CBSE Class 12 English Journey to the end of the Earth Notes Set 01

Journey to the End of the Earth

– Tishani Doshi

Background

Before human evolution, Antarctica was part of a huge tropical landmass called Gondwanaland which flourished 500 million years ago. Geological, geographical and biological changes occurred and Antarctica separated and moved away, evolving into what it is today. A visit to Antarctica gave Tishani Doshi a deeper understanding of the earth’s history, ecology and environment.

Theme

The 'Students on Ice' programme takes high school students to Antarctica to create awareness in them, the future policy makers, and helps students realise that the threat of global warming is very real. Also it reiterates that if you take care of the small things, the bigger ones will automatically be taken care of. Everything in nature is interconnected and survival depends on cooperation, not domination.

Main points

• The writer visited Antarctica, the coldest, the driest and windiest continent in the world, aboard the Russian research vessel, Akademik Shokalskiy.
• The journey, beginning at Chennai, passed through many areas, geographical, legal, ecological, and temporal.
• The writer’s first reaction to the continent was of relief, followed by wonder at its vastness, seclusion, and geological history.
• Before human evolution, Antarctica was part of a huge tropical landmass called the Gondwana land, which flourished 500 million years ago.
• Biological (flora and fauna), geological (changing continents) and geographical (climatic) 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 fold mountains, the earth’s history, ecology, and environment.
• The writer felt unsettled in two weeks’ time not only because she came from a much hotter place, but also because all features of human civilization were absent from an already desolate landscape.
• The long summers, the silence is broken occasionally by cracking ice sheets and avalanches, the blue whales, and icebergs, all contribute to an ecological implication that the future for humans is not good.

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 policymakers.
• The stark proof of global warming and environmental threats helps students attain an understanding of ecosystems and biodiversity of our planet.
• An amazing display of the 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.

Literary Devices

• Antarctica because of her simple - personification
• Chilling prospect - pun

Extract Based Questions

Read the extract given below and the answer the questions that follow:
Students on Ice, the programme I was working with on the Shokalskiy, aims to do exactly this by taking high school students to the ends of the world and providing them with inspiring educational opportunities which will help them foster a new understanding and respect for our planet. It’s been in operation for six years now, headed by Canadian Geoff Green, who got tired of carting celebrities and retired, rich, curiosity-seekers who could only ‘give’ back in a limited way. With Students on Ice, he offers the future generation of policymakers a life-changing experience at an age when they’re ready to absorb, learn, and most importantly, act.

1. Students on Ice is …………. headed by Geoff Green. Select the option to fill in the blank correctly.
(a) a travelogue
(b) an expedition
(c) a globetrotting
(d) a tour
Answer: b

2. Choose the option that marks the ODD ONE OUT based on your reading of the above extract.
(a) Sumit donates 10% of his monthly income to the environment-friendly NGOs.
(b) Manmeet and her twin plant a new plant on their birthday every year.
(c) Vivek invests in eco-friendly cosmetics that are packaged in plastic containers.
(d) Afsana plans to device a machine that recycles the biodegradable wastes from home.
Answer: c

3. Pick the option that characterizes the celebrities based on your understanding of the extract.
1. overachiever
2. zealous
3. miserly
4. impassive
(a) 1, 2
(b) 3, 4
(c) 1, 3
(d) 2, 4
Answer: d

4. Choose the option that lists the reasons for Green’s programme.
1. making youngsters realize the gory reality of the planet.
2. provoking the youth to think about the future earnestly.
3. giving a chance of exploring the north pole to the young generation
4. providing travel opportunities to students that were unfortunate.
(a) 1, 2
(b) 3, 4
(c) 1, 3
(d) 2, 4
Answer: a

Q2. You lose all earthly sense of perspective and time here. The visual scale ranges from the microscopic to the mighty: midges and mites to blue whales and icebergs as big as countries (the largest recorded was the size of Belgium). Days go on and on and on in surreal 24-hour austral summer light, and a ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by the occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet, consecrates the place. It’s an immersion that will force you to place yourself in the context of the earth’s geological history. And for humans, the prognosis isn’t good.

1. The ‘visual scale’ refers to
(a) a measuring device
(b) range of things one can see
(c) visionary’s belief
(d) the magnitude of preparation
Answer: b

2. Four people give a reason for the author’s feeling while travelling. Choose the option that correctly summarizes it based on your understanding of the extract.
Person 1: I think the author is being paranoid about leaving her hometown.
Person 2: According to me, she is bewildered by the travel duration.
Person 3: As far as I can judge, Tishani is being hypocritical because she is comparing the two places.
Person 4: In my opinion, she is amazed by the grandeur of the icy region.
(a) Person 1
(b) Person 2
(c) Person 3
(d) Person 4
Answer: d

