Prasanna

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 6 On the face of It. Students can get Class 12 English On the face of It NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

On the face of It NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 6

On the face of It NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

On the face of It Reading with insight

Question 1.
What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself?
Answer:
Derry met Mr Lamb by chance. As he walked into Mr Lamb’s garden, his apprehensions were put to rest by the sensitive counselling he received. Derry, as a young boy with a burnt face, was subjected to alienation and pity.People felt that his face was “a terrible thing” and shunned him. Mr Lamb taught him how beauty was relative and individuality of each creation was to be treasured. He taught Derry to view things differently and taught him to embrace his flaw. He told Derry’ of a man who was afraid of everything and who shut himself up in a room, till a picture fell off the wall onto his head and killed him.

He told him not to hide behind his deformity. He gave Derry the conviction to achieve what he wanted out of life. Derry learnt to let go of his hatred that was eating him up from inside. When Derry defended Mr Lamb to his mother, he seemed to be overwhelmed and inspired by Mr Lamb’s ideas. He found in Mr Lamb someone who looked beyond his deformity and did not pity or fear him. Mr Lamb attracted Derry because he taught him the valuable lesson of not indulging in self-pity and of looking at the brighter side of things. He taught Derry, by his own example, to be unafraid and to face the world.

Question 2.
In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
Answer:
Mr Lamb comes across as a lonely, but cheerful figure who wards off his loneliness by finding diversion in nature around him. He appears to be caught up in his own world—his garden. His leg was blown off years back and the kids called him “Lamey-Lamb” but he had learnt not to let that bother him. He lived alone in his house and spent his time watching, listening, and thinking. When Mr Lamb told Derry that he had lot of friends, Derry suspected him of lying and declared that he would probably die alone, unattended. Mr Lamb found solace in his bees and crab apples. When Derry talked of going back home, he wistfully remarked, “Once you get home, you’d never let yourself come back.”

He made an effort to befriend people, leaving the door open, and the window curtain-less. Mr Lamb tried to overcome his loneliness and did not seem overwhelmed by the same. He sat in the garden and listened to his bees singing and sat in the sun and read books. Unlike Derry, he complained little about being isolated, he found company in nature around him, content to marvel at their beauty, and the occasional visitors.

Question 3.
The actual pain or the inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with a disability. What is the kind of behaviour that the person expects from others?
Answer:
The right word for ‘physical impairment’ is ‘differently-abled’—a word framed to view people in a more sensitive manner. But, it is cruel that over 90 million physically-challenged children worldwide, of whom 36 million are in India,are being systemically excluded from mainstream education. Many of them are stereotyped frequently and also face alienation even within their own families.

They deserve to be understood and accepted as productive and effective citizens. Issues of physical accessibility are just the tip of the iceberg. Instead of questioning the need for civil rights for people with disabilities, we must question a society in which these rights are not the norm. The most important thing we can do is value the voice of the people with disabilities. History is fraught with well-meaning individuals who truly desired to assist people with disabilities, but in their haste to help, they neglected to empower these people to be their own advocates. We must allow people with disabilities to become the subjects rather than the objects of their own history.

Each of us must continually question our own presumptions and attitudes. We must be willing to give people with disabilities their rightful place at the conversation table and be willing to listen to their truth. Ostracising or offering them pity pushes them back to darkness. We should strive to bring them to light.

Question 4.
Will Derry get back to his seclusion or will Mr Lamb’s brief association effect a change in the kind of life he will lead in future?
Answer:
When Derry met Mr Lamb, he suffered from a deep-rooted complex and felt he had “the ugliest face”. Subjected to insensitive remarks and alienated from the natural course of life, he came to view himself as a hideous monster to be kept away from human company. Mr Lamb, in his sensitive dealings, almost healed Derry. He liberated him from his misery.

Mr Lamb exposed him to a new world where one’s physical attributes did not matter. He respected each creation’s individuality. He taught Derry beauty was relative, and inspired him to achieve what he wished for, in spite of his disability. The brief meeting left an indelible imprint on Derry’s young mind. For the first time Derry felt comfortable with himself.

He told his mother that he did not care what he looked like. He had learnt to accept himself. Though Derry returned to find Mr Lamb dead, he was unlikely to retreat into his cocoon of isolation. This encounter between them seemed to have a purpose of passing on Mr Lamb’s wisdom and sensitivity to Derry’s young understanding. He would most certainly carry on with Mr Lamb’s advice and inspiration.

On the face of It Extra Questions and Answers

On the face of It Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What is the setting of the play?
Answer:
The setting of the play is Mr Lamb’s garden where there is the occasional sound of birdsong and of tree leaves rustling. Derry had jumped over the wall and walked slowly and tentatively through the long grass. He came round to a screen of bushes, where he encountered Mr Lamb, the owner of the house.

Question 2.
“I’m not afraid. People are afraid of me.” Why did Derry say this?
Answer:
Derry was made to feel isolated as people shunned him and kept away from him. He felt that since he had a scarred face, “a terrible thing”, people feared him. He admitted to being afraid and repulsed of his own self when he looked at himself in the mirror.

Question 3.
What did Derry feel about his face? Why?
Answer:
Derry told Lamb that his face had been burnt by acid. The acid ate his face and consequently ate away at his life. He felt “it won’t ever be any different”. He felt so because he has been shabbily treated by people around him. Even his family viewed him differently, with pity.

Question 4.
How did Mr Lamb react to Derry viewing himself differently?
Answer:
Mr Lamb explained to him that external appearance was inconsequential. He taught him to disregard accepted notions of beauty. A weed was considered redundant by everyone, but to Mr Lamb, weeds were a thing of beauty. He drew on the example to make Derry understand that beauty had alternate meanings.

Question 5.
How had Mr Lamb lost his leg? What was people’s reaction to it?
Answer:
One of Mr Lamb’s legs had been blown off, years back, when he was at war. People called him “Lamey- Lamb”. He admitted that it did not bother him anymore.

Question 6.
Why did Derry feel he was unlike the beast in the story ‘Beauty and the Beast’?
Answer:
Derry admitted that he had often been consoled by people who cited the example of the Beast, who was loved by Beauty in spite of his physical appearance. However, Derry received little consolation from the example of the Beast who was changed to a handsome prince following Beauty’s kiss. Derry regretted that he would have to live with his damaged face forever.

Question 7.
Narrate the example of the man who was afraid of everything, as narrated by Mr Lamb.
Answer:
Mr Lamb said there was a man—afraid of everything. He locked himself up in a room and never left it. He was afraid that a bus might run him over, or a man might breathe deadly germs onto him, or a donkey might kick him to death, or lightning might strike him down, or he might love a girl and the girl might leave him, or he might slip on a banana skin and fall. He locked himself up in his room and stayed there, till a picture fell off the wall on his head and killed him.

Question 8.
What was Lamb’s advice to Derry about “hating people”?
Answer:
When Derry said that he hated some people, Mr Lamb told him hating people did more harm than any bottle of acid. Whereas, acid only burnt his face, hating could bum him from inside.

Question 9.
What was Derry’s mother’s reaction to his meeting with Lamb?
Answer:
Derry’s mother was apprehensive of Mr Lamb, influenced as she was by what people thought of him. She had been warned by people to keep away from Mr Lamb. She stopped Derry from going back to Mr Lamb’s. But Derry was determined. He wanted to go back there and listen to things that mattered, things nobody else had ever said to him.

On the face of It Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
“Acid.. .ate my face up. It ate me up.” Describe the miseries suffered by Derry after the unfortunate incident he refers to.
Answer:
Derry’s face was badly scarred as he got burned with acid. He was deeply wounded by people’s behaviour.
He felt that though people pretended to be sympathetic, they were afraid of him because he had the ugliest face. Derry recalled how a woman had said that his face was “a terrible thing” and was “a face only a mother could love”. He had heard lots of things that were as hurtful. Moreover, he did not like people staring at him or being afraid of him. He remembered how only his mother had once kissed him, and that too, on the other side of his face. He felt that she too did it out of pity.

He had heard his parents wonder about what would happen to him when they died as it would be difficult for him to get on in the world with a face like his. He had heard a person say that people were better off with others like themselves, for example, blind people only ought to be with other blind people and idiot boys with idiot boys. Derry, too, preferred such a situation because people would then not stare at him. The attitude of people towards Derry reflects the callousness of the society towards the physically impaired.

Question 2.
Mr Lamb also displays signs of loneliness and disappointments. What are these? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
Answer:
Mr Lamb was called “Lamey-Lamb” as his leg was blown off years back in a bomb attack and he had a tin leg. He was very lonely and longed for company as he lived alone in his house. He welcomed Derry into his garden and tried to put his fears to rest. When Derry noticed that there were no curtains at the windows and inquired about it, Mr Lamb told him that it was so because he neither liked shutting things out, nor shutting them in, implying his openness of mind. He liked the light and the darkness, and also wanted to hear the wind.

These views were a manifestation of Mr Lamb’s desires. He wanted hundreds of friends to visit his house. This was also evident from the fact that he always left the gate open. He visualized people coming in and sitting in front of the fire in winter and kids coming for the apples and pears and for toffee that he made with honey. Mr Lamb felt that people “are never just nothing”. Like the open windows, Mr Lamb was always “waiting, watching and listening”.

Question 3.
How were Derry’s and Mr Lamb’s views different?
Answer:
Both Derry and Mr Lamb had a physical handicap. Derry had a face that was half burnt with acid while Mr Lamb’s leg had been blown off and had been replaced with a tin leg. That was where the similarity ended. Derry’s burnt face had scarred his soul. He was withdrawn and felt that people were afraid of him because he had the ugliest face. He felt that people pretended to be sympathetic when actually they were repulsed. They either ignored him or gave him curious looks, glances and questions. He feels awkward and abnormal.

He did not even like his mother to kiss him because she kissed the other side of his face and he felt she did so as she had to. This sense of isolation is heightened by the overprotective attitude of his mother, who tried to keep him isolated to protect him from getting hurt. As a result, he had no true friends. Derry believed that people such as him are better off with others like themselves to avoid being stared at.

On the other hand, Mr Lamb said that beauty was relative and he enjoyed everything God had made—even the weeds in the garden and the bees singing. He respected each creation’s individuality. He said that the world was as one looked at it. He did not care about physical attributes and said they were not important.

He felt that Derry had arms, legs, eyes, ears, tongue and a brain. He could get with his life, like everyone, or even better. He also said that hating people would do him more harm than any bottle of acid. It would burn away his inside. He clarified to Derry that people with the same deformity were also different. It was incorrect to judge people by what they looked like. One had to watch, listen, and think to notice the differences. Though Mr Lamb led a lonely life, he liked to think that the people who entered his garden were his friends. He avoided thinking of his isolation and tried to invite company by keeping the gate to his house open.

Question 4.
A positive attitude helps to tackle all difficulties in life. Elaborate with reference to Mr Lamb in the play “On the Face of It”.
Answer:
People with physical handicaps are aware of the fact that they are physically different from most others and that there are certain things they cannot do. They have poor self-esteem. They feel victimized, and fall into a vicious cycle of morbid sadness and intense anger at the world. They constantly feel that “nobody loves me or cares”. Being stigmatized worsens it.

In the story, we see Derry’s feeling of dejection after being treated with fear and horror. Derry finally leams to face his disability with courage only when Mr Lamb encourages him to have a positive attitude. This positive attitude makes one understanding, friendly towards life and people, provides confidence and ability to face the hardships of life and realize one’s potential. As a result, Derry, who has avoided company and has been afraid to meet people, decides to go to Mr Lamb’s house and meet him. He no longer wants to live in isolation.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 4 The Enemy. Students can get Class 12 English The Enemy NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

The Enemy NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 4

The Enemy NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Enemy Reading with insight

Question 1.
There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.
Answer:
A conflict of interest arises in a situation when someone in a position of trust, such as a doctor, has competing interests. Such competing interests can make it difficult to fulfil his or her duties impartially. A conflict of interest can create a situation of conflict, like in the story when a white American soldier falls into the hands of a Japanese physician, in enemy territory during the Second World War. The Japanese physician, Sadao, disliked the whites, and struggled with issues of loyalty, duty, and racism. As a Japanese national, it was his duty to hand over the escaped prisoner to the police, while as a doctor, it was his duty to save his life.

Sadao risked his safety and saved an enemy. He feared the consequences of harbouring an enemy. Subconsciously, he overcame his dislike for Americans and addressed the soldier as “my friend”. He, then, helped the soldier escape.

The character of Sadao can be aligned to that of a hero for his qualities of bravery, helpfulness, and professional competence. He, like a real hero, stood up for what he believed and cared less for repercussions. One definitely admires him for saving the soldier’s life like a true hero.

