Page 131 - Arrow Publications Pvt. Ltd.

14 The Three Questions

Warm Up

● What are some things you want to know about the universe?
● Why do you want to know about those things?

Reading skills

It once occurred to a certain king that if he always knew the right time to begin everything,

if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and above all, if he
always knew what was the most important thing to do, then he would never fail in anything
he might undertake.

And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed throughout his kingdom that

he would give a great reward to anyone who would teach him what the right time for every
action was and how he might know what the most important thing to do was.

Many learned men came to the king, but all answered his questions differently.

In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action, one
must draw up in advance a table of days, months and years, and must live strictly according
to it. Only then, they said,

everything could be done
at the proper time. Some
others declared that it was

impossible to decide before
hand the right time for every
action, but that, not letting
oneself be absorbed in idle

pastimes, one should always
attend to all that was going
on, and then do what was

most needful. Some said that
no matter how attentive the

Arrow - English Plus-7 130