Journey To The End Of The Earth Summary Explanation MP Board Solution
Journey To The End Of The Earth Theme:
Geographical phenomenon which
led to the formation of Antarctica separating from huge tropical landmass
Gondwana.
Sub-theme-
Global Warming, history of
humans and need to conserve our environment
Setting:
Antarctica-
Expedition-“Students on Ice”
Main Character:
Tishani Doshi
(autobiographical)
About the author Journey To The End Of The Earth
Tishani Doshi is an award winning
poet, dancer and novelist. She has published six books of fiction and poetry.
Her most recent books are-‘Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods’, A collection of
poems shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award and published in the USA (COPPER
Canyon Press), UK (Bloodaxe) and India (Harper Collins) – and a novel, “Small
Days and Nights,” published in the USA(Norton) and UK, India and Australia
(Bloomsbury), forthcoming in several Languages
Antarctica
- Antarctica is a unique continent in that it does not have a native human population.
- Antarctica has an extremely cold, dry climate. Winter temperatures along Antarctica’s coast generally range from -10° to -30°C (14° to -22°F). During the summer, coastal areas hover around 0°C (32°F) but can reach temperatures as high as 9°C (48°F)
Gondwana
- Gondwana, also called Gondwanaland, ancient supercontinent that incorporated present-day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica.
- It was fully assembled by Late Precambrian time, some 600 million years ago, and the first stage of its breakup began in the Early Jurassic Period, about 180 million years ago
- The name Gondwanaland was coined by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess in reference to Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations in the Gondwana region of central India, which are similar to formations of the same age on Southern Hemisphere continents.
Journey To The End Of The Earth Main points to remember:
• The writer visited Antarctica, the
coldest, driest and windiest continent in the world, aboard the Russian
research vessel, Akademik Shokalskiy.
• The journey, beginning at Chennai,
passed through many areas, geographical, local, ecological and temporal.
• The writer’s first reaction to the
continent was of relief, followed by wonder at its vastness, seclusion and
geological history.
Journey To The End Of The Earth - History Fact
• Before human evolution, Antarctica was part
of a huge tropical landmass called the Gondwana land, which flourished 500
million years ago.
• Biological, geological and
geographical changes occurred and Antarctica separated and moved away evolving
into what it is today.
• A visit to Antarctica gave the
writer a deeper understanding of mountains, the earth’s history, ecology and
environment.
The long summers, the silence broken
occasionally by cracking ice sheets and avalanches, the blue whales and ice
bergs, all contribute to an ecological implication that the future for human
isn’t good.
Journey To The End Of The Earth HUMAN IMPACT-
• Humans who are known to have
existed for a mere 12000 years, have caused tremendous impact and played havoc
with nature.
• Population explosion, putting a
strain on available resources, carbon emissions, fossil fuels and global
warming have all resulted in climatic and ecological imbalances that have also
affected Antarctica.
• Antarctica, though unpopulated, has
been affected and there are concerns for its half a million year old carbon
records trapped under its ice sheets.
• The “Students on Ice’ programme, an
initiative of Canadian adventure educator, Geoff Green takes students on
Expeditions to Antarctica, to create awareness in them, the future policy
makers.
• The stark proof of global warming
and environmental threats help students attain an understanding of ecosystems
and biodiversity of our planet.
• An amazing display of food chain of
the Southern Ocean helps in the understanding that further depletion of the
ozone layer will set off a chain reaction that will affect the global carbon
cycle.
• The simple truth is- take care of the
small things and the bigger ones will automatically be taken care of.
WALK ON THE OCEAN-
• Before their return the writer got
an opportunity to walk on the ocean at 65.55 degrees south, which made her
realize that she was walking on 180 meters of ocean water, a rich kaleidoscope
of life.
• Reaching home, she wondered whether
Antarctica would ever be warm again, how much difference a million years can
make and, that each day makes a difference.
Journey To The End Of The Earth Important Expressions:
1. Supercontinent- A former large continent
from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away.
2. Cordilleran folds- An extensive
chain of mountain or mountain ranges
3. Precambrian Granite Shields- large
areas of relatively low elevation that forms part of continental masses.
