Ch 3 - Journey to the end of the Earth

Ch 3 - Journey to the end of the Earth

Reading with Insight

1. ‘The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica.’ How is the study of this region useful to us?

A. The geological phenomena of separation of the landmass into various continents and water bodies almost six hundred and fifty million years ago marks the beginning of the human race on the Earth. Mammals started existing after dinosaurs became extinct which happened once the landmarks separated.

2. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice expedition?

A. Geoff Green took high school students on an expedition to one end of the Earth to make them realize the impact that human intervention could have on nature. He wanted the future policy – makers to experience how difficult it would be to sustain life with the rising temperatures. He wanted them to see the melting ice shelves so that they could estimate the trouble that mankind was headed to.

3. ‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?

A. The statement holds great importance in context of the Antarctic environment. For instance, the phytoplanktons in the region serve as food for marine birds and animals. The depletion of the ozone layer affects the phytoplanktons and the carbon cycle. This can obstruct the existence of marine life. So, if the process carried on by these small grasses is taken care of, the processes of the bigger animals and birds can be taken care of.

4. Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth’s present, past and future?

A. Antarctica is the place to go to to understand the earth’s past, present and future because it gives us an idea of how the earth was millions of years ago. The melting sheets of ice give us an idea of the future also.

2. Answer the following question in about 125-150 words.

Question 1.
How the programme, ‘Students on Ice’ was an attempt to equip future generation with knowledge to save Earth?
Answer:
The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take the High School students to the limits of the world and provide them with inspiring opportunities in education to enable them to understand and respect our planet. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future policy-makers and through this programme they would be able to save this planet from the ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming. Antarctica, with its simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity, is the perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have major repercussions. The school students’ impressionable minds can study and examine the Earth’s past, present and future by their voyage to Antarctica.

Question 2.
The world’s geological history is trapped in the Antarctica. How is the study of this region useful to us?
Answer:
The Antarctic landmass dates back to 650 million years. It was an amalgamated southern supercontinent called Gondwana. This landmass centered around the present-day Antarctica. Human beings did not exist as their civilization is only 12,000 years old. The climate at that time was warm and landmass flourished with a vast variety of flora and fauna. The study of this region shows that Gondwana prospered for 500 million years. But then the dinosaurs got wiped out and mammals began to appear. The landmass disintegrated into countries and India, the Himalayas and South America was formed. This left Antarctica frigid at the bottom of the earth. Today, it stores the key to the significance of cordilleran folds and pre- Cambrian granite shields, ozone and carbon layers as well as a study of the evolution and extinction. This can help us to understand in a better way the formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as we find them in the modem world. Its ice-folds hold over half-million-year-old carbon records that are so crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and future, thus trapping the world’s geological history in Antarctica.

Poem 2- The Laburnum Top

Poem 2- The Laburnum Top

 

Find out

1. What laburnum is called in your language?

Ans: In the Hindi language, the laburnum tree is called ‘Amaltaas’.

 

2. Which local bird is like the goldfinch?

Ans: Indian Lutino Ringneck is like the goldfinch.

 

Think it out

1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?

Ans: At the beginning and the ending of the poem, the laburnum tree was standing still and silent just like death-like.

 

2. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?

Ans: The goldfinch’s movement is compared to that of the lizard because she was abrupt, sleek and alert. The same movements were observed when she arrived at the tree and moved to the thickness side of the branch to feed her young ones.

 

3. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?

Ans: As the engine is the source to run the machine. The bird is compared to the engine as she is the feeder of her family. As a machine cannot work without an engine, her family can’t last without her.

 

4. What do you like most about the poem?

Ans: I liked the comparison of the state of the tree before and after the goldfinch bird arrives and it makes the death-like tree alive.

 

5. What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?

Ans: The phrase “her barred face identity mask” means that the bird’s face became her identity and symbol of recognition.

Note down
1. the sound words
2. the movement words
3. the dominant colour in the poem.