Question 2.
Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?
Answer:
When Sadao and Hana saw the prisoner of war, they were confronted with a dilemma, but the doctor in Sadao knew he had to save him. Hana, too, knew that if they left the American there, he would certainly die. She could not put him back in the sea. In the bedroom, Hana covered him with a flowered silk quilt and also washed him when Yumi refused. She also helped Sadao operate on the American. She was afraid lest the servants report them, yet she had the courage to assist her husband in saving the American’s life. When the soldier regained consciousness, he w as terrified, but Hana reassured him.

Hana’s pride and self-respect held her back even when her servants deserted her. The servants felt, that their master’s stay in America had tempered his attitude towards the Americans. Though Hana comes across as patriotic, advising her husband to give up the prisoner, her sympathy and humanity towards the wounded ‘enemy’ raises her beyond petty parochialism.

Question 3.
How would you explain the reluctance of the solider to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and to himself?
Answer:
As the American, Tom, recovered from his wound, he was weak and trusted Sadao to save his life. Though Sadao does not gracefully accept the gratitude the wounded soldier offered him, he was attentive as a doctor and eager for his patient to recover. However, Sadao was also concerned for his safety, and asked Tom to leave at his earliest. Though Sadao was momentarily tempted by the General’s offer to arrange for the prisoner to be secretly assassinated, the doctor showed unrest and finally arranged for the prisoner to escape.

Tom understood that he posed a risk to the doctor’s family and his own self, but he was reluctant to leave. He felt safe at the doctor’s and admitted that he was the finest Japanese he came across. Fear of arrest and death led him to seek shelter with Sadao and his family. In this story, Tom bonds with the Japanese family as fellow humans, who have looked after him, and looked up to them as his saviour. The mutual hatred, that their respective country festered in them, fell away at the time of crisis.

Question 4.
What explains the attitude of the ruthless General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty, or simply self-absorption?
Answer:
The General was a highly self-absorbed man. He had kept the doctor in the country primarily because he needed medical attention. He decided to get rid of the soldier, quietly, to save the doctor from facing the consequences. When Sadao told him about the successful operation of the American, the General was happy because that was a reassurance of Sadao’s professional skill. His self-absorption came to the forefront when he wondered aloud what would happen if Sadao were condemned to death when he required his medical attention. He conspired to get the soldier killed by his private assassins, to ensure his own safety, rather than Sadao’s.

Later, when Sadao informed the General about Tom’s escape, a week after his emergency operation, the General admitted that he had promised to get him killed but during his suffering, he “thought of nothing but myself (himself), and forgot my (his) promise”. He was only concerned about if the matter was publicised and required assurance from the doctor that he would certify for his honesty.

Question 5.
While hatred against the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Answer:
Sadao had grown up believing that the Japanese were a superior race. He also disliked Americans as his own experience in America had not been pleasant. He had faced racial bias. He thought Americans were full of prejudice. Despite this, he couldn’t let the young American soldier bleed to death. While his logic and reasoning revolted against saving his ‘enemy’, his inherent humanity won over. Humanity and compassion often tide over hatred and prejudice.

Sadao was a fine example of how his patriotic and parochial attitude acted as a constant voice of conscience. He, however, was led by the superior feelings of compassion and humanity. As a doctor, he valued his promise to help any fellow human and he failed to compromise on his personal and professional ethics.

Question 6.
Do you think that the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
Answer:
Yes, it was.

• He was duty bound as a doctor to save lives.
• Political enemies are not personal enemies.
• Tom was a young soldier who was merely doing his duty.
• Compassion is a natural instinct.

OR

No, it wasn’t.

• The foremost duty is towards one’s motherland.
• The soldier would have recovered and continued his job of killing Sadao’s people.
• Harbouring an enemy soldier is an offence.
• After doing his duty as a doctor, he could have easily handed over the soldier to the authorities.

Question 7.
Does the story remind you of “Birth” by A J Cronin that you read in the Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
Answer:
“The Enemy” is about an American-trained Japanese surgeon, working in Japan during Second World War, who saves an American POW first by operating on him and then by helping him escape. Sadao realized that the white man in the US navy uniform had a bullet wound. He was in a dilemma for a moment but the doctor in him took over and he treated the bullet wound and saved the soldier.

In “Birth”, A J Cronin deals with medical ethics through the protagonist, Andrew Manson. It brings out that medicine is not merely a business whose goal is to enrich its practitioners materially, the essence of being a doctor is the use of one’s senses, knowledge, and experience to reduce suffering and improve people’s lives. Manson overlooks the disappointment caused to him by his relationship, and seeks tremendous satisfaction in saving a mother and child.

Both the stories underline the medical ethics—a doctor’s responsibility to the patient is of the greatest importance. In light of this, both Sadao and Andrew are true to their profession and their duty as doctors.

The Enemy Extra Questions and Answers

The Enemy Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What were Dr Sadao Hoki’s memories about his house?
Answer:
Dr Sadao Hoki had very pleasant memories about his house that was built on a spot in the Japanese coast. As a little boy he had often played on the beach. The low, square stone house was set upon rocks well above a narrow beach that was outlined with bent pines. As a boy Sadao had climbed the pines, supporting himself on his bare feet, as he had seen men do in the South Seas when they climbed for coconuts.

Question 2.
What was his father’s advice to Dr Sadao?
Answer:
Dr Sadao Hoki’s father had taken him often to the islands of those seas, and told him that the islands were the stepping stones to the future for Japan. The future was limitless and it depended on what one made it.

Question 3.
Why had Dr Sadao not been sent abroad with the troops?
Answer:
Sadao had become famous not only as a surgeon but as a scientist. He was kept back to tend to the old General, lest he needed an operation. Sadao was required to stay back in the capacity of a doctor.

Question 4.
Where had Dr Sadao first met his wife? What had been his initial reaction?
Answer:
Dr Sadao had met Hana, presently his wife, in America, at an American professor’s house. They were invited by the couple as foreign students. Sadao had waited before falling in love, until he was sure she was Japanese. His father would never have received her unless she proved to be a Japanese, pure of race.

Question 5.
How did Dr Sadao discover the American soldier?
Answer:
Standing on the porch of their house, Dr Sadao and his wife saw a man flung up, out of the ocean, by a breaker. He staggered a few steps, his body outlined against the mist. Sadao and Hana saw him on his hands and knees, crawling. Then they saw him fall on his face and lie there. It was only when they rushed to rescue him that they realized that he was an American.

Question 6.
What was Dr Sadao’s first reaction? What was the dilemma?
Answer:
Dr Sadao and his wife, Hana, thought of putting the injured soldier back in the sea; they were scared of being marked as someone who was sheltering an enemy. But they also realized that if they turned him over as a prisoner, he would certainly die. They stared at the stranger with repulsion, but eventually decided to carry him into the house.

Question 7.
How was the servants’ reaction different from that of Sadao?
Answer:
The two servants, employed by Sadao, were frightened. The old gardener, felt that his master should not shelter and treat a white man. Yumi also refused to wash a white man. The servants were defiant and made their displeasure evident. They even threatened to leave till their masters turned away the white man.

Question 8.
What was the American prisoner’s first reaction on regaining consciousness? How did Hana reassure him?
Answer:
When the wounded soldier awoke, he was weak, and his blue eyes were terrified when he perceived where he was. Hana felt compelled to apologize. She begged him not to be afraid. She knelt and fed him gently with the porcelain spoon. He ate unwillingly.

Question 9.
Why had the messenger in official uniform come to Sadao’s place? What was their reaction?
Answer:
The messenger had come to summon Dr Sadao as the old General was in pain. The Hokis were terrified as they wrongly guessed that they were being officially summoned for sheltering an American prisoner.

Question 10.
What was the General’s reaction to Sadao’s saving the enemy?
Answer:
The General was happy, much to Sadao’s surprise, as the General felt that his success at saving the prisoner made him all the more indispensable to himself. He felt the doctor could save anyone as he was extremely skilled. The self-centred General felt safe and reassured in Dr Sadao’s care.

Question 11.
What was the General’s plan to do away with the soldier?
Answer:
The General suggested that it would be best if he could be quietly killed, by someone who did not know him. For this, he planned to send his private assassins to the doctor’s house at night. He wanted the doctor to leave the outer partition of the white man’s room open, to provide an easy access to the soldier.

Question 12.
How did Sadao finally get rid of the prisoner?
Answer:
Sadao put the prisoner on a boat with food and extra clothing. He advised the prisoner to row to a little island not far from the coast. Nobody lived on it. He advised the American to lie low till he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. Tom followed his instructions and Sadao was glad to see that his prisoner was gone within a few days of helping him escape to the island.

The Enemy Long Answer Question

Question 1.
Dr Sadao was a dutiful son who had not disappointed his father. Justify.
Answer:
When Sadao was a little boy, his father showed him the islands not far from the shore and told him that those islands were the “stepping-stones to the future of Japan”. Listening attentively to all that his father said, Sadao realized that his education was the most important thing in the world to his father. At twenty-two, he was sent to America to study surgery and medicine and he returned at thirty not only as a famous surgeon, but as an accomplished scientist. Since he was working on an important medical discovery, he was not sent abroad with the troops. The old General, too, trusted Sadao’s skill more than any other doctor. He had become a sought-after surgeon, thereby fulfilling his father’s wishes.

Question 2.
How did Sadao and Hana come across the American solider? How did they send him off?
Answer:
The American soldier came into the lives of the Japanese couple quite suddenly, one day. Sadao and Hana saw from their house, overlooking the beach, a man crawling out of the ocean, on his hands and knees who fell on his face and lay there. They rushed out to help him thinking it was a fisherman. It was only on coming closer that they saw the man was badly hurt. He had a gunshot wound and his clothes were wet rags. They turned his head and saw he was a white man whose gunshot wound had reopened. Looking at the “US Navy” insignia on his tattered uniform, they realized that he was a prisoner of war.

The “enemy’s” exit from the couple’s lives was equally dramatic. After Sadao confided in the General about the American in his house, the General said that he would send his private assassins to his house to kill the white man. Though Sadao waited for three nights, the assassins did not turn up. Unable to live in such tension, Sadao suggested to the American that he would put him in a boat at night, with food and extra clothes in it, and Tom could row it to the little island not far from the coast. This plan was executed and it was the last that Sadao and his family saw of him.

Question 3.
Describe Sadao and Hana’s chance meeting which turned into a very fruitful relationship.
Answer:
Sadao had met Hana by chance at the American professor’s house while both of them were students in America. Professor Harley and his wife had been kind people who wanted to do entertain their few foreign students. On one such occasion, Sadao had met Hana, a new student, there. They had not married, in haste, while in America. On the contrary, Sadao and Hana had waited for the completion of their studies and their love to mature. After finishing their studies, Sadao and Hana returned to Japan. After his father had seen her, and had realized that she too valued traditional Japanese values, the marriage was arranged in the old Japanese way, although Sadao and Hana had talked everything over before. They were perfectly happy and Sadao thought about how lucky he was that he had met her.

Question 4.
Why did the servants in Sadao’s family not approve of Sadao and Hana’s decisions?
Answer:
When Sadao and Hana got the wounded American home, they were apprehensive about the reaction of the servants. They decided to explain to the servants that they would hand the man to the police as soon as he recovered. The two servants were frightened hearing about the wounded American soldier. They felt that Sadao ought not to treat the wounds of a white man. The old gardener felt that the white man ought to die.

If he was saved; he would take revenge on them. When the American needed to be washed, Hana called Yumi for help she refused to wash a white man and Hana had to do it herself. Sadao operated on the man and saved his life. But the servants disapproved of their actions. They felt that since Hana and Sadao had been in America for a long time, they had forgotten to think of their own country first. They felt that the soldier should have been left to die. On the seventh day after the wounded soldier’s arrival, the servants left.

Question 5.
Why did the servants leave? Were they justified? Give reasons.
Answer:
The servants were frightened when they learnt about the white man’s presence in the house. They felt it was wrong for Sadao to heal the wounds of a white man. They could not understand when Sadao, who had been trained not to let a man die if he could help, agreed that Americans were their enemies, but treated him nevertheless. The old gardener felt that the white man ought to die. If he were saved; he would take revenge on them. Yumi refused to wash a white man. She was sad that Sadao and Hana did not think of their children who would suffer if their father was punished as a traitor. The cook said that it was Sadao’s pride in his skill that made him save the American soldier. As the days passed, the servants were as polite as ever, but their eyes were cold. But, on the seventh day, they left.

The servants were not justified because compassion and love are fundamental to all human beings. It was unethical to let a human die if he could be saved. The enemy should be first treated as a human. Man-made barriers like political enmity need not always translate into a personal one.

OR

Servants’ actions can be justified because harbouring an enemy is an offence or a crime. Unfettered by education, they simply followed the dictates of their society and country. They also feared for their lives, and their instinct of self-preservation made them unwillingly abandon the household.

