UNIT – I PROSE BACON’S OF STUDIES
UNIT – I PROSE
BACON’S OF STUDIES
OF
STUDIES
Studies
serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for
delight,
is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and
for
ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business. For expert
men
can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the
general
counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best,
from
those that are learned. To spend too much time in studies is sloth;
to
use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment
wholly
by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and
are
perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants,
that
need proyning, by study; and studies themselves, do give forth
directions
too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.
Crafty
men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use
them;
for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without
them,
and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and
confute;
nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and
discourse;
but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted,
others
to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is,
some
books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not
curiously;
and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and
attention.
Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of
them
by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments,
and
the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common
distilled
waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a
ready
man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little,
he
had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a
present
wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to
seem
to know, that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty;
the
mathematics subtile; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and
rhetoric
able to contend. Abeunt studia in mores. Nay, there is no stond
or
impediment in the wit, but may be wrought out by fit studies; like as
diseases
of the body, may have appropriate exercises. Bowling is good
for
the stone and reins; shooting for the lungs and breast; gentle walking
for
the stomach; riding for the head; and the like. So if a man’s wit be
wandering,
let him study the mathematics; for in demonstrations, if his
wit
be called away never so little, he must begin again. If his wit be not
apt
to distinguish or find differences, let him study the Schoolmen; for
they
are cymini sectores. If he be not apt to beat over matters, and to call
up
one thing to prove and illustrate another, let him study the lawyers’
cases. So every defect of the mind, may
have a special receipt.
****************
Detailed Summary – "Of Studies" by
Francis Bacon
🔹 Purpose and Uses of Studies
- Bacon
opens by stating that studies serve for delight, ornament, and ability.
- Delight –
enjoyed in solitude or retirement.
- Ornament –
used in conversation.
- Ability –
aids judgment in managing affairs.
🔹 Right Use and Misuse of Studies
- Spending
too much time studying = laziness.
- Using
studies only for show = affectation.
- Basing
all decisions strictly on books = narrow-minded
scholarship.
- Studies
improve natural abilities, but they must be refined by real-life
experience.
🔹 How People Treat Studies
- Crafty
men despise them.
- Simple
men admire them.
- Wise
men use them.
- Studies
teach not their own use, but require observation and practical
judgment.
🔹 How to Read Books
- Don’t
read to:
- Argue
and contradict.
- Accept
everything blindly.
- Merely
gather quotes.
- Read
to:
- Weigh
and consider.
- Different
books deserve different treatment:
- Some
to be tasted (skimmed).
- Some
to be swallowed (read partially).
- A few
to be chewed and digested (read deeply).
- Some
may be read by deputy (through summaries), but these are lesser
works.
🔹 Reading, Conversation, and
Writing
- Reading =
makes a full man.
- Conference
(conversation) = makes a ready man.
- Writing =
makes an exact man.
- If
someone writes little, they need a good memory.
- If
someone converses little, they need quick wit.
- If
someone reads little, they need cleverness to fake knowledge.
🔹 Subjects and Their Effects
- Histories – make
men wise.
- Poetry –
makes them witty.
- Mathematics –
subtle.
- Natural
philosophy – deep.
- Moral
philosophy – grave.
- Logic
and rhetoric – able to argue.
- Abeunt
studia in mores: studies influence manners and character.
🔹 Correcting Mental Defects
Through Study
- Just
like exercise helps different parts of the body, studies can cure flaws
in thinking:
- Wandering
wit → study mathematics (requires focus).
- Unable
to distinguish → study the Schoolmen (scholastic
philosophers).
- Lacks
depth or analogy → study law cases (learn to compare).
·
1. According to Bacon, studies serve for:
A) Wealth, power, and pride
B) Delight, ornament, and ability ✅
C) Glory, fame, and courage
D) Religion, authority, and popularity
➡️ These are the three primary uses Bacon assigns
to studies.
