Class 10 English Chapter 5 What is Moral Action?

Comprehension I: What is Moral Action?

Question 1.
In paragraph one, Gandhiji says that our conventional behaviour is:
a. Immoral
b. moral
c. neither moral nor immoral
d. necessary
e. unnecessary
Answer:
(c) neither moral nor immoral.

Question 2.
What is a non-moral action?
Answer:
Action which does not necessarily involve morality, but is born of prevailing conventions.

Question 3.
What is the difference between a mechanical act and an intentional act?

Answer:
If the action is done mechanically and does not spring from our own will, there is no moral content in the act. It is a mechanical act. Such action would be moral if we think it proper to act like a machine and do so since in doing so, we use our discrimination.

Question 4.
Give an example each for conventional behaviour and a moral act.
Answer:
Greeting everyone in the morning is conventional behaviour. It becomes a moral act when it is done to brighten up the lives of those people.

Question 5.
The first paragraph discusses what is not a moral action. The second paragraph gives one important criterion to decide what constitutes a moral action. What is that criterion?
Answer:
A moral act must spring from our own will, from the use of our discrimination. This is the criterion.

Question 6.
When can the messenger’s act become a moral action?
Answer:
When the messenger, instead of mechanically delivering the order, does it because it is his duty to do so, it becomes a moral action.

Question 7.
When, according to Gandhi, can we regard ourselves to have stepped onto the moral road?
Answer:
When we all care only for what our conscience says, then alone can we be regarded as having stepped onto the moral road.

Question 8.
What is the belief that Gandhi talks of in paragraph 2?
Answer:
Gandhiji says that we cannot be truly moral if we do not believe and experience the belief that God within us, the God of all, is the ever-present witness to all our acts.

Question 9.
All good actions need not be moral acts. When does a good action become a moral act? (paragraph 3). Give an example
Answer:
Feeding poor people is an example of a good action. It is a moral act when the person, out of pity for the poor, feeds them.

Question 10.
In the example of feeding the poor, whose action is moral?
Answer:
When a man, out of pity for the poor, feeds them, it is a moral act. When he does the same act with the motive of earning prestige, the action is no longer moral.

Question 11.
The result of our action determines whether our action is moral or non-moral (say whether the statement is True or False)
Answer:
False

Question 12.
Why does Gandhi say that Alexander’s conquests cannot be called moral actions?
Answer:
Alexander’s conquests cannot be called moral actions because the intention behind all of them was only power and renown.

Question 13.
In each paragraph, Gandhiji adds one criterion to consider an action moral. What criterion is added in paragraph 4?
Answer:
Gandhiji says that an action is moral if it is done voluntarily and without compulsion or fear.

Question 14.
When does simple living become moral?

Answer:
Simple living becomes moral when the person, although wealthy, thinks of all the want and misery in the world about him and feels that he ought to live a plain, simple life and not one of ease and luxury.

Question 15.
When does an employee’s action of paying higher salaries to his employees remain non-moral?
Answer:
When the employer sympathizes with his employees or pays them higher wages lest they leave him, his action remains non-moral.

Question 16.
When Gandhiji quotes Shakespeare (in paragraph 5), what argument does he want to strengthen?

Answer:
When he quotes Shakespeare, Gandhiji wants to emphasize the point that any action, even one of showing love, done with a profit motive, ceases to be a moral action. Honesty should be resorted to, not because it is the best policy of all, but because it is the right policy.

Question 17.
Gandhiji mentions the name of Henry Clay as an example of moral/ non-moral action. (Choose the right answer)
Answer:
Non-moral action.

Question 18.
What qualities of David Webster does Gandhiji mention?
Answer:
David Webster had great intellect and a wonderful sense of the heroic and the sublime.

Question 19.
What is the single mean act of Webster mentioned in paragraph 6?
Answer:
He once sold his intellectual’ integrity for a price.

Question 20.
Why is it difficult to judge the morality of a man’s action?
Answer:
It is difficult to judge the morality of a man’s actions because we cannot penetrate the depths of his mind.

