathered round to make fun of the hippo standing on the branch of a fallen tree, trying to sing like a bird.

Ans (Theme): The omnipotent and omniscient Creator has created every creature with some distinctive physical and intellectual characteristics. So, everyone should remain satisfied with what s/he has been endowed with. s/he should not spoil his/her peace of mind by trying to acquire the qualities of others in vain. Then s/he will be simply a laughing stock.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: সর্বশক্তিমান ও সর্বজ্ঞ সৃষ্টিকর্তা প্রত্যেক সৃষ্টিকে বিশেষ কিছু শারীরিক ও বুদ্ধিবৃত্তিগত বৈশিষ্ট্য দিয়ে সৃষ্টি করেছেন। তাই প্রত্যেককে যেসব নেয়ামত দান করা হয়েছে তাই নিয়ে সন্তুষ্ট থাকা উচিত। অন্যদের গুণাবলি অর্জনের নিষ্ফল চেষ্টা করে তার মনের শান্তি নষ্ট করা উচিত নয়। তাহলে সে অন্যদের কাছে নিছক উপহাস ও হাসির পাত্রে পরিণত হবে।

07 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Long ago, a young man who lived in a village, found his life full of problems and sufferings. Quarrels, ill feelings, jealousy, enmity - all were part of everyday life there. So he left his house and went to a jungle to live by himself. There he made a nice little hut with wood, bamboo and reeds. "Ah! How happy I am here!" said the man to himself.

But one day he found some mice in his hut. The little creature soon made holes in his blanket. So. he brought a cat to kill the mice. The cat needed milk. So, he brought a cow. The cow needed grass and hay. So, he brought a cowboy. The cowboy needed food. So, he took a wife to cook meals. Then children were born to them and the man found himself again in a family.

Ans (Theme): The society a man lives in, may be disturbing and full of evils; yet man cannot escape society. No man in society is self-reliant. For this or that purpose, we have to rely on others and hence we must cope with social problems. This fact has been illustrated in the story of a young boy who, being bored, escaped society but again ironically found himself in a society.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: যে সমাজে মানুষ বাস করে সেটি ঝঞ্ঝাটপূর্ণ ও সমস্যাবহুল হতে পারে; তবুও মানুষ সমাজকে এড়িয়ে যেতে পারে না। সমাজে কোনো মানুষ আত্মনির্ভরশীল নয়। কোনো না কোনো কারণে আমাদেরকে অন্যদের ওপর নির্ভর করতে হয় এবং তাই সামাজিক জীবনের বাধা আমাদের অতিক্রমও করতে হয়। এ বিষয়টি একজন যুবকের গল্প দিয়ে ব্যাখ্যা করা হয়েছে, যে বিরক্ত হয়ে সমাজ থেকে পালিয়েছিল, কিন্তু বিদ্রূপাত্মকভাবে/পরিহাসক্রমে সে আবারো নিজেকে সমাজে দেখতে পেল।

08 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

There lived a poor but worthy farmer. With the small income of his few acres of land he used to support himself, his wife and two children. One day while walking through the fields, he was thinking of how he could add to his income. He found a purse of gold which was dropped by a passer-by. He carried it home and showed it to his wife who advised him to use it or at least a part of it for himself or her. The honest farmer told his wife that honesty is the best policy and that he last discovered by the farmer. The rich man took the purse and gave him thanks but no reward. rebuked the policy."

Ans (Theme): Honesty is undoubtedly the best policy. In our lifespan, we may be rich unjustly and unfairly. Our friends and relatives also Induce us to do so. But we ought not to do so because such unjust activities give rise to sin, which will prick our conscience throughout our life, depriving us of spiritual happiness.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: সততা সন্দেহাতীতভাবে সর্বোৎকৃষ্ট উপায়। আমাদের জীবনকালে আমরা অন্যায়ভাবে বা অবৈধভাবে বিত্তশালী হতে পারি। আমাদের আত্মীয়স্বজন কিংবা বন্ধুবান্ধবরাও এ কাজে আমাদেরকে প্ররোচিত করতে পারে। কিন্তু অবশ্যই এরকম করা উচিত নয়, কারণ এ ধরনের অবৈধ কর্মকাণ্ড পাপের জন্ম দেয়, যা সারাজীবন আমাদের বিবেককে দংশন করে এবং আমাদেরকে আত্মিক সুখ থেকে বঞ্চিত করে।

09 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

There was a poor boatman in a village. He used to row boat from morning till evening only to meet his both ends. There was no meaning of knowledge to him. It was the month of Boishakh. A scholar got into his boat. He was enjoying his journey very much because the weather was very fine. He was gossiping with the boatman. "Did you have any knowledge about the creation of the universe?" the scholar asked the boatman. "No," replied the boatman. The scholar got astonished and told him, without the knowledge of astronomy half of your life is spoilt.

