Vacationing on a motorcycle, you see things in a way

Vacationing on a motorcycle, you see things in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you do not realise that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You are a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a motorcycle, however, the frame is gone. You are completely in contact with it all. You are in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.

1. The writer likes travelling on the motorcycle. What is the most likely reason for this?

  1. The motorcycle has no windows.
  2. The motorcycle does not go as fast as a car.
  3. As the traveller is used to cars, travelling by motorcycle is a change.
  4. Travelling by motorcycle, the writer feels that he is part of the scenery.

2. Which of the following statements is closest to the truth?

  1. The writer does not like TV as it gives a narrow view of things.
  2. The writer likes TV but he does not like watching it from car windows.
  3. The writer does not like TV because the picture is in a frame.
  4. The writer does not like TV because the programmes are boring.

3. "In a car you are always in a compartment, and because you are used to it you do not realise that" In this sentence, 'it' refers to

  1. travelling in a car.
  2. always being in a compartment, e.g. one's room, office.
  3. seeing the scenery through the window frame.
  4. seeing so much TV at home.

4. In the last sentence, the writer talks of a 'sense of presence'. He is referring to the presence of

  1. his own self as part of the scene.
  2. the time that is now passing.
  3. the scene and the beauty.
  4. senses with which one feels.

5. The word 'overwhelming' means

  1. very strong
  2. unavoidable
  3. interesting
  4. humorous

Answers

  1. D
  2. A
  3. B
  4. A
  5. A

The text is from the novel, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Maynard Pirsig. The book is Pirsig's fictionalized autobiography of a 17-day journey he made on a motorcycle from Minnesota to Northern California along with his son Chris.