question_answer

  Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.                                                                     (12) Consumerism is economically manifested in the chronic purchasing of new goods and services, with little attention to their true need, durability, product origin or the environmental consequences of manufacture and disposal. Consumerism is driven by huge sums spent on advertising designed to create both a desire to follow trends, and the resultant personal self-reward system based on acquisition. Materialism is one of the end results of consumerism. Consumerism interferes with the workings of society by replacing the normal common-sense desire for an adequate supply of life's necessities, community life, a stable family and healthy relationships with an artificial ongoing and insatiable quest for things and the money to buy them with little regard for the true utility of what is bought. An intended consequence of this, promoted by those who profit from consumerism, is to accelerate the discarding of the old, either because of lack of durability or a change in fashion. It is an often stated catechism that the economy would improve if people just bought more things, bought more cars and spent more money. Financial resources better spent on Social Capital such as education, nutrition, housing, etc are spent on products of dubious value and little social return. In addition, the purchaser is robbed by the high price of new things, the cost of the credit to buy them, and the less obvious expenses such as, in the case of automobiles, increased registration, insurance, repair and maintenance costs. Consumerism is defined as the process of buying and using the goods and services. It is a belief that it is good for a society or an individual to buy and use a large quantity of goods. (a) Answer the following questions.                                                                                                           (2 x 4 = 8) (i) What is consumerism? (ii) What is the disadvantage of consumerism? (iii) What is the objective of advertisements? (iv) What is materialism? (b) Answer the following questions.                                                                                                                           (1 x 4 = 4) (i) What is the meaning of the word "manifested"? (ii) Give the synonym of "manufacture". (iii) Give the antonym of the word "adequate". (iv) Pick out a word from the passage that means 'not real'.

Answer:

  (a) (i) Consumerism is chronic purchasing of new goods even when they are not required to cater to the needs. It is a process of buying goods. (ii) The disadvantage of consumerism is to buy goods just to meet one's desire with money even when they are not bought as a necessary item. (iii) Advertisements give birth to desires to buy commodities of the latest fashion and also act as a self-reward system on the rate of acquisition of the goods. (iv) Materialism is one of the end results of consumerism. (b) (i) It means created. (ii) The synonym is production. (iii) The antonym is inadequate. (iv) The word is "artificial".