Know Thyself by R.J. Palacio (excerpt from Wonder)

 Class 12:  PART- I  

UNIT  1: CRITICAL THINKING

Before You Read:

a. What are critical thinking skills?

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

b. How do critical thinkers solve the problems? Guess the steps they follow while tackling a problem.

Critical thinkers solve problems by applying various critical thinking skills in their tasks. They follow the following steps while tackling a problem.

       i.          State the problem or question.

      ii.          Gather information.

     iii.          Review the information.

     iv.          Examine the information gathered.

      v.          Make a decision.

     vi.          Share the results with others.

            

Brief Summary

The text entitled “Know Thyself ” is extracted from children’s novel “Wonder” written by R.J. Palacio. Raquel Jaramillo Palacio (born July 13, 1963) is an American author and graphic designer. She is the author of several novels for children, including the best-selling Wonder. This text is about August Pullman, a fifth grader having disfigured face attending an English class. A home schooled child by his mother, is admitted in the fifth grade in a private school. Here he narrates an English class by his teacher Mr. Browne who teaches them what “Precept” is in an interesting and creative way.

A kid named August also called "Auggie" has a special facial syndrome by which he has distorted facial shape. He lacks confidence since some students tease him at school. But, as he is a very smart guy, a humorous kid named "Jack" becomes friends with him.

Jack made fun of the English class by cracking jokes with his friends. Jack was one of the students of the classroom, who was joking around with some kids who weren't in our homeroom. He was the kind of kid other kids like. Jack started telling about all the fun stuff they are going to be doing this year. The plaque next to the door of this school hasn't been noticed by the student.

When the bell rings, August checks his class schedule and sees that he is supposed to go to English in Room 321. He walks there with his dead down, not stopping to find out if anyone he knows is going there, too. He arrives in a classroom where a bearded man is writing on the chalkboard. Once there, August again chooses a seat in the back of the room. August avoids making eye contact with anyone, and nobody except Jack sits near him. This interest August because Jack is obviously funny and well liked. If he wanted, he could probably sit with almost anyone. When the bell rings again, the teacher introduces himself as Mr. Browne and tells everyone the plan for the semester. Again, August notices the exact moment when the teacher spots him among the class. In the second period, Mr. Browne introduces the semester's syllabus. He introduces the class to "Precepts = Rules about Really Important Things!" Then the class brainstorms important things for a while as Mr. Browne writes their answers up on the board.

Mr. Browne arrives at "WHO WE ARE!" as the most important of all the Important Things, and the most important question is "What kind of person am I?" The September precept is "WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND". The class will discuss and write about the precept set by Mr. Browne each month.

Mr. Browne thinks the precept of knowing thyself is the most important thing. According to Mr. Browne, the most important thing is “knowing our inner self ”, or precept. He thinks that the most important thing is 'God'. God means the creator of the whole creation of each and every thing of the world or universe.

At the end of the month, the students are going to write an essay about the precept introduced by Mr. Brown at the beginning of the very month. Personal percept to write on a postcard and mail it to the girl from wherever they go on their summer vacation was the particular act of students that surprised the girl student. Absurd behaviour of the boy's gesture toward the girls and his body language gives her trouble.

The teacher asks the students to come up with own personal precept written on a post card after summer vacation and before they leave for vacation they have to mail their own precepts, but one girl student surprised on that act of students. They were going to have a new perception of graduation from this school.

New Words

schedule : timetable, program (समय तालिका)

homeroom : classroom (कक्षाकोठामा जानुभन्दा पहिले जम्मा हुने कोठा)

kid : pupil, student (विद्यार्थी)

chalkboard : blackboard (कक्षामा शिक्षकले लेख्ने कालो पाटी)

postcard : a card on which a message may be written (साथी वा कसैलाई केही सन्देश लेखेर पठाउने कुनै चित्र सहितको कार्ड)

motto : a memorable or popular word use in commercial or political context (ब्या पारिक वा राजनीति करुपमा केही उदेश्य प्राप् तिका निमि त्त प्रयोग गरिने बिशेष शब्द)

vacation : holiday (बिदा)

stroke : caress; move one's hand with gentle and loving way (प्रेमपूर्व क छुनु)

stuff : activities; items (क्रियाकलाप या गतििव धी)

funny : causing laughter (रमाइलो, ठट्यौलो)

Working with Words

A. Find the words from the text that match with the following meanings.

a. shuffling : walking by dragging one's feet along or without lifting them fully from the ground

b. doddling : drawing pictures or patterns while thinking about something else

c. plaque : a piece of flat metal with writing on it

d. precept : a general rule intended to regulate behaviour or thought

e. sneak : move or go in a furtive or stealthy way

B. Consult your teacher and define the following thinking skills.

a. Convergent Thinking

Convergent thinking is the process of choosing the most logical or “correct” solution to a problem. This is a decision-making framework that helps us identify the most logical option and is designed to be the opposite of divergent thinking. The term was coined by psychologist Joy Paul Guilford, who also came up with divergent thinking.

This type of thinking seeks only one correct answer to a question or problem or a specific situation. It is also used as a form of learning and education in schools and universities around the world in knowledge tests such as standardized multiple-choice tests in which only one answer is correct.

