Summary Writing (No.2) for Class-XII, WBCHSE

Write a summary in about 100 words of the passage given below:   10 

The test of a great book is whether we want to read it only once or more than once. We want to read a really good book the second time even more than we wanted to read it the first time; and every additional time that we read it, we find new meanings and new beauties in it. A book that a person of education and good taste does not care to read more than once is very probably not worth much. But we cannot consider the judgement of a single individual as final. We may doubt such a judgement. But there is no doubt possible with regard to the judgement of generations. Even if we cannot at once perceive anything good in a book, which has been admired and praised for hundreds of years, we may be sure that by trying, by studying it carefully, we shall at last be able to feel the reason of this admiration and praise. The best of all libraries for a poor man would be a library entirely composed of such great works only, books which have passed the test of time.  (190 words)

Answer:   The worth of a book lies in its appeal to the readers. A great book may fail to inspire a single person but not the generations. The merit of a classic book may not be assessed at a first reading, but a careful subsequent reading reveals its greatness. It expresses new meanings and new charms with every additional reading. A man’s library should consist of such great books.  (About 68 words)