Garden variety

By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post

University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.

Read the following story by Sukhumaporn Laiyok from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.

Shunmyo Masuno is Japan’s leading garden designer, a landscape architect, a professor at Tama Art University and a Zen Buddhist monk. He is also the head priest at Kenkohji Temple in Yokohama and directs the daily ceremonies there.

Shunmyo became famous for blending contemporary design with traditional Japanese design. The essential elements in his garden designs are the way the land is divided and how the garden relates to the architecture near it. His projects are influenced by Buddhism and are often considered to be spiritual places.

Zen Gardens is the first complete retrospective book of Shunmyo’s work to be published in English. The author of the book has compiled photographs of 37 major gardens created by Shunmyo. The gardens come in many different types and settings, including traditional and contemporary, urban and rural, and both public spaces and private residences.

The book is divided into three main sections — Traditional Gardens, Modern Gardens and Gardens Outside Japan. The book has 224 pages with more than 400 drawings and colour photographs. There is also a section that provides useful tips and techniques for the creation of Zen gardens.

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Exercises

Section 1

Read the story. Then, answer the following multiple-choice questions.

1. What is Shunmyo Masuno’s occupation?

a. He is the head priest at Kenkohji Temple.
b. He is a university professor.
c. He is a landscape architect and garden designer.
d. All of the above.

2. Which of the following best describes Shunmyo Masuno’s garden designs?

a. They are filled with colourful tropical plants and European flowers.
b. They are small rooftop gardens filled with rocks.
c. They blend traditional and modern Japanese design and harmonise with surrounding buildings.
d. They have lots of roses and small animal statues in them.

3. How many sections does the book feature?

a. Three.
b. Four.
c. Five.
d. Six.

4. How many drawings and photographs does the book contain?

a. 224.
b. About 40.
c. About 140.
d. More than 400.

5. What is shown on the cover of Zen Gardens?

a. A picture of a famous Japanese garden designer.
b. A mountain stream.
c. A Japanese rock garden.
d. A Japanese beach.

Section 2

Read through the story again. Then, decide whether the following statements are true or false.

6. The writer compiled photographs of 37 major gardens created by Shunmyo.

……………………………….

7. Shunmyo’s gardens are influenced by Christianity.

……………………………….

8. Kenkohji Temple is located in Yokohama.

……………………………….

9. There are 244 pages in Zen Gardens.

……………………………….

10. Shunmyo Masuno is a student at Tama Art University.

……………………………….

Section 3

Find words in the story that are synonyms of the following words.

11. Personal ………………..

12. Helpful ………………..

13. Celebrated ………………..

14. Important ………………..

15. State of the art ………………..

Section 4

Find words in the story that are antonyms of the following words.

16. Combined ………………..

17. Similar ………………..

18. Useless ………………..

19. Seldom ………………..

20. Inessential ………………..

Section 5

Fill in the following blanks with the grammatically correct words.

Noun	Adjective	Verb
difference	21. …………………….	differentiate
22. …………………….	considerate	consider
public	public	23. …………………….
completion	24. …………………….	complete

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