CBSE Class 11

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English

The Laburnum Top NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 2

The Laburnum Top NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Laburnum Top About the poet

Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet and children’s writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation, and one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. He served as Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death. In 2008, The Times ranked Hughes fourth on their list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945”.

The Laburnum Top Main Theme
The first three lines of the poem impress upon the reader the stillness of the laburnum tree. A small goldfinch comes and the tree bursts with movement and sound. The bird’s family lodges in the thickness of the tree. The goldfinch enters the tree’s thickness to feed her young ones and flies away. The tree becomes silent once again when the bird flies away. The poet has used imagery of sound and movement to show the tree coming alive.

The Laburnum Top Find out

Question 1.
What laburnum is called in your language?
Answer:
To be done by the student. In Hindi it is called ‘Amaltaas’. It flowers in summer.

Question 2.
Which local bird is like the goldfinch?
Answer:
To be done by the student.

The Laburnum Top Think it out

Question 1.
What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem? ‘
Answer:
The poem begins with the laburnum tree’s stillness and quietness. It ends also with silence and emptiness of the tree.

Question 2.
To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer:
The bird’s movement has been compared to that of a lizard. Her movement is smooth and unexpected like a lizard’s.

Question 3.
Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Answer:
The image of the engine has been evoked to give the reader an idea of energy, movement and sound that fill the tree when the goldfinch enters. The tree vibrates with life.

Question 4.
What do you like most about the poem?
Answer:
The poet’s depiction of the goldfinch is the most charming part of the poem. She brings life to the. silent tree with her entry. The poet has created beautiful images of colour, sound and movement.

Question 5.
What does the phrase ‘her barred face identity mask’ mean?
Answer:
The goldfinch has dark stripes on her face. The poet describes this as a mask which identifies the bird.

Note Down

Question 1.
the sound words
Answer:
chirrup, chitterings, trilling, whistle—whisperings

Question 2.
the movement words
Answer:
twitching, enters, tremor, trembles, launches away

Question 3.
the dominant colour in the poem.
Answer:
yellow: yellow September sunlight, leaves yellowing, laburnum tree has yellow flowers

List the following

Question 1.
Words which describe ‘sleek’, ‘alert’ and ‘abrupt’.
Answer:

• sleek — flirt out
• alert — startlement
• abrupt — suddenness

These three words describe the movement of the bird and show how she enters the thick leaves and branches. Suddenness and startlement mean the same as above.

Question 2.
Words with the sound ‘ch’ as in ‘chart’ and ‘tr’ as in ‘trembles’ in the poem.
Answer:

• ch — chirrup, chittering
• tr — trillings, trembles

Question 3.
Other sounds that occur frequently in the poem.
Answer:

• ‘s’ — September, ‘sunlight’, silent, still
• ‘I’ — leaves, yellowing, all, fallen
• ‘tr’ — tree, trembles

The Laburnum Top Thinking about language

Question 1.
Look for some other poem on a bird or a tree in English or any other language.
Answer:
To be done by the student.

Try this out

Question 1.
Write four lines in verse form on any tree that you see around you.
Answer:
To be done by the student.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English

A Photograph NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 1

A Photograph NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

A Photograph About the poet

Shirley Toulson was born on 20 May 1924, in Henley-on-Thames, England, as the daughter of Douglas Horsfall Dixon and Marjorie Brown. She had a huge passion for writing and was greatly influenced by her father who was a writer too. She secured a BA in Literature from Brockenhurst College in London in 1953. Shortly after, she took to writing as a career and also served as the editor for many magazines in the meantime.

A Photograph Main Theme

The poet sees the photograph of her mother at a seaside holiday along with her two cousins. The mother is only twelve years old in the photograph. Now she has been dead for twelve years.
The poetess is acutely conscious of her loss. She speaks of the shortness of human life against the permanence of the sea. The finality of death is stressed in the last stanza—particularly in the last two lines.

A Photograph Think it out

Question 1.
What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?
Answer:
A photograph; it recreates a happy past which is now as lifeless as the cardboard it is printed on.

Question 2.
What has the camera captured?
Answer:
Two cousins on each side of a twelve-year-old girl holding hands, smiling. The three girls are on a seaside holiday.

Question 3.
‘What has not changed over the years?’ Does this suggest something to you?
Answer:
The sea shows the permanence of nature as compared to temporariness of human lives.

Question 4.
The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?
Answer:
Carefree happiness of a twelve-year-old girl on a holiday at seaside.

Question 5.
What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”?
Answer:
The sea holiday and her laughter have now become distorted due to ease acquired with great difficulty. The loss of mother is extremely painful to the poet. Over the years, with difficulty, she has come to terms with it; therefore, she uses the words ‘the laboured ease of loss.’ The joy of the mother’s sea holiday and her laughter in the photograph only bring her pain. Therefore, the expression used is ‘wry’.

Question 6.
What does ‘this circumstance’ refer to?
Answer:
The mother being dead.

