COMPREHENSION NO. 13 - ENGLISH FOR CLASS 9

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given at the end.

     The Sultan sent agents to all parts of the East to buy rare manuscripts, and bring them back to Cordova. His men were constantly searching the booksellers's shops at Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad for rare volumes for his library. When the book was not to be bought at any price, he would have it copied; and sometimes even hear of a book which was only in the author's mind, and send him a handsome present and beg him to send the first copy to Cordova. By such means he gathered no fewer than four hundred thousand books and this at a time when printing was unknown, and every copy had to be painfully copied in the fine clear hand of the professional copyist.
QUESTIONS
1. Why did Sultan send his agents to all parts of the East? 

2. Where and what for they searched the booksellers's shops? 

3. What would he do when any book was not to be bought at any price? 

4. What would he do when the author had not yet written the book? 

5. How many books had he gathered? 

6. Why was it difficult to collect so many books in those days? 

ANSWERS

1. The Sultan sent agents to all parts of the East to buy rare manuscripts, and bring them back to Cordova.
2. They searched the booksellers's shops at Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad for rare volumes for Sultan's library.
3. When the book was not to be bought at any price, he would have it copied or heard.
4. When the author had not yet written the book and was only in his mind, he would have heard it.
5. He had gathered no fewer than four hundred thousand books.
6. It was difficult to collect so many books in those days because;
(a) Printing was unknown
(b) Every copy had to be painfully copied in the fine clear hand of the professional copyist.

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar