A Photograph-Shirley-Toulson-Qs-Ans Poem 1 from Hornbill-Class XI English

 

Poem 1: A Photograph by Shirley Toulson

(A)          Short Answer-type Questions (About 30-40 words each)

Q1.Why does the poetess use ‘cardboard’ for the photograph? Whose photograph is being described here? Why is the word ‘cardboard’ used here?

Ans. The poetess uses the ‘cardboard’ for the photograph of her mother. The photographs were pasted on cardboard to provide them with a firm base in the old days. So this word has been used here.

Q2. What has the camera captured?

   Ans. The camera has captured three girls in their teenage standing with their smiling faces in the shallow water of the sea beach. The narrator’s mother stood in the middle, while her cousins stood on both sides of her.

Q3. The poetess’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?

   Ans. It shows that the mother was amused to see her photograph along with her two cousins. She might have thought about how they looked at that small age in their dresses. It is natural to laugh when one watches his or her childhood photograph.

 Q4. How does the poetess describe the photograph? Who were there in it?

Ans. The poet describes three girls in the photograph. The tallest of them was the poet’s mother who was about twelve years old at that time. The girls who stood at her both sides were her cousins and each of them held the mother’s hands. They were out on the beach to enjoy the cool touch of the wet sand.

Q5. What does the phrase “...some twelve years or so” mean?

Ans.The phrase “...some twelve years or so” shows that the poetess was not definite about the exact age of her mother. She might have been approximately twelve years.

Q6. How were the three girls posing for the photograph? Who was the person clicking it?

Ans. All three girls stood motionless smiling through their hair when their uncle was about to click the photograph from his camera. They were holding the hands of the girl who stood in the middle.

Q7. What does the phrase ‘smile through the hair’ mean?

Ans.The words ‘smile through the hair’ show that the wind was moving the hair that was falling on their faces. So the moving hair might have been covering the lips also. That is why the word ‘through’ has been used here.

Q8. What does the poetess say about her mother’s face? What has not changed yet?

Ans. The poetess says that her mother’s face was sweet at the time when she (the poetess) was not born. It went through a change after that with the passage of time. One grows older as time passes. But the sea has undergone fewer changes since that day on which the photograph was clicked.

Q9. What is the symbolic significance of the words ‘transient feet’ and ‘the sea’? What is the role of Time in the physical world?

Ans. Here ‘the sea’ stands for nature that is long-lived. The words ‘transient feet’ stands for human life, that is mortal Time has its ravaging (destroying) effect on mortal (perishable: those are prone to die) things only. There is alliteration in the words: ‘....terribly transient’.

Q10. What might have been the possible age of the mother when the photograph was clicked? What might be the age of the poetess when she picked it up for watching?

Ans. The mother was of twelve years when she stood for the photograph to be clicked by her uncle. If we add twenty or thirty to twelve years, the total becomes thirty-two or forty-two.  It means after thirty-two or forty-two years, the narrator’s mother watched herself with her girl cousins and laughed.

Q11. Explain the phrase ‘laboured ease of loss’ used in the poem.

Ans. The phrase ‘laboured ease of loss’ means that both of them had struggled hard to attain some ease (relaxation) to bear the loss of the ‘past’. For the mother,  the ‘loss’ of the ‘past’ represents the happy moments when she was enjoying the sea holiday along with her two cousins. For the narrator, the ‘loss’ of ‘the past’ was the moment when her mother used to laugh to see herself and her two cousins in the photograph.

Q12. What is the meaning of the line: “Both wry the laboured ease of loss.”?

    Ans. The mother’s face was wry (the sad expression on her face with twisted features) at the loss of her joyful childhood days. The daughter’s (the narrator’s) face was wry due to the loss of her mother’s laughter. She is no more now as she died twelve years ago.

   Q13. What does ‘this circumstance’ refer to?

   Ans. It refers to the situation in which she was living. Her mother died twelve years ago and she was alone to think about those happy moments. She is sad to recall the laughter of her mother.

Q14. The three stanzas depict three different phases. Name them.

   Ans. There are three different phases of life described in the poem. The first phase of life is the time when the poetess’ mother was of twelve years. The second phase of life is when the poetess’ mother was thirty-two or forty-two years. The third phase of life is when the poetess was alone because her mother had died.

Q15. Explain the line ‘‘as many years/ As that girl lived’.

Ans. The expression ‘as many years/ As that girl lived’   means the mother was of twelve years at the time when the photograph was clicked and it has been twelve years since her mother died. The words ‘that girl’ stand for the narrator’s mother who was a girl at that time.

Q16. Explain the line ‘“And of this circumstance/There is nothing to say at all,/ Its silence silences”.

Ans. It means that the narrator could say nothing about the circumstances that changed completely after her mother's death. In such a situation only ‘silence’ prevails all around. The personal loss of the narrator left her in deep shock.  Everything changed for her. There was no laughter in the house, no joy or happiness prevailed there. if anything prevailed there in the house, that was a deep silence. It made the narrator speechless and took away all mirth (fun) and joy from her life.

(B)           Some Important Stanzas for Comprehension

Stanza 1

“The cardboard shows me how it was

  When the two girl cousins went paddling,

  Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,

  And she the big girl---some twelve years or so.”