3. Select the option that correctly fits the category of ‘microscopic to the mighty’ out of the ones given below.
1. trace of a skin cell: trace of a bird’s egg
2. a grain of rice: field of wheat
3. a scoop of ice cream: an ice-cream cone
4. a drop of water: Pacific Ocean
(a) 1, 2
(b) 3, 4
(c) 1, 3
(d) 2, 4
Answer: d

4. Choose the option listing the elements that influences one to think of earth’s physicality.
1. breakage of an iceberg from a glacier
2. midges and mites
3. a regular seen avalanche
4. summer light in the Southern hemisphere
(a) 1, 2
(b) 3, 4
(c) 1, 4
(d) 2, 3
Answer: c

It’s to understand the significance of Cordilleran folds and pre-Cambrian granite shields; ozone and carbon; evolution and extinction. When you think about all that can happen in a million years, it can get pretty mind-boggling. Imagine: India pushing northwards, jamming against Asia to buckle its crust and form the Himalayas; South America drifting off to join North America, opening up the Drake Passage to create a cold circumpolar current, keeping Antarctica frigid, desolate, and at the bottom of the world.

a. Based on your understanding of the extract, choose the option that lists the ‘extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges’?
(i) Drake Passage
(ii) Antarctica frigid
(iii) Cordilleran folds
(iv) circumpolar current
Answer: (iii)

b. is an uninhabited place giving an impression of bleak emptiness.
(i) Desolate
(ii) evolution
(iii) extinction
(iv) buckle
Answer: (i)

c. In the line”….can get pretty mind-boggling”, the word ‘mind-boggling’ DOES NOT refer to:
(i) Astonishing
(ii) infringe
(iii) impressive
(iv) bewildering
Answer: (ii)

d. What does the opening of the extract suggest?
Answer: The opening of the extract suggests that visiting Antarctica allows one to understand the geological history of the Earth, including the significance of various rock formations, environmental elements like ozone and carbon, and the processes of evolution and extinction.

Short Answer Questions 

Q1. Describe Gondwana
Answer: Gondwana was a huge landmass – a super continent, the undivided earth, which existed millions of years ago. Gondwana was centred roughly around the present day Antarctica. It had no human life, but only flora and fauna.

Q2. What prevented the Shokalskiy from going further? What did the captain instruct the passengers to do?
Answer: The vessel wedged herself into a thick white stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island, preventing further progress. The captain ordered passengers to disembark.

Q3. For Tishani Doshi going to Antarctica was a challenge not only to her body but to her mind also. Explain.
Answer: She felt relieved to have set foot on the Antarctic continent after travelling for over 100 hours. She was amazed by its vastness and immense white landscape. The 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.

Long Answer Questions 

Q1. What did Geoff Green switch over to? Write a diary entry on what lead to his transformation from carting celebrities to starting ‘Students On Ice’ program?
Answer: It's been quite a journey, and I find myself reflecting on how I got here, leading up to the creation of the "Students On Ice" program. Looking back, it's amazing to see how a simple idea has evolved into something truly meaningful. At first, it seemed like a dream job, and I found myself craving something more fulfilling. That moment planted the seed for what would eventually become the "Students On Ice" program. I couldn't shake the idea from my mind, and I began to envision a program that would take students from all walks of life on expeditions to explore the wonders of Antarctica. The transition wasn't easy. It required stepping out of my comfort zone and taking a leap of faith into the unknown. But with each step forward, I felt more alive than I had in years. I poured my heart and soul into building the program—I may have started out carting celebrities, but now I'm on a mission to inspire the next generation of changemakers. And I couldn't be more excited for what lies ahead.

Q2. ‘Students on Ice’ is a program that prepares global citizens. Imagine that you are a student who went on this journey to the Antarctica. On your return, you have been asked to give a speech in the morning assembly on how life changing this trip was. Draft this speech.
Answer: Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed faculty, and fellow students,
I stand before you today with a heart full of gratitude. Just a few weeks ago, I had the incredible opportunity to embark on a journey to Antarctica with the "Students On Ice" program, and I can honestly say that it was a journey like no other. Imagine standing on the deck of a ship, surrounded by nothing but endless stretches of icy wilderness. The air is crisp and invigorating, and the only sounds you hear are the gentle lapping of waves against the hull and the distant cry of seabirds overhead. What made this experience truly life-changing wasn't just the stunning scenery or the thrill of adventure. It was the people I met along the way – my fellow students from all corners of the globe, our passionate educators, and the dedicated scientists who shared their knowledge and expertise with us. Together, we formed a community united by a common love for exploration and a shared commitment to environmental conservation—realized just how interconnected we all are, and how important it is for each and every one of us to do our part to protect the world we call home. Antarctica may be a distant and remote place, but its impact on me has been profound and far-reaching. I urge you all, my fellow students, to seize every opportunity that comes your way, to embrace new experiences with open hearts and open minds. Because you never know where those experiences might lead you or how they might change you for the better. Thank you.