CBSE Class 12 English Journey to the end of the Earth MCQs

Short Answer Questions:

Question. How is present day Antarctica different from Gondwana?
Answer: Gondwana was a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent. The climate was much warmer, hosting a huge variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for about 500 million years. Subsequently, when dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of mammals happened, the landmass separated into countries, shaping the globe as we know it today.

Question. Why is Antarctica a crucial element in all debates on climate change?
Answer: Antarctica is the only place in the world that has never sustained a human population and is therefore, relatively 'pristine'. More importantly, it holds in its ice cores half million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice.

Question. Why does one lose all earthly perspective in Antarctica?
Answer: The author compares it to walking into a giant ping-pong ball, devoid of any human markers. There are no trees, billboards, or buildings. The visual ranges from the microscopic to the mighty, from midges and mites to blue whales and icebergs.

Question. Describe the brightness and silence that prevail in Antarctica during summer.
Answer: Days go on and on in surreal twenty-four-hour austral summer light, and a ubiquitous silence prevails, interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice-sheet.

Question. What was Akademic Shokalskiy? Where was it headed and why?
Answer: Akademic Shokalskiy was a Russian research vessel which was heading towards Antarctica, the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world to become a part of Geoff Green's 'Students on Ice' programme.

Question. Describe the author's emotions when she first set foot on Antarctica.
Answer: Tishani Doshi's initial reaction was relief as she had travelled for over hundred hours. This was followed by wonder at Antarctica's white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon, its immensity, isolation and at how there could have been a time when India and Antarctica could have been a part of the same landmass.

Question. What was the objective of the 'Students on Ice' programme?
Answer: The 'Students on Ice' programme aims to take high school students to the ends of the world.
It provides them with inspiring educational opportunities which fosters in them a new understanding and respect for our planet. It offers the future generation of policy makers a lifechanging experience at an age when they are ready to absorb, learn and act.

Question. Why does the author say that to visit Antarctica is to be a part of history?
Answer: It is only when you visit Antarctica that you realise all that can happen in a million years.
where we have come from and where we could possibly be heading. We understand the significance of Cordilleran folds, pre-Cambrian granite shields, ozone and carbon, evolution and extinction.

Question. Why does Tishani Doshi describe her two weeks' stay in Antarctica 'a chilling prospect'?
Answer: Accustomed to the warm climate of South India, being in a place where ninety per cent of the earth's total ice is stored was a chilling prospect-literally and metaphorically. It affected her metabolic and circulatory systems as well as her imagination.

Question. Explain: 'And for humans, the prognosis isn't good'.
Answer: The human civilisation has been around for a mere 12,000 years-barely a few seconds on the biological clock. Yet we have managed to etch our dominance over nature with concretisation, battling for limited resources, and unmitigated burning of fossil fuel. This has created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world, which is increasing average global temperature.

Question. How is the study of Antarctica useful to us?
Answer:
♦ Antarctica – only place in the world remaining pristine (never sustained human population)
♦ holds in its ice-cores half million year-old carbon records
♦ only place to study Earth’s past, present and future
♦ gives an insight into how the earth forms and continents as they are today came into being
♦ tells us about repercussions of environmental changes through the parable of phytoplankton
♦ enables us to study problems of global warming (glacier retreating, ice-shelves collapsing) ,concept of evolution and extinction ,significance of Cordilleran folds and granite shields, ozone and carbon.

Question. How does the geological phenomenon help us to know about the history of mankind?
Answer: Geological phenomena give one an insight into why and how the present landforms came into being. About six hundred and fifty million years ago, there existed a giant southern supercontinent Gondwana. It thrived for 500 million years and finally it broke into separate countries as they exist today. By visiting Antarctica we can know from where we have come from and where we are heading .It also helps us understand the importance of Cordilleran folds and pre-Cambrian Granite shields, ozone and carbon and also about the evolution and extinction. Its ice cores hold more than half –million-year old carbon records which are useful for the study of past.

Question. What are the indications for the future of mankind?
Answer: Future of mankind appears dismal.
♦ Increase in population has led to a “population boom.” I t has greatly depleted the resources of nature, destroyed forests, caused extinction of certain species of wildlife.
♦ Excessive burning of fossil fuels has created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the earth.
♦ Antarctic environment has been affected by global warming- this is clear from receding glaciers and collapsing ice shelves.
♦ These grave indications do not auger well for the future of mankind.

Question. ‘Take care of small things and big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?
Answer: Antarctica has a simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity .It is the best place to study how little changes in the environment can have big consequences. The author gives the example of microscopic plants called phytoplankton which nourish and sustain the entire southern ocean‘s food chain. The phytoplankton uses the energy to absorb carbon and also synthesizes various organic compounds through photosynthesis. Scientists have forewarned that if Ozone layer depletes any further it will have a direct impact on the activities of the phytoplankton .This will lead to a chain reaction adversely affecting the lives of marine animals and birds of the region which will further result in the disturbance of global carbon cycle . So, humans should pay special attention to tiny forms of animal and plant life. The depletion of ozone layer can be prevented by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. If we take care of small things big things will automatically fall into place.