Q1. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The poem is ‘A Photograph’ and its poet is Shirley Toulson.

Q2. Who was the big girl?

Ans. She was the poetess’ mother.

Q3. Who were the ‘two girl cousins’ in the photograph?

Ans They were the cousins of the poetess’ mother.

Q4. What were both ‘the cousin girls’ holding?

Ans. Both the cousin girls were holding the poetess’ mother’s hands.

Q5. What does the word ‘paddling’ mean?

Ans. The word ‘paddling’ means to move hands or feet in shallow water.

Stanza 2

“All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face
My mother’s, that was before I was born

And the sea, which appears to have changed less
Washed their terribly transient feet.”

Q1.  Who was holding the camera?

Ans. The girls’ uncle was holding the camera.

Q2. What is meant by the phrase ‘to smile through their hair’?

Ans. The words ‘smile through the hair’ shows that the wind was moving the hair falling on their faces. So the moving hair might have been covering the lips also. That is why the word ‘through’ has been used here.

Q3. What do the words ‘terribly transient feet’ mean?

Ans. The word ‘terribly’ means extremely and ‘transient’ means short-lived. The word ‘feet’ stands for human life. So ‘terribly transient feet’ means that human life is extremely short-lived. It has very much changed.

Q4. What has changed very little? Why?

Ans. The sea has changed very much. It stands for Nature and that changes very less.

Q5. Which poetic device has been used in ‘terribly transient’?

Ans. Alliteration.

Stanza 3

Some twenty-thirty- years later
She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty
And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they
Dressed us for the beach.” The sea holiday
was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.

Q1. Who is ‘she’ in the above stanza?

Ans. The poetess’ mother is ‘she’ in the above stanza.

Q2.  Why did ‘she’ laugh at the snapshot?

Ans. She laughed at the snapshot to show to her daughter (the poetess) as to how their parents dressed them up at that time.
Q3. Explain the line ‘The sea holiday/was her past, mine is her laughter.

Ans.   The sea holiday was the narrator’s mother’s past and ‘the laughter of the mother was the narrator’s past. Both of the incidents belonged to the past that would never come back. Those were the happy moments for the narrator and her mother and could not be lived again.

Q4. Explain ‘laboured ease of loss’.

Ans. Thus the phrase ‘laboured ease of loss’ means that both of them had struggled hard to attain some ease (relaxation) to bear the loss of the ‘past’. For the mother,  the ‘loss’ of the ‘past’ represents the happy moments when she was enjoying the sea holiday along with her two cousins..

Q5. Why has the word ‘wry’ been used here?

Ans. But still, they had experienced some disappointment on their faces in making a compromise at the loss. That is why the word ‘wry’ has been used here. The narrator was grieved at heart to think about that past. Her mother had died and she could only imagine the ‘laughter’ of her mother only.

Stanza 4

Now she’s has been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
Its silence silences

Q1. Explain ‘as many years/ As that girl lived’. Ans. It means the mother was of twelve years at the time when the photograph was clicked and it has been twelve years since her mother died. The words ‘that girl’ stand for the narrator’s mother who was a girl at that time.

Q2. How have the circumstances changed for the poetess?

Ans. The personal loss of the narrator left her in deep shock.  Everything changed for her. There was no laughter in the house, no joy or happiness prevailed there.

Q3. What does prevail in the poetess’ house now?

Ans. If anything prevailed there in the house, that was a deep silence.

 Q4. What has been the effect on the poetess due to the death of her mother?

Ans. It made the narrator speechless and took away all mirth (fun) and joy from her life. It means the mother was of twelve years when the photograph was clicked and it has been twelve years since her mother died. The words ‘that girl’ stand for the narrator’s mother who was a girl at that time.

 

The Browning Version-Qs-Ans-by Terence Rattigan

 

                  L-5  The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan

(A)   Short Answer-type Qs & Ans.

   Q1. Does Frank seem to encourage Taplow comment on Crocker-Harris?

   Ans. Yes, Frank encourages Taplow to comment on Crocker-Harris. He, very tactfully, asks him several questions about him in order to make Taplow comment on his teacher. He feels envious of Crocker Harris’ popularity also. He asks Taplow to repeat the mimicry of Crocker-Harris.
Q2.Why did Taplow go to Crocker Harris’s room?

  Ans. Taplow had to stay for extra time at Mr. Crocker Harris’s room as punishment because he had missed a class due to ill health a week ago. Taplow was to do some extra work for his teacher, who was leaving school due to his health problems.

 Q3. What was Taplow’s reply when asked by Frank about his future plans if he got favourable remove? What was Frank’s reaction to it?

   Ans. Taplow tells him that he would like to opt for science. Franks seems to be sad at  Taplow’s choice as he considers the latter (Taplow) a slacker (idler, loafer). But Taplow tells the young teacher in a protesting manner that he is not a slacker and he is extremely interested in science.

Q4. What justification did Taplow give to Frank in calling ‘Aeschylus’, muck?

  Ans. Taplow replies that he does not think that the play is ‘muck (mud, dirt/ worthless)’. He also adds that it has a good story about a wife murdering her husband and all that. Taplow expresses his dislike for the way it is taught to the students and it has a lot of Greek words.

