Prasanna

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 6 The Ghat of the Only World. Students can get Class 11 English The Ghat of the Only World NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

The Ghat of the Only World NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 6

The Ghat of the Only World NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What impressions of Shahid do you gather from the piece?
Answer:
Agha Shahid Ali was a poet of life. He was lively in the face of an impending death. He loved people, food, poetry, teaching, music and kept himself engaged in all these so he did not have time to be depressed about his approaching death. He was true to his vocation as a poet and believed that art and form should be as important to a poet as his subject.

He wrote poems, perhaps the finest ones, about the political condition and violence in Kashmir, but he did . not embrace the role of victim, proving himself a true poet at heart and not a political personality. He was an ardent believer of the separation of politics and religion and believed that people could be happy with food, clothes, music and everything that was available to them; everything that was beautiful and good.

Question 2.
How do Shahid and the writer react to the knowledge that Shahid is going to die?
Answer:
There are two instances in the text when the author and Agha Shahid Ali talk about the latter’s impending death. Incidentally both the times they talk over phone. In both the instances, the author is dejected and at a loss as to how to respond to such a thing. Although he has known about Ali’s illness all the while, he finds it difficult to face, albeit not literally, the person who is going to die. But Ali seems quite in peace with this fact.

In both the instances, his voice sounds ‘quiet and untroubled’. In fact, in the first instance, his voice was, as the author puts it, ‘completely at odds with the content of what he had just said, light to the point of jocularity.’ This shows that Ali accepts his death and is at peace with his approaching end. In his last meeting with the author, he even says that he loves to think that he will meet his mother in the afterlife.

Question 3.
Look up the dictionary for the meaning of the word ‘diaspora’. What do you understand of the Indian diaspora from this piece?
Answer:
The meaning of the word ‘diaspora’ is dispersion or spread of people from their original country to other countries. From the piece, we get a glimpse of the Indian diaspora living in the US. Agha Shahid Ali, his brother and two sisters, the writer Suketu Mehta and the author of the piece, Amitav Ghosh, are some of the names mentioned in the text who form part of the Indian diaspora in the US.

Bom in India, the people of the diaspora settle down in different countries for various reasons. But they often rekindle their memory of the country they left in the social gatherings. They talk and write about their homeland. Like this piece, which is full of references to India, the diaspora consciousness is shaped by the sense of a home one left behind, a nostalgia one often indulged in and an unforgettable love one can only talk about but not go back to

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 9 Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 9 Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production

Question 1.
Explain in brief the role of animal husbandry in human welfare.
Solution:

• Animal husbandry evolves new techniques and technologies for the management of livestock like buffaloes, cows, pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, camels, goats, etc., that are useful to humans.
• These methods can also be applied to rearing animals like bees, silkworms, prawns, crabs, fishes birds, pigs, cattle, sheep, and camels for their products like milk, eggs, meat, wool, silk, honey, etc.

Role of animal husbandry in human welfare is discussed as follows:

1. Milk is an important product of farm animals that are consumed as such, in the form of curd, cheese, butter, ice cream, etc. Milk is the only source of animal protein for vegetarians and is a complete food. Most of the milk is obtained from cows and buffalo. Other milk-yielding animals are goat, sheep, camel, and yak.
2. Egg, like milk, is also a complete food. Chicken and duck are the two major sources of the egg.
3. Meat is a protein-rich diet that is obtained from all types of livestock, e.g., goat, sheep, pig, cattle, chicken, fish, etc.
4. Honey is a sweet syrup obtained from the hives of the honey bee. Honey is used in sweetening various preparations.
5. Fibers like wool and silk are two high-quality fibres which we get from animals. Wool is the hair of sheep, some goats, and rabbits. Silk is a product of silkworms.
6. The skins of many animals are converted into hides and leather.
7. Drought animals are trained to carry men and materials besides other functions, e.g., buffalo, bullock, horse, camel, ass, elephant, reindeer, yak.
8. The rearing of animals provides employment to many persons.
9. Animal byproducts like horns, feathers, bone, dung, and droppings are all used in developing useful products.

Question 2.
If your family owned a dairy farm, what measures would you undertake to improve the quality and quantity of milk production?
Solution:
Some of the measures to be followed for proper management of dairy farm are :

1. Selection of good breeds having high milk yielding potential according to the climatic conditions of the area.
2. The shed under which the cattle are kept should be well ventilated with an adequate water supply for drinking as well as for washing. Shed should have pucca floor and proper drainage channel.
3. The feed of the animals should be a balanced diet with right proportions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and roughage and it should be given timely in good quantity.
4. Cleanliness and hygiene comes first for maintaining the livestock’s health and productivity. So, washing cattle and taking precautionary measures while milking are a must.
5. Inspection, keeping records of the activities and consulting a veterinary doctor for regular checkups of the livestock should be undertaken.

Question 3.
What is meant by the term ‘breed’? What are the objectives of animal breeding?
Solution:
A group of animals which are related by descent to each other and possess similar characteristics like appearance, size, features etc. are said to belong to a breed. The purpose of animal breeding is to produce animals with increased yield, faster growth, improved reproductive rate.

Question 4.
Name the methods employed in animal breeding. According to you which of the methods is best? Why?
Solution:
Animal breeding is producing improved breeds of domesticated animals by improving their genotypes through selective mating. There are two methods of animal breeding, natural breeding which includes inbreeding, out-breeding, cross-breeding, out-crossing, etc., and artificial breeding which involves artificial insemination and multiple ovulation embryo transfer technology (MOET). It involves inseminating the native cows with the semen of superior bulls of exotic or indigenous breeds. Artificial breeding is the best method of breeding because of the following reasons:

• Semen collected from males may be used immediately or can be frozen and used later.
• The semen of desired bulls is collected under hygienic conditions, preserved, and sent to all insemination centres throughout the country.
• Semen collected from one bull can be used to inseminate many cows as fewer sperms are required to achieve conception when semen is deposited artificially. Hence, artificial insemination is very economical.
• It is healthier as the spread of sexually transmitted diseases can be controlled by this technique.

Question 5.
What is apiculture? How is it important in our lives?
Solution:
Apiculture is the practice of bee-keeping for the production of various products such as honey-bee’s wax, etc. Honey is a highly nutritious food source and is used as an indigenous system of medicines. Other commercial products obtained from honeybees include bee’s wax and bee pollen. Bee’s wax is used for making cosmetics, polishes and is even used in several medicinal preparations. Therefore, to meet the increasing demand of honey, people have started practicing bee-keeping on a large scale. It has become an income-generating activity for farmers since it requires low investment and is labour intensive.

Question 6.
Discuss the role of fishery in the enhancement of food production.
Solution:
Fishery is the rearing, breeding, catching & marketing of fishes and other aquatic animals. Fishes are important food for a large portion of human population. Meat of fishes is a rich source of proteins and other useful substances like polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The meat of other aquatic animals like prawn, crab is also consumed as food by human beings.

Question 7.
Briefly describe various steps involved in plant breeding.
Solution:
The major steps in breeding a new genetic variety of a crop are as follows:

1. Collection of variability.
2. Evaluation and selection of parents.
3. Cross-hybridization among the selected parents.
4. Selection and testing of superior recombinants.
5. Testing, release, and commercialization of new cultivars.

Question 8.
Explain what is meant by biofortification.
Solution:
Biofortification is method of breeding crops with higher levels of vitamins and minerals, or higher proteins and healthier fats in view to improve public health. E.g., iron-fortified rice containing five times more iron than other varieties, wheat variety, Atlas 66 having high protein content, maize varieties having high lysine and tryptophan are produced.

Question 9.
Which part of the plant is best suited for making virus-free plants and why?
Solution:
The terminal bud having apical meristem are the best-suited parts of the plant for making a virus-free plant because they are not infected by a virus.

Question 10.
What is the major advantage of producing plants by micropropagation?
Solution:
Micropropagation is the tissue culture technique used for rapid vegetative multiplication of ornamental plants and fruit trees by using small-sized explants. Because of the minute size of the propagules in the culture, the propagation technique is named micropropagation. This method of tissue culture produces several plants. Each of these plants will be genetically identical to the original plant from which explants were taken. Plants obtained by vegetative propagation of a single plant constitute a somaclonal. The members of a single somaclonal have the same genotype. It is the only process adopted by Indian plant biotechnologists in different industries mainly for the commercial production of ornamental plants like lily, orchids, Eucalyptus, Cinchona, blueberry, etc., and fruit trees like tomato, apple, banana, grapes, potato, Citrus, palm, etc.