Ans:

1.     Twitching, chirrup, chitterings, trillings, whispering

2.     Comes, enters, starts up, flirts out, launches away, tremble, subside

3.     Yellow

 

List the following

1. Words which describe ‘sleek’, ‘alert’ and ‘abrupt’.

2. Words with the sound ‘ch’ as in ‘chart’ and ‘tr’ as in ‘trembles’ in
the poem.

3. Other sounds that occur frequently in the poem.

Ans:

1.     Lizard, machine, and suddenness

2.     Goldfinch, branch, chitterings, chirrup, trillings, twitching, tremors

3.     ‘ing’ sound in words like twitching, chitterings, wings, trillings, whisperings

 

Ch 4- Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues

 

Ch 4- Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues

Understanding the Text

Question 1:
Give reasons for the following:
(i) King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
Answer:
The mummy of King Tutankhamun has earned world wide fame for the riches it was buried with. There is also speculation about the manner of his death and his age at the time of death. Hence King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.

(ii) Howard Carter’s investigation was resented.
Answer:
Howard Carter’s investigation was resented because he used unscientific methods and illegitimate ways. He was focusing more on treasure and less on cultural and historical aspects.

(iii) Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king’s remains.
Answer:
Carter found that the ritual resins had hardened. The result was that Tut’s body had
been cemented to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. Proper force could not move the resins. Even the scorching sun failed to loosen the resins. So he got the resins chilselled away to raise the king’s remains.

(iv) Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures.
Answer:
The people of ancient Egypt believed in resurrection of the dead. Their kings were extremely rich. So Tut’s body was buried with gilded treasures. Their eternal brilliance was meant to guarantee resurrection. Things of everyday use were also buried with the king.

(v) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun.
Answer:
Tutankhamun means “living image of Amun”. He was a major god in ancient Egypt. King Amenhotep IV who changed his name to Akhonaten smashed the images of Amun and got his temples closed. Tut oversaw a restoration of the old ways. He changed his name to express his belief in Amun.

Question 2:
(i) List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as ‘wacky’.
Answer:
Akhenaten means the servant of the Aten i.e. the sun disc. He moved the religious capital from the old city of the Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten, known now as Amarna. He smashed the images of Amun, a major God and closed his temples. These deeds led Ray Jonson to describe Akhenaten as ‘Wacky’.

(ii) What were the results of the CT scan?
Answer:
The results of the C.T. scan were quite encouraging. 1700 digital X-ray images in cross-section were created. A gray head appeared on screen. Neck vertebrae were quite clear. The images of hand, ribcage and skull were equally bright. These revealed that nothing had gone seriously wrong with Tut’s body

(iii) List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis.
Answer:
The advances in technology have helped in improving forensic analysis. Many scientific tests can be carried out to determine the causes of crime. These include X-ray, ultrasound, C.T. scan, post mortem, autopsy and biopsy. All these help in diagnosis and provide exact information.

(iv) Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned— in death as in life”
Answer:
King Tut’s mummy was the first one to be X-rayed by an anatomy Professor in 1968. On 5 January 2005 CT scan created virtual reality and produced life-like images. King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned. Thus in death as well as in life Tut moved regally ahead of his countrymen.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
Why is 5th January 2005 significant in Tutankhamun’s saga?
Answer:
On this date for the first time Tutankhamun was removed from his tomb and taken to a C.T. scanner brought there to probe the lingering mysteries surrounding this young ruler.

Question 2:
How was the atmosphere when Tut’s body was taken for C.T. scan?
Answer:
Violent wind raised ghost like shapes of dust. Bulging clouds moved quickly across the desert sky and hid the stars in the grey sky.

Question 3:
How did the visitors to Tut’s grave pay their respects to him?
Answer:
They gazed at the murals on the walls and peered at Tut’s gilded face on his mummy shaped outer coffin lid. Some visitors read from guide book in whisper. Others stood silently.

Question 4:
What according to A.R. Williams were the thoughts of the visitors who stood silently near Tut’s grave?
Answer:
Perhaps some of them were thinking deeply over Tut’s untimely death in his teens. Others might be trembling with fear and wondering if the Pharaoh’s curse was really true.

Question 5:
What was the Pharaoh’s curse? Who refers to it and in what context?
Answer:
The pharaoh’s curse was that death or misfortune would fall upon those who disturbed him. The silent visitors are the first to refer to it. Later on a guard joked nervously when the million dollar scanner stopped functioning because of sand in a cooler fan.