Q5. Why did Taplow not leave Mr. Crocker’s house when Frank told him to do so as his teacher was late in reaching home? What did Taplow say to Frank, the young teacher in this regard?

   Ans. Taplow expressed his unwillingness to leave the place and also added that he could never think of disobeying Mr. Crocker-Harris. He also wondered at the consequences of disobeying his teacher. He imagined that Mr. Harris would not hesitate to follow him to his home if ever he disobeyed him.

   Q6.What did Taplow say about Mr. Crocker Harris lacking in emotions?

   Ans. Taplow said that Mr. Crocker Harris had no feelings. He said that he had shrivelled (dried) up like a nut from inside and he seemed to dislike people who liked him and this was quite funny to find such masters who did not like to be admired.

     Q7. What What did Taplow say about the joke cracked by Crocker-Harris in the class?

   Ans. Taplow tells Frank that, one day, Mr. Crocker-Harris cracked a joke in the class at which no one except him laughed because none including Taplow understood the joke. But, to be polite to his teacher, Taplow laughed. In the heart of hearts, he also felt sorry for the joke.

Q8. What did Mr. Harris tell Taplow, seeing him laughing at the joke?

  Ans. Mr. Harris appreciated Taplow’s progress in learning Latin. Then he asked Taplow to explain the whole joke to the students, who did not understand him.

Q9. Who is a sadist? Is Crocker-Harris a sadist according to the definition given by Taplow for this term?

   Ans. The sadist is the person who takes pleasure in causing pain or trouble to others. But this term does not suit to Crocker-Harris. He is a strict teacher, who does not like that the rules and regulations of school should be broken.

Q10. Who is Millie? What does she tell Tallow about Mr. Crocker Harris? Where  does she   send him?

Ans. Millie is Mr. Crocker Harris’s wife. She tells Taplow that Mr. Crocker is at the Bursar’s (accountant's) office and it would take quite a long time. She also suggests Taplow indirectly to go and come back after forty-five minutes. To get an excuse for sending him, she tells him to bring some medicine for her husband.

(B) Long Answer-type Qs.

 Q1. Comment on the attitude shown by Taplow towards Crocker-Harris.

   Ans. Taplow thinks very high of his teacher, Mr. Crocker Harris. He calls him a different kind of teacher, who believes in strict discipline. He is never loose in his behavior with the students.

He does not like that any of his students should miss his class. He has a very different way of punishing students. He keeps in his mind their betterment while punishing them. Taplow has been punished in such a  way. He wanted to make his loss that was caused due to his absence from class. He does not disclose the result of exams to achieve cheap publicity from the students.

  Taplow thinks that he does not like buttering from students. He shrinks when he comes to know that someone likes him. He is not a sadist like some other teachers in school. In spite of his strictness, he is popular with students. That’s why the teachers like Frank envy him.

Q2. What do you gather about Crocker-Harris from the play?

   Ans. Crocker-Harris is a strict teacher, who believes that rules and regulations in school must be followed by everyone. He does not believe in favouritism. He does not disclose the result of exams to students before time.

  He is not a sadist, who feels happy buy putting others in difficulties and troubles. He loves his duty and cares for his students. He tries to make up for the loss caused by any means. He has a different way of punishing students. On his last day, he had called Taplow so that the loss caused by his absence from the class could be made up.

He has control on his emotions and so he is never swayed by them while deciding about the students’ results or in other situations also. In fact, he is an ideal teacher From Taplow’s point of view.

Q3. Describe Taplow’s character as shown in the one-act play.

   Ans. Taplow is a boy of sixteen who studies in the lower fifth grade. He wants to study science. But Agamemnon seems to be boring for him. He is a disciplined student, who obeys the rules and regulations of the school. He is obedient to his teacher Mr. Harris Crocker also. He accepts the punishment given to him by his teacher positively.

He knows that he is punished by his teacher for missing the class for one day. He does not consider it as punishment; rather he thinks it extra work given to him by his teacher. His teacher, Frank tries to make him against Mr. Harris Crocker.

But Taplow respects and defends his teacher. He waits for him patiently even though his teacher is late for ten minutes. Thus Taplow is a well-disciplined student as shown in the one-act play.

(C) Some Important Passages for Comprehension

Passage 1

“My dear Taplow, I have given you exactly what you deserve. No less; and certainly no more.” Do you know sir, I think he may have marked me down, rather than up, for taking extra work. I mean, the man’s hardly human. (He breaks off quickly.) Sorry, sir. Have I gone too far?

Q1. Name the lesson and its writer.

Ans. The lesson is The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan

Q2. Who is the speaker and whom is he speaking to?

Ans. The speaker is Tallow. He is speaking to Frank, a young teacher.

Q3. Who is referred to as ‘Sir’ in the above passage?

Ans. The word ‘Sir’ is referred to Frank, Tallow’s young teacher.

Q4. What is Tallow doing by speaking the quoted words in the passage?

Ans. He is mimicking his teacher Crocker-Harris.

Passage 2

Anyway, Crock isn’t a sadist. That’s what I’m saying. He wouldn’t be so frightening if he were — because at least it would show he had some feelings. But he hasn’t. He’s all shrivelled up inside like a nut and he seems to hate people to like him. It’s funny, that. I don’t know any other master who doesn’t like being liked —

Q1. Who is a sadist?

