Unseen Passage: Sudoku

Reading Comprehension

‘Su’ means number and ‘Duko’ means single. The game of Sudoku has many similarities with the game of life. Sudoku is a puzzle game designed for a single player, much like a crossword puzzle. The puzzle itself is nothing more than a grid of little boxes called ‘cells’. They are stacked nine high and nine wide, making 81 cells total.

The roots of the Sudoku puzzle are in Switzerland. Leonhard Euler created ‘carré latin’ in the 18th century which is similar to a Sudoku puzzle. The first real Sudoku was published in 1979 and was invented by Howard Garns, an American architect. The real world wide popularity started in Japan in 1986 after it was published and given the name Sudoku by Nikoli.

In life, too, you start with a given set of notions and then work from there on. In Sudoku, you need to follow a set of rules to build up the grid, filling each row, column and box with numbers ranging from one to nine, so much like in life where you have to go on your way without hurting anyone else. Respect every number (person), and things would be fine.

While playing, you never think of the end (the result); you just keep working on the numbers and the final result (fruits of action) comes on its own. Extremely difficult puzzles may take hours. Similarly, to achieve the desired results in life may also take years. The game of Sudoku and the game of life are best played in calm but in a focused state.

Everything has to go together in a Sudoku grid: the rows, columns and squares. Exactly as in life. Your duties towards your family, teachers, society and country, all go on simultaneously. In Sudoku, the arrangement of the given numbers is symmetrical. This is instructive in life, on how to maintain steadfast faith, poise and equanimity despite situations when everything turns topsy-turvy.

There is a subtle difference between the two, as well. Make a mistake and you can erase it and begin all over again in Sudoku. Not so in life. You can learn a lesson through it, and avoid making the same mistake in future.

Q. Answer the following questions:

1. What is Sudoku?
2. How has the writer compared the numbers in Sudoku to life?
3. What is the similarity between Sudoku and Life?
4. How do we achieve the desired result?

Answer

1. Sudoku is a puzzle game designed for a single player, much like a crossword puzzle. The puzzle is a grid of little boxes called ‘cells.’
2. The writer has compared the numbers in Sudoku to life by citing similarities between the game’s rules and real life situations.
3. Similarities between Sudoku and Life: Your duties towards your family, teachers, society and country all go on simultaneously just as the arrangement of the given numbers. This is instructive in life, on how to maintain steadfast faith, poise and equanimity despite odd situations.
4. You never think of the end (the result); you just keep working on the numbers and the final result (fruits of action) accrues on its own.

Q. Choose the correct alternatives:

1. What is meant by ‘instructive’? (Para 4)
   1. difficult
   2. sad
   3. informative
   4. admiring
2. What is meant by ‘equanimity’? (Para 4)
   1. obsession
   2. self-control
   3. symmetry
   4. None of the above
3. Find the word opposite in meaning to ‘obvious ’. (Para 5)
   1. erase
   2. lesson
   3. subtle
   4. avoid
4. Find the word opposite in meaning to ‘ruffled’. (Para 3)
   1. calm
   2. action
   3. desired
   4. focused

Answer

1. informative
2. self-control
3. subtle
4. calm