4. Prognosis – A forecast of the
likely outcome of a situation.
Journey To The End Of The Earth
The lesson Journey To The End Of The
Earth is about the author traveling to Antarctica, the southernmost part of the
earth. When the author travels to Antarctica with High school students onboard
a Russian Vessel.
The two poles signify the two ends of
the earth and this voyage took the author to three ecosystems and six
checkpoints, across nine time zones. About Antarctica, she told that it was a
place without any human inhabitants and biodiversity. It is the place where
there is no noise and no pollution no signboards no trees and no humans. The
title is suitable for the prose
Journey To The End Of The Earth
Summary – Author
Tishani Doshi is a poet and
journalist and also a dancer from India. She has written many books on
fiction. She has done B A from Queens College in North Carolina and
also she is fond of traveling and her most exciting journey was to Antarctica.
Main Theme
The chapter is an autobiographical
account where she traveled to the end of the earth i.e. Antarctica. The place
does not have any humans, life is impossible there. She traveled with high
school students on a Russian Vessel. She said that if one needs to or wanted to
understand the past, present, and future of our planet he or she needs to start
its journey from the end.
Journey To The End Of The Earth Summary
The Narrator went on a trip along
with the high school students with a program “Students on ice” which allows
them to get experience and understand the changes in the climatic pattern which
is the biggest threat to human life. The narrator starts by telling the minute
details as soon she boarded the Russian Research ship- ‘The Akademik
Shokalskiy’ and the voyage began 13.09 degrees north of the equator in Chennai
crossing nine times zones and traveling 100 hours to reach the destination.
After reaching the destination, the
narrator experienced the real scenario and saw 90 percent of the earth’s
surface is covered and stored in ice sheets. Antarctica is the place whether
anyone can come and research about earth’s past present and future conditions.
The simple bio life and is the best
place to experience and study the changes that can cause big threats to
humanity. It is warned by scientists all over the world that its further
depletion of the ice sheets will cause4 depletion of the ozone layer which in
turn will affect our lives and along with that affecting the flora and fauna of
our nature.
Moreover, the burning of fossil fuels
has enveloped our atmosphere with greenhouse gases and the impact is naturally
devastating which can be seen as the rising of the earth’s average temperature
and melting of ice sheets in Antarctica.
The head of the ‘Students on ice
program’, Geoff Green believes firmly that students are the policymakers for
the future and they all will be concerned to save our planet and give suggestions
to heal the wounds of the earth. Further, if anyone wishes to study the
narrator gave them an example of microscopic phytoplanktons- these are
single-celled plants and have the capacity to nourish the entire Southern
Ocean. They need solar energy to carry out this function and assimilate carbon
dioxide and in turn, give out oxygen affecting marine life.
In
the end, the Tishani thinks about the beauty of the place and wishes that it
should remain the same as any change here will have an impact on the entire
human life.
MP BOARD Solutions For Class 12th Journey To The End Of The Earth
Q1.How do geological phenomena help
us to know about the history of mankind?
It is a factor related to the history
of mankind. Geologists say about 650 million years ago a giant supercontinent,
Gondwana showed its presence in the South. At that time India and Antarctica
belonged to the same landmass and Gondwana had a warm climate and full of
biodiversity.
Q2. What kind of indications do we
get while visiting Antarctica to save Earth?
Tishani’s experience of visiting
Antarctica made everyone and especially all the posterity think about the
future and not to harm our planet Earth. The new generation would be able to
react as they are the policy-makers and can take certain steps in time to save
our earth. Scientists warn that any changes would lead to drastic changes in
our climatic pattern leading to threats to humankind. Tishani believed that to
study even the slightest change we need to come here to Antarctica.
Q3. How can a visit to Antarctica be
an enlightening experience?
By visiting Antarctica one can
understand the past, present, and future.
A visit along with the future generations would make realize the
condition from the ground level.it will help all to know the condition and take
utmost care before it becomes too late.
Q4. Why is a visit to Antarctica
important to realize the effect of global warming?
Antarctica is the perfect place to
study the changes that are posing threat to our environment and here we can see
the changes very closely like the melting of glaciers and collapsing ice sheets
in turn increasing the water levels and causing a threat to the low-lying
areas.