Question 6.
Do you think the General was a self-centred man? Justify your answer.
Answer:
General was a self-centred man. In spite of a war, Sadao was kept in Japan to tend to the old General, lest he needed an operation. General Takima beat his wife cruelly but no one talked about that after he fought a victorious battle in Manchuria. Hana believed that if a man could be so cruel to a woman in his power, he would be worse to an enemy. When Sadao visited the General, he told him about the white man at his place. The General, instead of reacting furiously, felt reassured that Sadao could save anyone.

He wanted to save the . doctor more than ever as he might require his services. He suggested that he would send two of his private assassins to the doctor’s house at night. They would also take the soldier’s body away. However, no action was taken for three nights after that. On the fourth day, Sadao put Tom on a boat with provisions and told him to row to the island nearby. He later learnt that although the General had promised to send assassins, he had forgotten to send them in his anxiety about his own health.

Question 7.
Discuss Sadao’s feelings for the Americans.
Answer:
The wounded soldier brought back memories of his time in America. Sadao recalled the other white men he had known in America. He thought of the professor at whose house he had met Hana. He remembered his old teacher of anatomy and his fat landlady. He recalled how difficult it had been to find a place to live in America because he was a Japanese. The Americans were full of prejudice. It had been tough to live with such antagonistic feelings. As a Japanese, he had believed that he was superior to Americans.

He had hated the ignorant and dirty old woman who had agreed to rent him a room in her miserable house. She had taken care of him when he was sick. He had tried to be grateful to her but it proved difficult for him. He thought she was disgusting, even though she was kind to him. But then, white people were disgusting to Sadao. Then he remembered the young, tired face of his prisoner. It had been white and disgusting and he wondered why he could not kill him.

Question 8.
What was the dilemma that Sadao faced when he found the injured American soldier? How did he resolve it in “The Enemy”?
Answer:
The two main principles of medical ethics state “A physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount” and “A physician shall support access to medical care for all people”. In light of this, Sadao’s primary duty as a doctor was to help his patient without caring for his identity. He had to struggle between loyalty to his country and his training as a doctor to save a life. He instinctively chose the latter. Though rationality told him to hand over the prisoner to the police, humanitarian feelings and professional ethics made him act otherwise.

Sadao, who had grown up believing that the Japanese were a superior race, had not had a pleasant experience in America because he was a Japanese. The Americans were full of prejudices. He had found it tough to live with such feelings. Also, his socio-cultural values made it even more difficult for him to accept the Americans. But he could not let the young American soldier bleed to death. Neither could he kill him himself. While operating on him, he had called him “my friend” and had for the moment forgotten that he was his enemy. His instinctive sympathy to a suffering being conflicted with his duty as a loyal Japanese.

Question 9.
Discuss the message in Pearl S. Buck’s in “The Enemy”.
Answer:
Human beings have the ability to reason. However, thoughtful consideration is not always used in determining actions which are driven by motivation. What complicates the decision, at times, is how a person may have contradicting motives due to his internal conflicts.
Sadao, a Japanese surgeon, lived in Japan during the Second World War with his wife Hana and the servants. Earlier, he had spent several years in the United States during medical school where he had experienced cultural prejudice and bias first hand. He did have a few positive experiences including those with his teacher and landlady, but most Americans had not welcomed him.

Despite this, he put his life in jeopardy to save an American prisoner of war. Pearl S. Buck shows how humanitarian considerations override man-made barriers of rationality and culture. Man’s affinity, despite cultural prejudices, is instinctive.

Question 10.
There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.
Answer:
Sometimes a conflict of interest between duty and loyalty can create an appearance of impropriety. A white American soldier falls into the hands of a Japanese physician during World War II in enemy territory. The Japanese physician, Sadao, who dislikes whites struggles with issues of loyalty, duty, wartime medicine and racism.

However, Sadao risks his safety and saves the enemy. Although he fears the consequences for harbouring an enemy, he addresses the soldier as “my friend” after successfully saving him. Once the American soldier recovers, Sadao helps him escape. While Sadao does not come across as a “nationalist”, he can be viewed as a hero for his qualities such as bravery, helpfulness, and professional competence. Like a real hero . he stands up for what he believes in, and does not restrict himself for fear of repercussions. He is admirable for saving the American soldier’s life.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8 Going Places. Students can get Class 12 English Going Places NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

Going Places NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8

Going Places NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Going Places Think as you read 

Question 1.
Where was it most likely that the two girls would find work after school?
Answer:
Jansie, being realistic, realized that both of them were likely to end up working for the biscuit factory. However, Sophie, who lived in a dream world, dreamt of starting a boutique, being an actress, or starting her career as a manager somewhere.

Question 2.
What were the options that Sophie was dreaming of? Why does Jansie discourage her from having such dreams?
Answer:
Sophie dreamt of starting a boutique with the money she would earn as a manager. She imagined herself as a fashion designer with the best shop in the city or of becoming an actress. She aspired after a career that would be considered “sophisticated”. Jansie was more practical and warned Sophie to come to terms with reality.

Question 3.
Why did Sophie w riggle when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie squirmed when Geoff told her father that she had met Danny Casey because she had lied about it. She felt uncomfortable about having lied to her brother, Geoff. She did not want her lies to be discovered.

Question 4.
Does Geoff believe what Sophie says about her meeting with Danny Casey?
Answer:
Geoff refused to believe Sophie but was later convinced on hearing the vivid description of their meeting. He told his dad and then Frank about the meeting.

Question 5.
Does her father believe her story?
Answer:
No, Sophie’s father did not believe her story. When Geoff told him about the meeting, he expressed disbelief. Her father warned her that she would talk herself “into a load of trouble”.

Question 6.
How does Sophie include her brother Geoff in her fantasy of her future?
Answer:
Sophie imagined her brother travelling to exotic and mysterious places and she craved to be taken along. She imagined a vast world that awaited her arrival. She saw herself riding there, behind Geoff. She imagined him wearing new, shining black leathers and she saw herself in a yellow dress with a kind of cape that flew out behind. She imagined being greeted to applause by the world.

Question 5.
Which country did Danny Casey play for?
Answer:
Danny Casey was a football player; he played for Ireland.

Question 6.
Why didn’t Sophie want Jansie to know about her story with Danny?
Answer:
Sophie expressed displeasure at Geoff telling Frank about how she had met the football star, Dafiny. Jansie, her friend, found out about the same from Frank. She felt that Geoff had betrayed her trust letting out their secret. She was also wary about the whole neighbourhood finding out about it from Jansie.

Question 7.
Did Sophie really meet Danny Casey?
Answer:
No, Sophie had not really met Danny Casey. Her father, who knew her well, realized that her story was a figment of her wild imagination. Sophie was in the habit of living in a world of fantasy that had no bearing with reality.

Question 8.
Which was the only occasion when she got to see Danny Casey in person?
Answer:
The only time she got to see Danny Casey was on Saturdays when she, along with her family, went to watch United at a match. They saw Casey play football.

Going Places Understanding the text

Question 1.
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. What were the differences between them that show up in the story?
Answer:
Sophie and Jansie were classmates and friends. Yet, they were inherently different in their personalities. Sophie was a romantic, who seemed to have nothing much to do with the realistic world. Her ambitions and her ways to achieve them were unrealistic. Sophie dreamt of starting a boutique with the money she would earn as a manager. She dreamt about opening the best shop in the city or of becoming an actress.

Jansie was more practical and did not want Sophie to talk of such unrealistic ventures. She knew that both of them were destined to work at the biscuit factory. Sophie was childish and lived in a dream world where Danny, a football star, had met her and was likely to meet her yet again. Jansie disapproved of her telling such a story.

Question 2.
How would you describe the character and temperament of Sophie’s father?
Answer:
Sophie’s father was a hardworking man. He is described as a plump and a heavy-breathing man in a vest. His face was grubby and sweaty after the day’s hard work. When Geoff told him about Sophie’s meeting with Danny, he said nothing but looked at her disparagingly, knowing it to be untrue. When Sophie claimed that Danny had informed her that he was going to buy a shop, her father frowned knowingly. He dismissed Sophie’s claim as another of her “wild stories” and was afraid that she would talk herself “into a load of trouble”. This made her apprehensive of talking about such fantasies to him.

Her father, too, was a sports lover. This family of modest means depended on their only source of entertainment— watching football. They went to watch United play, each Saturday, as a “weekly pilgrimage”. As a sports enthusiast, he shouted encouragement to Danny and went to the pub to celebrate the sport team’s victory.

Question 3.
Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person? From her perspective, what did he symbolise?
Answer:
Sophie liked her brother Geoff more than anyone else in the family. She confided in him and also idolised him. He was older, an apprentice mechanic, who travelled for his work to the other end of the city. She supposed that there were many more mysterious elements about him, than she knew of. He spoke little and she envied his silence. To her it seemed that when he was quiet, he travelled in his imagination to those places where she wanted to go. She suspected him of knowing interesting people and she longed to know them too.

She wanted to be closer to her brother and hoped that someday he might take her with him.Geoff symbolised freedom to Sophie’s limited experience. In her childish dreams, she imagined an exotic world beyond her knowledge, which awaited her arrival.

Question 4.
What socio-economic background did Sophie belong to? What are the indicators of her family’s financial status?
Answer:
Sophie belonged to a middle class socio-economic background. The reader receives the first hint from Jansie’s and Sophie’s conversation and how they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie also prioritised buying a “decent house” to live in, if she was to come upon money. Sophie’s father’s appearance with dirt and sweat all over him after a day’s work, indicated that he was a hard-working man. She observed her mother stooping over the sink, her back bent from all the hard work.

The small room in which Sophie and her family lived was steamy from the stove and cluttered with the dirty washing piled up in the comer. Her brother Geoff was an apprentice mechanic, having left school. The humble status of Sophie’s family is brought out through the details worked into the story.

Going Places Talking about the text

Discuss in pairs.

Question 1.
Sophie’s dreams and disappointments are all in her mind. Discuss.
Answer:
Sophie’s views, her ambitions, her ideas about her brother Geoff s life, or her meeting with Danny, were all figments of her imagination. She was confident of becoming an actress and having a boutique on the side, though she neither had a decent house, nor any material comfort. The realistic view is reflected through Jansie who knew that they would both end up working in the biscuit factory.

Sophie imagined her brother, Geoff visiting places that she had never seen. She longed to be introduced to the vast world that she believed awaited her. She imagined herself riding there behind Geoff and being welcomed with thunderous applause.Sophie had never met Danny Casey, a sports star, but she told her family a concocted story of meeting. Her father recognised that it was one of her wild stories and was afraid that she would get herself into lot of trouble.She fantasised to such a level that her lies became a living reality and she went to wait for Danny to turn up. Even when she realized that Danny would not turn up to meet with her, she indulged in a similar fantasy.

Question 2.
It is natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams. What would you say are the benefits and disadvantages of such fantasising?
Answer:
Fantasy is the creative imagination or unrestrained fancy. Commonly known as daydreaming, this is a fairly common phenomenon—and though it is not harmful, it should not be indulged in excessively. In a world of fantasy, one can have whatever one likes, even things that he or she cannot have in reality. In other cases, the person sometimes becomes so obsessed with his own thoughts, that he is absolutely unconcerned about the happenings in the real environment around him. So, even though a person may be physically present at a certain place, he may be mentally absent and lose sight of everything around him. An example could be such students who find it difficult to grasp and retain concepts because they are daydreamers. On the other hand, Mark Twain too was a daydreamer.

Perhaps, the source of daydreaming may be the need to escape from unpleasant or stressful situations. A daydreamer would have sensitivity, depth and intelligence and hence should be given space and nurtured. But, it could also shut one out from reality. This is because the daydreamer, lost in thoughts, loses his bearings entirely and is oblivious to things around him. If a daydreamer happens to be on the road, this state of mind could prove dangerous, even fatal. Daydreaming can be very distracting. It affects one’s day-to-day work, and the person gets more and more absent- minded. After a point, he may start losing physical and social contact with his surroundings and become increasingly withdrawn.

Daydreaming has its advantages. Daydreaming fosters a child’s imagination, and enhances creativity. But, if one is a habitual daydreamer and tends to wander off a bit too often for comfort, it might be detrimental to how he comes to terms with the world around him.

Going Places Working with words

Notice the following expressions. The highlighted words are not used in a literal sense. Explain what they mean.

• Words had to be prized out of him like stones out of a ground — it was difficult to get him to talk or to get information out of him
• Sophie felt a tightening in her throat — tension or anxiety
• If he keeps his head on his shoulders — thinks intelligently
• On Saturday they made their weekly pilgrimage to the United — they went to the United dutifully, without fail and with a lot of devotion as one would go to a place of worship
• She saw. him ghost past the lumbering defenders — she viewed a faint image of him as he flashed past the awkward or clumsy defenders

Going Places Thinking about language

Notice these words from the story:

• chuffed’, meaning delighted or very pleased
• ‘nosey’, meaning inquisitive
• ‘gawky’, meaning awkward, ungainly

These are words that are used in an informal way in colloquial speech.

Make a list of ten other words of this kind.

• row – a noisy quarrel or dispute
• bad mouth – to insult
• bell – to telephone
• to belt – to hit
• blast – enjoyable experience
• blow one’s top – be very angry
• daft – silly, foolish
• dim – not intelligent
• savvy – well informed
• scaredy-cat – a person who is frightened

Going Places Extra Questions and Answers

Going Places Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What was Sophie’s ambition? How did she plan to achieve it?
Answer:
Sophie was a romantic who was far removed from reality. She aspired to start a boutique after leaving school. She told her friend, Jansie, that to save money for the boutique she would work as a manager. She wanted a boutique like Mary Quant, a famous fashion designer. She also toyed with the idea of working as an actress and having a boutique on the side. She desired to have a career that was considered “sophisticated”.

Question 2.
Were Sophie’s ambitions were divorced from reality?
Answer:
Sophie was a schoolgirl—a teenager from a middle-class family. But she had exalted ambitions about starting a boutique or becoming an actress. Her dreams were divorced from reality. Her friend, Jansie, realized the irony of their situation and was realistic enough to know that they would end up working in a biscuit factory.

Question 3.
Sophie idolized her brother Geoff. Justify.
Answer:
Sophie’s brother, Geoff, had been three years out of school, an apprentice mechanic, who travelled to his work each day to the far side of the city. Sophie thought that Geoff lived the lives of her hopes and dreams that she wanted for her own self. She romanticized his life. She imagined that he visited faraway, exotic places and met interesting people. She wished to visit the places of her imagination and ride away with Geoff.

Question 4.
How did Sophie dream of herself in Geoff’s world?
Answer:
Sophie wished that her brother would take her to his world with him. She was conscious of a vast world that awaited her arrival. She saw herself riding there behind Geoff. She imagined him in new, shining black leather and herself in a yellow dress with a kind of cape that flowed out behind her. She imagined the world greeting them with wild applause.

Question 5.
What did Sophie tell Geoff about Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie told Geoff that she had met Danny Casey in the arcade. She told him how she was looking at the clothes in Royce’s window when Danny Casey came and stood beside her. She said that he had gentle, green eyes but was not very tall. She asked him for an autograph for little Derek, but neither of them had any paper or pen. She claimed that Danny had invited her to meet him next week.

Question 6.
What was her father’s reaction to her claim to have met Danny Casey?
Answer:
Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey. Their father disbelieved Sophie’s claim; he looked at her with disdain. When she told her father that Danny said he was going to buy a shop, her father dismissed it as one of her wild stories. He felt that she would land herself into trouble because of her wild imagination.

Question 7.
What did Geoff warn Sophie about Danny?
Answer:
Geoff warned Sophie about how she was still in school, and Danny was likely to have lots of girls. Sophie tried to refute it, but Geoff insisted on how he knew better. When she told him that Danny was to meet her the following week, Geoff told her that Danny would never turn up.

Question 8.
Where did the family see Danny? What was Sophie’s reaction?
Answer:
Sophie, Derek, Geoff and their father went to watch United play on Saturday. It was a “weekly pilgrimage” for them. Sophie, her father and little Derek went down and sat near the goal while Geoff went higher up with his friends. They saw Danny score a goal, leading his team to victory. Sophie blushed with satisfaction as her hero won the match for them.

Question 9.
What was Sophie’s reaction when Jansie questioned her about Danny Casey?
Answer:
Sophie was upset when Jansie revealed that she had come to know about Sophie’s episode with Casey. She felt betrayed as Geoff had let out her secret. Jansie accused her of lying, but Sophie convinced her otherwise. However, she felt apprehensive that Jansie would spread the rumour around her neighbourhood.

Question 10.
Where did Sophie go to wait for Danny?
Answer:
After dark, Sophie walked by the canal, along a sheltered path lighted only by the glare of the lamps from the wharf across the water. It was a secluded place where she had often played as a child. She sat down on a wooden bench under a solitary elm, to wait for Danny Casey.

Question 11.
How did Sophie come to terms with the fact that Danny would not come?
Answer:
As Sophie waited for Danny to turn up, she even imagined him coming. But when some time had elapsed, she felt the pangs of doubt stirring inside her. She recalled that Geoff had said how he would never come. She waited and finally resigned herself to the truth that Danny would not come.

Question 12.
“I will have to live with this burden.” Why did Sophie feel this way?
Answer:
Sophie was a romantic. Like many other teenagers, she lived in her world of fantasy. She dreamt of Danny coming to meet her. Once Sophie realized that she had been deluding herself, she became sad and felt that it was a hard burden to carry. She was ashamed to face her brother, her family and her neighbours who would make fun of her whims.

Question 13.
“And she saw it all again…” What did Sophie see?
Answer:
Sophie saw a vision of meeting Danny Casey as she had imagined a week before. She visualized herself talking to him and asking for an autograph. She replayed the entire episode of a week before in her mind. To her, it was a lived reality. However, it was nothing but a figment of her imagination. The reader gets an insight into the dynamics of the situation. The cyclical narrative suggests that Sophie’s world was replete with her imagined reality.

Going Places Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
How did Sophie aspire to achieve her lofty ambitions? Why did they seem unrealistic to Jansie? How did her family react to her fantasies and ambitions?
Answer:
Sophie desired to set up a boutique after leaving school. She told her friend, Jansie, that to save that much money she would work as a manager. She wanted a boutique like Mary Quant. She wanted it to be one of its kind. She also contemplated working as an actress and having the boutique on the side.

Jansie, the grounded of the two, tried to reason with her saying that the boutique would require a lot of capital and nobody would employ her as a manager unless she had experience. Sophie’s father was disdainful of her behaviour. He felt that Sophie needed to keep her head on her shoulders. He dismissed her talk, knowing she lived in her own world of fantasy. He felt that she would land into trouble because of her immature talk.

Question 2.
Sophie’s fascination for Danny Casey stemmed from the fact that he had all that Sophie wanted for herself. Elaborate.
Answer:
Sophie desired an affluent and sophisticated lifestyle. She wished to save some money and start a boutique like Mary Quant had. Sophie’s fascination with Danny Casey stemmed from the fact that he had the lifestyle she aspired for. She dreamt of a world that awaited her arrival. Her fixation with fame and luxury is revealed as she fantasized about becoming an actress.

She weighed each of her unrealistic options as an avenue to fame, stardom and money. She hailed from a middle-class background, but dreamt of achieving fame and luxury, much beyond the humble reach of her station. Danny Casey represented an entry to such a lifestyle. Her infatuation had much more to do with her own ambition than any genuine adoration of Casey’s skills as a footballer.

Question 3.
Sophie is a middle-class girl who longs, like any other teenager, to reach out to the horizons. Justify.
Answer:
Sophie was a middle-class girl with lofty aspirations. To achieve a glamorous and sophisticated life, she wished to have a boutique after she finished school. Sophie was confident of saving the required amount of money by working as a manager. She also considered the idea of becoming an actress as there was real money in that, and having the boutique on the side. She longed to go with Geoff to places that she had never seen. These places held a lure for her because they were mysterious and distant.

She imagined herself riding there, behind Geoff. She pictured the world admiring and applauding her entry. Her infatuation with Danny Casey, a sports star, also stemmed from the fact that he was the epitome of glamour and sophistication. Like a regular teenager, she dreamt, uninhibited of her station and skills. Sophie was yet to experience the hardships of adult life, she was content to live in her world of fantasies where all was within her reach.

Going Places Value Based Question

Question 1.
Unrealistic dreams often lead to a great deal of unhappiness. Justify this on the basis of your reading of the story.
Answer:
Sophie who lived in the world of her dreams, found her reality quite suffocating. Sophie dreamt of owning a boutique one day or of being an actress or a fashion designer, but her friend Jansie believed that both of them were earmarked for the biscuit factory. Jansie, who was more realistic, tried to make Sophie accept the imminent reality, but Sophie continued with her make-believe ways. She imagined befriending Danny Casey, the sports star, only to be disillusioned.

She imagined that Danny had asked her to meet; she went there and waited for hours, believing that he would turn up. Sophie got sucked into the story of her own creation and began to believe that it was true. When Sophie realized that she had believed in a lie, her disappointment was painful and almost life-changing. She is seen moving from one dream to another in her mind. When the harsh reality stared her in the face, her disappointment was evident.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 3 Journey to the end of the Earth. Students can get Class 12 English Journey to the end of the Earth NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

Journey to the end of the Earth NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 3

Journey to the end of the Earth NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Journey to the end of the Earth Reading with insight

Question 1.
How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of humankind?
Answer:
Geological phenomena such as the drifting of land masses and their separating into countries help us to know about the history of humankind. A visit to Antarctica around which Gondwana once existed, is like going back to past as it gives us an understanding of evolution and extinction, ozone and carbon, where humankind came from, and where it is headed.

Question 2.
What are the indications for the future of humankind?
Answer:
All thoughtless activities of humankind such as increasing cities and megacities, cutting forests and turning those to concrete jungles, careless burning of fossil fuel, depleting ozone and increasing carbon dioxide, and global warming, melting ice caps and shields, our battle with other species for limited resources and other similar reckless activities point to a grim future for humankind. If concrete steps are not taken immediately, these drastic changes may lead to the end of the world.

Journey To The End Of The Earth Reading with Insight

Question 1.
‘The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica’. How is the study of this region useful to us?
Answer:
Antarctica holds half a million-year-old carbon track records in its layers of ice. It gives us an understanding of evolution and extinction, ozone and carbon. A visit to Antarctica, around which Gondwana once existed, is like going back to the past. Witnessing the geological phenomena, such as the drifting of land masses and their spreading into countries, help us to know about the history of humankind. These are visible signs of where humankind came from and it gives us a clear understanding of where human life is headed if we do not take care of the environment. Actually seeing with our own eyes all these changes, make us understand that global warming is a real threat.

Question 2.
What are Geoff Green’s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice Expedition?
Answer:
Geoff Green feels that students are the future generation of policy-makers. They should be provided an opportunity to have this life-changing 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 act for the benefit of the planet. The youngsters still have the idealism to save the world and they need to understand that it belongs to them. So, to sensitize them, it is important to provide them the visible life changing experience.

Question 3.
‘Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of the statement in the context of the Antarctica environment?
Ans. This statement means that if small things are taken care of, big things will take their own care. There are tall grasses, called phytoplankton, in the southern oceans that use the sun’s energy to assimilate • carbon and synthesize organic compounds by photosynthesis. Marine life and birds in the region sustain themselves on these tall grasses. Any disturbance in the environment in Antarctica might affect the activities of the phytoplankton, which, in turn, might affect the existence of the other life forms that depend on them. Small things like the phytoplankton are important in the food chain.

Question 4.
Why is Antarctica the place to go to understand the Earth’s present, past and future?
Answer:
The author states that to understand the earth’s present, past and future, Antarctica is the right place to go. Antarctica is relatively untouched in this respect as it has never had human population. It is relatively pristine. It holds in its ice cores half a million-year-old carbon records, trapped in the layers of ice. It embodies all that is pre-historic: cordilleran folds, pre-Cambrian granite shields ozone and carbon: evolution and extinction. The simple eco system and lack of biodiversity indicate how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions.

A visit to Antarctica and witnessing the geological phenomena, such as the drifting of land masses, glaciers receding and ice shelves collapsing makes us understand that global warming is a real threat. Hence, to study the earth’s past, present and future, these factors make Antarctica the best place to go.

Journey To The End Of The Earth Extra Questions and Answers

Journey To The End Of The Earth Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
When did the author start her journey to Antarctica and what had she to pass through?
Answer:
The author started her journey 13.09 degrees north of the Equator in Madras—she was on board a Russian research vessel—the Akademik Shokalskiy. She had to pass through nine time zones, six checkpoints, three bodies of water and at least as many ecospheres. After travelling over hundred hours in combination of a car, an aeroplane and a ship, she reached Antarctica.

Question 2.
What emotions did the author experience when she reached Antarctica at last?
Answer:
The author finally set foot on the Antarctica continent after travelling over 100 hours in combination of car, aeroplane and ship. Her first emotion on seeing the vast expansive white landscape and the blue horizon was of relief. She experienced the emotion of wonder at its immensity and isolation and its strange relationship with India.

Question 3.
How would you describe Gondwana?
Answer:
Gondwana was a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent, centering around present-day Antarctica. Humans had not arrived on the global scene. The climate was much warmer. There was a huge variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. When the age of the mammals got underway, the landmass was forced to separate into countries. Antarctica separated from the whole landmass shaping the globe as we know it today.

Question 4.
What is that thing that can happen in a million years and would be mind-boggling?
Answer:
The author says that in a million years India may push northwards, jamming against Asia. It will buckle its crust and form the Himalayas – South America may drift off to join North America. The Drake Passage may open up to create a cold circumpolar current. Antarctica may remain frigid, desolate and at the bottom of the world.

Question 5.
In what respect, Tishani Doshni’s encounter with Antarctica is a chilling prospect?
Answer:
The author remained there for two weeks. For a sun worshipper South Indian, being face to face with ninety per cent of earth’s total ice volume was a mind-boggling and chilling prospect. It was also a chilling experience for circulatory and metabolic functions and for imagination. It is like walking into a giant ping-pong ball with no human markers such as trees, billboards, and buildings.

Question 6.
What is the visual experience in Antarctica?
Answer:
In Antarctica the visual scale ranges from the microscopic to the mighty midgets and mites to blue whales and icebergs as big as countries. The writer refers to it as walking into a giant ping-pong ball devoid of any human markers, without trees, billboards, buildings. Days go on in 24 hours austral summer light. A ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by an occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet consecrates the place.

Question 7.
How, according to the author, has mankind etched its dominance over nature?
Answer:
According to the author, though civilizations have been around for barely a few seconds on the geological clock, yet they have created a ruckus by their various activities like exploiting the limited resources and careless burning of fossil fuels. In the short span of existence on the earth, they have already created a blanket of carbon dioxide and increased the average global temperature.

Question 8.
How has Antarctica sustained itself and managed to remain pristine?
Answer:
Antarctica, on account of being the coldest, windiest and driest continent in the world, has never sustained a human population and has thus managed to remain pristine. This has prevented man from being able to create ruckus in this part of the world by his thoughtless exploitation of the natural resources.

Question 9.
How is global temperature increasing? What are the immediate fears due to it?
Answer:
Global temperature is increasing due to the increasing burning of fossil fuels. It has now created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world. This has given birth to questions like: Will the West Antarctica ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream Ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know of? It may be. It may not be.

Question 10.
How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate of climate change?
Answer:
Antarctica is a crucial element not because it has no human population but because it holds in its ice cores half a million year old carbon records. They are trapped in its layers of. ice. It will open up areas of knowledge about the past, present and future of the earth.

Question 11.
What are the reasons for the success of the Students on Ice programme?
Answer:
Sitting distant in the comfort zone of our houses, any talk about global warming looks so unreal and one can be unconcerned. But the visible experience of seeing glaciers retreating, ice caps melting and ice shelves collapsing makes one understand and realize what global warming is all about. The indications for the future of humankind become clear when one actually witnesses the geological phenomena.

Question 12.
The author says that her Antarctica experience was full of such epiphanies. What was that best epiphany that occurred there?
Answer:
The Akademik Shokalskiy got wedged into a thick white sheet of ice. The captain decided to turn around and asked the passengers to walk on the ocean. Underneath their feet they saw 180 metres of living, breathing salt water. Crab eater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs under a banyan tree. It was a great epiphany, a revelation.

Question 13.
What is that beauty of balance that a trip to Antarctica unfolded to the author?
Answer:
The author was wonderstruck by the beauty of balance in play on our planet. Travelling across nine time zones, three bodies of water and as many ecospheres was an experience that unfolded a wide range of climate, geographical features, and flora and fauna. It was also a visible experience of the varied geographical phenomena.

Question 14.
Why does the author conclude the chapter by saying that a lot can happen in a million years, but what a difference a day makes?
Answer:
The author concludes the chapter by saying that much more can really happen in a million years as it happened in the case of Antarctica. But in this long period, changes even in a day make a great difference because global climate is changing. It is posing a threat to the beauty of balance on the earth.

Question 15.
What are phytoplanktons? What is their importance?
Answer:
Phytoplanktons, the grasses of the sea, are single-celled organisms living in the southern ocean. They nourish and sustain the entire ocean’s food chin, being first link in the food chain of ocean. Using sun’s energy, they assimilate carbon and synthesize organic compounds.
The diminishing number of these organisms due to the depletion of ozone layers affects other organisms of the ocean, finally leading to the extinction of life on earth.

Question 16.
Why does the author feel that the prognosis for the human beings is not healthy?
Answer:
The world is battling an ever increasing population, leading to burning of fossil fuels. This has created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world thereby increasing global temperatures. All this is hazardous and life threatening for all flora and fauna. Hence the future of mankind in fact, all life on earth, is bleak. So, the author is correct in saying that the prognosis for man is not encouraging and healthy. . , j

Question 17.
Why is it necessary to remain fully equipped while walking on ice?
Answer:
While walking on ice, the troupe was fully kitted out in Gore-Tex (type of spiked boots that help in walking on ice) and glares. The spiked boots protect them from falling down on ice which might result in injury and the glares protect the eyes because the sunglasses can injure their eyes, particularly the ratina.

Question 18.
Do you think that programmes like the Students on Ice do more harm than good? Support your answer.
Answer:
I personally feel that such trips do more harm than good. We have ruined the earth as much as we could and as wide as we could go, because Antarctica was far away and extremely cold. But now we have so many reasons to go to this pristine continent. Let’s not encourage such trips. After all, what else do we have to learn about the earth than the fact that we have been running a business, not a service. Please spare Antarctica.

Student on Ice is an educational journey to Antarctica. It took high school students to Antarctica where they understood the seriousness of the threat that the end of the earth is quite near. By visiting Antarctica they would act their bit to save the planet from further deterioration. The educational youth of today is the hope for the earth and if they are more informed and more aware of the weakening strength of the earth, they will be able to steer the government machinery of their countries as they grow up.

Question 19.
Does the study of the lesson give you a feeling that man is his own great enemy?
Answer:
In his 12000-year-long stint on the earth so far man has caused untold harm to the planet, its environment and biodiversity. His activities in the name of development have spelt doom for the flora and fauna and his own existence is in danger. Man is to blame for all the havoc and ruckus created on earth. Thus it is quite right that man is his own great enemy.

Journey To The End Of The Earth Long Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is the significance of the title ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’?
Answer:
The title ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’, has more than one meaning. It describes an educational journey to Antarctica undertaken by a group of high school students. To learn more about the real impact of global warming and future of the earth 52 students went to the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world called Antarctica in Russian research vessel, the Akademik Shokalskiy.

The author calls it a journey to the end of the earth because it began 13:09 degrees North of Equator in Madras, involved crossing nine time zones, six checkpoints, three oceans and as many ecospheres. She travelled over 100 hours in combination of a car, an aeroplane and a ship. The journey being to the extreme south of the the earth, was really towards the end of it. Another meaning of this title is more significant as the warnings that Antarctica gives are shocking and much concerning the humanity and the millions of other species on the earth. The changes taking place in Antarctica are pointing a warning finger at the existence of of the earth; the earth is journeying to its end.

Question 2.
The author says, ‘It was nothing short of a revelation: everything does connect.’What does it mean?
Answer:
Antarctica is a perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions as far as Antarctica is concerned. Various human activities like exploiting the limited resources and careless burning of fossil fuel have already created a blanket of carbon dioxide, increased the average global temperatures and caused the retreating of glaciers, melting of ice caps and collapse of ice shelves as far as Antarctica. Global warming does not only change the geographical features, but also cause depletion in the ozone layer which will affect the activities of the phytoplanktons, the tall grasses which support the lives of marine animals and birds of the region. Hence, the author says everything does connect and all human activities are interlinked with the geological phenomena, whatever be the geological distance.

Question 3.
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 life¬changing 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 expence is important. Hence, this programme made the children learn that to save big things, small . things must be cared for.

Question 4.
What makes Antarctica an ideal subject of study?
Answer:
Antarctica is the only place in the world which has never sustained a human population. It thus remains relatively pristine in this respect. But, more importantly, it holds in its ice core, half a million- year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of life. Antarctica has a simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity. It is, therefore, a perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions. Visiting Antarctica means knowing where we have come from and where we could possibly be heading. This place holds the key to know the geological evolution and it shall reveal the earth’s past, present and future.

Question 5.
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.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 8 Human Health and Diseases

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 8 Human Health and Diseases

Question 1.
What are the various public health measures, which you would suggest as a safeguard against infectious diseases?
Solution:
Prevention and control of infectious diseases

I. For water-borne diseases like typhoid, amoebiasis, etc.
Practice personal and public hygienic measures.

a. Personal hygienic measures

• Keeping the body clean
• Consumption of clean drinking water
• Eating fresh food

b. Public hygienic measures

• Proper disposal of waste and excreta
• Periodic cleaning and disinfection of water reservoirs, pool, tank etc.

II. For air-borne diseases like common cold, pneumonia

• Avoid close contact with infected persons.
• Avoid the use of belongings of the infected persons.

III. For vector-borne diseases like malaria

• Control and eliminate the vectors and their breeding places
• Introducing larvivorous fishes like Gambusia in ponds that feed on the larvae of the mosquito
• Avoid stagnation of water around the residential area.
• Spraying of insecticides in ditches, drainage areas, etc.
• Protection from a mosquito bite. Use mosquito nets in the doors and windows to prevent the entry of mosquitoes. It is very important in the light of recently widespread diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya etc.

The use of vaccines and immunization programmes has enabled us to eradicate smallpox. Diseases like polio, diphtheria, tetanus etc. have been controlled to an extent by the use of vaccines. Nowadays biotechnology is focussing on the preparation of newer and safer vaccines. A large number of antibiotics are available to treat many infectious diseases.

Question 2.
In which way has the study of biology helped us to control infectious diseases?
Solution:
Study of biology has helped us to know about causes of diseases, carriers of diseases (vectors), effects of diseases on different body functions and above all, means to control diseases. Our immune system plays a major role in preventing diseases.

Question 3.
How does the transmission of each of the following diseases take place ?

1. Amoebiasis
2. Malaria
3. Ascariasis
4. Pneumonia

Solution:

1. Through contaminated food and water.
2. Through Anopheles mosquito.
3. Through contaminated food and water.
4. By inhaling the droplets or aerosols released by infected persons.

Question 4.
What measure would you take to prevent water-borne diseases?
Solution:
Water-borne diseases can be prevented by drinking clean water. Water should be free from contamination, suspended and dissolved substances. If water is contaminated it should be boiled and filtered before drinking. Periodic cleaning and disinfection of water reservoirs, pools, and tanks should be done.

Question 5.
Discuss with your teacher what does ‘a suitable gene’ means, in the context of DNA vaccines.
Solution:
‘A suitable gene’ means the gene which is able to produce antigenic polypeptides of the pathogen in bacteria and yeast. Using recombinant DNA technology, it is possible to produce vaccines in large scale for immunisation. Hepatitis B vaccine is produced using this technology.

Question 6.
Name the primary and secondary lymphoid organs.
Solution:
Primary lymphoid organs are bone marrow and thymus. Secondary lymphoid organs are the spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils, Peyer’s patches of the small intestine, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT).

Question 7.
The following are some well-known abbreviations, which have been used in this chapter. Expand each one to its full form.

1. MALT
2. CMI
3. AIDS
4. NACO
5. HIV

Solution:

1. MALT – Mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue.
2. CMI – Cell-Mediated Immunity
3. AIDS – Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
4. NACO – National AIDS Control Organisation
5. HIV – Human immunodeficiency virus.

Question 8.
Differentiate the following and give examples of each.

1. Innate and acquired immunity,
2. Active and passive immunity

Solution:

1. : Differences between innate and acquired immunity are as follows:
   
2. Differences between active and passive immunity are as follows:
   

Question 9.
Draw a well-labeled diagram of an antibody molecule.
Solution:

Question 10.
What are the various routes by which transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus takes place?
Solution:
Various routes of entry of ADDS virus are:

• Sexual contact with the infected person.
• Through placenta (from infected mother to foetus).
• Transfusion of infected blood or blood products.
• Sharing infected needles by drug abusers.

Question 11.
What is the mechanism by which the AIDS virus causes a deficiency of the immune system of the infected person?
Solution:
After getting into the body, the virus enters into the macrophages and converts its RNA genome into DNA with the help of a reverse transcriptase enzyme. The viral DNA takes and directs the infected cells to produce more virus particles i.e., the infected macrophages act like an HIV factory. Simultaneously, the HIV attack the T- lymphocytes and replicate and produce more viruses. Then they are released into the blood and attack other T-lymphocytes.

This will lead to a decrease in the number of T-lymphocytes and the patient begins to show the symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, weight loss etc. Subsequently, his immune system weakens and becomes more prone to infections of bacteria (like Mycobacterium), viruses, fungi and even parasites like Toxoplasma. Finally, he is unable to protect himself.

