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| Aldous Huxley |
Paragraph Questions
Answer the following in 10 – 15 lines each :
1. Explain the views of Huxley about the instruments for experimentation.Aldous Huxley was an English Writer. He wrote a number of books. ‘J.C.Bose’ is an essay taken from the book “Testing Pilate”. It is about the experimenting on Science and Technology. In the beginning of the essay he writes that experimentation does not need expensive instruments. Michael Faraday invented the powers of electricity using very simple things like the tea kettle, silk wires, wax and jam pots only. Similarly J.C.Bose invented the machine, to measure the growth of plant. Here also a little clockwork, needles, filaments, a sheet of smoked glass etc., are used in the experiment. So, the writer thinks that there is no need of costly instruments, if the instrumenter is with curiousity and talent. Even the suffering of a plant or death of a poisoned plant could be seen on the smoked glass. The things are be arranged properly.
2. Explain the experiments of Bose about the growth and reaction of a plant.
Aldous Huxley was an English Writer. He wrote a number of books. J.C.Bose’ is an essay taken from the book “Testing Pilate:” It is about the experimenting on Science and Technology. The author visited the institute of J.C.Bose, in Calcutta. He found that very small things were used by the scientist. At the institute the growth of a plant was shown on a smoked glass. While feeding, a plant exhaled oxygen and when the vessel was full, there rang a small bell.
If there was sunlight on the plant, the bell rang often. When it was gloomy, the bell stopped ringing. If a stimulant was added the bell rang wildly. Thus the growth and reaction of a plant was shown by J.C.Bose.
3. How did J.C.Bose record the heart beat of a plant?
Aldous Huxley was an English Writer. He wrote a number of books. ‘J.C.Bose’ is an essay taken from the book “Testing Pilate”. It is about the experimenting on Science and Technology. When the author visited the institute of Bose in Calcutta; he was shown how the heart beats of a plant were recorded. Heart beats of a plant occur under the outer rind of the stem. They are magnified millions of times and recorded on the smoked glass. With the help of the most powerful microscope they can be seen. A grain of caffeine or camphor affects the plant’s heart and the graph has a change. If poison is applied, the heart beat becomes more rapid. The death agony can be seen on the screen through the graph. The graph flattens when the plant is dead. There are no ups and downs on the graph. The irregular lines on the graph show the death agony.
4. How did J.C.Bose prove that plants experience pain like other living beings?
Aldous Huxley was an English Writer. He wrote a number of books. ‘J.C.Bose’ is an essay taken from the book “Testing Pilate:” It is about the experimenting on Science and Technology. When the author visited the institute of Bose in Calcutta, he was shown a number of experiments exhibiting wonderful things about the life of plants. The feeding of a plant, its happenings at the time of feeding, its growth, it’s agony at the time of trouble and such other things were shown to the author. The heart beat of a plant is measured through a separate instrument. When caffeine or camphor is applied, it affects the heart beat. It can be seen by the graph on the smoked glass. When poison is added, the ups and downs on the graph shall vary. The death agony of the plant can be seen on the graph moving up and down and finally flattening on the central line. As there are no ups and downs and when the straight line is seen, the life in the plant has gone away. A flower poisoned, writhes and finally dies. Thus the pain is shown through the graph, the death agony is seen on the screen and it is just like the experience of the other living beings.
Annotations
1.The mysterious powers couldn’t help surrendering. So simple – if you happened to be Faraday.Context : This passage is taken from the essay ‘J.C.Bose’ written by Aldous Huxley. He was an English Writer. The passage is about the experimentation of Scientists. The author gives the example of Michael Faraday, an experimenter on electricity.
Explanation : Huxley thinks that there is no need of great instruments for experimentation. A great scientist like, Faraday, used simple things like the tea kettle, silk wire,. sealing wax and jam pots, to discover the powers of electricity. The scientist had great intelligence and curiosity. He was led by these qualities and the simple things helped him to discover the secrets. One should be clever to find out and the mysterious powers yield easily.