Q5. How is Antarctica a crucial
element in the debate on climate change?
Antarctica has been playing a crucial
role in debates on climatic pattern changes and it is the only place where the
slightest of the changes will lead drastic threat to the human population. The
world’s climate has been changing very fast and if these affecting like these it
will soon affect the world’s biodiversity and human and plant interdependence
also will be affected.
Q6. What was the objective of the
‘Students on Ice Programme’?
The objective was to take the high
school students to the end of the world where all the problem is started and to
find solutions the future policymakers can only help as they are the one who
understands and respects the planet Earth.
Through this program, they would get an idea to understand the ecological
hazards and how to tackle these.
Q7. Why are Antarctica and its
understanding important for the survival of the world?
Antarctica and studying its changes
help us to know the southern continent of Gondwana. Humans might never realize
the changes daily but here the melting glaciers and melting of snow will able
to realize the root cause of all the problems.
. 10. What was the purpose
of the visit to Antarctica ?
Ans. The purpose of the visit to
Antarctica was to get a grasp of where we have come from and where could we
possibly be heading. By visiting Antarctica, we can understand the earth's past,
present and future. A visit there can teach the next generation to understand
and value our planet.
Q. 11. 'Take care of the small things
and the big things will take care of themselves.' What is the relevance of this
statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?
Ans. The above statement is quite
relevant in the context of the Antarctica environment. Antarctica has simple
ecosystem and lacks bio-diversity. A little change has a big repercussion
there. We can take the example of the microscopic phytoplankton. For an example
those grasses of the sea that nourish and sustain the entire southern ocean's
food chain. These single-celled plants consume the sun's energy to assimilate
carbon and synthesise organic compounds in that wondorous and most important of
processes called photosynthesis. Moreover, the scientists warn that a further
depletion in the ozone layer will affect their process, hence, the lives of all
the marine animals and birds of the region, will get affected.
Hence, it is true in the context of
the Antarctica environment, if we take care of phytoplankton, all the marine
life will take care of itself.
Journey To The End Of The Earth Important Question Answer
Question 1.
How do geological phenomena help us
to 1 know about the history of mankind?
Answer:
It is geological phenomena that help
us to know about the history of mankind. Geologists say about 650 million years
ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana existed in the South. At
that time India and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a
warm climate and a huge variety of flora and fauna. This supercontinent
survived for 500 years till the age of mammals got underway.
Question 2.
What kind of indications do we get
while visiting Antarctica to save Earth?
Answer:
Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of
visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a revelation. It made her wonder about
the “beauty of balance in play on our planet”. She hopes the new generation
will understand their planet better and save it from annihilation. The planet’s
ecosystem and its balance that took millions of years to form can be soon
destroyed. Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will
affect the activities of the phytoplankton. The lives of the marine animals and
birds of the region will be affected. But the school students’ visit to the
Antarctica may make human beings handle their planet in a better way.
Question 3.
How can a visit to the Antarctica be
an enlightening experience?
Answer:
By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can teach the next generation to understand and value our planet. Antarctica also holds within its ice-cores half-million-years old carbon records which will help us to study climatic changes by global warming.
Question 4.
Why is a visit to Antarctica
important to realise the effect of global warming?
Answer:
Antarctica is the perfect place to
study the effects that global warming is causing. It is here that one can see
the effect of melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves and how this is
likely to raise the water levels in the sea and the ocean, as a result of which
many low lying regions will be submerged under water.
Question 5.
How is Antarctica a crucial element
in the debate on climate change?
Answer:
Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the world which has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine. Moreover, it holds in its ice-caves half-million- year old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. The world’s climate is changing fast and is at present one of the most hotly debated issues. Antarctica is the ideal place to study the effect of these environmental changes as it has a very simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming makes Antarctica warmer, it will have disastrous consequences elsewhere.
Question 6.
What was the objective of the
‘Students on Ice Programme’?
Answer:
The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits of the world and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them to understand and respect our planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing experience at an age when they are ready to absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the future policy makers and through this programme they would save this planet from ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming.
Question 7.
Why is Antarctica and its
understanding important for the survival of the world?