Ans. The person who takes pleasure out of others’ sufferings or troubles is called a sadist.

Q2. About whom the person is speaking and to whom?

Ans. The person is speaking about Crocker-Harris, a teacher. He is speaking to Frank, a young teacher.

Q3. Who is the speaker in the above passage?

Ans. Tallow, a student is the speaker in the above passage.

Q4. What does the speaker mean by saying that ‘he’ is “all shriveled up inside like a nut…”?

Ans. He means to say that his teacher has no emotions.

Q5. What is the meaning of ‘shrivelled’?

Ans. Wrinkled

Passage 3

   TAPLOW: No, sir. I’m not. In the form the other day he made one of his classical jokes. Of course, nobody laughed because nobody understood it, myself included. Still, I knew he’d meant it as funny, so I laughed. Out of ordinary common politeness, and feeling a bit sorry for him for having made a poor joke. Now I can’t remember what the joke was, but suppose I make it. Now you laugh, sir.

Q1. Who is ‘he’ in the above passage?

Ans. The pronoun ‘he’ stands for Crocker-Harris.

Q2 Who had cracked the joke?

Ans. Crocker-Harris

Q3. Why did not the students laugh?

Ans. They did not laugh because they did not understand it.

Q4. Why did Tallow laugh?

Ans. He laughed to please his teacher. He showed common politeness.

Q5. Why did Taplow feel sorry?

Ans. He felt sorry for the joke was the poor one, lacking in humour.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Ailing Planet-Qs-Ans- the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala

 

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala

Short Answer-type Questions (word-limit: About 30-40)

Q1. Justify the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.

Ans. The Earth has become an ailing planet. Its environment is being polluted. It has become very difficult to breathe in this polluted air particularly in big cities. Environmental pollution has created so many problems for the vegetation and millions of creatures living on the earth. The earth’s temperature is rising up. Climatic changes have further aggravated (worsened) the situation. Its natural resources are depleting day by day.

Q2. What is the ‘Green Movement’?

Ans. The ‘Green Movement’ refers to the activity that is continued together by people to change or improve the present situation by means of united efforts. It is called Green because in this movement much stress is laid on planting more and more trees.

Q3. What is the significance of the Green Movement?

Ans. This movement was founded in New Zealand in 1972 and with the help of so many agencies, awareness among people has spread. Now, we think ourselves as partners on the earth, not the sole owner of it. We have to share this earth with other creatures and the vegetation also.

Q4. What is scientific temperament?

   Ans. Scientific temperament refers to the characteristic of a personality that affects the mood or behaviour. The word ‘scientific’ refers to the careful and systematic or reasonable approach to achieve some aim.

Q5. What is ‘Sustainable development?

  Ans. This is the development in which natural resources are used by keeping in view the share of the coming generations in them. They are not used blindly, rather efforts are made to preserve and increase them for future generations.

   Q6.  What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?

  Ans. It emphasizes the fact that man is responsible for making the earth an ailing planet. Man’s activities are making the survival of millions of living beings and vegetation on the earth impossible. That’s why; he has been called the world’s most dangerous animal. The notice at Zambia Zoo is a constant reminder to humans of his guilt to dominate the whole of the earth.

Q7 What awareness and wisdom has dawned upon Man now?

   Ans. Man has now realized his folly (foolishness) and a sort (kind) of wisdom has dawned (became known) upon him. It has made a shift (change) in his thinking, that was based   on dominating (controlling) everything, every creature on the Earth. Now, it is based on partnership, sharing the planet with all the creatures & vegetation on it. Now, man is not the ‘sole’ owner of the earth.

Q8.  What is the significance of the question “Are we to leave our successors a scorched (damaged by heat) planet of advancing (increasing) deserts, impoverished made weaker or worse in quality:) landscapes and ailing environment?’ raised in the first report forwarded by the Brandt Commission?

Ans. In a way, the commission has raised a voice against all human activities which are constantly (continuously) endangering the earth along with all its treasures (resources) . We are cutting trees to fulfil various needs. The environment is being polluted by us. We are polluting and endangering so many birds, animals on land and in water. We will have to stop all these activities to make the earth a better place to live.

Q9. What are the four principal biological systems that form the global economic system, according to Mr Lester Brown,?

   Ans. Mr Lester Brown points out in his book ‘The Global Economic Prospect’ that there are four principal biological systems on the earth. These are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. These four biological systems form the global economic system.

   Q 10. What do the four biological systems of the global economic system provide us?

   Ans. These four systems fulfil our basic needs including food. They provide all the raw materials for industries, except the synthetics, which are derived from minerals & petroleum.

Q11.  What does the writer mean to say when he quotes the statement, “forests precede (came before) mankind; mankind follow.”?

   Ans. It lays stress on one thing that before mankind took birth on the earth planet, forests were already there on it. Mankind came thereafter, maybe, after a very long time. But after that, human beings started exploiting (recklessly cutting) forests for their personal use in such a way that it disturbed the whole ecosystem of the earth.

Q 12. How does the increase in population at a high rate pose a big hurdle in the way to the country’s progress?