The boatman was sad and thought of the uselessness of his life. He again asked the boatman, "Do you know about the history of human civilization?" The reply of the boatman was the same as before. This time the scholar told the boatman that he had already spoilt three-fourths of his life and he could not come to any use to the society. The boatman kept silent and went on rowing boat in a sad mood.

Suddenly, the weather became gusty. The sky was overcast with clouds. There was darkness all around. There were also heavy showers with lightening. The boat was about to capsize. The scholar was trembling with fear. But the boatman was very quiet because he was used to this weather. He asked the scholar, "Sir, do you know how to swim?" The scholar replied, crying, "No." Now the boatman said, "Alas! Your life is totally spoilt, pray to God for your safety."

Ans (Theme): Real life experience is often underrated against scholastic knowledge. But there is no substitute for practical experience and skills. Bookish knowledge, unless combined with practical wisdom, lags behind in reality. For this reason, an apparent unlettered boatman can win the battle of life at times of adversity and hardship.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: পাণ্ডিত্যপূর্ণ/ডিগ্রিধারী জ্ঞানের কাছে প্রায়শই জীবনের বাস্তব অভিজ্ঞতাকে খাটো করা হয়। তবে, বাস্তব অভিজ্ঞতা ও দক্ষতার কোনো বিকল্প হতে পারে না। পুঁথিগত বিদ্যা যদি বাস্তব অভিজ্ঞতার সমন্বয় না হয়, তবে তা সর্বদাই পিছিয়ে থাকে। এ কারণে আপাতমূর্খ একজন মাঝি বিপদ ও দুর্যোগের সময় জীবনযুদ্ধে জয়ী হতে পারেন।

10 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

There lived a wolf in a wood. He killed a lamb, but as he went on eating the flesh, a bone stuck in his throat. This gave him pain and he went about not knowing what to do. He was howling on in agony. While moving here and there, suddenly he saw a crane at a distance. He asked the crane to come towards him and requested it to help in his great trouble. The wolf urged the crane that he would give it a lot of rewards.

The greedy crane immediately agreed. It put its long beak into the wolf's throat and removed the piece of bone. The wolf was relieved of his pain. Then the crane asked for the reward. The wolf laughed at the crane and said, "Why? You have already had sufficient rewards in having been permitted to draw out your beak and head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf." The crane was very much disappointed and ran away to save its life.

Ans (Theme): The ingratitude of the powerful in society finds a beautiful expression in the story. Breach of commitment of the powerful towards the poor is common in our day-to-day life. Here, the poor crane, though greedy, showed too much generosity and fellow-feeling to the mighty wolf. but the ungrateful and cruel attitude shown by the wolf is really despicable.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: সমাজে শক্তিধরদের অকৃতজ্ঞতা এ গল্পে চমৎকারভাবে প্রতিফলিত হয়েছে। আমাদের দৈনন্দিন জীবনে, দরিদ্র প্রাণিকূলের প্রতি শক্তিধর প্রাণিকুলের দেওয়া প্রতিশ্রুতি রক্ষা না করা নিত্যনৈমিত্তিক বিষয়। এখানে, গরিব সারস পাখি লোভী হলেও শক্তিধর নেকড়ের প্রতি যথেষ্ট মহানুভবতা ও সহানুভূতি প্রদর্শন করেছিল, কিন্তু সারস পাখির প্রতি নেকড়ের অকৃতজ্ঞ ও নিষ্ঠুর মনোভাব সত্যিকারভাবে ঘৃণ্য।

11 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Once upon a time, there were two friends- Hridita and Phritila who were travelling by train from their village to the city. They both were planning to do a lot of shopping in the city malls and were discussing this. The first thing they warited to buy was two wrist watches for both of them. A very well dressed young man with impeccable manners who was travelling with them overheard their conversation and politely asked them if they would be interested in buying a couple of watches that he had.