Question 12.
How is a cancerous cell different from a normal cell?
Solution:
Cancerous cell and normal cell are different in the following aspects:

Question 13.
Explain what is meant by metastasis.
Solution:
The rapid growth of cancerous tumour causes overcrowding and disruption of normal cells. It extends to neighbouring tissues. In the last stage, bits of tumour tissue break off and are carried by the circulating blood or lymphs to other parts of the body, where they invade new tissues and start new tumors called secondary tumors. This property is called metastasis. It is fated due to increasing interference with the body’s life processes.

Question 14.
List the harmful effects caused by alcohol/drug abuse.
Solution:
Harmful effects caused by alcohol/drug abuse are as follows:

• Among youth there is drop in academic performance, lack of interest in personal hygiene, isolation, depression, fatigue, aggressive and rebellious behavior, deteriorating relationships with family and friends, loss of interest in hobbies, change in sleeping and eating habits, fluctuations in weight, appetite, etc.
• Excessive dose of drugs leads to coma and death due to respiratory failure, heart failure or cerebral haemorrhage.
• Abusers become mental and cause financial distress to their entire family and friends.
• They may acquire serious infections like AIDS and hepatitis by taking drugs intravenously.
• Intake of alcohol/drugs damages nervous system, liver (cirrhosis) and kidney.
• Drug abuse adversely affects foetus in case of pregnancy, leading to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
• Continuous use of narcotics and stimulants cause impotency and chromosomal aberrations.
• Heavy drinking can cause an acute alcoholic myopathy characterised by painful and swollen muscles and high levels of serum creatine phosphokinase (CK). Chronic alcoholic men may show testicular atrophy with shrinkage of the seminiferous tubules and loss of sperm cells.
• Heavy drinking causes acute and chronic pancreatitis.
• Alcohol increases RBC size causing a mild anemia.
• Legal problems occur, such as arrest by police for obtaining and keeping drugs unlawfully.

Question 15.
Do you think that friends can influence one to take alcohol/drugs? If yes, how can one protect himself/herself from such an influence?
Solution:
Yes. This can be avoided by

• Choosing a good peer group.
• Discussing ways and means to counteract the presence if any with family elders and teacher/counselors
• Telling the program of an outing to family.
• Keeping contact with family while outside the home.

Question 16.
Why is it that once a person starts taking alcohol or drugs, it is difficult to get rid of this habit? Discuss it with your teacher.
Solution:
Once a person starts taking alcohol or drugs, it is difficult to get rid of this habit because he becomes addicted to it. Addiction is a psychological attachment to certain effects such as euphoria and a temporary feeling of well-being. These drive people to consume drugs/alcohol even when these are not needed, or even when their use becomes self-destructive. With repeated use, the tolerance level of the receptors present in the body increases, which consequently leads to a higher dose of drugs/alcohol and addiction.

Thus, the addictive potential of drugs and alcohol pull the user into a vicious circle leading to their regular use from which he/she may not be able to get out.

Question 17.
In your view what motivates youngsters to take alcohol or drugs and how can this be avoided?
Solution:
There are many factors that motivate youngsters to take alcohol or drug. These include:

• Choosing a good peer group.
• Discussing ways and means to counteract the presence if any with family elders and teacher/counselors
• Telling the programme of an outing to family.
• Keeping contact with family while outside the home.

This can be avoided by the following measures:

1. Education and counseling: Educating and counseling people to face problems and stresses, and to accept disappointments and failures as a part of life.
2. Seeking help from parents and peers: Help from parents and peers should be sought immediately so that they can guide appropriately. Help may even be sought from close and trusted friends.
3. Looking for danger signs: Alert parents and teachers to look for and identify the danger signs. Even friends, if they find someone using drugs or alcohol, should not hesitate to bring this to the notice of parents or teachers in the best interests of the person concerned.
4. Seeking professional and medical help: Lots of help is available in the form of highly qualified psychologists, psychiatrists, and de-addiction and rehabilitation programmes to help individuals who have unfortunately got in the quagmire of drug/alcohol abuse.
5. Cross-checking before prescribing and selling drugs: The physicians should prescribe the habituating drugs only to genuine persons and only for the essential duration. Pharmacists should not sell these drugs without the physician’s prescription.
6. Discipline: Good nurturance with consistent discipline but without suffocating strictness reduces the risk of addictions.
7. Communication: The child must be able to communicate with the parents seeking clarification of all doubts and discussing problems that arise in studies or develop in the class, with friends, siblings and others.
8. Appreciation: For even the smallest achievement, good behavior and other activities, the child should be appreciated.
9. Independent working: Giving responsibility to the child for small tasks and allowing him/her to perform independently. However, guidance should be provided where required.
10. Avoid undue pressure: Every child has a specific personality with certain preferences and choices. They should be taken care of and respected. No child should be asked to perform beyond threshold limits whether in studies, sports or extracurricular activities.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 8 Human Health and Diseases help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 8 Human Health and Diseases, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 2 We’re Not Afraid to Die. Students can get Class 11 English We’re Not Afraid to Die NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 2

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together Understanding the text

Question 1.
List the steps taken by the captain
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.
Answer:
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
Answer:
The captain slowed the boat down, dropped the storm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stem. Then they double-lashed everything, went through their life raft drill, attached “lifelines, donned oilskins and life jackets and waited.”

(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.
Answer:
As the water started accumulating in the ship, the captain did not dare to abandon the wheel to examine the waterlogging. When Mary informed him that the decks were smashed and the boat was full of water, he gave the wheel to Mary and made it to the hatch. Larry and Herb were pumping out the water frantically. He found a hammer, screws and canvas, and walked back to the deck with difficulty.

He made some repairs. He stretched the canvas and secured that the waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes. Some water continued to stream below, but most of it was now being deflected over the side. But soon the hand pumps started to block up with the debris floating around the cabins and the electric pump short-circuited. He found the two spare hand pumps had been overboard. Then he took the electric pump and connected it to an out-pipe and managed to pump out the water.

Question 2.
Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
Answer:
After battling with the waves and continuously pumping out water for thirty-six hours, on 4 January, the voyagers managed to pump out almost all the water that had accumulated and had to keep pace with the water that was still coming in. Then they hoisted the storm jib and sailed towards where they thought the two islands were. It was then that they were relieved and ate their first meal in almost two days. But much to their disappointment, at 4 p.m. black clouds gathered behind them.

The wind was back to 40 knots and the sea was getting higher. The weather continued to get worse throughout the night, and by dawn on 5 January, the situation was again distressing. The author tried to comfort the children, who seemed to be resigned to their fate. He was resolute to fight the sea but by the evening, Mary and he sat together holding hands, as the water seeped in through the broken planks. Both of them felt that their end was very near.

Question 3.
Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the text. Give a subtitle to each section.
Answer:
The text has been divided into three sections. The narration shifts as the events unfold. The first section deals with the narrator’s desire to go sailing around the world, the preparations they made, the onset of the journey and the coming storm. In this section, the narrator sums up more than sixteen years of preparations and the first 3,500 kilometres of their journey in a few paragraphs.

The second section describes the storm and the damage caused to the boat by the storm. The narrator describes in detail the events of 2 January when their ship was buffeted by the storm. He mainly deals with the action taken to avert disaster. In the third section, the narrator steers the ship to safety at He Amsterdam.

In this section, he describes the events of two days and focuses on the emotions of the members of the family as the near-tragedy drew them closer together. The 1 st section can be subtitled .The sea voyage and its challenges, the 2nd – Damages caused by the storm, and the 3rd- Finding lie Amsterdam.

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together Talking about the text

Discuss the following questions with your partner.

Question 1.
What difference did you notice between the reaction of the adults and the children when faced with danger?
Answer:
When the adults were faced with danger, they were anxious and sought out ways of battling it. For instance, when they faced rough weather for the first time, they fastened everything, went through their life raff drill, attached lifelines, put on oilskins and life jackets. As the ship flooded with water, Mary panicked and the narrator put her at the wheel, struggled with tools till the ship was waterproof and the water had been bailed out.

They assessed the situation, tried to adopt the best possible strategy for coping with the situation but were often dejected. When the narrator was thrown overboard, he accepted death as inevitable. Similarly, when the motion of the ship brought more and more water in through the broken planks, Mary and the narrator sat holding hands as both felt the end was very near.

On the other hand, Sue hurt herself. Her head had swollen a lot, she had two huge black eyes, and a deep cut on her arm but this did not worry her. The situation worsened and when the author tried to comfort the children on 5 January, Jon said that they were not afraid of dying if the family could be together. due, who was injured, moved up to him and gave him a card she had made. It was a message to hope for the best. The probable reason for the difference in reaction is that the children did not realise the gravity of the situation, like the adults, or that they do not cling on to life like adults.

Question 2.
How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
Answer:
It was the sheer optimism of the narrator and the two men in the crew, Larry and Herb, that helped them carry on in the face of life-threatening dangers. They celebrated Christmas despite the gales. When the storm struck and the narrator was flung overboard, he did not give up hope but got back to the ship with his ribs cracked and his mouth filled with blood and broken teeth. He took the wheel and fought water that was getting into the ship.

This shows, they were not willing to give in to danger but were ready to battle it. They faced the extremely cold night, struggling to pump out water, find direction and also work the radio. With no response to their desperate calls for help because they were in a distant comer of the world, they were still optimistic about finding lie Amsterdam and steered the ship towards that direction. Their optimism paid off” and they came out of a stressful situation.

Question 3.
What lessons do we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death?
Answer:
One learns to be:

• optimistic.
• cooperative.
• a team player.
• alert to make the best of what one has.
• enduring.

Question 4.
Why do you think people undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved?
Answer:
A human being’s life has become monotonous and mechanical. This deprives us of two important ingredients of happiness spontaneity and variety. Mechanical regularity produces discontentment as it is devoid of joy. Spontaneity and variety are needs of our instinctive nature that can only be satisfied by such adventures. Adventurous expeditions and other high level sports or activities break the monotony of modem life and provide opportunities to test our survival skills.

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together Thinking about language

Question 1.
We have come across words like ‘gale’ and ‘storm’ in the account. Here are two more words for ‘storm’: typhoon, cyclone. How many words does your language have for ‘storm’?
(Answers will vary).

Question 2.
Here are the terms for different kinds of vessels: yacht, boat, canoe, ship, steamer, schooner. Think of similar terms in your language.
(Answers will vary).

Question 3.
‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.
Answer:
The word was coined in the early seventeenth century. It is derived from the Tamil word kattumaram, that means ‘tied wood’. Catamaran is a name applied to any craft having twin hulls. Originally, it denoted a form of Sailing and paddling raft employed on the coasts of India. In a catamaran, two similar or identical hulls are joined parallel to each other at some distance apart by beams or a platform.

Such crafts were highly developed in the Hawaiian, Marquesas, Tuamotu islands and Tahiti. Some of these crafts had hulls of unequal length. In recent years, the sailing catamaran has again become popular. The advantage of the catamaran is that great stability can be combined with lightness and low water resistance. In recent years, a triple-hull craft called a trimaran has also been developed.

Question 4.
Have you heard any boatmen’s songs? What kind of emotions do these songs usually express?
Answer:
Some famous boatmen songs include “Drunken Sailor” which describes a group of boatmen pondering over what to do with a drunken sailor early in the morning. “A Hundred Years Ago” pokes fun at the simplicity and foolishness of people that lived a hundred years ago, who thought pigs could fly and the moon was made of cheese. Both these songs are part of the genre referred to as shanty which are songs sung by boatman to amuse themselves during their work. Therefore the tone and lyrics are usually light hearted and amusing.

(Answers will vary).

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together Working with words

Question 1.
The following words used in the text as ship terminology are also commonly used in another sense. In what contexts would you use the other meaning?
knot ,stern, boom, hatch, anchor
I. Knot:

• object made by tying: a usually hard, lump-shaped object formed when a strand of something such as a string or rope is interlaced with itself or another strand and pulled tight .
• way of tying: a way of joining or securing lengths of rope, thread, or other strands by tying the material
  together or around itself
• tangled mass: a tightly tangled mass of strands that are hard to separate
• tight group: a number of people or things grouped closely together
• tense feeling: a feeling of tightness or anxiety, for example, a knot in my stomach
• close emotional tie: a deep bond, especially marriage
• decoration: a piece of material such as ribbon or braid tied in a knot or bow and used as a decoration
• problem: a difficult or complex problem
• lump on tree: a lump on a tree trunk or branch
• hard patch on tree: a hard patch on a tree out of which a branch or stem grows
• dark whorl in timber: a hard, dark-coloured patch in cut wood at a point where a branch or stem formerly grew out of the tree
• lump in body: a node, ganglion, lump, or swelling in the body
• unit of speed: a unit of measurement for the speed at which a ship or aircraft travels, equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, approximately 1.85 kph/1.15 statute mph, symbol: kn
• an indicator measuring ship’s speed: a division on a log line used to calculate the speed of a ship

II. Stern:

• strict: rigid, strict, and uncompromising
• forbidding: grim, austere, or forbidding in appearance

III. Boom (verb)

• make loud deep sound: to make a cold, deep reverberating sound
• utter something loudly: to say something in a loud, deep voice
• experience significant increase in trade: to experience a significant expansion of business and investment, either across an economy or in a specific market, for example, Business is booming.