·
2. The use of studies for delight is best
experienced in:
A) Public gatherings
B) Solitude and privacy ✅
C) Competitive debates
D) Political courts
➡️ “Their chief use for delight, is in privateness
and retiring.”
·
3. Studies serve for ornament in:
A) Business
B) Writing
C) Conversation ✅
D) Ceremony
➡️ “For ornament, is in discourse.”
·
4. Studies serve for ability in:
A) Teaching
B) Storytelling
C) Judging and managing business ✅
D) War
➡️ “For ability, is in the judgment, and
disposition of business.”
·
5. Expert men can manage particular things, but
general advice comes best from:
A) Warriors
B) Politicians
C) Learned men ✅
D) Merchants
➡️ “General counsels… come best from those that
are learned.”
·
6. Spending too much time in studies is considered:
A) Wisdom
B) Diligence
C) Sloth ✅
D) Worship
➡️ “To spend too much time in studies is sloth.”
·
7. Using studies only for show is called:
A) Pretending
B) Affectation ✅
C) Decoration
D) Conceit
➡️ “To use them too much for ornament, is
affectation.”
·
8. Making decisions only by the rules of study is:
A) Practical
B) Religious
C) Foolish
D) The humor of a scholar ✅
➡️ “To make judgment wholly by their rules is the
humor of a scholar.”
·
9. Bacon compares natural abilities to:
A) Stars
B) Stones
C) Wild beasts
D) Natural plants ✅
➡️ “…like natural plants, that need proyning by
study.”
·
10. Experience helps to:
A) Reject books
B) Prove teachers wrong
C) Perfect studies ✅
D) Reduce wisdom
➡️ “…and are perfected by experience.”
·
11. Studies give instructions too broadly unless:
A) Filtered by experience ✅
B) Explained by experts
C) Applied to religion
D) Matched with power
➡️ “Studies themselves do give forth directions
too much at large…”
·
12. Crafty men’s attitude towards studies is to:
A) Contemn them ✅
B) Quote them
C) Read them deeply
D) Imitate them
➡️ “Crafty men contemn studies…”
·
13. Simple men’s attitude toward studies is to:
A) Reject them
B) Ignore them
C) Admire them ✅
D) Fear them
➡️ “…simple men admire them…”
·
14. Wise men’s approach to studies is to:
A) Avoid them
B) Use them ✅
C) Doubt them
D) Worship them
➡️ “…and wise men use them.”
·
15. According to Bacon, studies do not:
A) Teach their own use ✅
B) Benefit the lazy
C) Confuse the weak
D) Explain clearly
➡️ “…for they teach not their own use…”
·
16. A man gains wisdom from studies by combining
them with:
A) Intuition
B) Religion
C) Personal ambition
D) Observation ✅
➡️ “…won by observation.”
·
17. Bacon says books should not be read to:
A) Weigh and consider
B) Confute, believe blindly, or talk vainly ✅
C) Enjoy and reflect
D) Quote and memorize
➡️ “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to
believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse…”
·
18. Books should be read to:
A) Collect data
B) Become famous
C) Weigh and consider ✅
D) Decorate shelves
➡️ “…but to weigh and consider.”
·
19. Some books are to be:
A) Forgotten
B) Burned
C) Tasted ✅
D) Hidden
➡️ “Some books are to be tasted…”
·
20. Books “to be chewed and digested” are those:
A) That are dangerous
B) That require deep and diligent reading ✅
C) That are funny
D) That are common
➡️ “…and some few to be chewed and digested.”
·
21. Reading by deputy is acceptable only for:
A) Science
B) Sacred texts
C) Serious books
D) Less important arguments ✅
➡️ “…only in the less important arguments, and the
meaner sort of books.”
·
22. Distilled books are like:
A) Rare wines
B) Flashy waters ✅
C) Holy texts
D) Dangerous poisons
➡️ “…distilled books are like common distilled
waters, flashy things.”