The stranger said that a friend of him had brought these watches from abroad and that the had. The strangeure gold. He opened his bag. brought out two beautiful watches that were stunning to look at and sparkled in their gold straps. Hridita liked the watches so much that she immediately agreed to buy one. Phritila, however, cautioned Hridita not to take a hasty decision

since they did not know for sure if the watch was made of gold. Phritila warned Hridita many times not to purchase those watches and scolded her friend for coming to a hasty decision which will take both of them to unwanted situations in the future. Hridita brushed aside all of Phritila's objections and paid the stranger the huge sum he asked for and took the watch home.

However, a couple of days later the watch stopped ticking and when Hridita took it to a watch repairer, he said that the watch was not made of gold and that she had been cheated. Hridita was shattered that she had lost her hard deposited money by getting carried away by glossy appearance of the watch. She felt ashamed of her foolish act of taking a hasty decision and not listening to her friend.

Ans (Theme): A hasty decision without considering future consequences brings nothing good to anyone. Before taking a decision a person should think the pros and cons of the matter. s/he should not be charmed by the bright appearance of anything. Because semblance might deceive the truth. Hridita, being attracted to the outer appearance of the watch, took a hasty decision to buy it and thus lost all her deposited money.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: ভবিষ্যৎ ফলাফল বিবেচনা না করে ত্বরিত সিদ্ধান্ত কারোর জন্য ভালো কিছু বয়ে আনে না। সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়ার আগে একজন ব্যক্তিকে একটি জিনিসের আদ্যোপান্ত ভাবা উচিত। কোনো জিনিসের উজ্জ্বল চেহারা দেখে তার প্রতি মুগ্ধ হওয়া উচিত নয়। কারণ বাহ্যিকতা আসলকে ধোকা দিতে পারে। হৃদিতা ঘড়িটির বাহ্যিক সৌন্দর্যে মুগ্ধ হয়ে সেটা কেনার দ্রুত সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়ে তার সব জমানো টাকা হারিয়ে ফেললো।

12 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Rokeya is a Bangladeshi girl. She is ten years old. She is beautiful like a rose. She might spread her beauty if she were educated. Instead of going to school, she has to sell flowers in the streets of Dhaka. She repeatedly requests the passers-by to buy flowers. Whenever I go to my college, I see her selling flowers. Sometimes I buy flowers from her. Sometimes I overlook her.

One day I asked her. "Where do you live? Why do you do this? Why don't you go to school?" What came out was quite pathetic. The girl replied that she lived in a slum. Her father left her mother and married another woman. She did not even know where he lived: But he often came to her mother and claimed money from her. She has one little sister. At present, her mother works as a maid.

I asked her, "What's your dream? Do you have any dream?" Yes, she has a dream. She has dreams like everybody else. But her dreams are not very lofty. Her simple dream is to go to school. She wants to study. After completing her studies, she likes to take a small job. She wants to make her mother and younger sister happy. And this is a very simple dream of a little girl.

Ans (Theme): The story depicts the plight of the helpless street children who are mostly the victims of conjugal quarrel of their parents. Thousands of street children like Rokeya bereft of paternal love and affection live a miserable life and cannot make their dreams come true.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: গল্পটি অসহায় পথশিশুদের করুণ অবস্থা চিত্রিত করেছে যাদের অধিকাংশই বাবা-মার দাম্পত্য কলহের শিকার। রোকেয়ার মতো হাজার হাজার পথশিশু পিতামাতার স্নেহ-ভালোবাসা থেকে বঞ্চিত হয়ে করুণ জীবনযাপন করে এবং তাদের স্বপ্নগুলোকে বাস্তবায়ন করতে পারে না।

13 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

All the scientists are usually absorbed in thinking deeply. Sir Isaac Newton used to be deeply occupied with study of the difficult problems. He used to be forgetful of the daily necessaries of his life. On one occasion, he was very much engaged with some problems. He was in his laboratory at that time. He felt hungry and wanted to eat something. He called his maidservant and told her to bring an egg.

After a while, the maid came back with an egg and wanted to know what to do. He was then absorbed in a deep experiment and gesticulated her to keep the egg on the table. The.. servant kept the egg there and went away. Then Newton again became busy with his work. Suddenly it appeared in his mind that he should eat the egg. For this he fired the burner and put a pot of water on it to boil the egg. When the water started boiling, he wanted to put the egg into the pot.