Question 11.
Find out what the various components of the medium used for propagation of an explant in vitro are.
Solution:
The major components of the medium for in-vitro propagation are:

• Water
• Agar-agar
• Sucrose
• Inorganic salts
• Vitamins
• Amino acids
• Growth hormones like Auxin, Cytokinins.

Question 12.
Name any five hybrid varieties of crop plants which have been developed in India.
Solution:
Some of the hybrid varieties of plants in India are:

• Pusa Gaurav
• Pusa Sem 2
• Pusa Sem 3
• Pusa Sawani
• Pusa A-4

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 9 Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 9 Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 1 The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse. Students can get Class 11 English The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Snapshots Chapter 1

The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Question 1.
You will probably agree that this story does not have breathless adventure and exciting action. Then what in your opinion makes it interesting?
Answer:
This story does not have breathless adventure and exciting action, yet it is immensely interesting for its refreshing innocence. It is a beautiful reminder of what life was like before materialism gained sway. The story poignantly brings out the point of intersection between the fading influence of old country values and the evolving realisation of the younger characters that might at a point of time lead them away from the values of the community. Bom into a family famed for its honesty, Mourad and Aram hide the white horse and ride it for a long period.

At the same time, the two children—Aram and Mourad—despite the fact that they take away the white horse and put the owner, John Byro, through a lot of inconvenience—do not emerge as delinquents. They are simple innocent youngsters, who are led by temptation of possessing a horse but intend to return it to the owner. The moral fibre of the community brings them back to the path of righteousness. One waits in anticipation to know how the events will take a turn and how the two youngsters will react.

Question 2.
Did the boys return the horse because they were conscience-stricken or because they were afraid?
Answer:
The boys returned the horse because they were conscience-stricken and not because they were afraid. Various pointers in the story lead to this conclusion. Firstly, the tribe had been famous for their honesty for eleven centuries and they took pride in their values. Secondly, when John Byro said that his white horse was stolen last month and was still untraceable, Aram went straight to Mourad’s house and asked him to promise not to take it back until he leamt to ride.

Mourad was outraged. He said that a member of the Garoghlanian family would not steal. “The horse must go back to its true owner.” Thirdly, when on the way to Fetvajian’s deserted vineyard they met John Byro who studied the horse and said that he would swear that it was his horse if he didn’t know their parents, and he would rather believe his heart than his eyes they had no reason to fear. It was their sense of right and wrong that made them return it.

Question 3.
“One day back there in the good old days when I was nine and the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence, and life was still a delightful and mysterious dream…” The story begins in a mood of nostalgia.
Can you narrate some incident from your childhood that might make an interesting story?
Answer:
I grew up at a time when pranks were innocent. Children would often tie a piece of string to someone’s door handle and run around the street after knocking at the door—when the householder came to answer the door they had difficulty opening it. One such memory that is etched in my mind is when I was barely eight-years-old.

We ran into trouble when we challenged each other to eat as many sweets as we could. It was inspired by one of the ‘dare’ shows on television. We were told of the repercussions of various stunts performed, so eating sweets was not only safe but satisfied our gluttonous instincts as well.

But as Mom was very strict and gave us a portion a day, we tried to get the sweets ourselves. With our minds set on this purpose and in absolute silence, we started to Climb towards the wardrobe, which in those times, seemed as high as a 500 metre tall sky-scraper. We managed to get on a tall chair and from there on to the window’s sill, which was near the cupboard. Then, we aimed for the top of the cupboard where the sweets were kept, towards which we jumped and managed to hold on to with our hands while hanging in the air.

After that, we reached out for the sweets, with the other holding on to the cupboard. Once we grabbed a piece of chocolate or a candy, we were supposed to jump on the floor and enjoy our ‘prize’ without anyone knowing about it.

Despite our ‘perfect plan’, something went wrong. I was the first one to reach the top of the cupboard and I jumped. But when my sister, Geeta’s turn came, she wasn’t as lucky as me: she got stuck on the handle of the cupboard and remained hanging by her trousers. She looked very funny hanging head over heels. She started to panic, and we made desperate attempts to free her. At that moment of ‘crisis’, entered Mom, who was shocked to see the sight and we didn’t know where to look.

Question 4.
The story revolves around characters who belong to a tribe in Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Now locate Armenia and Assyria on the atlas and prepare a write-up on the Garoghlanian tribes. You may write about people, their names, traits, geographical and economic features as suggested in the story.
Answer:
Armenia is a country located in Eurasia, which is surrounded by nations like Turkey and Iran in the west, Georgia in the North and Azerbaijan in the east. Assyria refers to the cultural region inhabited historically by the Assyrian people which includes parts of Turkey, Iran and Syria. The Assyrians also form minority communities in nations like Armenia. Both Armenia and Assyria are considered amongst the oldest kingdoms in the world with histories dating back to before 6th century BC.

William Saroyan’s book My Name is Aram published in 1940 set in Fresno, California, is based on his own personal experiences of growing up in an Armenian family.In the story Saroyan describes how every branch of the Garoghlanian tribe was living in poverty and no one, including the old men in the family, knew how they managed to make ends meet.

He mentions that the defining feature of their tribe was their honesty, their pride and strong belief in what was right and wrong, and for over eleven centuries they were recognised for these characteristics.

Whether it was in the past when they were wealthy or more recently when they live in poverty, their honour was more important to them than anything else. Their honesty was so widely recognised that even when the Assyrian farmer John Byro finds his stolen horse with Mourad and the narrator, he calls it a twin of his horse and lets them go rather than doubt and confront them. Byro out of respect for their family also walks 10 miles to confide in their uncle Khosrove, despite the lack of concern shown by Khosrove who expresses more anger at the Garoghlanian family having lost their homeland.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 5 A Roadside Stand. Students can get Class 12 English A Roadside Stand NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

A Roadside Stand NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 5

A Roadside Stand NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

A Roadside Stand Think it out 

Question 1.
The city folk who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to the roadside stand or to the people who ran it. If at all they did, it was to complain. Which lines bring this out? What was their complaint about?
Answer:
The lines that bring out the irritation of the passers-by are:
Or if ever aside a moment, the out of sorts
At having the landscape marred….
They complained that the disfigured paint of the stall spoilt the beauty of the landscape, the signposts pointed the wrong way and the stalls were not maintained.

Question 2.
What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand?
Answer:
The people of the roadside stand sat in prayer that some city traffic should stop by and buy their wares so that they could make some money to improve their life beyond mere survival.

Question 3.
The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor rural people, but actually do them no good. Pick out the words and phrases the poet uses to show their double standards.
Answer:
The poet uses the word ‘greedy good-doers, beneficent beasts of prey’ and ‘enforcing benefits that are calculated’.

Question 4.
What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it in vain?
Answer:
The poet refers to the tireless longing of the stall owners for some car to stop by and give them an opportunity to make some money. But they wait in vain because the cars just pass by without thinking of the hope and longing of the sad faces peeping from the windows. If at all they stop, it is to ask the way or to take turn.

Question 5.
Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural people?
Answer:
The lines that express the poet’s insufferable pain are:
I wonder how I should like you to come to me
And offer to put me gently out of my pain.

A Roadside Stand Extra Questions and Answers

A Roadside Stand Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What is the untold sorrow of the owners of the roadside stand?
Answer:
The untold sorrow of the roadside stand owners is that nobody pays attention to the efforts of the country folk to make some money. The city folk just pass by their stalls without helping them to maike some money. Their lives have not progressed at all as they merely earn to survive.

Question 2.
What is the poet’s complaint in the poem?
Answer:
The poet does not complain like passers-by that the landscape has been marred. He is complaining about the lack of opportunity and encouragement to these people in the countryside. He is upset about the sorrow of those who had set up the roadside stall in the hope that people would stop by and some money would tickle into their palms.

Question 3.
Why do country people ask for money?
Answer:
The country people ask for money to improve their lives. They set up stalls on (he roadside in the hope that they would make some money by selling goods of daily use and make their life better, as they had seen in movies and as had been promised by the party in power.

