Read the passage carefully and answer the question following it.

Communication of ideas is at the centre of civilisation. It needs written records. Most of our records in the modern age are on paper. Though writing was invented very early, paper is a more modern invention. For long in history, people transferred ideas through speaking and listening. Then there came the art of writing. But to record thoughts in writing was difficult. Writing material was not available. People used surface of stone, metal, wood, bark, leaves, etc for writing. Those things were not easy to carry. Then for ages, people looked for easy writing materials. Finally, Paper was invented in china in 105 AD. Before paper age, knowledge was very restricted. Can you think of that time? There were very few books in the world. May be, they were written on stone or on heavy wood plunks or on metal sheets. Suppose, one page was a heavy stone block. So, think of a hundred page book! In our age, you can carry the entire world of knowledge in digital from in your laptop bag. You can even carry a huge volume of paper encyclopedia. But who could produce and carry tons of heavy stone books and documents in those paperless days? In fact, paper has made publication and the spread of knowledge and information easy. So, you can see how paper has changed our life.

ভাব বিনিময় সভ্যতার কেন্দ্রে অবস্থান করে। এর জন্য প্রয়োজন লিখিত নথি। আধুনিক যুগে আমাদের বেশিরভাগ নথি কাগজে সংরক্ষিত থাকে। যদিও লেখার উদ্ভাবন হয়েছিল অনেক আগে, কাগজ কিন্তু তুলনামূলকভাবে আধুনিক আবিষ্কার। দীর্ঘ সময় ধরে মানুষ ভাব বিনিময় করত কথা বলা ও শোনার মাধ্যমে। এরপর এল লেখার শিল্প। কিন্তু লিখে চিন্তা লিপিবদ্ধ করা ছিল কঠিন। লেখার উপকরণ সহজে পাওয়া যেত না। মানুষ লিখত পাথর, ধাতু, কাঠ, বাকল, পাতা ইত্যাদির উপর। এগুলো বহন করা সহজ ছিল না। তাই যুগের পর যুগ মানুষ সহজ লেখার উপকরণ খুঁজেছে। অবশেষে খ্রিস্টাব্দ ১০৫ সালে চীনে কাগজের আবিষ্কার হয়। কাগজ আবিষ্কারের আগে জ্ঞান ছিল খুব সীমাবদ্ধ। তুমি কি সেই সময়ের কথা ভাবতে পারো? তখন পৃথিবীতে খুব অল্প কিছু বই ছিল। হয়তো সেগুলো লেখা হত পাথরে বা ভারী কাঠের তক্তায় অথবা ধাতব পাতায়। ভাবো তো, যদি একটি পৃষ্ঠা হয় ভারী পাথরের টুকরো, তবে একশ পৃষ্ঠার একটি বই কেমন হত! অথচ আমাদের যুগে তুমি পুরো জ্ঞানের ভাণ্ডার ডিজিটাল আকারে ল্যাপটপ ব্যাগে বহন করতে পারো। এমনকি তুমি বিশাল কাগজের বিশ্বকোষও সঙ্গে রাখতে পারো। কিন্তু কাগজবিহীন যুগে কে–ই বা তৈরি ও বহন করতে পারত টন টন ভারী পাথরের বই ও দলিল? আসলে কাগজই প্রকাশনা ও জ্ঞান ও তথ্যের বিস্তারকে সহজ করেছে। তাই তুমি বুঝতে পারছ, কাগজ আমাদের জীবনকে কীভাবে বদলে দিয়েছে।

Here’s a Vocabulary Table based on the passage “Communication of Ideas”:

MCQs

1. Guess the meaning of “civilisation” —
   (i) society (ii) religion (iii) wildness (iv) colony
2. The word “records” in the passage means —
   (i) notes (ii) marks (iii) victories (iv) trophies
3. The word “modern” refers to —
   (i) ancient (ii) present-day (iii) past (iv) stone-age
4. Writing was invented —
   (i) late (ii) very early (iii) after paper (iv) not invented
5. The word “transfer” means —
   (i) carry (ii) hold (iii) fix (iv) hide
6. The word “difficult” means —
   (i) simple (ii) tough (iii) easy (iv) light
7. The word “surface” means —
   (i) depth (ii) bottom (iii) top layer (iv) inside
8. The word “carry” means —
   (i) transport (ii) destroy (iii) throw (iv) catch
9. The word “restricted” means —
   (i) limited (ii) broad (iii) wide (iv) free
10. The word “encyclopedia” means —
    (i) dictionary (ii) book of knowledge (iii) story book (iv) novel
11. The communication of ideas is at the centre of —
    (i) history (ii) civilisation (iii) invention (iv) knowledge
12. Written records are needed for —
    (i) games (ii) civilisation (iii) shopping (iv) traveling
13. Most of our records in the modern age are on —
    (i) stone (ii) bark (iii) leaves (iv) paper
14. Paper is a —
    (i) modern invention (ii) ancient discovery (iii) natural resource (iv) digital tool
15. For long in history, ideas were transferred through —
    (i) reading (ii) speaking and listening (iii) writing (iv) paper
16. The art of writing came —
    (i) before speaking (ii) after speaking (iii) with paper (iv) with printing
17. Writing thoughts was difficult because —
    (i) people were illiterate (ii) material was not available (iii) language was unknown (iv) books were banned
18. People used — for writing.
    (i) stone, metal, wood (ii) sand, water, air (iii) clouds, stars, moon (iv) digital screens
19. Those writing things were not —
    (i) easy to carry (ii) valuable (iii) costly (iv) attractive
20. People looked for easy —
    (i) transportation (ii) food (iii) writing materials (iv) clothes
21. Paper was invented in China in —
    (i) 500 BC (ii) 105 AD (iii) 1005 AD (iv) 2000 BC
22. Before paper, knowledge was —
    (i) widespread (ii) restricted (iii) limitless (iv) useless
23. Books in the past were written on —
    (i) stone or wood (ii) glass or plastic (iii) screen or board (iv) cloth or silk
24. One page in the past might be a —
    (i) leaf (ii) heavy stone block (iii) thin paper (iv) screen
25. A hundred-page book then would be —
    (i) very light (ii) very heavy (iii) easy to carry (iv) simple
26. In our age, we can carry knowledge in —
    (i) heavy stones (ii) digital form (iii) wooden planks (iv) metal sheets
27. The word “entire” means —
    (i) partial (ii) whole (iii) half (iv) broken
28. In the present, a laptop bag can carry —
    (i) digital world of knowledge (ii) heavy stones (iii) metals (iv) wood
29. A huge volume of paper encyclopedia is —
    (i) impossible to carry (ii) possible to carry (iii) useless (iv) restricted
30. In paperless days, no one could carry —
    (i) letters (ii) tons of heavy stone books (iii) news (iv) songs
31. Paper made publication —
    (i) difficult (ii) costly (iii) easy (iv) useless
32. Paper changed —
    (i) writing tools (ii) our life (iii) houses (iv) cooking
33. The passage mainly discusses —
    (i) invention of stone (ii) importance of paper (iii) printing machines (iv) modern laptops
34. The word “knowledge” refers to —
    (i) education (ii) dream (iii) food (iv) wealth
35. Paper was invented in —
    (i) India (ii) China (iii) Egypt (iv) Greece
36. Paper was invented in the year —
    (i) 10 AD (ii) 105 AD (iii) 1005 AD (iv) 2005 AD
37. Before paper, books were —
    (i) plenty (ii) rare (iii) cheap (iv) light
38. People used — to write in ancient times.
    (i) computers (ii) stones and metals (iii) cameras (iv) mobile phones
39. Carrying heavy books was —
    (i) fun (ii) difficult (iii) easy (iv) comfortable
40. Paper helped in the spread of —
    (i) money (ii) games (iii) knowledge (iv) houses
41. “Publication” means —
    (i) printing and making books (ii) selling food (iii) farming (iv) traveling
42. The phrase “paper age” refers to —
    (i) age of invention (ii) period after paper discovery (iii) stone age (iv) digital age
43. “Digital form” refers to —
    (i) stone writing (ii) electronic storage (iii) paper records (iv) wood blocks
44. People looked for easy materials because —
    (i) old ones were heavy (ii) they loved paper (iii) stone was cheap (iv) wood was soft
45. Which of the following was not used as writing material?
    (i) stone (ii) metal (iii) glass (iv) leaves
46. The word “bark” means —
    (i) tree covering (ii) dog sound (iii) shout (iv) ship body
47. In the present, information is spread by —
    (i) digital and paper (ii) stones (iii) woods (iv) metals
48. The word “civilisation” is closest to —
    (i) human society (ii) jungle (iii) tribe (iv) family
49. “Changed our life” means —
    (i) made our life difficult (ii) made our life different (iii) made life impossible (iv) stopped life