But he put his watch into the boiling water instead of egg forgetfully. He again returned to experiment and when his conscience returned, he found his watch in the pot still boiling. This is one of the best examples of attention of the great men like Newton. And this is the key point for their great achievement.

Ans (Theme): Meditation and perseverance leading to astounding success are the main tunes of the text. Celebrated scientists contributed a lot to the advancement of human civilization at the expense of their personal ease and comfort. Their deep thought gave rise to forgetfulness for which they even set their personal comforts at naught.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: বিস্ময়কর সাফল্য সৃষ্টিকারী গভীর মনোনিবেশ ও অধ্যবসায় এই পাঠ্যাংশের মূল সুর। প্রখ্যাত বিজ্ঞানীগণ, তাঁদের ব্যক্তিগত আরাম-আয়েশের বিনিময়ে মানবসভ্যতার উন্নয়নে প্রভূত অবদান রেখেছিলেন। তাঁদের গভীর ভাবনা বিস্মরণ প্রবণতার জন্ম দিয়েছিল, যার কারণে তাঁরা তাঁদের ব্যক্তিগত আরাম-আয়েশকেও উপেক্ষা করেছিলেন।

14 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Midas was the richest among the kings of his time. But he was never satisfied. He wanted to become richer by acquiring more and more gold. He always prayed to God to bestow more riches upon him. Other than gold, it was his beautiful daughter who was very dear to him.

One day, God became pleased with his prayers. He appeared before Midas and said, "O my devotee, what do you want from me? I shall fulfil your desire." Midas said, "O God, please bless me that whatever I touch shall become gold." God instantly granted his wish and disappeared. Midas was overjoyed! He touched chairs, tables, pillars, and many other things. All of them turned into gold. A while later, he became hungry. He called his servants and ordered them to serve food.

As soon as he touched the food, it turned into gold. He was upset. Suddenly, his daughter came running to him. Midas touched her head. She, too, turned into gold. Midas was in a fix. He began crying. He went to his room and started praying again. God appeared and said. "Midas, I gave you what you asked for. Do you want some more riches?" Midas replied, "Not No I don't need anymore. My greed for riches had made me blind. My daughter has become a statue. I don't need any gold or riches. I only want my back the spell." God dis disappeared. Midas saw his daughter coming back to life. He never became my daughter back." God greedy again. God said, "As you say, dear son. I shall take rather unhappy. King Midas was granted golden touch as a.boon but it could not make him happy.

Ans (Theme): Riches cannot bring happiness. Desire for unbridled power and pelf makes a man hanker after riches, whose inevitable consequence leads to ultimate destruction.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: ধনসম্পদ সুখ আনতে পারে না। লাগামহীন ক্ষমতা ও ধনসম্পদ মানুষকে বরং অসুখী করে তোলে। রাজা মিডাসকে বর হিসেবে গোল্ডেন টাচ প্রদান গিয়ে ধনসম্পদের প্রতি অত্যন্ত লালায়িত হয়, যা তাদের জীবনে অনিবার্য ধ্বংস নিয়ে আসে। কিন্তু তা তাঁকে সুখী করতে

15 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Robert Bruce, the king of Scotland, fought several battles to regain country's freedom but was each time defeated. Naturally, he was very depressed. One day sitting up in his hiding place, he was brooding over his misfortune. Suddenly, he notice a spider trying to reach the ceiling with the help of its silken thread to complete the cobweb. The spider tried again and again to go up but dropped down every time. Six attempts made by the spider failed one after another. But still it did not give up the struggle and went on trying. Bruce observed the spider with keen interest and saw that the seventh attempt of the spider succeeded. The perseverance of the spider encouraged Bruce. He saw a ray of hope. Filled with new hope he brought together his scattered forces and faced his enemies once more with renewed energy. This time he prevailed over his enemies and succeeded in defeating them.