·
23. “Reading maketh a full man” means:
A) Reading gives confidence
B) Reading builds knowledge ✅
C) Reading causes arrogance
D) Reading weakens memory
➡️ It fills the mind with content and ideas.
·
24. “Conference (conversation) maketh a…”
A) Polite man
B) Religious man
C) Ready man ✅
D) Secretive man
➡️ It trains quick thinking and response.
·
25. “Writing maketh an…”
A) Artistic man
B) Exact man ✅
C) Powerful man
D) Influential man
➡️ It sharpens clarity, order, and discipline in
thought.
·
26. According to Bacon, if a man writes little, he
must have:
A) Sharp wit
B) Quick tongue
C) A good memory ✅
D) Deep emotion
➡️ “If a man write little, he had need have a
great memory.”
·
27. If a man converses little, he must have:
A) A mild nature
B) Great imagination
C) Present wit ✅
D) Patience
➡️ “…he had need have a present wit.”
·
28. If a man reads little, he must have:
A) Good handwriting
B) A clever pretense ✅
C) A scholarly appearance
D) Strong emotions
➡️ “…he had need have much cunning, to seem to
know that he doth not.”
·
29. According to Bacon, histories make men:
A) Curious
B) Talkative
C) Wise ✅
D) Energetic
➡️ “Histories make men wise…”
·
30. Poets make men:
A) Romantic
B) Imaginative
C) Witty ✅
D) Honest
➡️ “…poets witty…”
·
31. Mathematics makes men:
A) Cheerful
B) Subtle ✅
C) Wild
D) Hasty
➡️ “…the mathematics subtle…”
·
32. Natural philosophy makes men:
A) Practical
B) Joyful
C) Deep ✅
D) Suspicious
➡️ “…natural philosophy deep…”
·
33. Moral philosophy makes men:
A) Confident
B) Grave ✅
C) Joyful
D) Humorous
➡️ “…moral grave…”
·
34. Logic and rhetoric make men:
A) Angry
B) Talkative
C) Able to contend ✅
D) Cowardly
➡️ “…logic and rhetoric able to contend.”
·
35. The Latin phrase “Abeunt studia in mores”
means:
A) Studies destroy habits
B) Studies shape manners ✅
C) Books waste time
D) Mind leads behavior
➡️ Literally: “Studies pass into character.”
·
36. Bacon compares intellectual defects to:
A) Weapons
B) Clouds
C) Bodily diseases ✅
D) Vices
➡️ Mental flaws can be “wrought out” like physical
ailments.
·
37. Bowling is good for:
A) The lungs
B) The stomach
C) The stone and reins ✅
D) The head
➡️ Bacon offers exercise advice metaphorically.
·
38. Shooting is good for:
A) Chest and breath ✅
B) The head
C) Legs
D) Liver
➡️ “…shooting for the lungs and breast…”
·
39. Gentle walking is good for:
A) Strength
B) The stomach ✅
C) The nerves
D) The eyes
➡️ “…gentle walking for the stomach…”
·
40. Riding is good for:
A) The legs
B) Digestion
C) The head ✅
D) The skin
➡️ “…riding for the head…”
·
41. If a man’s wit is wandering, he should study:
A) Poetry
B) Law
C) Mathematics ✅
D) Theology
➡️ “…let him study the mathematics…”
·
42. Mathematics helps a wandering mind because:
A) It distracts easily
B) It’s repetitive
C) It forces focus and demonstration ✅
D) It’s based on stories
➡️ “…in demonstrations, if his wit be called
away…he must begin again.”
·
43. If a man cannot distinguish differences, he
should study:
A) Grammar
B) Histories
C) Schoolmen ✅
D) Rhetoric
➡️ “…for they are cymini sectores.”
·
44. “Cymini sectores” refers to:
A) Lovers of nature
B) Thinkers of greatness
C) Hair-splitters or over-analytical scholars ✅
D) Gentle philosophers
➡️ A Latin term for meticulous thinkers.