50. Before paper, learning was —
    (i) limited (ii) widespread (iii) digital (iv) easy
51. Communication means —
    (i) exchange of ideas (ii) fighting (iii) silence (iv) games
52. Written records are important for —
    (i) trade (ii) civilisation (iii) cooking (iv) farming
53. Early writing materials were not —
    (i) strong (ii) portable (iii) natural (iv) useful
54. Which was easier to carry?
    (i) paper (ii) stone block (iii) metal sheet (iv) wooden plank
55. Carrying a laptop is compared with —
    (i) carrying heavy stones (ii) carrying digital knowledge (iii) carrying trees (iv) carrying leaves
56. Paper made knowledge —
    (i) useless (ii) easy to spread (iii) hidden (iv) limited
57. Stone and wood books were —
    (i) light (ii) heavy (iii) easy (iv) digital
58. Paper is considered a —
    (i) burden (ii) blessing (iii) curse (iv) problem
59. “In fact” is used to show —
    (i) conclusion (ii) question (iii) doubt (iv) start
60. The word “finally” means —
    (i) at last (ii) firstly (iii) suddenly (iv) instantly
61. Who invented paper?
    (i) Egyptians (ii) Chinese (iii) Indians (iv) Greeks
62. Paper made information —
    (i) limited (ii) costly (iii) accessible (iv) hidden
63. Carrying tons of stone books was —
    (i) possible (ii) impossible (iii) easy (iv) common
64. Which is the main theme of the passage?
    (i) history of wood (ii) history of paper (iii) digital age (iv) stone age
65. The word “huge” means —
    (i) small (ii) big (iii) little (iv) tiny
66. The word “volume” refers to —
    (i) book size (ii) sound (iii) noise (iv) music
67. In the modern age, books are —
    (i) rare (ii) many (iii) impossible (iv) hidden
68. The invention of paper was —
    (i) an obstacle (ii) a milestone (iii) a problem (iv) a waste
69. Writing thoughts was difficult without —
    (i) paper (ii) language (iii) pencils (iv) reading
70. Stones, metals, and wood were —
    (i) strong writing surfaces (ii) digital tools (iii) modern devices (iv) paper sheets
71. Carrying encyclopedias today is —
    (i) possible (ii) impossible (iii) funny (iv) useless
72. Publication became possible due to —
    (i) stone (ii) wood (iii) paper (iv) metal
73. Before paper, there were — books.
    (i) few (ii) many (iii) countless (iv) endless
74. “Spread of knowledge” means —
    (i) distribution of knowledge (ii) restriction of knowledge (iii) end of knowledge (iv) loss of knowledge
75. The word “tons” means —
    (i) very light (ii) very heavy (iii) few (iv) little
76. The word “block” means —
    (i) piece (ii) page (iii) part (iv) paragraph
77. Carrying knowledge digitally is —
    (i) impossible (ii) very easy (iii) heavy (iv) useless
78. The word “history” refers to —
    (i) story of the past (ii) future (iii) digital time (iv) modern age
79. Paper changed the way we —
    (i) eat (ii) learn (iii) sing (iv) play
80. In those days, writing material was —
    (i) available (ii) scarce (iii) plenty (iv) common
81. The passage suggests that digital storage is —
    (i) heavier than paper (ii) lighter and easier (iii) useless (iv) older than paper
82. Before paper, writing was mostly for —
    (i) fun (ii) limited people (iii) everyone (iv) schools
83. Carrying digital knowledge is compared with —
    (i) laptop bag (ii) heavy stones (iii) wooden planks (iv) metal sheets
84. People looked for easier materials for —
    (i) building (ii) writing (iii) eating (iv) farming
85. Paper has — human life.
    (i) ruined (ii) changed (iii) destroyed (iv) broken
86. Books written on stones were —
    (i) portable (ii) unportable (iii) light (iv) digital
87. A hundred-page stone book would be —
    (i) very light (ii) very heavy (iii) digital (iv) thin
88. Writing on bark and leaves was —
    (i) permanent (ii) temporary (iii) useless (iv) modern
89. The word “art” in “art of writing” means —
    (i) skill (ii) drawing (iii) painting (iv) music
90. Paper belongs to — invention.
    (i) ancient (ii) modern (iii) stone (iv) prehistoric
91. Carrying knowledge has become —
    (i) easy (ii) tough (iii) impossible (iv) useless
92. The word “civilisation” in the text is used as —
    (i) centre (ii) society (iii) record (iv) invention
93. The word “age” means —
    (i) period (ii) oldness (iii) youth (iv) number
94. The word “record” means —
    (i) written account (ii) sound (iii) music (iv) picture
95. The phrase “paperless days” refers to —
    (i) days before paper invention (ii) digital era (iii) stone age (iv) modern time
96. Carrying tons of documents was —
    (i) easy (ii) impossible (iii) fun (iv) cheap
97. The word “entire” in the passage means —
    (i) whole (ii) half (iii) broken (iv) incomplete
98. Paper has made — easy.
    (i) publication (ii) cooking (iii) traveling (iv) singing
99. The word “information” means —
    (i) knowledge (ii) food (iii) power (iv) dream
100. The central idea of the passage is —
     (i) paper changed our life (ii) stone books were easy (iii) wood was best (iv) digital is ancient