Question 4.
What was the news that was doing the rounds?
Answer:
There was news that the people in power were planning to move all these rural people to the city next to the theatre and the big stores. Their lives would be secured and they would not have to worry about themselves any longer. They were promised that they would soon be pulled out of their poverty.

Question 5.
How would the innocent be soothed out of their wits?
Answer:
The selfish good-doers would outwit the simple innocent people into believing that their intentions and efforts were for their improvement, while they would be seeking their own profits from the labour of these folks.

Question 6.
Why are the cars called ‘selfish’?
Answer:
The poet has used a transferred epithet here. He actually means to call the car owners selfish as they just pass by without a thought for the plight of the owners of the roadside stands and if at all they do stop, it is either to complain or to turn their car round.

Question 7.
What is the sadness that lurks near the open window there?
Answer:
The poet is referring to the disappointed faces that wait in vain at their stall windows for someone to ask for their wares and drop some money in their palm. But their hopes for a better living are belied.

Question 8.
What is the open prayer made by the country folk?
Answer:
The country folk make an open appeal to the city dwellers that they should not be selfish. They expectantly pray for the city cars to stop at their roadside stand and help them lead a better life.

Question 9.
What is the trusting sorrow? What remains unsaid?
Answer:
The country folk trust their rich brethren in the city to come to their help but they feel sad when their trust is breached by the city people through their indifference. Although the city people have said nothing but their silence speaks volumes about their cold and indifferent attitude to the rural poor, who feel hurt by it.

Question 10.
Which things irritated those passers-by who stopped at the roadside stand?
Answer:
The passers-by got irritated by the tastelessly painted roadside stand. The thought that the artless decor of the stand was in disharmony with their surroundings and it had destroyed the scenic beauty of the landscape. Even their ‘N’ and ‘S’ on the signboards was wrongly presented. They did not approve of the things offered for sale.

Question 11.
Why did the people driving along the highway think that the landscape was marred?
Answer:
The people driving along the highway objected to the tastelessly painted roadside stand. They thought that the artless decor of the stand was in disharmony with the surroundings and had destroyed the scenic beauty of the landscape. Although the shed had been recently renovated but it could never impress the city dwellers. They were always critical and felt that these unhygienically maintained roadside stands marred the beautiful mountain scene.

Question 12.
Who actually stopped near the sheds put up by the farmers at the edges of the road?
Answer:
The poet states clearly that three cars stopped but none inquired about the prices of the farmer’s produce. One car stopped to reverse and another asked the way to where it was bound. The third foolishly asked if they could sell it a gallon of gas.

Question 13.
What would be the great relief for the poet in reference to these village folks?
Answer:
The poet says loudly that he would be happy to own the great relief if the pains of these people were removed at one stroke. Obviously, he is much moved by their pathetic plight of life. He wants something to be done to improve their lives economically.

Question 14.
What hope does the poet nurture about himself when he asks that these people should be put at one stroke out of their pain?
Answer:
The poet hopes that these people are put at one stroke out of their pain. The poet wants that the authorities should come to him and offer to put him ‘gently out of my pain’. The poet identifies himself with the village folks as far as their economic conditions are concerned.

Question 15.
What is the poet’s attitude to the good-doers and why is it so?
Answer:
The poet condemns the good-doers for they actually take away the villagers’ freedoms to think for themselves. They force benefits on them which lull them into doing nothing and destroy their peace of mind and their lives. He criticizes them for exploiting the villagers for their own gains.

Question 16.
What different attitudes do the city dwellers display to the country people?
Answer:
The city dwellers are indifferent to the plight of the country people and ignore the stands selling their goods. They get irritated with them for spoiling the landscape with their wrong signboards. They also exploit them for their selfish gains by offering them hollow charity which spoils their lives.

Question 17.
On what occasions do the country people express their anger at the city elite?
Answer:
The country people get angry with the city elite when, despite having money, they do not buy any of their goods. Again when a car stops and asks for gas which they obviously do not have, but does not ask the price of what they are actually selling.

Question 18.
What do the country people want?
Answer:
The country people want a share in the wealth enjoyed by the city people which they also have a right to, so that they can improve their conditions and lead better lives just as those promised by the movies and which the government has denied them.

Question 19.
Why are the country folks disappointed?
Answer:
The country folks have put up a roadside stand to sell their wares to the city dwellers. They desperately hope to earn some city money so that they could support their lives with it. They are disappointed because the city dwellers rush away in their polished cars with their minds focused only on their destination. If ever they pause, they are rather critical in their comments. They complain that the roadside stand had marred the scenic beauty of the landscape.

Question 20.
Bring out the contrast between the urban rich and the rural poor.
Answer:
The urban rich are on the move, they are in a hurry, they are speeding looking ahead. They have no time to inquire about the goods put up by rural poor for sale. On the other hand, the rural poor are standing and pleading for help.

Question 21.
How does the poet describe the double standards of the government and other social service agencies towards the poor rural people?
Answer:
The poet is sad that the government which came into power had many promises for the wellbeing of rural poor folks. But it and other social agencies did nothing for that. These poor rural people put up their roadside stands to sell what they produce. But no passer-by buys them. The poet feels much pain at their poor plight.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 4 Childhood. Students can get Class 11 English Childhood  NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

Childhood NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 4

Childhood NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Childhood Think it out

Question 1.
Identify the stanza that talks of each of the following.
Answer:
Individuality rationalism hypocrisy
Stanza I deals with rationalism.
Stanza II deals with hypocrisy.
Stanza III deals with individuality.

Question 2.
What according to the poem is involved in the process of growing up?
Answer:
According to the poet, the process of growing up primarily means loss of innocence and simplicity. It means losing trust in people, noticing their faults and becoming more individualistic. It essentially means loss of sincerity, faith, trust and acceptance.

Question 3.
What is the poet’s feeling towards childhood?
Answer:
The poet feels that childhood is a period of innocence when one accepts people at face value and trusts ffiem. It is that time of life when one trusts others without dwelling on the insincerity in the world. It is a phase of acceptance and humility.

Question 4.
Which do you think are the most poetic lines? Why?
Answer:
The last stanza of the poem is most poetic as it summarises the poem with sensitivity and seeks solace in the fact that the virtues related with childhood are not dead and gone. However, they are just found in children who the poet still considers virtuous.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1 The Portrait of a Lady. Students can get Class 11 English The Portrait of a Lady NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

The Portrait of a Lady NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 1

The Portrait of a Lady NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Portrait of a Lady Understanding the text

Mention

Question 1.
The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
Answer:
The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad were:
(a) Admiration and friendship – The author admired his grandmother and described her as the “winter landscape in the mountains, an expanse of pure white serenity breathing peace and contentment”. They were good friends. She woke him up in the morning and got him ready for school. She waited for him while he was in school and then walked him back.

(b) Growing distant – She could not accompany him to school as he went by the school bus. He was now in an English school, where they taught science. She could not understand English and did not believe in science. The fact that they were not taught about god made her unhappy. Khushwant Singh’s learning music in school made her unhappier as she felt it was not meant for gentle folk.

(c) Wide gulf – When he went to the university, he got a separate room and even the last link of a shared room was snapped. The grandmother kept to her spinning wheel, rarely talking to anyone.

Question 2.
Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Answer:
The three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school were:

• She did not believe in the things they taught at the English school.
• She was distressed that they were not taught about God and the scriptures.
• She was very disturbed about the fact that he was being given music lessons. To her, music was not the way of the gentle folk.

Question 3.
Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
Answer:
The three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up were:

• She was resigned to her loneliness and did not interact much with the author.
• From sunrise to sunset she sat by her wheel, spinning and reciting prayers.
• In the afternoon, she relaxed for a while to feed the sparrows.

Question 4.
The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
Answer:
Unlike the doctors who believed that she would recover, the grandmother knew that her end was near. She said, since only a few hours before the close of the last chapter of her life she had omitted to pray, she was not going to waste any more time talking to them. She ignored their protests. She lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads till her lips stopped moving and the rosary fell from her lifeless fingers.

Question 5.
The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Answer:
When the grandmother died, thousands of sparrows collected and sat in the courtyard. There was no chirruping. When the author’s mother threw some bread for them, they took no notice of the bread. They were full of grief at her death and flew away quietly after the cremation. The breadcrumbs had to be swept away the next day.

