summary of wasteland class 11 [questions and answers] kpk board

What is the thesis statement of Mannes’ essay ‘Wasteland’? 

A thesis statement is a sentence that states the topic and purpose of the essay. It often reflects an opinion or judgment that a writer makes about a reading or personal experience. Generally, the thesis statement is the last line of the first paragraph in the essay. The thesis statement of Mannes’ essay is “Here are the marks of savages, the testament of wasters, the stain of prosperity . 

How many examples of waste does Mannes cite? What do they have in common? 

Mannes cites many examples of waster like cans, carafe, polybags, carcasses, empty bottles, light bulbs, smoke and defilation of grassy borders. Destruction of mother earth by pollution is a common feature of all of them. They are all harmful to nature and destroy its beauty . 

What purpose does Mannes want to achieve? Does it work? 

Mannes wants to create awareness among the people about the ugliness of pollution and its destructive effect on earth, air, human beings and the atmosphere. The same people complain against throwing the waste on the roadside, streets, and ponds etc. that are on the front line of polluting the earth, atmosphere and water. That is why each paragraph depicts the worst condition of the streets, bazaars, parks, ponds and even the forest. The author says that the government and people realize the problem but even then the government cannot control pollution though it spends a lot of budget on it. 

In what way is Mannes’ essay persuasive and how does it differ from a formal argument?

Mannes’ essay is persuasive in a way that she simply draws the picture of the pollution of roads, streets, land, beaches, hills, meadows and water at the hands of people. By drawing a pen picture of pollution, the writer not only develops awareness among the people but also creates hatred in their hearts for it. The essay differs from other essays in the sense that she turns the attention of the readers to the pollution through self explanatory questions and by drawing a pen picture of the pollution instead of giving advice or presenting  arguments. 

Who is Mannes’ audience? What assumptions does she make of it? 

Reader, whoever he may be, is Mannes’ audience. However, she is here addressing the Americans where she herself lives and where all the pollution is made by the Americans. By her essay she assumes that after reading the essay, the people will discard their things in appointed places and will not pollute roads, streets, meadows, forests and beaches with discarded things. 

Is Mannes’ argument based on emotion or factual evidence? Illustrate. 

Mannes’ argument is based on factual evidence rather than emotions. She gives a pen picture of the grassy borders, roads, forests, lanes, ponds, oceans, beaches, streets,  cities, roadways, ravines, mountains and shores where waste can be seen scattered here and there. She holds a mirror to all those things without being emotional about them or involving herself in any argument. In this way she tries to reform the behavior of the people. 

the wasteland questions and answers pdf