Ans (Theme): Even a tiny creature can be a source of inspiration for a giant and if the perseverance of the tiny creature is properly evaluated and followed, success is sure to follow. None on earth ought to be looked down upon, however, small s/he is in status or stature. Indeed. perseverance accompanied with honesty, bravery and liberal outlook is the prime factor for success in life.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: একটি ক্ষুদ্র প্রাণীও অত্যন্ত ক্ষমতাধর ব্যক্তির জন্য প্রেরণার উৎস হতে পারে এবং ক্ষুদ্র প্রাণীটির অধ্যবসায় যথাযথভাবে মূল্যায়ন ও অনুসরণ করা হলে সাফল্য অবধারিত। পদমর্যাদা বা বুদ্ধিমত্তায় সে যতই ক্ষুদ্র হোক, পৃথিবীর কাউকেই অবজ্ঞা করা উচিত নয়। মূলত সততা, সাহসিকতা ও উদার দৃষ্টিভঙ্গি সহযোগে অধ্যবসায় জীবনে সাফল্যের মুখ্য উপাদান।

16 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

A crocodile once wanted her ten children to be educated. So, she went to a fox and asked him to educate her children. The fox willingly agreed to teach the crocodile's children. So, the crocodile left all her children with the fox and went back to the river. The fox liked to eat crocodiles. So, he ate one of them and kept others. After some days, the crocodile came to see her children. Then the cunning fox showed her the nine kids and and showed one of them twice. The foolish crocodile thought that she saw all ten of her children and went away. After some days, the fox ate another baby. When the mother crocodile again came to see her children, the fox showed her eight crocodiles and showed two of them twice. The mother thought that she had seen all her ten children and she went away happily. At last when the mother crocodile came, the fox showed her the only one baby left ten times. The crocodile could not understand the trick. But when the crocodile came again after some days the fox was not not able to show any of the the babies because he had already eaten up the last one. The crocodile could understand the cunning trick of the fox. She got furious and jumped on. the fox and ate him up.

Ans (Theme): In society, cunning and unethical people deceive the honest and the simple-minded. These, dishonest people harm the honest people in a crooked way. But eventually. when these dishonest people's trickery is revealed, they become destroyed. Here, the fox represents the dishonest people and the crocodile represents the simple-minded honest people.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: সমাজে ধূর্ত ও অনৈতিক প্রকৃতির লোকেরা সৎ ও সরলমনাদের প্রতারিত করে। এসব অসৎ লোক কুটিল পন্থায় সৎ লোকদের ক্ষতি করে। কিন্তু পরিণামে এসব অসৎ লোকের প্রতারণার মুখোশ যখন উন্মোচিত হয়, তখন তারা ধ্বংস হয়ে যায়। এখানে খেঁকশিয়াল অসৎ লোকদের এবং কুমির সরলমনা সৎ লোকদের প্রতিনিধিত্ব করছে।

17 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

A Mouse who always lived on the land, by an unlucky chance, formed an intimate friendship with a Frog, who lived in the water for the most part of the day. One day the Frog led his friend Mouse to the meadow where they usually searched food. Then he led his friend towards the pond in which he lived. Suddenly, he jumped into the pond dragging the Mouse with him. The Frog was enjoying as if he had done a great deed. But the Mouse, being helpless, drowned in the water and dead body was floating on water. A Hawk observed the floating Mouse from the sky and dove down and grabbed it with his talons and he went back to his nest. As the Frog was still fastened to the leg of the Mouse, it was carried off by the Hawk. Finally, the Hawk ate it as well. destruction. Friendship with unmatched characteristics brings discomfort, pits against peril and eventually causes death.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: বন্ধুত্বের জন্য প্রয়োজন সাদৃশ্য এবং সমধর্মিতা। অসম বন্ধুত্ব নিজেদের ধ্বংসের জন্য সুযোগসন্ধানীদের আহ্বান করে থাকে। সামঞ্জস্যহীন বন্ধুত্ব আনে অস্বস্তি, ফেলে দেয় ভয়ানক বিপদে এবং পরিণতিতে ঘটে মৃত্যু।

18 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Once upon a time, there lived a shepherd boy who was bored watching his flock of sheep on the hill. To amuse himself, he shouted, "Wolf Wolf! The sheep are being chased by the wolf!" The villagers came running to help the boy and save the sheep. They found nothing and the boy just laughed looking at their angry faces. "Don't cry 'wolf when there's no wolf, boy," they said angrily and left. The boy just laughed them. at villagers warned the boy a second time and left. The boy continued watching the flock. After a After a while, he got bored and cried 'wolfl' again fooling the villagers a second time. The angry while, he saw a real wolf and cried loudly, "Wolfl Please, help! The wolf is chasing the sheep. Help!" But this time, no one turned up to help. By evening, when the boy didn't return home, the villagers wondered what happened to him and went up the hill. The boy sat on the hill weeping. "Why didn't you come when I called out that there was a wolf?" he asked angrily. "The flock is scattered now," he said. An old villager approached him and said, "People won't believe liars even when they tell the truth. We'll look for your sheep tomorrow morning. Let's go home now."