In this type of thinking, there are no possibilities and different options. Reflecting and carrying out a single answer is what is important. This means that the process of this type of thinking is one of reflection of existing knowledge, action and precise result in a situation that requires a quick and logical process, using all available information.

b. Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking is the opposite of convergent thinking and involves more creativity. With this type of thinking, we can generate ideas and develop multiple solutions to a problem. Divergent thinking is a type of creative process where several solutions and ideas are offered to address a challenge. This way of thinking can help increase creativity and innovation in problem-solving.

Divergent thinking is a way of figuring out answers, solutions and ideas in a free-flowing, spontaneous way. A strong divergent thinking ability is highly useful when you want to explore multiple possibilities to solve a particular problem. It's one of the core skills in creativity and is really worth learning how to make use of.

c. Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Critical thinking is a skill we attain developing our judgments for thinking open mindedly, logically and coherently. By becoming a good critical thinker, we become a more independent and self-directed learner.

Critical thinking is not a matter of accumulating information. A person with a good memory and who knows a lot of facts is not necessarily good at critical thinking. A critical thinker is able to deduce consequences from what he/she knows, and he/she knows how to make use of information to solve problems, and to seek relevant sources of information to inform him/her.

d. Creative Thinking

Creative thinking involves the ability to come up with something new or unique. Creative thinking is all about developing innovative solutions to problems. Creative thinkers brainstorm not only a large number of ideas but also a variety and range of them. They look at ideas from multiple perspectives and examine how their solutions fit into the scope of what they’re working on. Creative thinkers aren’t afraid to take risks and try new ideas. The ability to develop, test, and implement original solutions makes them a valuable asset to just about any workplace. A creative thinker will try to address an issue from a perspective that hasn’t been used before.

This is a good thing as the world continues to change and grow. This pushes us to learn new skills, to think differently, and to start asking the more important questions. “Why?” and “Why not?”

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

a. Who was Jack? How did he make children laugh?

Ans: Jack was a friendly and kind-hearted kid who used to make children laugh by cracking jokes and riddles.

b. Why are “Sharks” important to Reid?

Ans: Sharks are important to Reid because they help to keep ocean clean by eating dead organisms.

c. What does Mr. Browne think about the most important thing?

Ans: Mr. Browne thinks that the most important thing is to know ownself, or own character's and evaluate them to bring the best version of someone.

d. What is that has not been noticed by the students?

Ans: "The message in the notice board of the school entrance gate" that writes - "Know Thyself " was the thing that has not been noticed by the students.

e. How did Jack make fun of the English class?

Ans: Jack made fun of the English class by answering sarcastically the teacher's question of "Why are you here?". He answers in a funny way that they were there to attend English class while the answer was sensitive.

f. What were the students going to do at the end of the month?

Ans: Students were going to submit the essay on the basis of the precepts that the teacher writes as "Mr. Brownie's Precepts."

g. What particular act of students surprised a girl student?

Ans: Students used to come up with their very own personal precept, write it on a postcard, and mail it to Mr. Brownie (English Teacher) after their graduation; this thing surprised the girl student.

Critical Thinking

a. Have you made your own precept after you read this lesson? What is it? Share it with your friends.

Of course, I have had a different perception having read this lesson. I have developed a sense of logical reasoning and critical thinking. I have also learned the art of assimilation.

Precept is a rule or principle that we make to conduct our behaviour on the accordance of that. I also had many precepts even before reading this lesson. The major precepts of my life are:

"Anything that happens, happens for good",

"Always stay Positive"

"Believe in Karma rather than fate"

"What we are today is the result the choices we made yesterday, so we have to make choices wisely"

These some of the precepts which I don't only think are ideal but also try to ideally follow it in my daily behaviours.

b. According to Josh Lanyon, “If there was one life skill everyone on the planet needed, it was the ability to think with critical objectivity.” Justify this statement with your logic.

Josh Lanyon's statement regarding critical objectivity somewhat reflects the core idea related to the development of human skills on this planet. He has presented the fact behind the skills of the people of this planet. Here, Josh has related life skills of people of this planet with critical objectivity. According to him, the need for life skills itself was the ability within people to think with critical objectivity.

People on this planet moved along with different life skills in their lives. From ancient times up to now, people have been doing development in the sector of skill development and invention. The development of people on this planet was possible due to their ability of critical objectivity which runs along with their life skills knowingly and unknowingly.

Critical objectivity always moves along with life skills. People have applied various life skills in their lives which means they can think with critical objectives. Behind all these life skills, the ability of thinking with critical objectivity always remains with them.

Further Critical Thinking How can we develop our critical thinking abilities?

Critical thinking is the process where a person starts to analyze the facts and to understand the root cause of a problem. Let’s take a hypothetical example, assume that you are working in human resources and you need to solve an argument between your colleagues. It is crucial to use the ability of critically thinking to understand the reason for the argument and what action is supposed to be taken to resolve the situation. Now, the question is how to acquire this skill.

