Classifying Thinkers

We don't really know how to define intelligence. However, this does not discourage some people from categorizing others according to their intelligence or lack of it. In his essay, "Thinking as a hobby," author William S. Golding does exactly this. Golding divides people into three categories: grade-three thinkers, grade-two thinkers, and grade-one thinkers.

According to Golding, 90 percent of the population represents the largest category, called grade-three thinkers. These people are docile. They follow orders and they obey other people's wishes. They never learn to think for themselves and cannot distinguish truth from lies. A dictator could take control of them and make them do whatever he wanted, as if they were sheep. The resulting mob would be brutal and ugly.

Grade-two thinkers, Golding's second category, are less likely to be influenced by a dictator. These grade-two thinkers, who make up 9 percent of the population, see corruption in the world. For example, grade-two thinkers may question the honesty of religion or political institutions,but they fail to find new ideals to believe in.

The remaining 1 percent of the population are what Golding calls grade-one thinkers. They not only see corruption, but they also know how to seek truth. Their lives are defined by beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Such thinkers are creative and imaginative geniuses, like Mozart, Michelangelo, and Einstein, who opened new worlds in music, art and science.

One wonders in which category Golding would place himself. Surely not among the "sheep"! Golding may prefer to believe that intelligence prevents people in the top tenth percentile of the population from following political dictators, but the number of doctors, teachers, lawyers, and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao shows that this belief is incorrect. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism. As one of the so-called sheep, I say bah to Mr. Golding!


Answer the Questions:

1. Circle the thesis statement. How does Golding classify people?

2. Underline the topic sentence of each body paragraph.

3. How does the author describe 90 percents of the population? The remaining 9 percent? The final 1 percent?

90% of the population is grade - three thinkers. They are docile, just follow the orders and obey other people's wishes. The second category consists of 9% is grade - two thinkers, who may question the honesty of religion and political institutions, but they fail to find new ideals to believe in. And the remaining 1% is grade - one thinkers. They are just like the second group but they know how to seek truth.

4. Underline the examples used in the third body paragraph to describe "Grade-one thinkers."

5. What is the writer's opinion of Golding's essay? In which paragraph do you find this opinion?

The writer said that the Golding's belief is incorrect. We can read it in the last paragraph.

6. What support (facts, examples) are used in the conclusion to argue the writer's point of view?

Many teachers, doctors, lawyers and writers in many countries who were willing supporters of Hitler, Stalin and Mao show that Golding' belief is completely wrong. In fact, sometimes the common sense and compassion of the ordinary man is all that stands between civilization and barbarism.

What does the cartoon have to say about teenagers and their lives?

1. How does the teenager feel about exam tension?

Eventhough he burned the midnight oil, he cannot escape from exam tension. It is true that many students will revise their knowledge a night before the exam. But, when they want to answer the question on exam's day, they get nervous and some of them are unable to cope with the exam tension. He can solve this problem if he well-prepared for the exam earlier..

2. In what way is there a communication gap between the teenager and his parents?

His parents in particular his father is not understand about the teenager's life. He only asking about the teenager's school and not asking about his social life. Maybe his son is having a bad day. So parents should alert to the changes of the personality of their children..

3. What point is the teenager trying to get across to his father in this cartoon?

The teenager is trying to say that his father has limited knowledge about technology. Eventhough the internet connection is down, his father does nothing much.

Word Collocation

Both options make sense.Underline the one which forms a common collocation

1. Many small houses and huts were (flooded away/washed away) when the river bursts its banks.

2. Poor farming methods are responsible for soil (devaluation/erosion )in many areas of Saharan African.

3. During the earthquake,many people were( buried/covered )alive.

4. The forest fire left a wide area of the mountainside blackened and (ablaze/smouldering).

5. Villagers are hoping for rain this month after nearly a year of (dry weather/drought.)

6. Before the hurricane struck,many people were (evacuated/shifted) to higher ground.

7. Thousands of children in the famine-striken area are suffering from (malnutrition/undernourishment).

10. Heavy snow has fallen in the mountains and many villages have been (blocked out/cut off) for the past two days.

11. The Aids (epidemic/plague) is having serious effects in some countries.

12. Many small islands in the Indian Ocean are threatened by rising sea (waters/levels).

Word Collocation

Which word completes each set of collocations or fixed phrases?

a) an instrument panel
a panel of experts
a control panel
a wooden panel

b) a secret ballot
a secret agent
keep it a secret
meet in secret
the secret of success

c) take stock of the situation
it's out of stock
the stock exchange
the stock market


d) a time sheet
a time zone
only time will tell
long time no see
for the time being


e) a child minder
child abuse
child care facilities
a child prodigy
behaving like a child

Phrasal Verbs

verb + preposition/s
eg. : run down
run out of
run into

1. Guess who I ran into at the club!
2.She's always running down her husband.
3.I need to go to the market.I've run out of oil,meat and rice.

Put in a suitable preposition in each space.

1. Hundreds of people turned on in the rain to see the celebrity.
2.Most of my time is taken up with answering the phone.
3.Don't be put of by the price,a cool $ 20,000.
4.Something funny is going on.
5.I think she made up the whole story!
6.Not many people turned up for the last lecture.
7.Don't worry,you can count on me.

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