   Ans. He says that if the population continues increasing at the present rate, the development becomes meaningless and its speed may also decrease. Until population control is given topmost priority, the hope for a better condition in life would die in their hungry hutments (group of huts).

Q 13. In the words of Mr Lester Brown, “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.” What does he mean to say in this context?

   Ans. Mr Lester Brown wants to lay stress on the fact that we all human beings must care for the health of the earth. It is not something that we got from our ancestors in inheritance. But we have borrowed it from our coming generation. We will have to keep and use it as we do in case of the borrowed thing. We do not try to harm a borrowed thing in any way. So we will not harm the earth also.

  Q14. What ‘shift’ has occurred now in our views towards the earth?

  Ans. The shift in our outlook to view the earth as a living organism, that has its own metabolism and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

 Essay-type Questions (word-limit: About 120-150)

Q1. How are the earth's principal biological systems being depleted?

   Ans. The earth’s principal four biological systems are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands.  It is found that these four systems are reaching at a level that can be called ‘unsustainable’. It means that these cannot be prolonged for further use. The day is not far away when fisheries will collapse (finish), forests will disappear, grasslands will be converted (transformed) into barren (infertile) wastelands and croplands (agricultural land ) will become infertile (where nothing grows) due to chemical manure. Over-fishing is being practised in the ‘protein hungry world’.

In poor countries, there is a problem with ‘fuel’ (firewood), so forests are cut to provide firewood for cooking. As a result of all this, several species of life are on the verge of extinction (death).

   Forests are the shelter house for so many animals, big and small. Forests are useful for us in so many ways.

The earth’s fertile land has started changing into deserts. Big buildings are being erected by clearing forests for commercial and residential purposes. The speed of cutting trees is proportionately higher than of planting them.   Human activities are responsible for causing various types of damages done to the ecosystem of the earth. It has to be stopped at any cost in order to save this planet.

Q2. How are forests helpful for us? What is their present condition?

   Ans. Forests are one of the four principal biological systems that form the economical growth of a country. But unfortunately, these are being cut at a very fast speed, which is disproportionate to that of planting trees on the earth. We need to plant five times more than the trees are being planted at present to meet the demand and save greenery on the earth. If this is not done, our earth will become as dry as deserts. That would prove to be the death-knell for not only human-beings but also to millions of other creatures living on it.

   Forests are helpful to all of us in many ways. They provide timber, fuel, fruits, medicine, and shelter to animals. The most important function of trees is to provide us with a free of cost supply of oxygen, which is the lifeline of all living beings on the earth. They save us from heat and bring rain that is necessary for all the vegetation on the earth. All living beings need water to drink; without it, life is impossible on the earth. But, unfortunately, we human beings are not fully aware of the importance of forests. But the Green Movement has done a lot of work in making people aware of saving the earth from all these dangers.

Q3. Discuss the statement, ‘The choice is really between control of population wand perpetuating (making permanent) of poverty.’

   Ans. According to the statement quoted above, our Government has two options, one is to control the fast-growing population and the other is to make poverty the country’s permanent feature.  If the population is not controlled, it would bring so many other problems associated with it. Our country is already over-populated. We are experiencing all the problems which are directly or indirectly associated with the over-population. It is truly said that over-population is the mother of many other problems.

 For example, there are so many problems in our country, like unemployment, rise in prices, increasing crime-rate, traffic-jams on the roads, long queues everywhere, crowd in markets, the crowd in classrooms, need for more houses, etc. No single problem quoted above may be dissociated from over-population.

  Over-population is the cause of perpetuating poverty also. If maximum people of a country remain unemployed, they will not be able to educate their children properly. They will have to depend on getting some labouring jobs, which make them live from hand to mouth only. In this way, poverty will find a permanent place in the huts of the poor section of society.

(C)Important Passages (Textual) for Comprehensions

 Passage 1

  ONE cannot recall any movement in the world history which has gripped the imagination of the entire human race so completely and so rapidly as the Green Movement which started nearly twenty-five years ago. In 1972 the world’s first nationwide Green party was founded in New Zealand. Since then, the movement has not looked back.

Q1.What is Green Movement?

 Ans. Making the earth green but growing more and more trees is called the Green Movement.

 Q2. What special thing did this movement do in world history?

Ans. It caught the attention of the entire human race very quickly.

Q3. Where was the Green party first founded?

 Ans. In New Zealand.

Q4.  Write the synonym of the word ‘gripped’.

Ans. ‘caught’

Q1. Name the title of the lesson and its writer.

Ans. The title of the lesson is: The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role and its writer is Nani Palkhivala

Passage 2

 We have shifted — one hopes, irrevocably — from the mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world. It is a shift in human perceptions as revolutionary as that introduced by Copernicus who taught mankind in the sixteenth century that the earth and the other planets revolved around the sun. For the first time in human history, there is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism — an enormous being of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

  Q1. What was the mechanical view about the earth in the past?

   Ans. It was to view the earth as a dead planet that is to be used to fulfil human needs without paying attention to preserve its treasures.

Q2. What ‘shift’ has occurred now in our views towards the earth?