Here has been mentioned some of the ways by which we can increase our critical thinking capabilities:

• The very first step to finding a solution to a problem is to properly understand the reasons as to why it happened in the first place. When you start analyzing a situation, you gradually start becoming more observant. It builds the base of acquiring critical thinking abilities. Once you start observing the things that happen around you, you might predict a problem and prevent it from happening.

• Always be open to learning new and different things. It will help you to increase your analytical skills as you dive into new concepts. Once you start learning about the thing that is beyond your domain, you tend to start thinking out of the box. This way you can improve/ increase your analytical skills. It helps you in developing your interpersonal skills.

• Communication is another crucial factor that plays a massive role in acquiring critical thinking ability. Start with maintaining a good rapport with your colleagues. Start with actively listening to them, try to understand their points of view, and try to explain your ideas calmly and respectfully. Doing so can help you come up with an effective solution.

• Problem-solving is the ability that requires the skill of critically thinking to apply the best fit solution for a particular problem. Observe the techniques used by others to solve a problem at work and also understand your work culture. It would be beneficial for you as you learn and frame your techniques to solve a problem.

Writing

Write an email to your friend explaining an interesting class you had.

From: samrat79@gmail.com,

To: kanchan16@gmail.com,

Date: 8 August, 2022

Subject- About the interesting class in coaching

Dear Kanchan,

Yesterday in my coaching centre I had a very interesting class of Mathematics. Mukesh Sir is an IIT graduate and was new recruitment for the class. It was his first class and he told us about his amazing journey from IIT to marine engineering to our coaching centre.

He taught us the basics of trigonometry in such an interesting way that we felt like we were playing with maths. I particularly have a bad background with maths and never personally loved it yet I enjoyed yesterday's class very much.

I know your love for maths and you would find it super good, hoping to see you in the next class.

With Regards

XYZ

Grammar

 Question tag

A. Study the following examples.

a. You are tired, aren’t you?

b. He left Kathmandu, didn’t he?

c. Your father never touched alcoholic drinks, did he?

 

Positive tags 

Verb Tense	Negative Sentence	Positive Tag
To Be	He isn’t Indian,	is he?
Simple Present	Lucy doesn’t like to drive,	does she?
Simple Past	Kelly didn’t go to class,	did she?
Past Continuous	Pradip wasn’t cooking dinner,	was he?
Present Perfect	You haven’t been to Canada,	have you?
Future (Will)	She will not come to the party,	will she?
Future (Going to)	Jotsna isn’t going to the doctor tomorrow,	is she?
Modal Verbs	Julie can’t drive,	can she?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Negative tags

Verb Tense	Positive Sentence	Negative Tag
To Be	Sarala is tall,	isn’t she?
Simple Present	They like pizza,	don’t they?
Simple Past	They went to the party,	didn’t they?
Past Continuous	They were making pizza,	weren’t they?
Present Perfect	He has worked there for 5 years,	hasn’t he?
Future (Will)	We will go home,	won’t we?
Future (Going to)	They are going to Paris,	aren’t they?
Modal Verbs	He can speak English,	can’t he?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Some more special cases

example	notes
I am right, aren't I?	aren't I (not amn't I)
You have to go, don't you?	you (do) have to go...
I have been answering, haven't I?	use first auxiliary
Nothing came in the post, did it?	treat statements with nothing, nobody etc like negative statements
Let's go, shall we?	let's = let us
He'd better do it, hadn't he?	he had better (no auxiliary)

 

 B. Rewrite the following sentences adding appropriate question tag.

a. Gill does not know Ann, does he?

b. I’m very patient, aren't I?

c. They’d never met me before, had they?

d. Listen carefully, will you?

e. Let’s have a break, shall we?

f. Let us invite them, shall you?

g. Hari used to live in France as a boy, didn't he?

h. You’d better not take a hard drink, had you?

i. Sheep eat grass, don't they?

j. Mr. Pande can speak nine languages, can't he?

k. She’s finished her classes, hasn't she?

l. She barely managed to reach the goal, did she?

m. Don’t let him swim in that pond, will you?

n. There are lots of people here, aren't there?

 

C. Read the following situations. What do you say in these situations? Use question tags.

a. The sky is full of cloud. You can see lightning and hear thunder. 

It’s going to rain soon, isn't it?

b. You want to pay the taxi fare but you are short by 100 rupees. 

Shyam, you have to lend me Rs. 100, haven't you?

c. You have met a stranger at a party and you want to have a chat with him/ her. 

We will talk later, won't we?

d. You came out of the film hall with your friend. You enjoyed the film. 

The film was very enjoyable, wasn't it?

e. You and your friend listened to a comedian on the stage and felt spellbound by his/her performance.

He gave an excellent presentation, didn't he?

f. You think your friend’s father has arrived from the US but you are not sure. 

Your father has not arrived from US, has he?

g. You think Susan will join the new job tomorrow but you are not sure. 

Susan will go to her new job tomorrow, won't she?

h. Your friend’s hair looks too short.

You have got too short hair, haven't you?

i. You want to go for a picnic with your friends in class. 

Let’s go to picnic, shall we?

j. You want permission from your father to go for a walk. 

Let me go for a morning walk, will you?