The Problems with the First Paper of Net/SLET and their Solutions…
The Net/SET Aspirants, particularly from language and literature ask some common questions – Why the first paper is so difficult. How can we score more marks in the first paper? How to deal with the first paper? "We are doing much better in the second and third paper but the first paper is chaos…" Why? Even some people claim that it is unnecessary to include the first paper in the syllabus… "If we are students of literature what is the use of first papers for us?" Let me clear about it…
The first paper is related to the analytical skills, reasoning, logic, language competency & comprehension ability and IQ. It tests General Ability of aspirants to perceive the things and situations. It is inculcated in the syllabus and common to all. The second paper is related to literature. Literature is related to an individual's perception power of abstract ideas, concepts, imagination, understanding the power of a genre and ability to express them – orally or in written form. These two things are very different from each other and their roots are in our brain and the reasons are purely psychological.
Our brain hemisphere is divided into two parts – Left and Right. Left side is Analytical and the Right side is Creative. We are always in contact with Creative part of our life i.e. literature. So naturally while reading the literature right part of our brain has been developed easily but the left part is obviously somehow neglected (but not neglected totally).
The condition is different till the age of twelve. The learning center of a child or a kid is ONE at his brain. So he/she can easily grasp many things at a time…even we have some paradigms of some kids speaking 8-10 languages at a time or solving unimaginable mathematical questions easily or doing the both at the same time. Why? Because the brain is like a clean slate…anything can be written on it. But it starts to change at the Adolescence Stage. Now the INTEREST and SITUATION starts to play an important role in the brain development. So some moves to analytical skills, some of the creativity and only a few are able to keep the balance of the both. One aspect of the brain is always dominant than the other. One of the two (Analytical and Creative abilities) is later developed habitually but not without costing the other abilities.
Most of the aspirants of English Literature are very good at the Right side of the brain (Creativity). It is natural for them…but simultaneously they have paid the price – for the Left side (Analytical Ability). The first paper is related more to the analytical and general mental ability than creativity. Although doing well with the second and third paper…some students find it difficult to perform well in the first paper. Why? The Right Side of our brain is more dominant than the Left Side. So how to improve the Analytical Ability? Here are some tips…
Have you observed any athlete? If there is a competition in future…he prepares for it for a long time, practices daily, try to match his heart beats with his body movements…slowly & gradually. Then enters into the competition with full strength and determination and wins the race. It is the practice that makes him win the race. What will happen if he would have been entered directly into the race without practicing? Perhaps he will be fast at the beginning…but will be tired soon and even would not complete the race.
As previously mentioned…the Left side of the brain is neglected…NEGLECTED NOT DEAD! You must develop it by stimulating it. Only daily practice can do it. So as per your schedule, give an hour daily for the first paper. At the beginning, you may be slow but soon your brain will start to grasp and the first paper will not be a chaos. So instead of reading a book on first paper when the exams are near, practice it daily. Choose the time…like early in the morning or before going to sleep. The formulas and formations will enter into your unconscious mind and it will strengthen your analytical ability, gradually but definitely. This Analytical Ability is like Ayurvedic Medicine…you are taking for a specific purpose but rectifying other functions in our body. How? Once such ability is developed you will be able to remember the dates and ages easily. You can interlink the various literary or even historical events to each other and also the genres.
I still remember the days when I was preparing for IAS exam with Indian History and English Literature as my optional subjects. Numerical ability and Reasoning was the daily part of my Study Diet and with the above two subjects, I had to deal with many other subjects also. I developed that ability so enormously that I started to co-relate other subjects to the events in English Literature. May be 1798-99 is the date of publication of ‘Lyrical Ballads'…but it was the time when the Sher-E-Hindustan Tipu Sultan was killed in the battle of Shrirngapattanm by British. In 1817 John Keats wrote a letter to his friend and third Anglo-Maratha War was won by British in 1818…Union Jack soaring on Shanvarwada, Pune. William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth have some similarities…how? Both were Williams and both died on 23rd April…an additional benefit to Shakespeare…he was born on 23rd April. So, when we celebrate the World Book and Copyright Day (UNESCO) on 23rd April…is it due to the birthday of Shakespeare or Death Anniversary of Wordsworth? Both are our favorites. Unfortunately, Wordsworth died on 1850; otherwise, he should have been traveled by first ever run Indian Railway in 1853. The renowned warrior Tatya Tope was good at English but not able to read the ‘Origini of Species'…Why? He died on 18 April 1859 and the book was published by Charles Darwin on 24 November 1859. Major political reformation took place in India in 1935 (Govt Act of Indian in 1935) and T S Eliot staged his Poetic Political Drama "Murder in the Cathedral" in the same year. Out of 50…I was able to score 46 in the first paper without preparing a single question exclusively for Net.
If you consider Albert Einstein as the most intelligent person of 20th Century, only 5% part of his brain was used throughout his life time. So identify the power of your brain, practice daily, stimulate your brain and enjoy the unlimited power of it. After all, it is the gift of nature to human beings only.
Thanks.
Anil S Awad
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