Question 6:
“The mummy is in very bad condition because of what Carter did in the 1920s.” Who was Carter? What did he do to the mummy?
Answer:
Howard Carter was a British archaeologist. He discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922 after many years of futile searching. Carter’s men removed the mummy’s head and cut off almost every major joint to remove the golden adornments.

Question 7:
What problem did Carter face when he reached the mummy ? How did he find a way out?
Answer:
Carter found that the ritual resins had become quite hard. These had fixed Tut to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. The heat of the sun could not melt it. So the solid resins had to be chiselled away to free the King’s remains from the box.

Question 8:
How did Carter defend his action of cutting the mummy free?
Answer:
Carter said that if he hadn’t cut the mummy free, thieves would certainly have found a way of avoiding the guards. Then they would have tom apart everything forcibly to remove the gold.

Question 9:
List some of the adornments and golden objects on Tut’s body.
Answer:
Precious collars, inlaid necklaces and bracelets, rings, amulets, a ceremonial apron, sandals, sheaths for fingers and toes and the inner coffin and mask. All of them were made of pure gold. His coffin was of solid gold.

Question 10:
Why do you think the royals carried so much gold to grave?
Answer:
There were two reasons: first, the royals were extremely wealthy. Secondly, they thought or hoped that they could take their riches with them to the great beyond.

Question 11:
What is so special about the contents of Tut’s tomb?
Answer:
Stunning artifacts in gold found in Tut’s tomb remain the richest royal collection ever found. These caused a sensation at the time of the discovery. Even now they get the most attention.

Question 12:
Which evidence proves the burial of Tut in March or April?
Answer:
Tilt’s shroud was found adorned with faded garlands of willow and olive leaves, wild celery, lotus petals and cornflowers. Since some of them are available only at the end of winter season, Tut must have been buried in March or April.

Question 13:
How did Carter’s men treat Tut’s body while removing gold?
Answer:
They removed the mummy’s head and cut off every joint to remove the golden adornments. Then they reassembled the remains on a layer of sand in a wooden box and filled it with soft material to hide the damage caused by chiselling.

Question 14:
What startling fact came to light in 1968 through X-ray?
Answer:
In 1968, an anatomy Professor X-rayed the mummy. He revealed a startling fact. Tut’s breast-bone and front ribs were missing beneath the resin that covers his chest with a thick layer.

Question 15:
How can CT scan prove more effective than the X-ray?
Answer:
In CT scan, hundreds of X-rays in cross section are put together like slices of bread to create a three-dimensional virtual body. X-ray provides only a two-dimensional image.

Question 16:
Which two questions still linger about Tut?
Answer:
Two questions still remain unanswered. The first is: “How did Tut die?’ The second one is, “How old was he at the time of death?”

Question 17:
How has Archaeology undergone change in the twentieth century?
Answer:
The change is in two ways: approach and techniques. Now Archaeology focuses less. on treasure and more on the fascinating details of life and interesting mysteries of death. Secondly, it uses more sophisticated tools including medical technology.

Question 18:
How was Tut’s body carried to the C.T Scanner?
Answer:
Workmen carried Tut from the tomb in his wooden box. They climbed a ramp and a flight of stairs in the sand outside. Then they rose on a hydraulic lift and went into the trailer that held the scanner.

Question 19:
What snag did the million dollar scanner develop? How was it set right?
Answer:
The million dollar scanner had stopped functioning because of sand in a cooler fan. Two men ran to an office nearby and brought a pair of white plastic fans. These substitute fans worked well enough for the scanner to work.