Answer:
Antarctica and its understanding is
important for the survival of the world because it helps us to know that the
southern supercontinent of Gondwana existed and centered around the present-day
Antarctica. Human beings had not come on the global scene but a huge variety of
flora and fauna was present in the supercontinent. It was after 500 million
years that the landmass was forced to separate into countries that exist today.
Antarctica’s ice-cores hold over half-million-year-old carbon records which are
crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and future.
Question 8.
What are the indications for the
future of humankind?
Answer:
A fast and steady rise in human
population in proportion to the limited natural resources is exerting pressure
on land. Forests are being cut and fossil fuels are being burnt and these
factors are increasing the global temperature. Melting of glaciers, depletion
of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s existence on earth.
This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and mankind.
Question 9.
How did the Antarctica amaze the
writer when he first saw it?
Answer:
When the writer first saw Antarctica he was amazed by its vastness and immense white landscape. It was an endless blue horizon and the fact that it was isolated from the rest of the world created an added sense of wonder and mystery about the continent.
Question 10.
Why was Tishani Doshi filled with
relief and wonder when he set foot on the Antarctic continent?
Answer:
Tishani Doshi’s first emotion when he
set foot on the Antarctic continent was one of relief. He felt relieved to have
set foot there after over a hundred hours. Its vastness and immense wild
landscape dazzled his eyes. Its endless blue horizon and its isolation from the
rest of the world created a sense of wonder and mystery for him.
Question 11.
Why is Antarctica the place to go to
if we want to study the earth’s past, present and future?
Answer:
The Antarctica landmass, that was an
amalgamated southern supercontinent called Gondwana dates back to 650 million
years. It can help us understand better the formation of continents and
mountains like the Himalayas as they are in the modem world. Its ice-cores hold
over half-million-year old carbon records that are vital to study the Earth’s
past, present and future.
Question 12.
What were the writer’s feelings on
reaching Antarctica?
Answer:
The writer’s first emotion on reaching Antarctica was that of relief. He felt relieved to have set foot on the Antarctic continent after over 100 hours. Then he experienced a sense of amazement on seeing its vastness and immense white landscape which dazzled his eyes.
Question 13.
What sort of brightness and silence
prevailed in Antarctica dining summer?
Answer:
The brightness that prevailed in
Antarctica was surreal (strange) as the austral summer light remained for 24
hours in the continent. The silence there was ubiquitous (widespread)
interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet.
Question 14.
What do you think is the reason
behind the success of the programme, ‘Students on Ice’?
Answer:
The programme ‘Students on Ice’ was a
success because it offered a life changing exposure to the future generation of
policy makers at an age when they could absorb, learn and act. It provided them
with inspiring educational opportunities which would help them foster a new
understanding and respect for our planet.
Question 15.
Why does the author of Journey to the
End of the Earth state that in 12000 years man has managed to create a ruckus
on this earth?
Answer:
Humans have been on this Earth for
about 12,000 years and have created a havoc and ruckus on this Earth. They have
done this by encroaching on nature and establishing cities and megacities.
Their increasing population has depleted natural resources and their
callousness towards nature has led to a rise in global temperature.
Question 16.
How was Antarctica a chilling
prospect for a South Indian, Tishani Doshi?
Answer:
Tishani Doshi is a sun-worshipping South Indian and for her to spend two weeks in a place where 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect, not just for circulatory and metabolic functions, but also for the imagination.
Question 17.
How the programme, ‘Students on Ice’
was an attempt to equip future generation with knowledge to save Earth?
Answer:
The objective of the ‘Students on
Ice’ programme was to take the High School students to the limits of the world
and provide them with inspiring opportunities in education to enable them to
understand and respect our planet. According to Geoff Green, the High School
students are the future policy-makers and through this programme they would be
able to save this planet from the ecological hazards and the harmful effects of
global warming. Antarctica, with its simple ecosystem and lack of biodiversity,
is the perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have
major repercussions. The school students’ impressionable minds can study and
examine the Earth’s past, present and future by their voyage to Antarctica.
Question 18.
The world’s geological history is
trapped in the Antarctica. How is the study of this region useful to us?