The Portrait of a Lady Talking about the text 

Talk to your partner about the following.

Question 1.
The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
Answer:
The author recalls his grandmother as a very religious person. In his earliest memories he recalls her hobbling about the house telling the beads of her rosary. As she bathed him she said her morning prayer, hoping that he, too, would learn it. While he studied in school, she read scriptures inside the temple.

Once the author went to the university, and he and his grandmother drifted apart, she rarely left her spinning wheel to talk to anyone. From sunrise to sunset she sat by her wheel, spinning and reciting prayers. The author recalls that even during the last few hours she spent all her time praying.

Question 2.
Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each
other change?
Answer:
When the author was a young boy, his parents shifted to the city leaving him with his grandmother. They were good friends and spent all their time together. She woke him up each morning, bathed him, dressed him, plastered his wooden slate, gave him breakfast and walked him to school. While he sat in the veranda learning, the grandmother sat inside the temple reading scriptures.

When they had both finished, they would walk back together. But once in the city, there was a turning point in their friendship. The only thing that remained unchanged was their common bedroom. She could not accompany him to school as he went by the school bus. He now went to an English school, where they taught science.

She could not understand English and did not believe in science. The fact that they were not taught about god made her unhappy. His learning music in school made her feel worse. When he went to the university, he got a separate room and this snapped off their ties even further.

This was not deliberate but the demands of the situation had this effect on their relationship. However, their feelings for each other never changed. When the writer was going abroad, she went to the railway station to see him off but did not speak a word, she only kissed his forehead. The writer cherished this as their last physical contact as he was going away for five years. But when he returned, she was still there and was delighted to see him back.

In the evening she, for whom music had lewd associations, collected women from the neighbourhood and beat the drum and sang for hours of the homecoming of the warriors. For the first time, she missed her prayers to celebrate the author’s homecoming. The next day, she developed a mild fever and died; it was almost as if she had been waiting for the author’s return.

Question 3.
Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances
that show this.
Answer:
Khushwant Singh’s grandmother was a strong woman whom he loved and admired. When his parents went to the city, she took charge of him. In the city, although she disapproved of certain things that he was taught in school, she did not express it.

She had the inner strength to withdraw quietly. The writer also recalls, with pleasure, the moments when he was going abroad; she went to the railway station to see him off but did not talk or show any emotion.

Her lips moved in prayer and she kissed his forehead silently. The strength of her character was also evident during the last few days of her life. She knew that her end was near. She said that she was not going to waste any more time talking to anybody.

She ignored their protests and lay peacefully in bed praying and telling her beads till the last moment. A peaceful pallor spread on her face and they knew that she was dead.

Question 4.
Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?
Answer:
The death of a grandparent is probably one of the worst things that can happen to you as a child. Facing death can be sad or frightening to anyone, but as a child, it seems all the more difficult to cope with all the pain, grief, and confusion. I experienced this as a child of six when I lost my grandfather. My parents, too, were undergoing a trauma but they were almost oblivious to my grief.

They did not realise that although I did not fully understand the finality of death, I felt miserable. I went through intense and confusing emotions. They felt I was too young to understand the finality of death. For me, first it was shock, then denial, as I couldn’t accept what had happened. Then I was angry, and finally sadness and depression engulfed me. I wanted to withdraw from the world, not wanting to see or speak to anyone, or do anything.

For days I wanted to look through his belongings. I would sit in his room for hours. Perhaps, subconsciously, it was my way of reaching out to him. There were times when I thought I would never enjoy life the same way again. Later, I learnt that this is a natural reaction after a loss. “Time is the best healer,” say people but I feel it only covers the -hurt. The loss of a dear one stays with you forever.

(Answers will vary).

The Portrait of a Lady Thinking about language

Question 1.
Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Answer:
Punjabi – as the writer and his grandmother belonged to a Punjabi Sikh family. Moreover, they lived in a village.

Question 2.
Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?
Answer:
Languages used in India by different families include Hindi, Odiya, Bhojpuri, Santhali, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Bengali, Assamese, Nagamese, Mizo, Nepali, amongst numerous other languages across the country. (Answers will vary).

Question 3.
How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?
(Answers will vary).

Question 4.
Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?
(Answers will vary).

The Portrait of a Lady Working with words

I. Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text.

• Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
• I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning.
• At her age one could never tell.
• She told us that her end was near.

Given below are four different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed above.

1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words
2. count while reciting
3. be sure
4. give information to somebody

• Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary –  count while reciting
• I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning – give information to somebody
• At her age one could never tell –  be sure
• She told us that her end was near – make something known to someone in spoken or written words

II. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’.

• to take to something: to begin to do something as a habit
• to take ill: to suddenly become ill

Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.

• There were no dogs in the streets and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house.
• The next morning she was taken ill.

III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition.

Tick the words in the box below that also refer to a manner of walking

• shuffle – to walk dragging your feet
• stride – pace, step
• waddle – to walk with short steps while causing the body; to tilt slightly from one side to the other, especially because of having short legs and being overweight
• swagger – strut, parade
• trudge – plod, walk with difficulty

The Portrait of a Lady Things to do

Talk with your family members about elderly people who you have been intimately connected with and who are not there with you now. Write a short description of someone you liked a lot. (Answers will vary).

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 3 Keeping Quiet. Students can get Class 12 English Keeping Quiet NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

Keeping Quiet NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 3

Keeping Quiet NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Keeping Quiet Think it out 

Question 1.
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
Answer:
The poet advises his readers to count up to twelve and keep still to achieve a sense of togetherness. The poet advises on introspection by taking a break from the mundane activities of life. He compares this with the earth that seems quiet and yet nurtures so much life on it.

Question 2.
Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Answer:
No, the poet does not advocate total inactivity and death. He feels that peace and tranquillity should*not be confused with lethargy. He compares lethargy to death itself. He wants a perceptive silence in which people are not obsessed with apparent progress. The self- introspection might also lead to less violence and destruction.

Question 3.
What is the “sadness” that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer:
The “sadness” that the poet talks about refers to the ceaseless activity that leaves little time for self-analysis and finally leads to doom. This mindless activity leads men to destruction. They kill whales and injure themselves by chemicals or fire. He also pleads with mankind to end environmental degradation. Such activities lead to a situation that is a mere illusion of victory, but in actuality, is fatal.

Question 4.
What symbol from nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
Answer:
The poet invokes a powerful symbol of the Earth to educate that there can be life under apparent stillness. He says that Earth is a great teacher. In its quietness, its strong message resounds. It seems silent and yet nurtures so much life on it. The poet wants to begin his mission of giving our lives a thought. He wants us to be productive in our silence.

Keeping Quiet Extra Questions and Answers

Keeping Quiet Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
How are the first two lines different from the last two lines of the poem?
Answer:
The first two lines appeal to the reader to count till twelve and keep silent. The speaker expresses his desire for silence and peace as an answer to end mindless activity. Whereas, in the last two lines, he wants the people to begin the exercise at their own level. He moves on to initiate this activity elsewhere.

Question 2.
What is the kind of a world that Neruda dreams of?
Answer:
Neruda dreams of a calm, quiet and a peaceful world where the hallmark would be togetherness. He dreams of a world which is free of destructive activity.

Question 3.
According to the poet, silence is profound. Justify.
Answer:
According to the poet, silence is the hope for a peaceful world. Silence is opposed to lethargy as it is the time for introspection. In the present world, the poet feels that people are obsessed with seeming progress that . leads to their destruction.

Question 4.
Earth is the best teacher. Why does the poet feel so?
Answer:
The poet feels that Earth is the best teacher because it is quiet and calm, yet nurtures so much life on it. He implies that such silence is productive as serenity and tranquillity leads to progress.

Keeping Quiet Value Based Question

Question 1.
The poem “Keeping Quiet” is based on the theme of universal peace and tranquillity. Justify.
Answer:
Neruda begins the poem by urging his readers to observe a moment of stillness and silence. He longs for a moment sans communication and activity where man is at complete peace with himself and his surroundings. _ This “exotic moment” would be a moment of universal peace. He feels, humans are preoccupied with their own progress which deprives them of the true pleasure of living. They merely exist and indulge in meaningless activities like that of the fishermen harming the whales. Man through his meaningless trysts endangers the environment and his own life.

