sentences:  For many scholars, a life of simplicity and frugality was considered an ideal.Further, the study of subjects like agriculture and handicrafts was considered a worthy pursuit, since it was expected that the social elite should respect their obligation to care for the common folk 
  
  Song’s repeated examinations were common for the time, as the required exams were incredibly competitive, despite their formulaic nature.It was common for would-be civil servants to attempt the exams even into their 40s.