Answer:
The Antarctic landmass dates back to
650 million years. It was an amalgamated southern supercontinent called
Gondwana. This landmass centered around the present-day Antarctica. Human
beings did not exist as their civilization is only 12,000 years old. The climate
at that time was warm and landmass flourished with a vast variety of flora and
fauna. The study of this region shows that Gondwana prospered for 500 million
years. But then the dinosaurs got wiped out and mammals began to appear. The
landmass disintegrated into countries and India, the Himalayas and South
America was formed. This left Antarctica frigid at the bottom of the earth.
Today, it stores the key to the significance of coridelleran folds and pre-
Cambrian granite shields, ozone and carbon layers as well as a study of the
evolution and extinction. This can help us to understand in a better way the
formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as we find them in the
modem world. Its ice-folds hold over half-million-year-old carbon records that
are so crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and future, thus
trapping the world’s geological history in Antarctica.
Question 19.
What are phytoplanktons? How are they
important to our ecosystem?
Answer:
The microscopic phytoplankton are
tiny forms of plant life on the sea. They nourish and sustain the entire
southern ocean’s food chain. They are single-celled plants and use the energy
of the sun to assimilate carbon supplying oxygen and synthesise compounds.
Depletion of the ozone layer that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun
adversely affects the activities of the phytoplankton. Any further depletion in
the ozone layer will hamper their activity which, in turn, is bound to affect
the growth of marine animals and birds and even the global carbon cycle. Thus
to save the big organisms the small organisms need to be cared for because even
minor changes have huge repercussions.
Question 20.
The author calls her two-week stay in
Antarctica, ‘a chilling prospect’. How far do you think is she justified? What
other features of the Antarctic environment are highlighted?
Answer:
Tishani Doshi, is a sun-worshipping South Indian and for her to spend two-weeks in a place where 90 per cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect—both in terms of circulatory and metabolic functions and for the imagination. She has been transported from the scorching sun to the ice floes and glaciers where ninety per cent of the earth’s surface is ice-mass. Her two-week Antarctic encounter left an epiphanic effect on her and she carried back indelible memories of the continent. For her, it was like walking into a giant ping-pong ball, devoid of any human markers like trees, billboards and buildings. She says one loses all earthly sense of perspective and time here. As the day pass in surreal 24- hour austral summer light, a silence prevails which is interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or caving ice sheet.
She learnt that Antarctica has a very
simple ecosystem that lacks variety. But if this system is interfered with and
environmental changes are effected indiscriminately, it can lead to depletion
of the ozone layer, which protects us from the harmful rays of the sun. Since
the planet is unravaged by humans, it remains unblemished. Its ice-cores hold
more than half¬million-year-old carbon records that are imperative for the
detailed study of our planet.
Question 21.
Why does Tishani Doshi call her trip
to Antarctica a “Journey to the End of the Earth”? What experience did she have
during this expedition?
Answer:
Tishani Doshi calls her trip to
Antarctica a ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’ because she crosses nine time
zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and many ecospheres to reach there.
The entire journey takes one hundred hours. She is wonder-struck by the
immensity and isolation of the region. She is also relieved to see its
expansive wide landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon. Antarctica provides
young students like her with a platform to study changes in the environment.
The programme is also likely to help them develop a new respect and
understanding of our planet. Antarctica is also the perfect place for them to
study how little climatic changes can have big repercussions and how global
warming and further depletion of the ozone layer can affect the Antarctic
region. The study of the Antarctica will help them to understand the earth’s
past, present and future.
Question 22.
In what ways is the research on Antarctica
helpful in the study and understanding of the Earth’s past and future,
according to the author of ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’?
Answer:
A visit to Antarctica will help us to understand where we have come from and where we could possibly be heading. It will also suggest a lot of future possibilities, probably for even a million years later. By visiting the Antarctica we get an opportunity to study about the future climatic changes easily and more effectively. We also come to know about the repercussions of the various environmental changes. It also gives us the realization of the appearance of the ‘future world’. The ice-cores of Antarctica hold more than half-million-year-old carbon records which are very crucial for the study of the past, present and future of our planet. All this will also help us to understand our planet better and also give us ideas to save our planet.