(noun)

• loud deep sound: a loud deep reverberating sound
• deep loud bird or animal noise: a deep, loud cry made by some birds and animals.
• significant increase in amount: a significant increase in the amount of something such as a population level, for example, a population boom
• significant increase in business: a significant expansion of business and investment, either across an economy or in a specific market, for example, a boom in sales

IV. Hatch

• type of door: a door cut into the floor or ceiling of something, especially on a boat or an aircraft. It is lifted to provide access to the area below or above it. A hatch may also provide access to an attic or cellar in a building.
• small hole between two rooms: a small connecting hole in a wall between two rooms, or the small doors that cover this hole, for example, an escape hatch

V. Anchor (noun)

• device to hold ship in place: a heavy, traditionally double-hooked device for keeping a ship or floating object in place
• device keeping object in place: any device that keeps an object in place
• something dependable: somebody or something that provides stability
• presenter of news programme: a presenter on a news programme, providing a link between the studio and reporters based outside
• somebody positioned last: the team member who is responsible for the last leg in a relay race or who is at the back in a tug of war
• climber’s rope attachment: a point to which a climber’s rope is fixed, for example, on a rock face or in ice

(Verb)

• hold something in place: to hold something securely in place
• put down anchor: to moor a ship by lowering its anchor so that it remains stationary in a place
• present news programme: to be the presenter on a news programme

Question 2.
The following three compound words end in -ship. What does each of them mean? airship flagship lightship
Answer:
I. airship – a large aircraft without wings, used especially in the past and consisting of a large bag filled with
gas which is lighter than air and powered by engines. Passengers were carried in an enclosed structure hanging  below.

II. flagship –
(a) most important of group: the most important or prestigious among a group of similar and related things

• the flagship of the hotel chain
• the company’s flagship hotel

(b) commanding ship: the ship from which the admiral or unit commander controls the operation of a fleet
(c) main commercial ship: the main ship in a commercial fleet

III. Lightship – ship functioning as lighthouse: a ship with a bright, flashing light that functions as a lighthouse, especially one that is anchored in a place where a permanent structure would be impracticable

Question 3.
The following are the meanings listed in the dictionary against the phrase ‘take on’. In which meaning is it used in the third paragraph of the account:
Answer:
take on something: to begin to have a particular quality or appearance; to assume something
take somebody on: to employ somebody; to engage somebody to accept somebody as one’s opponent in a game, contest or conflict
take somebody/something on: to decide to do something; to allow something/somebody to enter, for example, a bus, plane or ship; to take something/somebody on board.
In the third paragraph, it means ‘to employ’ or ‘to engage’.

We’re Not Afraid to Die… If We Can All Be Together Things to do 

bow  – cabin – rudder – cockpit – stern – boom – mainsail – mast

2. Here is some information downloaded from the Internet on lie Amsterdam. You can view images of the isle if you go online.

3. Locate lie Amsterdam on the world map.
(Refer to Oxford Atlas and look for lie Amsterdam.).

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 2 Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 2 Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Question 1.
Name the parts of an angiosperm flower in which development of male and female gametophyte take place.
Solution:
Inside the anther, the cells of microsporangia develop as male gamete. Inside the ovary megasporangial cells develop as female gametes.

Question 2.
Differentiate between microsporogenesis and megasporogenesis. Which type of cell division occurs during these events? Name the structures formed at the end of these two events.
Solution:
Differences between microsporogenesis and megasporogenesis are as follows :

During microsporogenesis and Megas-megasporogenesis meiotic cell division occurs which results in haploid gametes – the microspores or pollen grains and megaspores.

Question 3.
Arrange the following terms in- the correct developmental sequence : Pollen grain, sporogenous tissue, microspore tetrad, pollen mother cell, male gametes.
Solution:
Sporogenous tissue → Pollen mother cell → microspore tetrad → pollen grain → male gamete.

Question 4.
With a neat, labelled diagram, describe the parts of a typical angiosperm ovule.

Solution:
An angiosperm ovule consists of the following parts:

• The ovule is attached to placenta by means of a stalk called funicle or funiculus.
• The point of attachment of funiculus to the body of ovule is called hilum.
• The main body of ovule is made of parenchymatous tissue called nucellus.
• Nucellus is covered on its outside by one or two coverings called integuments and hence ovule is rightly called as integument megasporangium.
• The integuments cover entire nucellus except for a small pore at upper end, which is called the micropyle. Micropyle is formed generally by inner integument or by both integuments.
• The place of junction of integuments and nucellus is called chalaza.
• In inverted ovules (most common type), the stalk or funiculus is attached to the main body of ovule for some distance to form a ridge like structure, called- raphe.
• In the nucellus of ovule, a large oval cell is present at micropylar end, which is known as embryo sac (female gametophyte), which develops from the megaspore.

Question 5.
What is meant by monosporic development of female gametophyte?
Solution:
The female gametophyte or the embryo sac develops, from a single functional megaspore. This is known as the monosporic development of the female gametophyte. In most flowering plants, a single megaspore mother cell present at the micropylar pole of the nucellus region of the ovule undergoes meiosis to produce four haploid megaspores. Later out of these 4 megaspores, only one functional megaspore develops into a female gametophyte, while the remaining 3 degenerates.

Question 6.
With a neat diagram explain the 7-celled, 8 nucleate nature of the female gametophyte
Solution:

The female gametophyte (embryo sac) develops from a single functional megaspore. Thus, the megaspore undergoes three successive mitotic divisions to form 8 nucleate embryo sac. The first mitotic division in the megaspore forms 2 nuclei. One nucleus moves towards the micropylar end while the other nucleus moves towards the chalazal end. Then these nuclei divide at their respective ends and redivide to form 8 nucleate stages.

As a result there are 4 nuclei each at both the ends i.e., at the micropylar and the chalazal end in the embryo sac. At the micropylar end, out of 4 nuclei only 3 differentiate into 2 synergids and one egg cell. Together they are known as egg apparatus. Similarly, at the chalazal end 3 out of 4 nuclei differentiates as antipodal cells. The remaining 2 cells (of the micropylar and chalazal end) move towards the centre and are known as the polar nuclei, which are situated in the centre of the embryo sac. Hence, at maturity, the female gametophyte appears as a 7 celled structure, though it has 8 nucleate.

Question 7.
What are chasmogamous flowers? Can cross-pollination occur in cleistogamous flowers? Give reasons for your answer.
Solution:
Chasmogamous flowers or open flowers in which anther and stigma are exposed for pollination. Cross-pollination cannot occur in cleistogamous flowers. These flowers remain closed thus causing only self-pollination. In cleistogamous flowers, anthers dehisce inside the closed flowers. So the pollen grains come in contact with stigma. Thus there is no chance of cross¬pollination, e.g., Oxalis, Viola.

Question 8.
Mention two strategies evolved to prevent self pollination in flowers.
Solution:
Two strategies evolved to prevent self-pollination are:

• Pollen release and stigma receptivity are not synchronized.
• Anthers and stigma are placed at such positions that pollen doesn’t reach stigma.

Question 9.
What is self-incompatibility? Why does self-pollination not lead to seed formation in self-incompatible species?
Solution:
When the pollen grains of an anther do not germinate on the stigma of the same flower, then such a flower is called self-sterile or incompatible and such condition is known as self¬incompatibility or self-sterility.
The transference of pollen grains shed from the anther to the stigma of the pistil is called pollination. This transference initiate the process of seed formation. Self-pollination is the transfer of pollen grain shed from the anther to stigma of pistil in the same flower. But in some flower self¬pollination does not lead to the formation of seed formation because of the presence of same sterile gene on pistil and pollen grain.

Question 10.
What is bagging technique? How is it useful in a plant breeding programme?
Solution:
It is the covering of female plants with butter paper or polythene to avoid their contamination from foreign pollens during the breeding programme.

Question 11.
What is triple fusion? Where and how does it take place? Name the nuclei involved in triple fusion.
Solution:
Inside the embryo sac, one male gamete fuses with egg cells to form a zygote (2n) and this is called syngamy or true act of fertilisation. This result of syngamy, i.e., zygote (2n) ultimately develops into an embryo.

The second male gamete fuses with 2 polar nuclei or secondary nucleus to form triploid primary endosperm nucleus and this is called triple fusion. The result of triple fusion, i.e., primary endosperm nucleus (3n) ultimately develops into a nutritive tissue for developing embryo called endosperm.

The nuclei involved in this triple fusion are the two polar nuclei or secondary nucleus and the second male gamete.

Question 12.
Why do you think the zygote is dormant for sometime in a fertilised ovule?
Solution:
The zygote is dormant in fertilized ovule for some time because, at this time, endosperm needs to develop. As endosperm is the source of nutrition for the developing embryo, nature ensures the formation of enough endosperm tissue before starting the process of embryogenesis.

Question 13.
Differentiate between:

1. Epicotyl and hypocotyl;
2. Coleoptile and coleorhiza;
3. Integument and testa;
4. Perisperm and pericarp

Solution:

1. Differences between epicotyl and hypocotyl are as follows :
   
2.  Differences between coleoptile and coleorhiza are as follows :
   
3. Differences between integument and testa are as follows :
   
4. Differences between perisperm and pericarp are as follows :
   

Question 14.
Why is apple called a false fruit? Which part (s) of the flower forms the fruit?
Solution:
Apple is called a false fruit because it develops from the thalamus instead of the ovary (the thalamus is the enlarged structure at the base of the flower).

Question 15.
What is meant by emasculation? When and why does a plant breeder employ this technique?
Solution:
Emasculation is the removal of stamens mainly the anthers from the flower buds before their dehiscence. This is mainly done to avoid self-pollination. Emasculation is one of the measures in the artificial hybridization. Plant breeders employed this technique to prevent the pollination within same flower or to pollinate stigmas with pollens of desired variety.

Question 16.
If one can induce parthenocarpy through the application of growth substances, which fruits would you select to induce parthenocarpy and why ?
Solution:
Oranges, lemons, litchis could be potential fruits for inducing the parthenocarpy because a seedless variety of these fruits would be much appreciated by the consumers.

Question 17.
Explain the role of tapetum in the formation of pollen-grain wall.
Solution:
Tapetum is the innermost layer of the microsporangium. The tapetal cells are multinucleated and polyploid. They nourish the developing pollen grains. These cells contain ubisch bodies that help in the ornamentation of the microspores or pollen grains walls. The outer layer of the pollen grain is called exine and is made up of the sporopollenin secreted by the ubisch bodies of the tapetal cells. This compound provides spiny appearance to the exine of the pollen grains.

Question 18.
What is apomixis and what is its importance ?
Solution:
Apomixis is the process of asexual production of seeds, without fertilization.
The plants that grow from these seeds are identical to the mother plant.

Uses:

• It is a cost-effective method for producing seeds.
• It has great use for plant breeding when specific traits of a plant have to be preserved.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 2 Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 2 Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 7 Evolution

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 7 Evolution

Question 1.
Explain antibiotic resistance observed in bacteria in light of Darwinian selection theory.
Solution:
Penicillin when discovered was used as an antibiotic against all bacteria. Soon many of these became resistant. This is because alleles of resistance which are already present in bacteria are of no importance in absence of antibiotics. Adjustment to change in environment due to genetic variation is adaptation.

Question 2.
Find out from newspapers and popular science articles any new fossil discoveries or controversies about evolution.
Solution:
Chimps are more evolved than humans (The Times of India):
Chimpanzees are more evolved than humans, a study suggests. There is no doubt that humans are the more advanced species. But a comparison of 14,000 human and chimpanzee genes shows the forces of natural selection have and the greatest impact on our ape cousins.

The researchers’ discovery challenges the common assumption that our large brains and high intelligence were the gifts of natural selection. Humans and chimps followed different evolutionary paths from a common ape ancestor about 5 million years ago. Both underwent changes as the fittest survived to pass their genes on to future generations. But the US study shows that humans possess a ‘substantially smaller’ number of positively-selected genes than chimps.

Question 3.
Attempt giving a clear definition of the term species.
Solution:
A species generally includes a similar organism. Members of this group can show interbreeding. A similar group of genes are found in the members of the same species and this group has the capacity to produce new species. Every species has some cause of isolation which interrupted the interbreeding with the nearest reactional species which is referred to as reproductively isolated.