The poet thus urges people to cleanse their souls, wear clean clothes and walk peacefully in universal brotherhood. The poet however, does not want the readers to confuse tranquillity with total inactivity, which meant sluggishness and death. He urges people to be unselfish and wants them to allow a moment of silence to interject their fast-moving, useless lives. He wants people to look upon Earth as a teacher, to fulfil a greater purpose in life.

Give examples from the poem of the following poetic devices.

Personification
“face of the earth”

Synecdoche
“not move our arms so much”

Hyperbole
“victory with no survivors”

Contrasting/antithetical imagery
“wars/ walk about with their brothers in shade”

 

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 5 Principles of Inheritance and Variation

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 5 Principles of Inheritance and Variation

Question 1.
Mention the advantages of selecting pea plant for experiment by Mendel.
Solution:

1. The plant shows clear-cut contrasting characters.
2. Hybrids are perfectly fertile.
3. Genes for the seven contrasting characters are located on seven separate chromosomes.
4. Easy to cultivate.
5. The floral structure is suitable for artificial pollination.
6. Short growth period and life cycle.
7. Cross-pollination is easy if self-pollination is prevented.
8. Pure breeding varieties are available

Question 2.
Differentiate between the following:

1. Dominant and Recessive
2. Homozygous and Heterozygous
3. Monohybrid and Dihybrid

Solution:

1. Differences between dominant and recessive genes are as follows :
   
2. Differences between homozygous and heterozygous are as follows :
   
3. Differences between monohybrid and dihybrid cross are as follows :
   

Question 3.
A diploid organism is heterozygous for 4 loci, how many types of gametes can be produced?
Solution:
A diploid organism heterozygous for 4 loci will have the supported genetic constitution YyRr for two characters. The alleles Y-y and R-r will be present on different 4 loci. Each parent will produce four types of gametes – YR, Yr, yR, yr.

Question 4.
Explain the law of dominance using a monohybrid cross.
Solution:
The Law of dominance states that when a pair of alleles or allelomorphs are brought together in F₁ hybrid, then only one of them expresses itself, masking the expression of the other completely. Monohybrid cross was made to study the simultaneous inheritance of a single pair of Mendelian factors. The cross in which only alternate forms of a single character are taken into consideration is called a monohybrid cross. The trait which appeared in the F₁ generation was called dominant and the other which did not appear in the F₁ population was called recessive.

Thus, when a pair of alleles are brought together in an F₁ hybrid, then only one of them expresses itself masking the expression of the other completely. In the above example, in Tt – F₁ hybrid (tall) only ‘T’ expresses itself so dominant, and ‘t’ is masked so recessively. Thus, this’ proves and explains the law of dominance.

Question 5.
Define and design a test-cross.
Solution:
The crossing of F₁ individuals having dominant phenotype with its homozygous recessive parent is called test cross. The test cross is used to determine whether the individuals exhibiting dominant character are homozygous or heterozygous.
Example: When a tall plant (TT) is crossed with the dwarf plant (tt) in the F₁, generation only tall plant (Tt) appears which is then crossed with homozygous recessive (tt) in a test cross.

In the given test cross between tall heterozygous F₁ hybrid with dwarf homozygous recessive parent produces tall and dwarf progeny in equal proportion indicating that F : hybrids are heterozygous.

Question 6.
Using a Punnett square, work out the distribution of phenotypic features in the first filial generation after a cross between a homozygous female and a heterozygous male for a single locus.
Solution:
When a heterozygous male tall plant (Tt) is crossed with the homozygous dominant female tall plant (TT), we get two types of gametes in males: half with T and a half with t, and in females, we get only one type of gametes i.e., T.

From the Punnett square it is seen that all the progeny in the F generation are tall (Tt), 50% homozygous tall (TT), and 50% heterozygous tall (Tt).

Question 7.
When a cross is made between a tall plant with yellow seeds (TtYy) and a tall plant with the green seed (Ttyy), what proportions of phenotype in the offspring could be expected to be

1. tall and green
2. dwarf and green

Solution:

Phenotypes of the offsprings –
Tall Yellow : 3
Tall Green : 3
Dwarf Green: 1
Dwarf Yellow: 1
(a) Proportion of tall and green is 3/8.
(b) Proportion of dwarf and green is 1/8.

Question 8.
Two heterozygous parents are crossed. If the two loci are linked what would be the distribution of phenotypic features in F₁ generation for a dihybrid cross?
Solution:
Two heterozygous parents (i.e. GgLl and GgLl) are crossed and the two loci are linked then the cross will be

This means, if ‘G’ represent grey body (dorhinant), ‘g’ black body (recessive), ‘L’-long (dominant) and ‘I’-dwarf (recessive) then the distribution of phenotypic features in F1 generation will be 3 : 1 i.e. 3/4 will show the dominant feature, grey and long, either in homozygous (GGLL) or in heterozygous (GgLl) condition and 1/4 will show the recessive feature, black and dwarf (ggll).

Question 9.
Briefly mention the contribution of T.H. Morgan in genetics.
Solution:
TH Morgan is a Geneticist who got Nobel Prize.

• He found fruit fly (Drosophila Melanogaster) to be an experimental material as it was easy to rear and multiply.
• The established presence of genes over the chromosomes.
• Principle of linkage and crossing over.
• Discovered sex linkage and crossing over.
• He observed mutations.
• The developed technique of chromosome mapping,
• Wrote the book “The theory of Gene”.

Question 10.
What is pedigree analysis? Suggest how such an analysis, can be useful.
Solution:
A record of inheritance of certain genetic traits for two or more generations presented in the form of a diagram of family tree is called pedigree. Pedigree analysis is study of pedigree for the transmission of particular trait and finding the possibility of absence or presence of that trait in homozygous or heterozygous state in a particular individual. Pedigree analysis is useful for the following:

• It is useful for the genetic counsellors to advice intending couples about the possibility of having children with genetic defects like haemophilia, colour blindness, alkaptonuria, phenylketonuria, thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia (recessive traits), brachydactyly and syndactyly (dominant traits).
• Pedigree analysis indicates that Mendel’s principles are also applicable to human genetics with some modifications found out later like quantitative inheritance, sex linked characters and other linkages.
• It can indicate the origin of a trait in the ancestors, e.g., haemophilia appeared in Queen Victoria and spread in royal families of Europe through marriages.
• It helps to know the possibility of a recessive allele to create a disorder in the progeny like thalassemia, muscular dystrophy, haemophilia.
• It can indicate about the harm that a marriage between close relatives, may cause.
• It helps to identify whether a particular genetic disease is due to a recessive gene or a dominant gene.
• In certain cases it may help to identify the genotypes of offspring yet to be born.

Question 11.
How is sex determined in human beings?
Solution:
In humans, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes. 22 pairs of these chromosomes do not take part in sex determination called autosomes. The 23rd pair determines the sex of an individual called allosome or sex chromosome. If it is XX then female, if XY then male. The presence of Y¹ makes a person male. Human females produce only 1 type of gamete 22 + X. In males, it could be 22 + X or 22+ Y.

Question 12.
A child has blood group O. If the father has blood group A and mother blood group B, work out the genotypes of the parents and the possible genotypes of the other offsprings.
Solution:
If the father has blood group A i.e., I^AI^A (homozygous) and mother has blood group B i.e., I^BI^B (homozygous) then all the offsprings will have blood group AB (I^AI^B) and not blood group O.


Thus the genotypes of the parents of child with blood group O will be I^Ai and I^Bi There is the possibility of 3 other types of blood groups of offsprings besides O blood group offspring. They are I^Ai (blood group A). I^Bi (blood group B) and I^AI^B (blood group AB).

Question 13.
Explain the following terms with an example:

1. Codominance
2. Incomplete dominance

Solution:
Codominance (1 : 2 : 1) — It is the phenomenon of two alleles (different forms of a Mendelian factor present on the same gene locus on homologous chromosomes) lacking dominant- recessive relationship and are able to express themselves independently when present together.

Example – AB blood group: Alleles for blood group A(I^A) and blood group B(I^B) are codominant so that when they come together in an individual, they produce blood group AB. It is characterized by the presence of both antigen A (from I^A) and antigen B (from I^B) over the surface of erythrocytes.

