Read the following text and do the tasks that follow.
We have an old saying 'Beauty is only skin deep'. People generally praise, support and award those who look beautiful and attractive. In contrast, the less attractive, shorter, deformed and disable people are generally ill-treated, discriminated, insulted, less paid, less graded, etc.
People with deformities, scars and other physical defects are deprived of good jobs, considerable pay and handsome opportunities. Discrimination is everywhere for all-aged people. Prettier babies are treated better than plain or ugly looking ones. Not only strangers, even the parents love, kiss, talk and play more with their cute babies but give less attention to the plain babies. At schools, attractive children are likely to draw more attention of the teachers and get higher grades on their achievement tests. The reason may be that their good looks win praise, attention and encouragement from teachers. In a 1975 study, teachers were asked to evaluate some students based on their photos. It was found that the students with ugly looks were judged to be slow learners while the others with pretty photo were considered to be smart.
Conventionally people believe that people with good looks are smart. Even these days, outwardly unattractive and ugly people are teased and addressed as witches or monsters in many places. The cinemas and fairy tales seem to have been playing crucial roles in cultivating this kind of attitude. In such stories, the heroes are cast handsome and the heroines beautiful while the villains are ugly and unattractive. People with physical defects, disability, deformities, etc. are often discriminated. They are less privileged and deprived of their birth rights and opportunities and they have to face insult, discrimination, segregation, humiliation and harsh treatment.
We should judge human fellows not on the basis of how they look but on the ground of their knowledge, virtues, vision of life, inner beauty, humanity and their contribution to society. We can take the example of Socrates from the ancient Greece. He was physically very ugly. However, he is always respected for his vision, wisdom and beauty.
A. Match the meanings in 'Column A' with the correct words from the text in 'Column B'. One word does not have a match. (5×1=5)
| Column A | Column B |
|---|
| (i) People who are disfigured and ugly | (a) considerable |
| (ii) great in amount, size and importance | (b) monsters |
| (iii) treating somebody in a less fair way | (c) virtues |
| (iv) people who are large, unattractive or ugly | (d) privileged |
| (v) behaviour that show high moral standards | (e) deformed |
| (f) discrimination |
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct information from the text. (5×1=5)
(i) Ugly people are ...... of good jobs.
(ii) Parents and strangers pay less ..... to the plain babies.
(iii) At school, students are likely to get good grades due to their ......
(iv) Cinemas present ugly and unattractive characters as .;........
(v) Socrates is .............. for his vision, wisdom and beauty.
C. Answer the following questions. (5×1=5)
(i) How are less attractive people treated?
(ii) What were the teachers asked to do in the research?
(iii) Whom did the teachers judge as slow learners?
(iv) How are heroes presented in cinemas and fairy tales?
(v) How should we judge people, according to the writer?