   Ans. The shift in our outlook to view the earth as a living organism, that has its own metabolism and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

Q3.What did Copernicus teach mankind in the 16^th century?

 Ans. He taught mankind that the earth and the other planets revolved around the earth.

 Q4. Which word in the passage has the following synonym ‘ changed ‘

 Ans. ‘Shifted’

Passage 3

In the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, there is a cage where the notice reads, ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’. Inside the cage, there is no animal but a mirror where you see yourself. Thanks to the efforts of a number of agencies in different countries, a new awareness has now dawned upon the most dangerous animal in the world. He has realised the wisdom of shifting from a system based on domination to one based on partnership.

Q1. What is a notice placed at a cage in the zoo?

Ans. It reads ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’.

Q2. What does the notice refer to?

Ans. It refers to Man, as the world’s most dangerous animal.

Q3.Why is Man called the world’ most dangerous animal? Ans. Man considers being the ‘owner’ of the earth and the boss of all the creatures found on it. It does not hesitate to do cruelty on any creature and destroy anything that belongs to the earth.

Q4. What new awareness has dawned upon the most dangerous animal of the world?

Ans. He has realised that he is not the owner and the boss of the earth. He is a partner with millions of other creatures and vegetation on the earth.

 Q5. Use ‘dawned upon’ in your own sentence.

 Ans. Suddenly an idea has dawned upon me.

Passage 4.

Article 48A of the Constitution of India provides that “the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. But what causes endless anguish is the fact that laws are never respected nor enforced in India. (For instance, the Constitution says that casteism, untouchability and bonded labour shall be abolished, but they flourish shamelessly even after forty-four years of the operation of the Constitution.) A recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee has highlighted the near-catastrophic depletion of India’s forests over the last four decades. India, according to reliable data, is losing its forests at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Large areas, officially designated as forest land, “are already virtually treeless”. The actual loss of forests is estimated to be about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics.

 Q1. What does article 48 A of the Constitution of India say?

Ans. It says that “The state shall endeavour (try) to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.”

 Q2. What causes anguish to the writer regarding the laws?

Ans. It is a fact that the laws are neither respected nor are they enforced in India.

Q3. What social evils does the writer talk about in this passage?

Ans. The writer talks about casteism, untouchability and bonded labour and these are still present in our society.

Q4. What does the recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee say?

Ans. It says that India is losing forests at the alarming speed of 3.7 million acres a year. The actual loss is about eight times the rate indicated by the government.

 

 

 

Discovering Tut-Qs-Ans- The Saga Continues by A. R. Williams

 

L-3 Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues by A. R. Williams

Short Answer-type Questions

Q1. What happened when king Tut was taken out of the burial chamber for putting  into a CT scan to unravel (disclose) the mysteries that shrouded (covered) it.?

Ans. A strong wind blew and created a dusty atmosphere around the place. It was Jan 5, 2005 and the time was 6 p.m. Dark clouds had been floating in the sky for the whole day and they covered the stars at night also.

Q2. Describe the Tut’s tomb (burial place)?

Ans. The tomb that was 26 feet underground. It was made by cutting a rock. The people were wonderstruck (surprised) to see the murals (paintings or designs on walls). The mummy was surrounded by valuebales and the things of daily need. It was in the Valley of kIngs.

Q3. What superstion was associated with the tomb of the young  king, whose death was a mystery?

Ans. People attached superstition to some co-incidences. For example, Carter’s financial backer, Herbert, died of food poisoning  four months later the incident of Carter’s entering King Tut’s tomb chamber in 1922.  

Q4. Who was Zahi Hawas? What did he say about the Tut’s tomb?

Ans. Zahi Hawass was the Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (related to archaeology) . He leaned (bent) over the body for the first look.  He remarked that the mummy was in a very bad condition because of some actions of Howard Carter

Q5. What did Zahi Hawas say about the contents that were there in Tut’s chamber?

Ans.  He said that the contents (the valuables and other things) were untouched. But those were hastily ransacked (When someone ransacks a place, the things are scattered here and there and the place is left untidy) in antiquity (in ancient time).

Q6. What was the belief of people about the mummies in ancient Egypt? Why did they put valuables and the things of daily use beside the mummies?

Ans. It was believed that mummies would achieve resurrection {/ˌrez.ərˈek.ʃən/ (rebirth)} one day and then they would need the things of daily use. Therefore, it was customary to bury the kings with several valuables and some other things of their use.

Q7. What were the things usually put near the mummies in the burial chamber?

Ans. The things included: board games, a bronze razor, linen /ˈlɪn.ɪn/ (a type of cloth made from the fibres of flax plant) undergarments, cases (containers) of food and wine.

Q8. What things were found in Tut’s burial chamber?

Ans. By opening the first casket (box),  a shroud (a piece of cloth in which a dead body is wrapped) adorned (decorated) with garlands of willow (a kind of tree) and olive (a tree) leaves, wild (living and growing in natural conditions) celery (vegetables for salad), lotus petals and corn flowers were found. The base of the coffin was made up of gold and resins were spread to solidify the mummy to the

Q9. What trouble did Howard Carter run when Tut’s coffin was being opened?

Ans. Howard Carter also ran into trouble when he finally reached the mummy. The raisins used for spreading on the bottom of the solid gold coffin to fix (cement) the mummy had hardened.

