Unseen Passage 5: All About Dates (BBC Compacta class 7th self Access Module Q.8.)

 Q. Read the following passage carefully:

ALL ABOUT DATES

(1) If someone were to ask you, "When do we celebrate New Year?" what would you say? "January 1, of course!" wondering why you were being asked such a stupid question. New year has been celebrated on january 1 only for the last 400 years or so- after Pope Gregory introduced the new calender in 1562. Four thousand years before that, that Babylonians first started celebrating New year- but in late March, at the beginning of spring. The Romans observed New year in March, though each of the emperors tampered with the calender till it becomes out of tune with the seasons. Finally to set the calender right, Julius Caesar declared january 1 to be New Year in honour of Janus, the gatekeeper to heaven and earth. Have you seen a picture of Janus? He's the god with two faces, one looking back to the old year and the other looking ahead to the new one. And in order to set the calender right, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days!

(2) Did you know that April Fool's Day came into existence only because of this change of date? Some people who were not aware of the change continued to celebrate New Year on April 1. Others made fun of them and played tricks on them and this day came to be known as April Fool's Day! Though the Romans celebrated New Year, the church did not approve of the practice for a long time. So, it is approximately during the last 400 years that the western world started celebrating this day.

(3) The tradition of making new year resolutions began when the Romans who loved wild and crazy parties, came up with the convenient excuse that they could always start afresh in the New Year. Another interesting belief is that what we eat or do on the first day of the year will affect our luck for the rest of the year. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolises coming full circle, completing a year's cycle. That's why the Dutch eat doughnut on New year's day. Other lucky foods are cabbage and rice. The Spanish eat 12 grapes for hood luck when the clock strikes 12. The French eat a stack of pancakes for good luck. 

[Usha Narayan, The Hindu (Modified)]

                         Questions

(I)  On the basis of your reading of the passage, complete the following sentences as briefly as possible. Write the answers in the space provided.

(a) "When do we celebrate New Year?" would be such a stupid question to ask because ........... 

(b) In ancient times New Year was celebrated .............. to mark the .............

(c)  The calender became 'out of tune' with the seasons as a result of .......... 

(d) The significance of January being named after the god Janus is that it ...........

(e) An unusual occurrence helped 'to set the calender right'. That occurrence was ..........

(f) People who continued to celebrate New Year on April 1 were considered fools because ............

(g) Four 'lucky foods' as mentioned in the passage are: (i) ..... (ii) ..... (iii) ..... (iv) .....

(II) Complete the following table with relevant words and phrases. Write the answers in the space provided. Do not copy the whole table.

 

Year/Date                       Event/occasion

1562.                             (a) ..................

(b) .......                         Western world started.                                          celebrating New year

(c)..........                           Babylonians first                                                    started celebrating                                                 New year.

(d) ............                      Ancient New Year

January 1.                      Modern New Year

(III) Find phrases from the passage which mean the same as the following from the paragraphs indicated.

(a) changed something wrongfully (paragraph 1)

(b) returning to the starting point  (paragraph 3)

                       Answers

(I) 

(a) It had been celebrated on january 1 for the last 400 years 

(b) in march.       beginning of spring

(c) new year observed by Romans in March.

(d) is the gatekeeper to heaven and Earth and the god with two faces, one looking back to the old year and the other looking ahead to the new one.

(e) that caesar had to drag the previous year for 445 days.

(f) they were not aware of the change and other people made fun of them and played tricks on them.

(g) (i) droughnut 

     (ii) cabbage and rice

     (iii) grapes

     (iv)  pancakes

(II)

(a) Pope gregory introduced the new calender.

(b) 1 April

(c) 4000 years before 1562

(d) March 1

(III)

(a) Out of tune

(b) began