Question 21.
What arguments does Gandhiji give to justify that a moral act should be free from fear and compulsion?

Answer:
He says that there is no morality in a person’s act if he rises early out of the fear that, if he is late for his office, he may lose. his situation. Similarly, there is no morality in his living a simple and unpretentious life if he does not have the means to live otherwise.

Question 22.
To sum up, an action becomes moral when an action: (Complete the following)
a. springs from one’s will (paragraph 2)
b. is done to do good (from paragraph 3)
c. is done without compulsion or fear (from paragraph 4)
d. has no self-interest behind it (from par’1 u
e. is not done with expectations of benefit in life after death (paragraph 6)
Answer:
is not done with expectations of benefit in life after death.

Comprehension II: What is Moral Action?

Question 1.
The great Saint Theresa wished to have a touch in her right hand and a vessel of water in her left so that with the one she might burn the glories of heaven and with the other extinguish the fires of hell, and men might learn to serve God from love alone without fear of hell and temptation of heavenly bliss.

a. Why did Saint Theresa hold a torch in her right hand?
Answer:
She desired to burn the glories of heaven with the torch.

b. What does a vessel of water signify?
Answer:
She desired to extinguish the fires of hell with the vessel of water.

c. What was her message to humanity?
Answer:
She wanted people to learn to serve God from love alone without fear of hell and the temptation of heavenly bliss.

Question 2.
Wherever he went (in the course of his conquests), he took the Greek language and Greek culture, arts and manners, and today we enjoy the benefits of Greek civilization. It was all right that he was termed “great”, but moral he cannot be called.

a. Who does ‘he’ refer to?
Answer:
‘he’ refers the Greek Emperor, Alexander, the Great

b. What is his contribution to mankind?
Answer:
He took the Greek language and Greek culture, arts and manners to different parts of the world, thereby enabling all of them to enjoy the benefits of Greek civilization.

c. Why doesn’t Gandhi consider him moral?
Answer:
Though he went to different parts of the world, the intention behind Alexander’s action was only conquest and renown.

Comprehension III: What is Moral Action?

Question 1.
Write on Mahatma Gandhi’s comments on action prompted by the motive of happiness in another world.
Answer:

• Gandhiji says that action done for considerations of comfort and personal happiness in another world is non-moral.
• Francis Xavier prayed passionately because it was man’s duty to pray.
• Theresa kept a torch and a vessel of water so that man could learn to serve God without any fear or temptations.
• It is difficult to judge the morality of man’s actions.

Mahatma Gandhi critiques actions driven by the desire for personal comfort or happiness in an afterlife, suggesting that such actions lack moral substance. According to Gandhi, truly moral actions are those performed purely for the sake of doing good, rather than for personal gain. For instance, St. Francis Xavier prayed with great devotion not to secure a higher place in the afterlife but because he believed it was his duty to pray. Similarly, St. Theresa envisioned using a torch and a vessel of water to symbolize that true devotion to God should be driven by love, not by fear of hell or the allure of heavenly rewards.

Gandhi also reflects on the nature of morality by pointing out how great individuals who have compromised their values for personal ambitions can negate their previous good deeds with a single selfish act. This highlights the challenge of accurately assessing the morality of one’s actions, as it is difficult to fully understand the complexities of a person’s intentions.

Question 2.
Why does Gandhi say that moral action should be done without compulsion?

Answer:

Gandhi asserts that moral actions should be performed without any form of compulsion or fear. He argues that if someone rises early merely out of fear of losing their job, or lives a simple life because they cannot afford anything else, these actions lack moral value. Similarly, an employer who pays higher wages or shows sympathy to employees only out of fear that they might leave is not acting morally.

According to Gandhi, true morality is reflected in actions taken out of genuine conviction and compassion. For example, living a simple life is considered moral when a wealthy individual chooses to do so out of a sense of responsibility and empathy towards the suffering of others, rather than from necessity. Likewise, an employer’s actions are truly moral when they stem from a sincere desire to support and appreciate employees, rather than from a selfish concern about retaining their services.

What is Moral Action? Summary