The correct answers are: 1. (i), 2. (i), 3. (ii), 4. (ii), 5. (i), 6. (ii), 7. (iii), 8. (i), 9. (i), 10. (ii), 11. (ii), 12. (ii), 13. (iv), 14. (i), 15. (ii), 16. (ii), 17. (ii), 18. (i), 19. (i), 20. (iii), 21. (ii), 22. (ii), 23. (i), 24. (ii), 25. (ii), 26. (ii), 27. (ii), 28. (i), 29. (ii), 30. (ii), 31. (iii), 32. (ii), 33. (ii), 34. (i), 35. (ii), 36. (ii), 37. (ii), 38. (ii), 39. (ii), 40. (iii), 41. (i), 42. (ii), 43. (ii), 44. (i), 45. (iii), 46. (i), 47. (i), 48. (i), 49. (ii), 50. (i), 51. (i), 52. (ii), 53. (ii), 54. (i), 55. (ii), 56. (ii), 57. (ii), 58. (ii), 59. (i), 60. (i), 61. (ii), 62. (iii), 63. (ii), 64. (ii), 65. (ii), 66. (i), 67. (ii), 68. (ii), 69. (i), 70. (i), 71. (i), 72. (iii), 73. (i), 74. (i), 75. (ii), 76. (i), 77. (ii), 78. (i), 79. (ii), 80. (ii), 81. (ii), 82. (ii), 83. (i), 84. (ii), 85. (ii), 86. (ii), 87. (ii), 88. (ii), 89. (i), 90. (ii), 91. (i), 92. (ii), 93. (i), 94. (i), 95. (i), 96. (ii), 97. (i), 98. (i), 99. (i), 100. (i).

WH Questions

1. What is at the centre of civilisation?
2. Why are written records needed?
3. Where are most of our modern records stored?
4. When was writing invented?
5. What kind of invention is paper considered to be?
6. How did people transfer ideas before the invention of writing?
7. What came after speaking and listening?
8. Why was it difficult to record thoughts in writing?
9. What materials did people use for writing in ancient times?
10. Which surfaces were not easy to carry for writing?
11. For how long did people search for easy writing materials?
12. When was paper invented?
13. Where was paper first invented?
14. What happened to knowledge before the paper age?
15. Can you think of how restricted knowledge was before paper?
16. How many books were there in the world before paper?
17. What materials might those early books have been written on?
18. What would one page of a book look like in ancient times?
19. What might a hundred-page stone book feel like?
20. In our age, where can you carry the entire world of knowledge?
21. What digital device can carry huge amounts of information?
22. What is an example of a huge paper publication that can be carried?
23. Who could produce and carry tons of heavy stone books in the past?
24. What has made the spread of knowledge easy?
25. How has paper changed our life?
26. Why was the art of writing important?
27. What were some limitations of using stone for writing?
28. What was the problem with using metal for writing?
29. How was wood used as a writing surface?
30. What natural objects like bark and leaves were used for writing?
31. Why were bark and leaves not very convenient?
32. What did people keep searching for after using bark and stone?
33. How did paper invention solve the problem of portability?
34. What made books rare before paper?
35. How did the invention of paper increase the spread of information?
36. Why was paper more useful than stone?
37. How would a heavy stone page affect the making of books?
38. What advantage do we have today in storing knowledge digitally?
39. How does a laptop compare with carrying stone tablets?
40. Why is digital storage compared with paper?
41. What would have been impossible in a paperless world?
42. How does paper help in publication?
43. Why was knowledge restricted in earlier times?
44. What made writing easier after the invention of paper?
45. What does the passage suggest about civilisation and ideas?
46. How did paper contribute to education?
47. What role did China play in the history of paper?
48. Why is 105 AD important in the context of paper?
49. How is carrying an encyclopedia today different from earlier times?
50. What is the central idea of the passage?