Question. What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the ‘Students on Ice’ expedition?
Answer: A visit to Antarctica makes it quite clear and there one can see the ice shelves melting. ‘Students on Ice’ is a programme headed by Canadian Geoff Green. He aims at organizing this programme by taking high school students to the ends of the world. He thinks it most essential to provide the students with inspiring educational opportunities to know more about Antarctica. Through this programme they will generate a new understanding and respect for our planet. Earlier Geoff Green had organized programme with celebrities and rich people who could give him back only in a limited way. With Students on Ice, Geoff Green offers the future generations of policy –makers a life changing experience at an age when they are ready to absorb learn and most importantly, act. They can see through their own eyes glaciers retreating and ice- shelves collapsing. They can realize the catastrophic effect of climatic changes and the global warming. Antarctica provides the young students a perfect place to study the varied changes occurring in the environment. These little changes can have significant consequences. Thus the programme provides a lively study of changes occurring at Antarctica.

Long Answer Type Questions:

Question. How is man blamed for despoiling the earth and climate changes? How can you see the effect of these changes in Antarctica?
Answer: Human civilisation is new. However, during the short period man has lived, he has created confusion and disturbances. He gained dominance over nature by building cities, towns and villages. Since human population is ever increasing, the need of natural resources also increases.
Man has been conflicting with other species to grab these exhaustible resources. He has burnt fossil fuels. This has led to a blanket of carbon dioxide around the earth. It has raised the average global temperature. The rise in temperature has led to climatic changes. We cannot fully appreciate the effect of these changes. If you go to the Antarctica, it has not been spoiled by man.
Its ecosystem is simple. Any change easily affects it, and is easily visible. That is why, the narrator involved students on ice expedition to save future generations.

Question. The author states that her Antarctic experience was full of epiphanies, but the best occurred just short of the Antarctic Circle of 65-55 degrees south? Explain.
Answer: Epiphanies is a Christian festival that celebrates the revelation or enlightenment. Here epiphanies are used metaphorically to suggest moments when the author suddenly becomes conscious of something that is very important to her.The author experienced the rare of the rarest experiences there in Antarctica both in relation to beauty, wonder, and geological phenomena.
Such masterly geological epiphany was experienced by her when the 'Akademik Shokalskiy‘ got wedged into a thick white stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island. The captain decided to turn around and asked the passengers to walk on the ocean. They kitted out in Gore- Tex and glares, walking on a white sheet of ice. Underneath their feet was a metre-thick ice pack.
And underneath that, 180 metres of living breathing, saltwater lay before them. In the periphery, crabeater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes. They were doing so like stray clogs will do under the shade of a banyan tree. It was nothing short of revelation. The author saw in it that everything does indeed connect. This really proved to be the most wonderful experience of all experiences of Antarctica.

Question. By whom and with what objective was Students on Ice programme started? How far has it achieved its goals?
Answer: The Students on Ice programme was started by Canadian Geoff Green. He felt students are the future generation of policy-makers. They should be provided an opportunity to have this lifechanging experience at a young age in order to foster a new understanding and respect for our planet. It would help them to absorb, learn and, more importantly, act for the benefit of the planet. Geoff Green was tired of taking celebrities and retired rich curiosity seekers who could only give back in a limited way. It means Geoff wanted something in return from his passengers to solve the problems relating to climate changes due to environmental pollution. It is difficult to imagine or be affected by the polar ice caps melting while sitting in our living rooms and so this visible life changing expense is important. Hence, this programme made the children learn that to save big things, small things must be cared for.

Question. What is the significance of the title, Journey to the End of the Earth'?
Answer: Tishani Doshi calls it a 'Journey to the end of this Earth' because her journey was an educational one to Antarctica. She travelled aboard the 'Academic Shokaskiy', a Russian research vessel, along with a group of high school students, to learn more about the real impact of Global Warming and the future of planet Earth. They went to the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world. Also, for the author, her journey started from Madras 13.09 degrees north of the Equator. She crossed nine time zones, six check points, three bodies of water and as many ecospheres. After travelling for almost one hundred hours, in a car, aeroplane and a ship, she actually set foot on the Antarctic continent, which is in the extreme southern part of the earth, almost at its end. The warning signals that Antarctica gives are shocking and make the author realise that "the end of the earth" may become a metaphorical reality before long, unless humans take timely action.

Question. Describe the impact of Antarctica on the author.
Answer: Tahani Doshi describes her Antarctica experience as "nothing short of a revelation". It was a mind-boggling experience to travel to reach the coldest, windiest, and driest part of the world.
She was filled with wonder at its vastness, seclusion and geological history. Its isolation and immensity made it difficult to understand that there may have been a time when India and Antarctica were a part of the same landmass. Spending two weeks where day and night merge in an austral summer light, where the only sounds are that of avalanche or calving ice-sheets was a transcending experience. It gave her as invaluable realisation: if we take care of small things, the big things will automatically fall into place, that everything is interconnected. Her experience of a walk on the ocean over a metre thick ice, with 180 metres of sea underneath, was an eyeopening one. She came away, marvelling at the beauty of balance in nature, and a realisation of the pressing need to preserve it.