Indian inspiration
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 Sakul Intakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
In Varanasi city in India, flower garlands adorn the statues of gods in more than 1,500 temples. The garlands are bought by devotees from flower merchants’ baskets woven from rustic vine. Decorative techniques vary depending on individual styles.
ORIGINAL ARRANGEMENT
I created a floral composition inspired by the woven wonders I saw in Varanasi. I used wire mesh inside to make it strong, then covered it with leaves.
To begin with, I cut the wire mesh to the correct length and height. In this case, it was approximately 30 centimetres in diameter and 75 centimetres in height. Then, I bent the sheet of wire mesh around until both ends overlapped. I also bent all the pieces of wire at one end of the sheet so that they would hook into the holes at the other end. This connected both ends together to form a column.
After that, I wrapped the leaves of a pandanus plant around the wire mesh column and used a stapler to hold them in place. I continued to weave the pandanus leaves until the wire mesh column was completely covered.
I later cut the stems of the chrysanthemums before placing them into water-filled plastic tubes. Finally, I inserted the stems of the flowers in between the woven foliage.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sakul Intakul is an internationally renowned Thai floral artist whose work has a distinctive line, texture and sculptural quality. His portfolio includes royal commissions for Her Majesty the Queen of Thailand and property-wide floral conceptual designs for Bulgari Hotels and Resorts in Bali, Indonesia. For more information about Sakul’s floral decoration work, visit www.sakulintakul.com.
Exercises
Section 1
Read through the story. Then, answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. Who is Sakul Intakul?
a. He is a costume designer.
b. He is a makeup artist.
c. He is a civil servant.
d. He is a floral decorator.
2. Which website can you visit to learn more about Sakul Intakul’s floral decoration work?
a. www.florahealth.com.
b. www.flora.com.
c. www.rosefloral.com
d. www.sakulintakul.com.
3. What was the first step in the creation of Sakul Intakul’s floral composition?
a. Wrapping the leaves of a variegated pandanus plant around the wire mesh.
b. Bending the sheet of wire mesh round.
c. Cutting the wire mesh to the correct length and height.
d. Weaving the pandanus leaves.
4. According to the story, what was used to hold the pandanus leaves around the wire mesh column in place?
a. Scissors.
b. Glue.
c. A stapler.
d. The story does not say.
5. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the story?
a. Sakul’s floral composition was taller than 50 centimetres.
b. Sakul’s floral composition was totally made from artificial plants.
c. Sakul inserted the stems of the flowers in between the woven foliage.
d. Bulgari Hotels and Resorts are not located in India.
Section 2
Write down the present tense forms of the following words used in the story.
6. Bent .......................................................
7. Overlapped .......................................................
8. Inserted .......................................................
9. Cut .......................................................
10. Wrapped .......................................................
Section 3
In each of the following groups of synonyms there is one word that has a different meaning. Underline the word that does not share the same meaning as the other words in each group.
11. renowned/famed/unpopular/celebrated
12. personal/private/individual/inventory
13. vibrant/varied/diverse/mixed
14. completely/surely/totally/fully
15. merchant/trader/vendor/voucher
Section 4
Find words used in the story that are antonyms of the following words.
16. Less .......................................................
17. Excludes .......................................................
18. Firstly .......................................................
19. Weak .......................................................
20. Discontinued .......................................................
Section 5
Rearrange the following groups of words to form grammatically correct sentences.
21. arrangements Floral enhance the of beauty the hotel.
………………………………………………………………
22. in It was pale decorated colours.
………………………………………………………………
23. wire The windows are by mesh obscured.
………………………………………………………………
24. His is very portfolio fascinating.
………………………………………………………………
Vocabulary
- adorn (v): to make something look more attractive by decorating it with something
devotee (n): a very religious person who belongs to a particular group
rustic (adj): simple; typical of rural areas
vine (n): any climbing plant with long thin stems
wonder (n): something that fills you with surprise and admiration
mesh (n): material made of threads of plastic rope or wire that are twisted together like a net
chrysanthemum (n): a large, brightly coloured garden flower that is shaped like a ball and made up of many long narrow petals
foliage (n): the leaves of a tree or plant