Q10. What efforts did Howard make to separate Tut’s mummy from the coffin?

Ans. First, he tried to melt or make the material that fixed the mummy soft by exposing it to the blazing heat of the sun. But the effort failed. Then he had to use a chisel to remove limbs and trunk apart from the head, the arms and the legs from the hardened material.  After that, the remains were removed.

Q11. What defence did Howard Carter put forward to counter the allegations made on him by Zahi Hawas?

Ans. Carter said that he had very little choice. If the mummy had not been removed that way, the thieves would have entered there by befooling the guards and ripped (removed quickly and violently) it apart to loot the treasure from there.

Q12. What was discovered by the professor of anatomy after 40 years in 1968 when Tut’s mummy was x-rayed?

Ans. It was discovered that Tut had not died of his natural death. It could have been a murder. It was discovered that his breast bone and front ribs were missing.

Q13. What valuables were put in the Tut’s coffin and chamber as gifts?

Ans. Tut was also gifted with several glittering (shining) goods (things) like precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths for his fingers and toes and the new iconic (sacred) inner coffin and mask. Those were all made of pure gold.

 

Long Answer-type Questions

Q1. Describe Amenhotep III, maybe Tut’s father or grandfather.

Ans. He was a powerful pharaoh.  He ruled for almost four decades and the period was called ‘the eighteenth dynasty golden age.  After that, his son Amenhotep IV succeeded him. He caused the strangest changes in the history of ancient Egypt. He began worshipping Aten, the sun god. He also changed his name to ‘Akhenaten, which meant the servant of Aten, the son god. He also shifted the religious capital from Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten. It is known as Amarna. His strange activities did not stop here. He attacked a major god, Amun by smashing his images and closing his temples.

Q2. What do you know about Tut? Describe how his mummy has always been the centre of attraction?

Ans. Tutankhamen  was the last heir (/eər/) to a powerful family that ruled Egypt 3300 years ago for centuries together.

 The Egyptian kings were buried in chambers with their belongings of everyday use and several other valuables in the hope that they would come to life again and then they would need those things.   He was laid to rest with valuables and other things and forgotten. Since the discovery of his tomb in 1922, the modern world has tried to know the cause of his death and it was speculated (guessed) that he had met with an accident, probably murder. His body was put to CT scan and it  was discovered that Tut had not died of his natural death. It could have been a murder. It was discovered that his breast bone and front ribs were missing. People attached superstition to some co-incidences. For example, Carter’s financial backer, Herbert, died of food poisoning  four months later the incident of Carter’s entering King Tut’s tomb chamber in 1922.   Howard Carter also ran into trouble when he finally reached the mummy. The raisins used for spreading on the bottom of the solid gold coffin to fix (cement) the mummy had hardened.

(C)Passages for Comprehensions

Passage 1

He was just a teenager when he died. The last heir of a powerful family that had ruled Egypt and its empire for centuries, he was laid to rest laden with gold and eventually forgotten. Since the discovery of his tomb in 1922, the modern world has speculated about what happened to him, with murder being the most extreme possibility. Now, leaving his tomb for the first time in almost 80 years, Tut has undergone a CT scan that offers new clues about his life and death — and provides precise data for an accurate forensic reconstruction of the boyish pharaoh.

Q1. Who is the writer and what is the title of the lesson?

Ans. Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues by A. R. Williams

Q2 Who is ‘He’ here in the passage?

Ans. The pronoun ‘He’ stands for Tut, whose full name is Tutankhamen

Q3. What might have been the cause of death of the person who is being discussed in the passage?

Ans. It might have been an accident or a murder.

Q4 Find out the words which mean the folllowing in the above passage.

Finally  (ii) guessed (iii) exact

Ans. (i) eventually (ii) speculated (iii) accurate

Passage 2

All afternoon the usual line of tourists from around the world had descended into the cramped, rock-cut tomb some 26 feet underground to pay their respects. They gazed at the murals on the walls of the burial chamber and peered at Tut’s gilded face, the most striking feature of his mummy-shaped outer coffin lid. Some visitors read from guidebooks in a whisper. Others stood silently, perhaps pondering Tut’s untimely death in his late teens, or wondering with a shiver if the pharaoh’s curse — death or misfortune falling upon those who disturbed him — was really true.

Q1. Why did the tourists keep coming all afternoon?

Ans. The tourists kept coming all afternoon to pay their respect to the young pharaoh.

Q2.  Tell some particular points about the tomb as stated in this passage.

Ans. It was a rock-cut tomb, some 26 feet underground. There were several murals on the walls of the burial chamber. The outer coffin lid was mummy-shaped on which there was gilded face of Tutakhamen.

Q3. What was the most striking feature of his mummy-shaped outer coffin lid?

Ans. Tutakhamen’s gilded face was the most striking feature of the mummy-shaped outer coffin lid.

Q4. What other things did the visitors watch at in the chamber?

Ans. The visitor’s watched at the beautiful murals made on the walls of the chamber.

Q5. What made some of the visitors wonder with a shiver?

Ans. Some of the visitors wondered if the pharaoh’s curse tto bring  misfortune to those who disturbed his mummy was true.