Incomplete dominance (1 : 2 : 1) – It is the phenomenon where none of the two contrasting alleles being dominant so that expression in the hybrid is intermediate between the expressions of the two alleles in the homozygous state. F₂ phenotypic ratio is 1 : 2 : 1, similar to genotypic ratio. Example-In Mirabilis jalapa (Four o’clock) and Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon or dog flower), there are two types of flower colour generation are of three types- red, pink and white flowered in the ratio of 1 : 2 : 1. The pink colour apparently appears either due to the mixing of red and white colours (incomplete dominance).

Question 14.
What is point mutation? Give one example.
Solution:
Point mutation is a gene mutation that arises due to a change in a single base pair of DNA.
Example: Sickle-cell anaemia.
Substitution of a single nitrogen base at the sixth codon of the β- globin chain of haemoglobin molecule causes the change in the shape of the R.B.C. from biconcave disc to the elongated shaped, structure which results in sickle cell anaemia.

Question 15.
Who had proposed the chromosomal theory of inheritance?
Solution:
Sutton and Boveri proposed the chromosomal theory of inheritance. The theory believes that chromosomes are vehicles of hereditary information that possess mendelian factors or genes and it is the chromosomes which segregate and assort independently during transmission from one generation to the next.

Question 16.
Mention any two autosomal genetic disorders with their symptoms
Solution:
Cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disorder of infants, children, and young adults that is due to a recessive autosomal allele present on chromosome 7. It is common in Caucasian Northern Europeans and White North Americans. The disease gets its name from the fibrous cysts that appear in the pancreas. In 70% of cases, it is due to the deletion of three bases. It produces a defective glycoprotein. The defective glycoprotein causes the formation of thick mucus in the skin, lungs, pancreas, liver, and other secretory organs. Accumulation of thick mucus in the lungs results in obstruction of airways. Because of it, the disease was also called mucoviscoides, Mucus deposition in the pancreas blocks secretion of pancreatic juice. There is a maldigestion of food with high-fat content in the stool. The liver may undergo cirrhosis and there is impaired production of bile. Vasa deferentia of males undergo atrophy.

Huntington’s disease or Huntington’s chorea is a dominantly autosomal inherited disorder in which muscle and mental deterioration occur. There is gradual loss of motor control resulting in uncontrollable shaking and dance-like movements (chorea). The brain shrinks between 20-30% in size followed by slurring of speech, loss of memory, and hallucinations. Life expectancy averages 15 years from the onset of symptoms. This disorder does not occur till the age of 25 to 55. The defective gene is dominant autosomal, located on chromosome 4. This defective gene has 42 -100 repeats of CAG instead of 10-34 repeats in the normal gene. The frequency of this disorder is 1 in 10000 to 1 in 20000.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 5 Principles of Inheritance and Variation help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 5 Principles of Inheritance and Variation, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 6 Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers. Students can get Class 12 English Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 6

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Think it out

Question 1.
How do “denizens” and “chivalric” add to our understanding of the tiger’s attitudes?
Answer:
Unlike their creator who sunk into the background, the tigers were described as “bright topaz denizens”. The tigers were energetic and free to “prance” or run around in the jungle, and in their creator’s imagination. The tigers were created bright, like “topaz”, and they inhabited a world that is green. The “bright topaz denizens of green” evoke a mental image of majestic tigers not bound by the whims of another being. They are in their natural environment. The tigers are conceived as inherently male, they are chivalric, hence tied to the long tradition of male authority and power. However, their “chivalric certainty” is a representation of the power envisioned by Aunt Jennifer for herself. This idea is then contrasted with Aunt Jennifer’s reality where she in turn was dominated by male superiority.

Question 2.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are “fluttering” through her wool in the second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer worked with a piece of wool, stitching patterns into a tapestry. Her fingers fluttered to create the beautiful image of the tigers. She expressed her desires by creating the tigers. She found it difficult to express her feelings, repressed by the weight of marriage, gender roles, and a dominating society. “Uncle’s wedding band” is representative of the patriarchal society she lived in. The weight of the ring was not something she enjoyed as the band is described to sit ‘heavily’ on her hand and kept her from the only mode of expression she had, her needlepoint.

Question 3.
What is suggested by the image “massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band”?
Answer:
The struggle for existence in a harsh world, the deep conflicts of bondage and freedom and gender conflict is portrayed through the use of the evocative image. The genders are polarised. Aunt Jennifer was victimized by the absent Uncle, represented only by his wedding band, while he is representative of the oppression of custom and law.

Question 4.
Why is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?
Answer:
In the last stanza, the reader is told that “the tigers in the panel she made/Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid” even after Aunt Jennifer was dead. This showed her fear. The tigers represent her spirit and how she would like to live while her hands, folded even in death, represent the reality of her life.

Question 5.
What are the ordeals Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by? Why is it significant that the poet uses the word “ringed”? What are the meanings of the word “ringed” in the poem?
Answer:
The word “ringed” has a double association. It indicates not only the ring that “sits heavily” on her hand, but the difficulties in her life that would continue to surround her.

Even in death, she is seen to conform to the patriarchal society in which she lived. The ring on her finger symbolised the weight she had to bear, dead or alive. Just as she created and controlled her needlework, society and gender roles created and controlled her.

Question 6.
Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting, through this difference?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer created an alternative world of freedom, one which she could not inhabit otherwise. The tigers of her creation represented her suppressed desires and her ambition. She was victimised, and stifled in marriage, by the absent figure of the Uncle, represented only by his wedding band. She escaped her reality through her creation. The poet presents an ironic image of a contrast between the common perception of animals as being brutal and of men being humane. Here, the ‘brutal’ tiger represents freedom while the ‘civilised’ man is exposed as the oppressor.

Question 7.
Interpret the symbols found in this poem.
Answer:
Adrienne Rich uses a number of similes and symbols in the poem to convey her theme. The tigers, of course, symbolise the freedom of spirit which Aunt Jennifer dreams of attaining but never achieves except in her dreams and her art. Aunt Jennifer represents of her gender rather than any one individual.

The tigers are symbolic of the true nature of the freedom that a woman’s soul represents. They also display in art the values that Aunt Jennifer must repress or displace in life: strength, assertion, fearlessness and fluidity of motion. The image of the tiger is both inspiring and destructive. And the poem’s conclusion celebrates the animal images as a kind of triumph, transcending the constraints of their maker’s life.
The word ‘ringed’ has a double connotation—indicating not only the ring that “sits heavily” on her hand, but the difficulties in her life that will continue to surround her.

Question 8.
Do you sympathise with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the poet towards Aunt Jennifer?
Answer:
As a reader, one sympathises with Aunt Jennifer. She aspired for a greater future and a greater standing for her generation. Her mind was liberated from the cloistered association with her sex, but the figure of Aunt Jennifer never got to see women standing strong and proud. In the end, Adrienne Rich showed that Aunt Jennifer represented every woman of her time. Ironically enough, she rebels using the oppressor’s own language to feel a sense of triumph. Overwhelmed by gender roles, and tom between rebellion, the need for expression, and society, Aunt Jennifer expressed her fears and desires through the exotic images of tigers, transcending her dreams and ambitions.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Extra Questions and Answers

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What are the characteristics of the tigers?
Answer:
The tigers have a striking appearance as they are described as “bright topaz”. They are energetic and prance about. They enjoy their freedom and hence run across the screen. The majestic tigers are not dictated by the whims of others. They are fearless and chivalrous. The elegant tigers are confident of themselves.

Question 2.
What do you learn about Aunt Jennifer?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer was a weak woman with fluttering fingers. She was terrified of Uncle and found it difficult to manoeuvre the needle. Thus, implying that she was oppressed by a burdensome marriage where she was subjugated by Uncle.

Question 3.
What does Aunt Jennifer’s creation of the tigers symbolize?
Answer:
Aunt Jennifer’s creation of the tigers symbolizes her desires. Her fingers flutter to create the beautiful image of the tigers. By creating those tigers, she lets loose her inner aspirations. The wedding band sits “heavily” on her hand and keeps her from the only sense of expression she has—her needlepoint.

Question 4.
What does Aunt Jennifer’s death signify?
Answer:
In the last stanza of the poem, the poet gives us a surprisingly truthful look at the reality and the end of Aunt Jennifer and women in her position all over the world. Aunt Jennifer is a subjugated even in death; she must conform to the norms of the patriarchal society. The ring around her finger symbolizes the weight she must bear dead or alive.