General Relevance : The success of Faraday and J.C.Bose is hinted at They used ordinary and simple instruments for their invention. Students should develop real intention. They should not be anxious to get great instruments for experiments.
2. We watched the growth of a plant being traced out automatically be a needle on a sheet of smoked glass.
Context : This passage is taken from the essay ‘J.C.Bose’ written by Aldous Huxley. He was an English writer. The passage is about the experimentation of J.C.Bose.
Explanation : The construction of the machines at Bose Institute in Calcutta, was made with simple things like the clockwork, needles, filaments etc. But they helped the experimenter to find out mysterious things. The growth of a plant, the suffering of the plant when it is poisoned and the death of the plant, were shown on the screen. A smoked glass was used as the screen. The graph over the screen had ups and downs to show the agony. When the undulations were stopped the plant lost it life. It was visible in the Bose Institute.
General Relevance : Even though the growth of the plant, the heart beat of a plant and the agony of a plant could not be seen with a naked eye, they are visible on the screen arranged, in the machine at Bose Institute.
3. Walking the anaesthetized tree immediately took root in its new place and flourished.
Context : This passage is taken from the essay ‘J.C.Bose’ written by Aldous Huxley. He
was an English writer. The passage pertains to one of the experimentations of ‘J.C.Bose’. When the author visited Bose Institute in Calcutta, the experimenter showed and explained how his Institute would work. Here, the transplantation of a large tree is explained.
Explanation : Bose Institute exhibits mysterious things in the life of plants. In his Institute there is a sheet of smoked glass to show the growth of a plant. The heart beat of a plant is experienced through a graph. A big tree was brought from a distance and was transplanted. Chloroform was applied to avoid shock to the tree. At the new place, it had roots and grew successfully. The process of transplantation was a grand success.
General Relevance : The Institute of J.C Bose is a lively example, to show that plants also develop or perish just like the animals, when they are put to trouble. They enjoy the happiness and suffer the fatal experiences.
4. A mortal dose of chloroform was dropped into the water. The graph became the record of death agony.
Context : This passage is taken from the essay ‘J.C.Bose’ written by Aldous Huxley. He was an English Writer. This is about the experimentation with simple things and the findings on a grand scale. Huxley writes about the experiment of a stimulant upon the plant.
Explanation : At the Bose Institute in Calcutta, there are different machines arranged to show different phases of plant life. Growth of a plant is shown through a smoked glass and a needle. The death agony, when chloroform was sent into the plant, is also understood through a graph. When the poison was applied, the ups and downs on the graph line, change rapidly. We can see a straight line on the screen which shows the death of the plant. The death agony is seen clearly before its death.
General Relevance : In the essay, Aldous Huxley explains how the simple things help the experimenter to show the suffering of a plant or a tree. He wishes that people should show sympathy towards the plants.
JC Bose Summary in English
Aldous Huxley was an English Writer. ‘J.C.Bose’ is an essay taken from his book “Testing pilate”. Huxley writes about the Bose Institute, Calcutta and the experiments he witnessed at the InstituteMichael Faraday invented the powers of electricity using simple things like tea kettle, silk wire, jam pots and others. At the J.C.Bose Institute, also, only small things like the clock work, needles and filaments are used to invent the machine to find out the growth ‘of plants.
Huxley went to the Bose Institute and watched how the instruments worked. The experimenter Bose himself exhibited, how the instruments had been used. The growth of a plant was shown, on a sheet of smoked glass. An electric shock to the plant, feeding of a plant, transplantation of a big tree giving suitable dose of anaesthesia and other experiments were mysterious. Chloroform was applied in large quantity to a plant and the deadly struggle could be seen on the screen. Bose proved that a plant would also suffer, just like a human being. So human beings are supposed to protect the plants also with affections.