Question 21:
How was the atmosphere when the CT scan of Tut was over?
Answer:
It was nearly midnight. The wind that blew in the evening had now stopped. The dust storm and clouds had. cleared off. The winter air lay cold and still. Just above the entrance to Tut’s tomb stood Orion—the soul of Osiris, the god of afterlife.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:
How has Tut’s mummy fascinated the scientists and commoners alike over the previous decades?
Or
Give a brief account of the exploration of Tut’s mummy from 1922 to 2005.
Answer:
King Tutankhamun was the last of his family line. His funeral marked the end of a dynasty. He was laid to rest laden with gold as the royals in Tut’s time were extremely wealthy and thought they could take their riches with them. His tomb was discovered by Howard Carter, a British archaeologist in 1922, more than 3000 years after his death. The rich royal collection’ of jewellery and golden artifacts fascinated Carter. Visitors thronged the boy King’s tomb. The particulars of King Tut’s death and its aftermath are not clear. In 1968, more than 40 years after Carter’s discovery, an anatomy Professor X-rayed the mummy. He revealed a startling fact. The breastbone and front ribs of Tut were missing. On 5 January 2005 a CT scan was done to obtain precise data for an accurate forensic reconstruction of King Tut. It was hoped that it would offer new clues about his life and death. Thus Tut’s mummy has been the centre of fascination throughout the previous decades.

Question 2:
“He was the last of his family line.” What do you learn about Tut’s dynasty from the extract ‘Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues’?
Answer:
Tut’s grandfather, Amenhotep III, was a powerful Pharaoh who ruled for almost four decades at the height of the dynasty’s golden age. His son Amenhotep IV promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disc. He changed his name to Akhenaten, or “Servent of the Aten”. He moved the religious capital from the old city Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten. He further shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major God, breaking his images and closing his temples. Thus the wacky king started one of the strangest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. After Akhenaten’s death, a mysterious ruler named Smenkhkare appeared briefly and departed without leaving any sign. Then a very young Tutankhaten took the throne. He is widely known today as king Tut. The boy king soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, “Living image of Amun.” He supervised the restoration of the old ways. Tutankhamun ruled for about nine years and then died unexpectedly. The details of his passing away are not available. The modem world has speculated about what happened to him. How did he die and how old was he at the time of his death?” are two unanswered questions.

Question 3:
Why did Tut’s body have to undergo a C.T. scan? How was it carried out and what results did it yield?
Answer:
A veil of mystery surrounded Tut’s life and death. Old methods of archaeology did not provide satisfactory clues to the circumstances of his death and his age at the time of demise. An X-ray of the mummy in 1968 further complicated the confusion. CT scan was undertaken to create a three dimensional virtual body.
A scanner was taken in a trailer to the sandy area near Tut’s tomb. Tut’s body was carried there from his tomb in a box. The CT machine scanned the mummy head to toe, creating 1700 digital X-ray images in cross section. Tut’s entire body was scanned in 0.62 millimetre slices.
The C.T. scan produced clear images of Tut’s head, neck vertebrae, ribcage, hand and skull. The results proved satisfactory. A team of specialists in radiology, forensics and anatomy are busy probing the secrets lying buried in Tut’s grave with his body.

Ch 2- The Address

Ch 2-The Address

A. Reading With Insight

Question 1:

‘Have you come back?’ said the woman, ‘I thought that no one had come back.’ Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it?

Answer:

Yes, this statement gives some clue about the story. During the early part of the war Mrs Dorling had shifted the important belongings of her acquaintance Mrs S. from her house to 46, Marconi Street. These included table silver wares, antique plates and other nice things such as the iron anukkah candle-holder, woollen table cloth and green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons. Since Mrs S. had died during the war, Mrs Dorling did not expect anyone to come back and claim her costly belongings as she thought no one else knew her address.

The statement indicates the greedy and possessive nature of Mrs Dorling. She did not open the door to the daughter of her former acquaintance nor did she show any signs of recognition. She did not let the girl in. She refused to see her then saying it was not convenient for her to do. The narrator had gone to this address with a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings.

Even when she told Mrs Dorling that only she had come back, the woman with a broad back did not soften a bit. Thus the clash of interests is hinted at by the aforesaid statement.

Question 2:

Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?

Answer:

The narrator remembered the address her mother had told her only once. It was number 46, Marconi Street. Her mother’s acquaintance Mrs Dorling lived there. She had stored the valuable belongings of the narrator’s mother there. After her mother’s death, the narrator had an urge to visit the place. She wanted to see those things, touch them and remember. She went to the given address twice. She was successful in her second attempt to enter the living room. .

She found herself in the midst of things she wanted to see again. She felt oppressed in the strange atmosphere. Everything was arranged in a tasteless way. The ugly furniture and the muggy smell that hung there seemed quite unpleasant. These objects evoked the memory of the familiar life of former time. But they had lost their value since they had been separated from her mother and stored in strange surroundings. She no longer wanted to see, touch or remember these belongings. She resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the past behind and decided to move on.

A. Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1:

How did Mrs Dorling react when the narrator said, m Mrs S’s daughter”?

Answer:

Mrs Dorling held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it opening any

further. Her face showed no sign of recognition. She kept staring at the narrator without uttering a word.

Question 2:

What two reasons did the narrator give to explain that she was mistaken?

Answer:

She thought that perhaps the woman was not Mrs Dorling. She had seen her only once, for a brief interval and that too years ago. Secondly, it was probable that she had rung the wrong bell.

Question 3:

How did the narrator conclude that she was right?

Answer: The woman was wearing the green knitted cardigan of the narrator’s mother. The wooden buttons were rather pale from washing. She saw that the narrator was looking at the cardigan. She half hid herself again behind the door. Her reaction convinced the narrator that she was right.

Question 4:

What was the outcome of the interview between Mrs Dorling and the narrator?

Answer:

The interview was a flop as far as the narrator was concerned. Mrs Dorling refused

to see her and talk to her in spite of the narrator’s repeated requests.

Question 5:

Who had given the narrator the address, when and under what circumstances?

Answer:

The narrator’s mother had given her the address, years ago during the first half of

the war. The narrator came home for a few days and missed various things in the rooms. Then her mother told her about Mrs Dorling and gave her the address.

Question 6:

What did the narrator learn about Mrs Dorling from her mother?

Answer:

Mrs Dorling was an old acquaintance of the narrator’s mother. The latter had not seen her for several years. Then she suddenly turned up and renewed their contact.

Every time she left that place she took something with her—table silver, antique plates, etc. –

Question 7:

What reason did Mrs Dorling give for taking away the precious belongings of the narrator’s mother?

Answer:

Mrs Dorling suggested to the narrator’s mother that she should store her belongings at a safer place. She wanted to save all her nice things. She explained that they would lose everything if they had to leave the place.

B. Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1:

How did the narrator come to know about Mrs Dorling and the address where she lived?

Answer:

Years ago, during the first half of the war, the narrator went home for a few days to see her mother. After staying there a couple of days she noticed that something or other about the rooms had changed. She missed various things. Then her mother told her about Mrs Dorling. She was an old acquaintance of her mother. She had suddenly turned up after many years. Now she came regularly and took something home with her everytime she came. She suggested that she could save her precious belongings by storing them at her place. Mother told her address, Number 46, Marconi Street. The narrator asked her mother if she had agreed with her that she should keep everything. Her mother did not like that. She thought it would be an insult to do so. She was worried about the risk Mrs Dorling faced carrying a full suitcase or bag.

Question 2:

Give a brief account of the narrator’s first visit to 46, Marconi Street. What impression do you form of Mrs Dorling from it?

Answer:

In the post-war period, when things returned to normal, the narrator became curious about her mother’s possessions that were stored at Mrs Dorling’s house. Since she wanted to see them, she took the train and went to 46, Marconi Street. Mrs Dorling opened the door a chink. The narrator came closer, stood on the step and asked her if she still knew her. Mrs Dorling told her that she didn’t know her. The narrator told her that she was the daughter of Mrs S. Mrs Dorling kept staring at her in silence and gave on sign of recognition. She held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it opening any further. The narrator recognised the green knitted cardigan of her mother that Mrs Dorling was wearing. Mrs Dorling noticed it and half hid herself behind the door. The narrator again asked if she knew her mother. Mrs Dorling asked with surprise if she had come back. She declined to see the narrator or help her.

Question 3:

In what respect was the second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street different from the first one? Did she really succeed in her mission? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer:

The second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street, was different from the first one in one respect. Dining the first visit, the narrator could not get admittance in the house, whereas during the second one, she was led to the living room, where she could see and touch some of the things she had wanted so eagerly to see. She had visited this place with a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings. The touch and sight of familiar things aroused memory of her former life. These objects had now lost their real value for her since they were severed from their own lives and stored in strange circumstances. Thus her mission to see, touch and remember her mother’s belongings was partly successful. She resolved to forget these objects, and their past and move on. This is clear from her decision to forget the address.