Question 6.
What is the theme of the poem?
Answer:
“Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” clearly reflects the gender struggle that women across the world are subject to. It is a feminist poem in which the poet criticizes the male-dominated world. Aunt Jennifer is left no option than to create an alternate world of freedom. Aunt Jennifer is a woman trapped by the social and cultural expectations and demands of her time.

Question 7.
Who do you think is the speaker of the poem? Why do you say so?
Answer:
The speaker of the poem is the niece; the word “Aunt” shows her relationship with the speaker. The point of view here would seem to be that of a woman, indicating that the speaker is the niece of Aunt Jennifer’s. The niece voices a woman’s struggles with expression, rebellion, and a society where power is defined as masculine. The poem deals with a woman’s representation of Aunt Jennifer’s dreams, reality and the future.

Question 8.
Interpret the following symbols found in this poem.
(a) tigers
(b) Aunt
(c) embroidery
(a) The tigers symbolize the freedom of spirit which Jennifer dreams of attaining but never achieves except in her dreams and her art.
(b) Aunt Jennifer is symbolic of women as a whole rather than one individual.
(c) Aunt Jennifer’s embroidery may exist forever as the work that she leaves behind; in life, she was nothing like the tigers in her embroidery.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Value Based Question

Question 1.
How does the poet advocate gender sensitisation in the poem?
Answer:
The poem reflects the gender struggle; Adrienne Rich criticizes the male-dominated world for terrifying and oppressing women as symbolized by Aunt Jennifer, leaving her with no alternative but to create an alternate world of freedom for herself with her sewing. The embroidering of tigers on the panel, her only form of expression, underlines a woman’s struggles with expression, rebellion, and a society where power is defined as masculine. The poet depicts the pain of a woman who is living with a husband who dominates her. Her hidden, vibrant inner life is in sharp contrast to the outer image of the terrified, trapped woman.

The poem is almost a tragedy relating the plight of women trapped in an unhappy marriage. The poet makes her stance clear by using the figure of independent and fearless tigers as a telling symbol of an ideal that women like Aunt Jennifer seek to approximate. Adrienne Rich yearns for freedom and equality for all women.

Give examples from the poem of the following poetic devices.

Alliteration
“fingers fluttering”
“chivalric certainty”

Symbols
Aunt Jennifer
Tigers
Embroidery
wedding band

Here we are providing NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 1 My Mother at Sixty-six. Students can get Class 12 English My Mother at Sixty-six NCERT Solutions, Questions and Answers designed by subject expert teachers.

Indigo NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Poem 1

My Mother at Sixty-six NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

My Mother at Sixty-six Think it out 

Question 1.
What do you think is the pain and the ache that the poet feels?
Answer:
The poet was driving back from her parent’s home to Cochin, and she gazed at her mother, sleeping, beside her. The poet felt agonized at the thought of her mother growing old. The realisation that her mother was inching towards death made the poet sad as she was plagued by the thought of losing her.

Question 2.
Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?
Answer:
The poet, in order to distract her mind from the painful sight, looks out of the window. The trees outside her car window rushed past her as she drove ahead. On looking out from a moving vehicle, stationary objects seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Kamala Das compared the trees to young children, with boundless energy running past her window. She uses the poetic device of personification to achieve this comparison.

Question 3.
Why has the poet used the image of the merry children “spilling out of their homes”?
Answer:
The poet saw the children rushing out of their homes. The children were young and full of life, a sad contrast to her aged mother. They represented joyousness and vitality, a contrast to the ashen visage of the poet’s ageing mother. The image of the children lends a contrast to her mood.

Question 4.
Why has the mother been compared to the “late winter’s moon”?
Answer:
The ashen and pale visage of her mother led the poet to compare her mother with that of a late winter’s moon. The winter moon that had lost its luminosity and was waning is used as a simile to compare the mother’s old and pale countenance.

Question 5.
What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?
Answer:
The parting words of the poet and her smile signify her pain and fear of losing her mother. She tried to put on a brave front by hiding her fear behind a smile. She tried to hide her fear from her mother as she called out, “See you soon, Amma.” The smile also might mean a forced optimism which allowed her to believe that her mother might yet live for a long time

My Mother at Sixty-six Extra Questions and Answers

My Mother at Sixty-six  Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
What are the words that convey the poet’s agony?
Answer:
Looking at her mother, drained of colour, the poet realizes that her mother had grown old and weak and had come to the end of her life. The words “familiar ache” universalizes the emotion. She talks of her mother’s frailty by comparing her to a “corpse”. She desired to dispel the pain by looking out of the car window. In the end, she was unable to speak; she could only smile.

Question 2.
Explain the contrasting situations in the poem? Why does the poet do so?
Answer:
The poem throws up various contrasts to drive home the idea and fear of the mother inching close to death. First, the mother’s lifelessness in the car is contrasted to the activity outside—the trees running, the children spilling out and the airport buzzing with activity. It contrasts with the sadness and pain in the car with the euphoric mood outside. The poet uses the contrast to highlight the dissimilarity of both the situations.

Question 3.
The mood and setting in the poem comes a full cycle. Explain.
Answer:
The poet begins with a concern and grief of the mother’s lifelessness in the car. The poet then describes the energy and jubilation outside. Once again, the mood recoils into sadness and worry, at the end of the poem, when the poet talks of her mother being pale like a late winter’s moon.

My Mother at Sixty-six Value Based Question

Question 1.
The poem deals with the subtleties of human relationships. Justify.
Answer:
The poem, “My Mother at Sixty-six” revolves around the theme of advancing age and the consequent fear of loss and separation. As the poet was on the way to airport in Cochin, she was struck by the realization that her mother was old and frail, and was overwhelmed by the fear of her parent’s impending death. She observed her mother, in her twilight years, pale and waning like the winter moon.

Like any other child, she too remembered having harboured the insecurity of losing a parent that seemed to be presently unfolding in her life. Beset with sorrow and insecurity, at the end of the poem, she bid goodbye to her aged mother at the airport. The poet undergoes the universal emotions of grief and fear of losing a parent to old age and death. Kamala Das’ eloquent and poignant verse brings out the motif of transience and passing time.

Give examples from the poem of the following poetic devices.

Simile
“… face ashen like that of a corpse
…pale as a late winter’s moon”

Personification
“.. .young trees sprinting”

Metaphor
“merry children spilling out”

Irony
“The green trees racing (inanimate) while the mother like a corpse”

Contrast
“The world replete with activity contrasted with the near lifeless mother”

Tautology
“I looked again at her, wan, pale”

Repetition
“smile and smile and smile…”

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 3 Human Reproduction

These Solutions are part of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology. Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 3 Human Reproduction

Question 1.
Fill in the blanks.

1. Humans reproduce___(asexually/ sexually).
2. Humans are ___(oviparous/ viviparous/ ovoviviparous).
3. Fertilisation is___in humans (external/internal).
4. Male and female gametes are___ (diploid/haploid).
5. Zygote is___(diploid/haploid).
6. The process of release of ovum from a mature follicle is called___
7. Ovulation is induced by a hormone called ___
8. The fusion of male and female gametes is called___
9. Fertilisation takes place in ___
10. Zygote divides to form___which is implanted in uterus.
11. The structure which provides vascular connection between foetus and uterus is called ___

Solution:

1. sexually;
2. viviparous;
3. internal;
4. haploid;
5. diploid;
6. ovulation;
7. LH;
8. fertilisation;
9. ampullary-isthmic junction of Fallopian tube;
10. blastocyst;
11. placenta

Question 2.
Draw a labelled diagram of male reproductive system.
Solution:

Question 3.
Draw a labelled diagram of female reproductive system.
Solution:

Question 4.
Write two major functions each of testis and ovary.
Solution:
Testis:

1. The seminiferous tubules of the testis produce sperm.
2. The Leydig cells of testis produce hormones such as androsterone and testosterone, together called androgens.

Ovary:

1. Produce ovum
2. Produce ovarian hormones such as estradiol, estrone, and estriol collectively called estrogens.

Question 5.
Describe the structure of a seminiferous tubule
Solution:
Seminiferous tubules are located in the testicles, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the subsequent creation of gametes, namely spermatozoa.