Q6. Write the meanings of the following words.

Cramped (ii) descended (iii) pondering

Ans. (i) narrow or crowded (ii) came down (iii) thinking

Passage 3

“The mummy is in very bad condition because of what Carter did in the 1920s,” said Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, as he leaned over the body for a long first look. Carter—Howard Carter, that is — was the British archaeologist who in 1922 discovered Tut’s tomb after years of futile searching. Its contents, though hastily ransacked in antiquity, were surprisingly complete. They remain the richest royal collection ever found and have become part of the pharaoh’s legend. Stunning artefacts in gold, their eternal brilliance meant to guarantee resurrection, caused a sensation at the time of the discovery — and still get the most attention. But Tut was also buried with everyday things he’d want in the afterlife: board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments, cases of food and wine.

Q1. Who was Zahi Hawas?

Ans. Zahi Hawass was the Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Q2. What did zahi Hawas say and about whom?

Ans. He said that the mummy was in bad shape. He said that about Havard Carter.

Q3. Who was Haward Carter?

Ans. He was the British archaeologist who in 1922 discovered Tut’s tomb after a great struggle.

Q4. What did Carter say about the contents found from Tut’s tomb?

Ans. He said that those contents were hasitly ransacked in the antiquity (ancient time). Surprisingly, they were complete.

Q5. With which things was Tut buried?

Ans. Tut was also buried with everyday things he’d want in the afterlife: board games, a bronze razor, linen undergarments, cases of food and wine.

Q6. Give the meanings of the following words:

antiquity (ii) legend (iii) resurrection (iv) eternal

Ans. (i) Very old (ii) myth, fable (iii) rebirth (iv) permanent, endless, perpetual, for ever

Passage 4

After months of carefully recording the pharaoh’s funerary treasures, Carter began investigating his three nested coffins. Opening the first, he found a shroud adorned with garlands of willow and olive leaves, wild celery, lotus petals, and cornflowers, the faded evidence of a burial in March or April. When he finally reached the mummy, though, he ran into trouble. The ritual resins had hardened, cementing Tut to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. “No amount of legitimate force could move them,” Carter wrote later. “What was to be done?” The sun can beat down like a hammer this far south in Egypt, and Carter tried to use it to loosen the resins. For several hours  he set the mummy outside in blazing sunshine that heated it to 149 degrees Fahrenheit. Nothing budged. He reported with scientific detachment that “the consolidated material had to be chiselled away from beneath the limbs and trunk before it was possible to raise the king’s remains.” In his defence, Carter really had little choice. If he hadn’t cut the mummy free, thieves most certainly would have circumvented the guards and ripped it apart to remove the gold. In Tut’s time the royals were fabulously wealthy, and they thought — or hoped — they could take their riches with them.

Q1. What are the evidences that prove that Tut’s funeral was done in March or April?

Ans. These are: wild celery, lotus petals, and cornflowers

Q2. Why did Carter have to use chisel to separate the mummy from its base in the coffin?

Ans It was because the resins at the base had cemented the mummy. No legitimate force could have separeated it from there.

Q3. Whay did Carter put the coffin in the blazing heat of the sun?

Ans. He did so to melt the raisins that had cemented the mummy to its base in the coffin.

Q4. What defense did Carter put forward about the cutting of the mummy by chisel?

Ans. He said that if he had not done that, the thieves would have done so to get gold from there.

Q5. Give the meanings of the words: (i) legitimate (ii) circumvented fabulously

Ans. (i) genuine, apt, legal (ii) outwitted, befooled (iii) superbly, amazingly

Q6.

Passage 5

For his journey to the great beyond, King Tut was lavished with glittering goods: precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths for his fingers and toes, and the now iconic inner coffin and mask — all of pure gold. To separate Tut from his adornments, Carter’s men removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint. Once they had finished, they reassembled the remains on a layer of sand in a wooden box with padding that concealed the damage, the bed where Tut now rests. Archaeology has changed substantially in the intervening decades, focusing less on treasure and more on the fascinating details of life and intriguing mysteries of death. It also uses more sophisticated tools, including medical technology. In 1968, more than 40 years after Carter’s discovery, an anatomy professor X-rayed the mummy and revealed a startling fact: beneath the resin that cakes his chest, his breast-bone and front ribs are missing. Today diagnostic imaging can be done with computed tomography, or CT, by which hundreds of X-rays in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three-dimensional virtual body. What more would a CT scan reveal of Tut than the X-ray? And could it answer two of the biggest questions still lingering about him — how did he die, and how old was he at the time of his death?

Q1. Why did Carter’s men removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint?

Ans. They severed nearly every major joint because the raisins spread at the base of the coffin had hardened. No amount of valif force could have removed it.

Q2. How did Carter’s men joined the severed joints of Tut’s mummy?

Ans. They reassembled the remains on a layer of sand in a wooden box with padding that concealed the damage

Q3. What did the professor of Anatomy reveal in 1968?

Ans. The startling (surprising) fact was that his breast-bone and front ribs were missing.

Q4. Give the meanings of the following words.

intriguing  (ii) severed (iii) substantially

Ans. (i) interesting/facinating (ii) cut off, detached (iii) sufficiently