·
45. If a man cannot connect ideas well, he should
study:
A) Politics
B) Law cases ✅
C) Poetry
D) Medicine
➡️ “Let him study the lawyers’ cases.”
·
46. Studying law helps develop the mind’s ability
to:
A) Memorize laws
B) Debate politicians
C) Prove and illustrate arguments ✅
D) Avoid justice
➡️ Law encourages analogy and linking of ideas.
·
47. Bacon believes every defect of the mind has:
A) No remedy
B) A natural cause
C) A special receipt (remedy) ✅
D) A tragic end
➡️ Like bodily diseases, mental flaws can be
improved by the right studies.
·
48. According to Bacon, studies are like:
A) Weapons against ignorance
B) Food for the soul
C) Exercises for the mind ✅
D) Friends for the lonely
➡️ Just as exercises treat physical issues,
studies treat mental ones.
·
49. Bacon says studies should not be:
A) Deep and long
B) Accepted without judgment ✅
C) Varied
D) Shared with others
➡️ They must be weighed and not taken blindly.
·
50. The humor of a scholar, as described by Bacon,
refers to:
A) Funny stories
B) Critical rebellion
C) Rigid dependence on bookish rules ✅
D) Pleasant writing style
➡️ A scholar who relies only on book rules lacks
real judgment.
·
51. Bacon states that studies perfect nature but
are also:
A) Weakened by time
B) Dangerous without context
C) Perfected by experience ✅
D) Difficult to understand
➡️ “They perfect nature, and are perfected by
experience.”
·
52. Bacon compares natural abilities to natural
plants that:
A) Should grow wildly
B) Require sun and water
C) Need pruning by study ✅
D) Should not be touched
➡️ “For natural abilities are like natural plants
that need proyning…”
·
53. Studies give wide-ranging directions unless:
A) Confined by experience ✅
B) Explained by scholars
C) Avoided by rulers
D) Taken in moderation
➡️ “…studies themselves do give forth directions
too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.”
·
54. “Crafty men contemn studies” because:
A) They are arrogant
B) They pretend to know everything
C) They find studies useless for manipulation ✅
D) They are unable to read
➡️ Crafty men dismiss studies because they think
practical trickery is better.
·
55. Who uses studies best according to Bacon?
A) Wise men ✅
B) Nobles
C) Poets
D) Teachers
➡️ “Wise men use them.”
·
56. According to Bacon, a man should not read only
to:
A) Finish the book
B) Prepare for exams
C) Believe and take for granted ✅
D) Read aloud
➡️ “Read not…to believe and take for granted…”
·
57. Reading should help a person:
A) Argue with others
B) Learn Latin
C) Weigh and consider ✅
D) Memorize names
➡️ “…but to weigh and consider.”
·
58. Bacon divides books into three types based on
how they are read. Which is NOT one of them?
A) Tasted
B) Swallowed
C) Ignored ✅
D) Chewed and digested
➡️ Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed,
and a few chewed and digested.
·
59. Bacon says reading by deputy (summaries) is
only fit for:
A) Royal readers
B) Essential texts
C) Less important arguments ✅
D) Religious works
➡️ “That would be only in the less important
arguments…”
·
60. “Distilled books are like…”
A) Old wine
B) Noble minds
C) Flashy things ✅
D) Lost treasures
➡️ “…distilled books are like common distilled
waters, flashy things.”
·
61. According to Bacon, reading contributes to:
A) A full man ✅
B) A fast speaker
C) An angry soul
D) A humble servant
➡️ “Reading maketh a full man…”
·
62. Conference (or conversation) contributes to:
A) Fame
B) A ready man ✅
C) A quiet thinker
D) A shy nature
➡️ “Conference a ready man…”
·
63. Writing contributes to:
A) A soft heart
B) A faithful friend
C) An exact man ✅
D) A joyful spirit
➡️ “And writing an exact man.”