Ans (Theme): We must never tell a lie even in fun because a lie never lies hidden. Liars are not trusted at all. They may deceive people once or twice. Consequently, they lose people's credibility. Lies, in the long run, bring about inevitable destruction and demise.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: কৌতুক করেও মিথ্যা বলতে নেই কারণ মিথ্যা কখনো গোপন থাকে না। মিথ্যাবাদীরা আদৌ বিশ্বস্ত হয় না। তারা দুই-একবার মানুষকে ধোঁকা দিতে পারে। পরিণতিতে তারা মানুষের বিশ্বাস হারায়। পরিণামে মিথ্যা অনিবার্য ধ্বংস ও মৃত্যু নিয়ে আসে।

19 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

Once upon a time, there was a king in England. The king, King Lear, was very powerful. He had three daughters. When he became old, he wanted to hand over his responsibilities to his daughters. So, he made up his mind to divide his kingdom among them. He loved his youngest daughter, Cordelia, very much. He had a great desire to offer her the best part of the kingdom. For this, he called his three daughters in the court. He asked them one after another how much they loved their father. First he wanted to know who loved him most. The first and the second daughters flattered him. They informed him that they loved him more than anything else in the world. But the third one told the truth which the king did not like. She informed him that, she loved him as much as a daughter should do. The eldest two daughters pleased their father with their false and flattering answer. Being displeased, Lear divided his kingdom between the first two daughters. He did not give anything to the youngest daughter. Afterward, the two daughters. Goneril and Regan, showed cruelty to their father. They even drove him into the storm. But Cordelia rescued her father. The king at last realized that he had made a great mistake in identifying the true daughter.

Ans (Theme): Flattery with fallacy of speech and appearance causes injustice and infidelity. King Lear, the symbol of power and authority, falls prey to deception and treachery and fails to realize and recognise reality and the truth. Consequently, power befalls, disloyalty reveals itself and injustice towards innocent Cordelia brings about destruction.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: চাটুকারিতা, কথা আর বাহ্যিকতার মিথ্যা প্রলোভন অবিচার ও অবিশ্বস্ততা ঘটায়। ক্ষমতা ও কর্তৃত্বের প্রতীক কিং লিয়ার প্রতারণা ও বিশ্বাসঘাতকতার শিকার হয়ে বাস্তবতা ও প্রকৃত সত্য অনুধাবনে ব্যর্থ হন। ফলাফলস্বরূপ, ক্ষমতার পতন ঘটে, রাষ্ট্রদ্রোহিতা প্রকাশিত হয় ও নিষ্পাপ কর্ডেলিয়ার প্রতি অবিচারের ফলে ধ্বংস নেমে আসে।

20 Write down the theme of the following story. (Not more than 50 words)

"How is life full of choices? When we eat too much, we make a choice to be overweight. When we drink too much, we make a choice to have a headache the next day. If we drink and drive, we choose to risk being killed and/or killing someone in an accident. When we ill-treat people, we choose to be ill-treated in return. When we don't care about other people, we choose not to be cared for by them. When we light up a cigarette, we invite cancer. Choices have consequences. The most important thing to understand is that we are all free to the point of making choices. But. after we make a choice, the choice controls the chooser. We have no more choices. What is success? Series of positive choices is called success and that of negative choices is called failure. We have an equal opportunity to be unequal. The choice is ours. Life can be compared to a pottery marker who shapes clay in any forms he wants. Similarly we can mould our lives into any shape we want."

Ans (Theme): Life is synonymous with choice and action. Every action has its own consequence no matter whether it is good or bad. It is we who are responsible for our action and consequence. Thoughtful choice brings about success whereas unwise decisions lead to doom and destruction.

বঙ্গানুবাদ: জীবন হচ্ছে পেশা নির্বাচন এবং কর্মের সমার্থক। প্রত্যেক কাজেরই ভালো বা মন্দ পরিণতি আছে। আমরাই আমাদের কাজ ও পরিণতির জন্য দায়ী। সুবিবেচনাপূর্ণ সিদ্ধান্ত সফলতা নিয়ে আসে, অথচ অবিবেচনাপূর্ণ সিদ্ধান্ত ধ্বংস নিয়ে আসে।