Fasting is an act of homage : Fasting is a kind of adoration for the grandeur of hunger, and it should be celebrated. As a result, I believe that we should plan to give up our joys on a regular basis—our food, our friends, our lovers—in order to maintain their intensity and the time when we may return to them again. Because this is the time when one may rejuvenate and replenish oneself as well as the subject one is passionate about. This was previously popular among sailors and tourists, and I believe it was also popular among hunters. It’s possible that much of the fatigue of contemporary life stems from the fact that we live too close to one another and are entertained and fed too often.
We were once separated from our food and from our families because of hunger, and it was then that we learnt to appreciate the importance of both. The men left to go hunting, and the dogs accompanied them; the ladies and children waved them off as they left. For days on end, there were no males in the cave; no one ate, and no one knew what to do. All of the ladies huddled around the fire, moist smoke stinging their eyes; the children screamed; and everyone was hungry. Then, one night, there were shouting and the barking of dogs coming from the hills, and the men returned with sacks of meat in tow. This was the big reunion, and everyone gorged themselves stupid, and hunger finally came into its own; the long-awaited supper turned into a feast to remember, and the celebration of life became almost religious in nature. We now leave the house for the workplace and return home to a dinner of cheap chicken and frozen peas in the evenings. Very good, but much too much of it, far too often, far too easily, far too regularly, far too without work or desire. When we eat, we feel fortunate, and our cheeks are glistening with fat, but we have lost the joy of being hungry.
Too much of anything—too much music, too much entertainment, too many happy snacks, or too much time spent with one’s friends—can lead to a type of impotence of life in which one is no longer able to hear, taste, see, love, or remember what is being experienced. Because life is brief and valuable, and hunger is one of its guards, the loss of appetite might be considered a kind of death. So, if we want to make the most of our brief existence, we must honour the divinity of hunger and keep it keen rather than too much dulled.
1) What is the author’s main argument in the passage?
a) The olden times, when the roles of men and women were clearly divided, were far more enjoyable than the present time
b) There is not enough effort required anymore to obtain food and hence the pleasure derived is not the same
c) People who don’t have enough to eat enjoy life much more than those who have plentiful
d) We should deny ourselves pleasures once in a while in order to whet our desires and feel more alive
2) What are the benefits of fasting?
a) It is an act against the drawbacks of appetite
b) It brings joy in eating, and one learns to appreciate food
c) It is the method to understand how civilization evolved
d) It is a punishment for the greedy and unkind
3) What commonality has been highlighted between the sailors and hunters?
a) Neither were fed nor entertained regularly
b) They renew and refresh themselves regularly
c) They were regularly separated from their loved ones and things they liked
d) The roles of men and women were clearly divided for both professions
4) ‘The long-awaited meal became a feast to remember and an almost sacred celebration of life’, what does this line imply?
a) After so many days of being hungry, the cave men and women felt alive once again after eating the food
b) People respected and were thankful for getting food after days of being hungry and also of being united with their loved ones
c) Cave men and women ate and celebrated together with the entire community making the feast really enjoyable
d) Cave men and women enjoyed themselves in the feast and performed a ceremony to thank the Gods for their safe return back home
Fasting is an act of homage amcat questions
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