Question 4.
Try to trace the various components of human evolution (hint: brain size and function, skeletal structure, dietary preference, etc.)
Solution:
Human evolution shows the following trends:
A. Brain size: It increased gradually along with evolution. The brain capacity of Australopithecus africanus – 500 cc, Homo habilis – 700 cc, Homo eredus – 800 – 1300 cc, Homo sapiens sapiens – 1450 cc.

B. Skeletal structure:

• Dryopithecus was ape-like, without brow ridges, had semierect posture, and prognathous face (having a projecting jaw).
• Ramapithecus had jaws and teeth like humans (small canines and large molars), prognathous face, and walked on legs
• Australopithecus africanus had erect posture, human-like teeth, was without chin, with brow ridges, and had a prognathous face.
• Homo habilis walked nearly erect, had human-like teeth, with brow ridges face was slightly prognathous.
• Homo erectus had an erect posture, prognathous face, with projecting brow ridges, small canines, and large molar teeth and had a small chin.
• Homo sapiens had four curves in the vertebral column, orthognathous face (without projecting jaw), forehead broad, chin well developed, walked on the sole.

C. Dietary preference: Dryopithecus and Ram-apithecus were herbivores, Australopithecus africanus and Homo habilis were carnivores, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens were omnivores.

Question 5.
Find out through the internet and popular science articles whether animals other than man have self-consciousness.
Solution:
There are many animals other than humans, which have self-consciousness. An example of an animal being self-conscious is dolphins. They are highly intelligent. They have a sense of self and, they also recognize others among themselves and others. They communicate with each other by whistles, tail-slapping, and other body movements, not dolphins, there are certain other animals such as Crow, Parrot, chimpanzees, Gorilla, Orangutan, etc., which exhibit self-consciousness.

Question 6.
List 5-6 modern-day animals and using the internet resources link it to a corresponding ancient fossil. Name both.
Solution:
The list of few modern-day animals and their corresponding ancient fossils is as follows:

Question 7.
Describe one example of adaptive radiation.
Solution:
Adaptive radiation – Formation of different species from a common ancestor with new species adapting to different geological niches.
Example: Darwin’s finches are Galapagos island have wolves from mainland finches. They underwent changes in the shape, size of beaks, food habits, feathers.

Question 8.
Can we call human evolution adaptive radiation?
Solution:
No, we can not be called human evolution as adaptive evolution.

Question 9.
Using various resources such as your school library or the Internet and discussions with your teacher, trace the evolutionary stages of any one animal say horse.
Solution:
The evolutionary stages of the modern horse are listed in the table given below:

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 7 Evolution help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 7 Evolution, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 13 Organisms and Populations

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 13 Organisms and Populations

Question 1.
How is diapause different from hibernation ?
Solution:
Diapause is different from hibernation. The table below shows the differences between them :

Question 2.
If a marine fish is placed in a freshwater aquarium/will the fish be able to survive? Why or why not?
Solution:
If a marine fish is placed in a freshwater aquarium, then its chances of survival will diminish. This is because their bodies are adapted to high salt concentrations in the marine environment. In freshwater conditions, they are unable to regulate the water entering the body (through osmosis). Water enters their body due to the hypotonic environment outside. This results in the swelling up of the body, eventually leading to the death of the marine fish.

Question 3.
Define phenotypic adaptation. Give one example.
Solution:
Phenotypic adaptation involves non-genetic changes in individuals such as physiological modifications like acclimatization or behavioural changes.

Question 4.
Most living organisms cannot survive at temperatures above 45°C. How are some microbes able to live in habitats with temperatures exceeding 100°C?
Solution:
organisms survive at a temperature range of 0° to 40°C or less. However, there are some notable exceptions. Certain microorganisms live in hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents where temperature far exceeds 100°C. They survive at the high temperature due to the occurrence of branched-chain lipids in their cell membrane that reduces the fluidity of cell membranes and the occurrence of the minimum amount of free water in their cells that provides resistance to high temperature

Question 5.
List the attributes that populations but not individuals possess.
Solution:

1. Natality
2. Mortality
3. Growth forms
4. Population density
5. Population dispersion
6. Population age distribution

Question 6.
If a population growing exponentially double in size in 3 years, what is the intrinsic rate of increase (r) of the population?
Solution:
The intrinsic rate of increase(r), can be calculated by the following exponential growth equation:

Question 7.
Name important defence mechanisms in plants against herbivory.
Solution:

1. Modification of leaves into thorns.
2. Development of spiny margins on leaves.
3. Development of sharp silicated edges on leaves.

Question 8.
An orchid plant is growing on the branch of the mango tree. How do you describe this interaction between the orchid and the mango tree?
Solution:
An orchid growing as an epiphyte on a branch of mango tree is an example of commensalism. Commensalism is the relationship between individuals of two species of which one is benefited and the other is almost unaffected, i.e., neither benefited nor harmed. A commensal may get shelter (protection), or ride, or support instead of or in addition to food. Epiphytes are space parasites, they use trees only for attachment and manufacture their own food by photosynthesis. In Vanda, an epiphytic orchid, a special kind of aerial roots (hanging roots) hang freely in the air and absorb moisture with the help of their special absorptive tissue called velamen.

Question 9.
What is the ecological principle behind the biological control method of managing pest insects?
Solution:
Predation is the means of biological control to manage pest insects where predators prey upon pests and regulate their numbers in the habitat.

Question 10.
Distinguish between the following:

1. Hibernation and Aestivation
2. Ectotherms and Endotherms

Solution:

1. Differences between hibernation and aestivation are as follows :
   
2. Differences between ectotherms and endotherms are as follows:
   

Question 11.
Write a short note on :
(a) Adaptations of desert plants and animals
(b) Adaptations of plants to water scarcity
(c) Behavioral adaptations in animals
(d) Importance of light to plants
(e) Effect of temperature or water scarcity and the adaptations of animals.
Solution:
a. Desert plants are called xerophytes. They have adaptations for increased water absorption, reduction in transpiration and water storage. Many desert plants have a thick cuticle on their leaf surfaces and have their stomata arranged in deep pits to minimise water loss through transpiration. They also have a special photosynthetic pathway that enables their stomata to remain closed during day time. In desert plants like Opuntia, leaves are reduced to spines. Animals of dry areas may use metabolic water and reduce water loss bypassing nearly solid faeces and urine.

b. Xerophytes have special adaptations to withstand prolonged periods of drought. These are of four types – ephemerals, annuals, succulents and non-succulent perennials.

• Ephemerals (drought escapers): Plants which live for a brief period and complete their life cycle during the rains.
• Annuals (drought evaders): Plants which continue to live for a few
  months even after rains in hot dry conditions. They have modifications to reduce transpiration.
• Succulents (drought resistants): Plants have fleshy organs to store large amounts of water. They have a very thick cuticle, sunken stomata which open during night only.
• Non-succulent perennials: These are true xerophytes. They have an extensive root system to absorb the maximum amount of water. They possess waxy coatings on leaves, sunken stomata, reduced leaf blades etc. to reduce transpiration.

c. The animals with variable temperatures called poikilotherms are affected by temperature variations. They are also called ectotherms. They show different adaptations like hibernation, aestivation, periodic activity, winter eggs, and migration.

d. Sun is the ultimate source of energy for most of the organisms on this earth. Light is the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Light (400 nm-700nm) is effective in photosynthesis and is called photo-synthetically active radiation or PAR. The intensity of light, duration of light, etc. are also influencing the growth of plants.

e. Animals live in arid regions show two kinds of adaptations

1. Reducing loss of water from their bodies.
2. Ability to tolerate arid conditions.

Question 12.
List the various abiotic environmental factors.
Solution:
Abiotic factors are non-living factors and conditions of the environment which influence the survival, function and behaviour of organisms. Various abiotic factors are :

(i) Temperature – Temperature is one of the most important environmental factors. The average temperature varies seasonally. It ranges from subzero level in polar areas and high altitudes to more than 50°C in tropical deserts in summer and exceeds 100°C in thermal springs and deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

(ii) Water – Next to temperature, water is the most important factor which influences the life of organisms. The productivity and distribution of land plants are dependent upon the availability of water. Animals are adapted according to water availability. E.g., aquatic animals are ammonotelic while xerophytic animals excrete dry feces and concentrated urine.

(iii) Light – Plants produce food through photosynthesis for which sunlight is essential to the source of energy. Light intensity, light duration and light quality influences the number of life processes in organisms, such as – photosynthesis, growth, transpiration, germination, pigmentation, movement and photoperiodism.

(iv) Humidity – Humidity refers to the moisture (water vapour) content of the air. It determines the formation of clouds, dew and fog. It affects the land organisms by regulating the loss of water as vapour from their bodies through evaporation, perspiration and transpiration.

(v) Precipitation – Precipitation means rainfall, snow, sleet or dew. Total annual rainfall, seasonal distribution humidity of the air and amount of water retained in the soil are the main criteria that limit the distribution of plants and animals on land.

(vi) Soil – The soil is one of the most important ecological factor called the edaphic factor. It comprises of different layers called horizons. The upper weathered humus containing part of soil sustains terrestrial plant life.

Question 13.
Give an example for:

1. An endothermic animal
2. An ectothermic animal
3. An organism of the benthic zone.

Solution:

1. Hedgehog
2. Frog
3. Sponges

Question 14.
Define population and community.
Solution:
Population: A population is a group of individuals of the same species, which can reproduce among themselves and occupy a particular area in a given time.

Community: It is an assemblage of several populations in a particular area and time and exhibits interaction and interdependence through trophic relationship.

Question 15.
Define the following terms and give one example for each.
(a) Commensalism
(b) Parasitism
(c) Camouflage
(d) Mutualism
(e) Interspecific competition
Solution:

a. Commensalism is an interspecific interaction between individuals of two species where one species is benefitted and the other is not affected.
e. g. Orchid and mango tree.

b. Parasitism is an interspecific interaction between individuals of two species where generally small species is benefitted and the large species are affected, e.g. Malarial parasite and human beings.

c. Camouflage: It is the ability of the animals to blend with the surroundings or background. In this way, animals remain unnoticed for protection or aggression. An example is a stick insect.

d. Mutualism is an interspecific interaction between individuals of two species where both the interacting species are benefitted in an obligatory way. e.g. Pollination in plants by animals.

e. Interspecific competition: It is an interaction between individuals of two species where both the interacting species are affected, e.g. Monarch butterfly and Queen monarch.

Question 16.
With the help of a suitable diagram describe the logistic population growth curve.
Solution:
Logistic population growth curve or S-shaped or sigmoid growth curve is shown by the populations of most organisms. It has the following phases: lag phase, log phase, exponential phase and stationary phase. In lag phase there is little or no increase in population. In log phase increase in population starts and occurs at a slow rate in the beginning. During exponential phase, increase in population becomes rapid and soon attains its full potential rate. This is due to the constant environment, availability of food and other requirements of life in plenty, absence of predation and interspecific competition and no serious intraspecific competition so that the curve rises steeply upward. The growth rate finally slows down as environmental resistance increases.

Finally, the population becomes stable during the stationary phase because now the number of new cells produced almost equals to the number of cells that die. Every population tends to reach a number at which it becomes stabilized with the resources of its environment. A stable population is said to be in equilibrium, or at saturation level. This limit in population is a constant K and is imposed by the carrying capacity of the environment. The sigmoid growth form is represented by the following equation :

r = intrinsic rate of natural increase
N = population density at time t; K = carrying capacity.

Question 17.
Select the statement which best explains parasitism.
(a) One organism is benefited.
(b) Both the organisms are benefited
(c) One organism is benefited, other is not affected
(d) One organism is benefited, other is affected.
Solution:
(d) One organism is benefited, other is affected,

Question 18.
List any three important characteristics of a population and explain.
Solution:
The three important characteristics of a population are:

1. Birth and death rate
2. Age structure
3. Sex ratio

(i) The birth rate (natality) of a population refers to the average number of young ones produced per unit time (usually per year). In the case of humans, it is commonly expressed as the number of births per 1,000 individuals in the population per year. The death rate (mortality) of a population is the average number of individuals that die per unit time (usually per year). In humans, it is commonly expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 persons in a population per year.

(ii) The age structure of a population is the percentage of individuals of different ages such as young, adult and old. Age structure is shown bv organisms in which individuals of more than one generation coexist. The ratio of various age groups in a population determines the current reproductive status of the population. It also indicates what may be expected in the future. The population is divided into three age groups; pre-reproductive, reproductive and post-reproductive.

(iii) The sex ratio of a population refers to the number of females per thousand male individuals. There were 933 females per 1,000 males in our country in the 2001 census. The number of females in a population is very important as it is often directly related to the number of births. The number of males may be less significant because in many species a single male can mate with several females.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 13 Organisms and Populations help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 13 Organisms and Populations, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.