Answers

1. Communication of ideas is the central part of civilisation. It helps people share and preserve knowledge.
2. Written records are needed to store knowledge permanently. They keep ideas safe for future generations.
3. Most of our modern records are stored on paper. It is the most common writing material.
4. Writing was invented very early in history. It came long before the invention of paper.
5. Paper is considered a modern invention. It came much later than the art of writing.
6. Before writing, people transferred ideas by speaking and listening. Oral communication was the main way of sharing.
7. After speaking and listening came the art of writing. This helped record human thoughts.
8. Recording thoughts in writing was difficult because writing materials were scarce. People could not find easy surfaces.
9. People used stone, metal, wood, bark, and leaves for writing. These were the earliest writing surfaces.
10. Stones, wood, and metal sheets were not easy to carry. They were too heavy and inconvenient.
11. People searched for easy writing materials for ages. The search continued until paper was invented.
12. Paper was invented in 105 AD. This was a turning point in human history.
13. Paper was first invented in China. It later spread to the rest of the world.
14. Before the age of paper, knowledge was very restricted. Only a few people had access to it.
15. In that time, knowledge was limited and books were scarce. People could not learn much.
16. There were very few books before the invention of paper. They were rare and precious.
17. Early books might have been written on stone, wood planks, or metal sheets. They were difficult to handle.
18. A single page of a book could be a heavy stone block. It was not practical for reading.
19. A hundred-page stone book would have been extremely heavy. Carrying it was nearly impossible.
20. In our age, we can carry the entire world of knowledge in digital form. A laptop makes this possible.
21. A laptop can store huge amounts of information. It is light and easy to carry.
22. A paper encyclopedia is a huge publication that can be carried. Unlike stone, it is possible to transport.
23. In the past, no one could produce or carry tons of heavy stone books. It was too burdensome.
24. Paper made the spread of knowledge easy. It allowed books to be produced and shared widely.
25. Paper has changed our life by making learning and communication easier. It has transformed civilisation.
26. The art of writing was important because it preserved human ideas. It helped pass them from one generation to another.
27. Stone was hard to carve and very heavy. This made it a poor writing surface.
28. Metal was heavy and costly. It was not suitable for carrying written records.
29. Wood was sometimes used for writing. But it was bulky and not easy to move.
30. Bark and leaves were natural writing materials. They were fragile and could not last long.
31. Bark and leaves were inconvenient because they were not durable. They decayed easily.
32. People searched for something lighter and easier than stone or bark. They wanted a permanent solution.
33. The invention of paper solved the problem of portability. It was light and easy to use.
34. Books were rare before paper because materials were heavy and costly. Only a few could be made.
35. Paper helped spread information by making books easier to produce. More people could access knowledge.
36. Paper was more useful than stone because it was light and portable. It made writing practical.
37. A heavy stone page made bookmaking almost impossible. Books could not be large or common.
38. Today, digital storage allows us to carry huge amounts of knowledge. It is much lighter than paper or stone.
39. A laptop is far easier to carry than stone tablets. It holds much more knowledge.
40. Digital storage is compared with paper because both make knowledge accessible. They are practical tools for learning.
41. In a paperless world, carrying knowledge would have been impossible. Heavy materials limited its spread.
42. Paper helped in publication by making printing easier. Books became more common.
43. Knowledge was restricted earlier because books were rare. Only a few could read them.
44. Writing became easier after paper was invented. People could write and carry books simply.
45. The passage suggests that civilisation depends on ideas. Communication of ideas helps society grow.
46. Paper contributed to education by spreading books and knowledge. It supported schools and learning.
47. China played a key role by inventing paper. It gave the world a new way to record knowledge.
48. The year 105 AD is important because paper was invented then. It marks a historical milestone.
49. Carrying an encyclopedia today is easy. In earlier times, books were heavy and rare.
50. The central idea of the passage is that paper changed human life. It made the spread of knowledge possible.