The lining of seminiferous tubules called germinal epithelium contains two types of cells – primary germ ceils which undergo spermatogenesis to form spermatozoa and columnar indifferent cells (derived from coelomic epithelium) which enlarge to form Sertoli cells. Sertoli cells function as nurse cells for providing nourishment to the developing spermatozoa, phagocvtise defective sperm and secrete protein hormone inhibin (which inhibits FSH secretion).

The seminiferous tubules are situated in testicular lobules. Both ends of the tubule are connected to the central region of the testis and form a network of small ductules called the rete testis.

Question 6.
What is spermatogenesis ? Briefly describe the process of spermatogenesis.
Solution:
Spermatogenesis is the process by which male spermatogonia develop into mature male gamete, spermatozoa. It starts at puberty and usually continues uninterrupted until death, although a slight decrease can be discerned in the quantity of produced sperm with increase in age. The process of spermatogenesis includes the formation of spermatogonia from germinal epithelium (primordial germ cell) through mitosis (multiplication phase). Finally they stop undergoing mitosis, grow and become primary spermatocytes (growth phase). Each spermatocyte undergoes meiosis (maturation phase). First maturation division is reductional, and produces two secondary spermatocytes. The latter divides by equational division (second maturation division) to form four haploid spermatids. Spermatids receive nourishment from the Sertoli cells to form sperms. This step is called spermiogenesis.

During this process one spermatogonium produces four sperms having half number of chromosomes.

Question 7.
Name the hormones involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis.
Solution:
The hormones involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis are:

• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
• Luteinizing hormone (LH)
• Follicle-stimulating hormone
• Testosterone.

Question 8.
Define spermiogenesis and spermiation.
Solution:
The transformation of spermatid into sperm is called spermiogenesis. The release of sperm from the seminiferous tubules is called spermiation.

Question 9.
Draw a labelled diagram of sperm
Solution:

Question 10.
What are the major components of seminal plasma?
Solution:
Secretions of prostate gland, seminal vesicle and Cowper’s gland and , sperms together constitute semen.

Question 11.
What are the major functions of male accessory ducts and glands?
Solution:
The main functions of male accessory ducts and glands are as follows:

1. Functions of accessory ducts:

• Rete Testis: They transport sperms from seminiferous tubule to Vas efferentia.
• Vas efferentia: Transports sperms to epdidymis.
• Epididymis: Sperms are stored here. Maturation of sperms occurs.
• Vas deference: Transports sperms from the epididymis to the urethra.

2. Functions of glands:

• Prostate gland: It produces milky secretion which forms a considerable part of the semen. It makes sperm motile.
• Bulbourethral gland: Its secretion makes the penis lubricated.
• Seminal vesicle: It secretes mucus and watery alkaline fluid which provide energy to the sperm.

Question 12.
What is oogenesis? Give a brief account of oogenesis.
Solution:
Oogenesis is the production and growth of the ova (egg cell) in the ovary. It starts only after the female has attained puberty. The process is induced by FSH from the anterior pituitary. It leads to the growth of a single Graafian follicle in one of the two ovaries every month. The developing ovary is colonised by primordial germ cells prior to birth which differentiate into oogonia. These enlarge within the follicle under the influence of mitotic division to form primary oocyte containing diploid number of chromosomes. These undergo reductional division (1st meiotic division) to form a secondary oocyte and first polar body. The secondary oocyte proceeds with meiosis II but the division gets arrested until fertilisation occurs. The ‘egg’ is released at secondary oocyte stage under the effect of LH. A second polar body is extruded. The first polar body may also divide to form two polar bodies of equal sizes which do not take part in reproduction and ultimately degenerates. During oogenesis one oogonium produces one ovum and three polar bodies. Polar bodies containing small amount of cytoplasm helps to retain sufficient amount of cytoplasm in the ovum which is essential for the development of early embryo. Formation of polar bodies maintains the half number of chromosomes in the ovum.

Question 13.
Draw a labelled diagram of a section through ovary.
Solution:

Question 14.
Draw a labelled diagram of a Graafian follicle ?
Solution:

Question 15.
Give the functions of the following.

1. Corpus luteum
2. Endometrium
3. Acrosome
4. Sperm tail
5. Fimbriae

Solution:
The functions of the following:

1. Corpus luteum secretes a large amount of progesterone which is essential for the maintenance of the endometrium of the uterus.
2. Endometrium is necessary for the implantation of the fertillised ovum, for contributing towards the making of the placenta and other events of pregnancy.
3. Acrosome is filled with enzymes that help in dissolving the outer cover of the ovum and entry of sperm nucleus.
4. Sperm tail facilitates motility of the sperm essential for reaching the ovum to fertilize it.
5. Fimbriae are fingers-like projections at the mouth of fallopian tubules that help in the collection of the ovum after ovulation.

Question 16.
Identify True/False statements. Correct each false statement to make it true.

1. Androgens are produced by Sertoli cells.
2. Spermatozoa get nutrition from Sertoli cells.
3. Leydig cells are found in ovary.
4. Leydig cells synthesise androgens.
5. Oogenesis takes place in corpus luteum.
6. Menstrual cycle ceases during pregnancy.
7. Presence or absence of a hymen is not a reliable indicator of virginity Or sexual experience.

Solution:

1. False: Androgens are produced by interstitial cells or Leydig cells.
2. True
3. False: Leydig’s cells are found in the testes (in between the seminiferous tubules).
4. True
5. False: Oogenesis takes place in the ovary.
6. True
7. True

Question 17.
What is the menstrual cycle? Which hormones regulate the menstrual cycle?
Solution:
The recurring cycle of physiological changes in the uterus, ovaries and other sexual structures that occur from the beginning of one menstrual period through the beginning of the next is called menstrual cycle. The beginning of menstruation is called menarche. Hormones involved in the regulation of menstrual cycle are pituitary or ovarian hormones. These are LH, FSH, estrogen and progesterone.

Question 18.
What is parturition? Which hormones are involved in the induction of parturition?
Solution:

• The process of delivering of the fully developed fetus or baby at the end of the pregnancy period through vigorous contraction of the uterus is called parturition.
• Estrogen (amount of estrogen is more than progesterone) and oxytocin are the hormones involved in the induction of parturition.

Question 19.
In our society, women are often blamed for giving birth to daughters. Can you explain why this is not correct?
Solution:
This is not correct that women in our society are often blamed for giving birth to daughters because the sex of the baby is determined by the father, not by the mother. As we know that the chromosome pattern in the human female is XX and that in the male is XY.

Therefore, all the haploid gametes produced by the female (ova) have the sex chromosome X whereas in the male gametes (sperms) the sex chromosome could be either X or Y, hence, 50 per cent of sperms carry the X chromosome while the other 50 per cent carry the Y. After fusion of the male and female gametes the zygote would carry either XX or XY depending on whether the sperm carrying X or Y fertilised the ovum. The zygote carrying XX would develop into a female baby and XY would form a male.

Question 20.
How many eggs are released by a human ovary in a month? How many eggs do you think would have been released if the mother gave birth to identical twins? Would your answer change if the twins born were fraternal?
Solution:
Each ovary develops a number of immature eggs associated with groups of other cells called follicles. Normally, in humans, only one egg is released at one time; occasionally, two or more erupt during the menstrual cycle. The egg erupts from the ovary on the 14th to 16th day of the approximately 28 day menstrual cycle. Identical twins occur when a single egg is fertilised to form one zygote (monozygotic) which then divides into two separate embryos. And if the twins were born fraternal two eggs are released. Fraternal twins (commonly known as “non-identical twins”) usually occur when two fertilised eggs are implanted in the uterine wall at the same time. The two eggs form two zygotes, and these twins are therefore also known as dizygotic as well as “binovular” twins.

Question 21.
How many eggs do you think were released by the ovary of a female dog which gave birth to 6 puppies?
Solution:
One oogonium produces one ovum and three polar bodies. The ovum is the actual female gamete. The polar bodies take no part in reproduction and hence, soon degenerate. In human beings, ovum is released from the ovary in the secondary oocyte stage. So, six ova (eggs), were released by ovary of a female dog which gave birth to 6 puppies.

We hope the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 3 Human Reproduction help you. If you have any query regarding NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Biology Chapter 3 Human Reproduction, drop a comment below and we will get back to you at the earliest.