e Education Passage – Questions & Answers
What is education?

Passage (English)

What is education? It is much more than the knowledge we find in books. If a man is truly educated, he will have shown how to lead a happy and useful life and to be a good citizen of the country of the world. He will have learnt how to behave with other human beings. By coming in touch with the active mind of his teachers and fellow students, he will have discovered what kind of mind he himself has; he will have become proud of what he knows to be right and ashamed of doing what he knows to be wrong. The cleverest man is not always the best educated. A wise man is one, who is able to think clearly and then act in such a way what the best result follows. Knowledge is very useful but knowledge by itself does not make a man wise. We need a special kind of education, which will train us to use knowledge wisely. Wisdom guides us to make the best use of our knowledge. Without it, however much we know, we remain foolish.

Translation (Bengali)

শিক্ষা কী? শিক্ষা কেবল বইয়ের মধ্যে পাওয়া জ্ঞান নয়; এর চেয়েও অনেক বেশি কিছু। একজন মানুষ যদি সত্যিকারের শিক্ষিত হয়, তবে সে শিখে নেয় কিভাবে সুখী ও উপকারী জীবন যাপন করতে হয় এবং কিভাবে দেশের ও বিশ্বের একজন সৎ নাগরিক হতে হয়। সে জেনে যায়, অন্য মানুষের সঙ্গে কিভাবে আচরণ করতে হবে।

শিক্ষক ও সহপাঠীদের সক্রিয় চিন্তার সংস্পর্শে এসে সে আবিষ্কার করে, তার নিজের মনের প্রকৃতি কেমন; সে গর্বিত হয় সেই কাজগুলোতে, যেগুলো সঠিক বলে জানে এবং লজ্জিত হয় সেই কাজগুলো করতে, যেগুলো ভুল বলে জানে। সবচেয়ে বুদ্ধিমান মানুষ সবসময় সবচেয়ে শিক্ষিত মানুষ নয়। প্রকৃত জ্ঞানী সেই ব্যক্তি, যে স্পষ্টভাবে চিন্তা করতে পারে এবং তারপর এমনভাবে কাজ করে যাতে সর্বোত্তম ফল পাওয়া যায়।

জ্ঞান অত্যন্ত উপকারী, কিন্তু কেবলমাত্র জ্ঞান একজন মানুষকে জ্ঞানী করে তোলে না। আমাদের এমন এক বিশেষ শিক্ষার প্রয়োজন, যা আমাদের শেখাবে জ্ঞানকে সঠিকভাবে কাজে লাগাতে। প্রজ্ঞাই আমাদের পথ দেখায় জ্ঞানকে সর্বোত্তমভাবে ব্যবহার করার জন্য। প্রজ্ঞা ছাড়া আমরা যতই জানি না কেন, শেষ পর্যন্ত মূর্খই থেকে যাই।

Questions & Answers

(a) Write answers to the following questions 2×3=6
  1. What do we need to use our knowledge wisely?
    We need a special kind of education that trains us to use knowledge wisely.
  2. How do we remain foolish?
    Without wisdom, however much we know, we remain foolish.
  3. Why is wisdom essential?
    Wisdom guides us to make the best use of our knowledge.
Extra Questions:
  1. What does true education teach us?
    It teaches how to live happily, be useful, become a good citizen, and behave with others.
  2. What are the qualities of a truly educated man?
    He lives a happy and useful life, is a good citizen, behaves well with others, feels proud of right actions and ashamed of wrong actions.
(b) Main idea & supporting ideas 4
Main Idea: Education is more than book knowledge; it teaches us to live wisely and use knowledge properly.
Supporting Ideas:
  • True education makes us happy, useful, and good citizens.
  • It teaches proper behavior with others.
  • Wisdom is more important than cleverness.
  • Knowledge without wisdom keeps us foolish.
(c) Meanings & Sentences (any five) 1×5=5
1. Education – (teaching) True education is not only about teaching facts but also about learning how to live a useful and happy life.
2. Century – (one hundred years) Over the past century, the idea of education has changed from mere book learning to developing a person’s mind and character.
3. Discover – (reveal) Through education, students discover their own abilities and reveal the kind of mind they truly have.
4. Foolish – (silly) A person may know many things, but without wisdom, he may act in a foolish or silly way.
5. Behave – (conduct) A truly educated person knows how to behave and conduct himself properly with others.
6. Wisdom – (knowledge) Wisdom helps us to use knowledge in the right way so that our actions bring good results.
7. Useful – (helpful) Knowledge becomes useful and helpful only when guided by wisdom and right understanding.
(d) Summary 5
Education is not limited to bookish knowledge. True education helps a person live happily, become useful to society, and be a good citizen. It teaches proper behavior and develops moral values. Cleverness alone does not make one educated. Knowledge is valuable, but wisdom is necessary to use it properly. Without wisdom, knowledge is meaningless and we remain foolish.

Or: The key-word in the first sentence is “education”, which helps understand that the passage is about the broader meaning and purpose of education beyond just book knowledge.