·
64. If a man does not write, he must rely on:
A) Imagination
B) Humor
C) Memory ✅
D) Wit
➡️ “If a man write little, he had need have a great
memory…”
·
65. If a man does not confer (converse), he must
rely on:
A) Luck
B) His reputation
C) Present wit ✅
D) Poetry
➡️ “…he had need have a present wit…”
·
66. If a man does not read, he must:
A) Admit his ignorance
B) Have much cunning to appear knowledgeable ✅
C) Rely on his friends
D) Hide his thoughts
➡️ “…he had need have much cunning, to seem to
know that he doth not.”
·
67. According to Bacon, the best way to fix defects
in the mind is through:
A) Punishment
B) Appropriate studies ✅
C) Harsh schooling
D) Meditation
➡️ “There is no stond or impediment in the wit,
but may be wrought out by fit studies…”
·
68. What does Bacon mean by “Abeunt studia in
mores”?
A) Studies destroy values
B) Study transforms into fortune
C) Studies influence character ✅
D) Study is endless
➡️ Latin for “Studies pass into behavior.”
·
69. If a man's wit is wandering, Bacon recommends:
A) Religious sermons
B) Music and arts
C) Studying mathematics ✅
D) Practicing silence
➡️ “Let him study the mathematics…”
·
70. Mathematics disciplines a wandering mind
because:
A) It is simple
B) It requires strict logical steps ✅
C) It offers free thought
D) It contains narratives
➡️ “…if his wit be called away never so little, he
must begin again.”
·
71. Who are the “cymini sectores”?
A) Scientists
B) Scholastics who split hairs ✅
C) Political leaders
D) Historians
➡️ Latin for “cumin seed splitters,” i.e.,
nitpicking analysts.
·
72. If one is not apt to discover or argue through
analogies, Bacon recommends studying:
A) Scriptures
B) Law cases ✅
C) Fables
D) Physics
➡️ “…let him study the lawyers’ cases.”
·
73. Law cases help to develop the habit of:
A) Memory
B) Distinguishing virtues
C) Reasoning by example ✅
D) Memorizing facts
➡️ Law helps a person learn to “call up one thing
to prove and illustrate another.”
·
74. For each mental defect, Bacon believes there is
a:
A) Divine correction
B) Specific punishment
C) Special receipt (remedy) ✅
D) Universal law
➡️ “So every defect of the mind may have a special
receipt.”
·
75. What is the overall tone of Bacon’s essay “Of
Studies”?
A) Humorous
B) Sarcastic
C) Reflective and prescriptive ✅
D) Defensive
➡️ Bacon offers thoughtful, structured advice with
balanced judgment.
·
76. Bacon warns against using studies too much for
ornament because it becomes:
A) Boring
B) A waste of time
C) Affectation ✅
D) Flattery
➡️ “To use them too much for ornament, is
affectation.”
·
77. What does Bacon mean by “they teach not their
own use”?
A) Studies are incomplete
B) Studies require wisdom and experience for practical application ✅
C) Books are misleading
D) Teachers are necessary
➡️ True use of knowledge comes from outside the
books—through experience and judgment.
·
78. A man who only learns to contradict or confute
is using studies for:
A) Genuine understanding
B) Growth
C) Argument and display ✅
D) Problem-solving
➡️ “Read not to contradict and confute…”
·
79. What are “flashy things” in Bacon’s metaphor?
A) Gold coins
B) Distilled books and summaries ✅
C) Pamphlets
D) Old texts
➡️ Summarized or overly simplified books lack
depth.
·
80. What kind of books should be “chewed and
digested”?
A) Light fiction
B) Serious and demanding texts ✅
C) Short poems
D) Satirical plays
➡️ “…read wholly, and with diligence and
attention.”
·
81. What happens if a man reads little but appears
knowledgeable?
A) He is wise
B) He is honest
C) He must have cunning to seem knowledgeable ✅
D) He is foolish
➡️ He must “seem to know that he doth not.”
·
82. Which activity, according to Bacon, helps a man
develop exactness?
A) Reading
B) Listening
C) Writing ✅
D) Teaching
➡️ “Writing maketh an exact man.”
·
83. What is required if a man does not write much?
A) Confidence
B) Great memory ✅
C) Artistic skill
D) Humor
➡️ To remember all the knowledge not written down.
·
84. What does Bacon suggest about reading by
deputy?
A) It’s ideal for education
B) It’s necessary for the elite
C) Acceptable only for less important works ✅
D) Encouraged for poetry
➡️ Major works should be read firsthand.
·
85. What makes conference (conversation) so
valuable according to Bacon?
A) It builds relationships
B) It makes a man ready ✅
C) It spreads gossip
D) It teaches rhetoric
➡️ It trains mental agility and communication.
·
86. What is one benefit of law cases for mental
improvement?
A) Learning Latin
B) Increasing memory
C) Developing skill in analogy ✅
D) Improving handwriting
➡️ They teach how to prove one thing by another.
·
87. If someone struggles to keep attention during
thought, they should study:
A) Logic
B) History
C) Mathematics ✅
D) Poetry
➡️ It requires full focus—“if his wit be called
away…he must begin again.”
·
88. Bacon says a man should not read only to:
A) Prepare lectures
B) Feel superior
C) Find talk and discourse ✅
D) Impress women
➡️ Reading should be purposeful, not performative.
·
89. What does Bacon imply about people who admire
studies without understanding them?
A) They are creative
B) They are foolish
C) They are simple men ✅
D) They are wise
➡️ “Simple men admire them…”
·
90. “To spend too much time in studies is sloth”
means:
A) Reading too long is tiring
B) It is lazy to read without purpose ✅
C) Reading ruins the body
D) Books are untrustworthy
➡️ Moderation and application matter.
·
91. What is Bacon’s attitude toward experience in
relation to study?
A) It weakens knowledge
B) It conflicts with learning
C) It perfects studies ✅
D) It should be avoided
➡️ Experience refines what studies begin.
·
92. What does Bacon say about people who only
admire studies?
A) They are wise
B) They are shallow
C) They are simple men ✅
D) They are cunning
➡️ Admiration without use shows lack of depth.
·
93. Bacon’s structure in the essay can be described
as:
A) Storytelling
B) Philosophical and aphoristic ✅
C) Poetic
D) Legalistic
➡️ Concise and packed with structured wisdom.
·
94. The phrase “natural abilities… need proyning”
refers to:
A) Discarding them
B) Hiding them
C) Refining talents through study ✅
D) Making fun of them
➡️ Like plants, natural talents must be trimmed
and trained.
·
95. What does Bacon mean by “chewed and digested”
books?
A) Books that cause laughter
B) Books with humor
C) Books read with deep attention and reflection ✅
D) Books with recipes
➡️ Requires full and reflective reading.
·
96. What type of man needs to be quick-witted in
conversation?
A) A silent man
B) A talkative man
C) A man who converses little ✅
D) A man who writes
➡️ “…he had need have a present wit.”
·
97. Why does Bacon value history?
A) It teaches dates
B) It inspires art
C) It makes men wise ✅
D) It promotes nationalism
➡️ One of the specific disciplines and their
impact.
·
98. Logic and rhetoric train a person to:
A) Meditate
B) Write stories
C) Contend in argument ✅
D) Remain quiet
➡️ They help one argue skillfully.
·
99. Natural philosophy, according to Bacon, makes a
man:
A) Skeptical
B) Sarcastic
C) Deep ✅
D) Angry
➡️ “…natural philosophy deep…”
·
100. What is Bacon’s main argument in “Of Studies”?
A) Books are dangerous
B) Studies should be applied wisely and moderately ✅
C) Reading is outdated
D) Scholars are always superior
➡️ He emphasizes balanced, purposeful, and
experienced use of study.
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