Question 7.
The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?
Answer:

• First stanza—mother’s childhood.
• Second stanza— her passing away.
• Third stanza— the poet’s sense of loss at her mother not being there

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English

Silk Road NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 8

Silk Road NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Silk Road About the Author

‘Nick Middleton (born 1960) is a British physical geographer and supernumerary fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. As a geographer, he has travelled to more than 50 countries. He has appeared on BBC 2’s Through the Keyhole.

Silk Road Main Theme

‘Silk Road’ is an account of travel to Manasarovar Lake in Tibet. The narrator was travelling to the lake to complete ‘Kora’, a pilgrimage. He set off with Tsetan in his car.
Tsetan knew a route that would take them south-west from Ravu almost directly towards Mount Kailash. They had to cross several high mountain passes. They went across pastures, passing some gazelles and a great herd of wild asses, some ‘drokbas’ or shepherds, and Tibetan mastiffs.

They entered a valley where the river was wide but mostly clogged with ice. Negotiating sharp turns, they climbed away from the river. At a sharp bend they encountered snow. Tsetan, the narrator and Daniel stepped on the snow to ascertain how sturdy it was. They put handfuls of dirt on the snow and covered the snow sufficiently. The narrator and Daniel walked while Tsetan carefully drove the car across the snow. Tsetan negotiated the next blockage skilfully.

They crossed 5,400 metres and started feeling the effect of the high altitude. At 5,515 metres, they came across a cairn of rock decorated with white scarves. By 2 p.m. they reached the other side of the pass. The plateau was marked with salt flats where workmen loaded trucks laden with salt.They reached Hor on the old trade route from Lhasa to Kashmir. The narrator found Hor bare and dirty. It was at the shore of Lake Manasarovar, venerated by Hindus and Buddhist. The narrator had read glowing account of the lake, but his own experience was not the same.

At 10.30 p.m. the party reached a guest house in Darchen. The author suffered from breathlessness and could not sleep the entire night. Next day, Tsetan took him to the medical college where he was given some Tibetan medicine. He felt relieved. At Darchen Tsetan left him. Luckily, the narrator met Norbu who worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He too had come to do the ‘Kora’. The narrator decided to do the pilgrimage not on foot but on yaks as Norbu suggested.

Silk Road Understanding the text

I. Give reasons for the following statements:

Question 1.
This article has been titled ‘Silk Road’.
Answer:
The narrator was travelling on the old silk road from Lhasa to Kashmir to reach Mansarover Lake. Therefore, he has named the lesson Silk Road.

Question 2.
Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.
Answer:
Because they were extremely fierce, swift and dogged.

Question 3.
The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.
Answer:
Earlier travellers were moved to tears when they encountered the Mansarovar Lake. The narrator was repelled by the starkness and the rubbish lying around in Hor.

Question 4.
The author was disappointed with Darchen.
Answer:
The author was quite unwell at Darchen. He had severe cold and gasped for breath. He spent a sleepless night. This depressed him. The town of Darchen was dirty, somewhat derelict and had pits of rubblend refused.

Question 5.
The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.
Answer:
Upto Darchen the author he was disappointed with what he saw. High altitudes, the difficulties of the drive, breathing problem at Darchen were not pleasant. The prospects of doing the Kora alone in the traditional way were unattractive. Then he met Norbu who was good company and intended to do the Kora on Yaks. This cheered the narrator.

II. Briefly comment on:

Question 1.
The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.
Answer:
Nick Middleton, an oxford professor as well as an adventurer, followed the most difficult terrain through the Silk Road to reach Mount Kailash. He visited a Buddhist pilgrimage to complete the Kora, going around the place. He also wanted to see Lake Mansarovar.

Question 2.
The author’s physical condition in Darchen.
Answer:
The author didn’t feel physically fit when he reached Darchen. He suffered from extreme due to the chilly winds. He was unable to breathe with ease, was restless at night, could not have a wink that he would die if he would sleep.

Question 3.
The author’s meeting with Norbu.
Answer:
After Tsetan had left for Lhasa, the author was feeling lonely. He couldn’t see any pilgrims at Darchen as he had reached the place earlier. It was then that he met Norbu, an academician who was Tibetan but, worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of social sciences. The narrator liked him to the extent that he decided to do the pilgrimage in his company. The author felt a lot of relief and comfort after meeting Norbu.

Question 4.
Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.
Answer:
All through the author’s journey Tsetan had been very supportive. He drove him from Ravu to Hor through high mountain passes where the tract was covered with snow, and through the deep valleys. He even took the narrator to Darchen Medical College when he suffered from cold and breathlessness.

Question 5.
“As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it didn’t really matter if I passed away, but he thought it would be bad for business.”
Answer:
Buddhists do not grieve too much over death as they take a philosophical attitude about it. The narrator had just suffered an acute attack of breathlessness and could have died. He had come out of the crisis when Tsetan decided to return to Lhasa. He told the narrator that death was not a matter of grief but if the narrator had died it would have affected his business adversely.

Silk Road Talking About the Text

Discuss in groups of four

Question 1.
The sensitive behaviour of hill-folk.
Answer:

• Hill-folks are simple and unsophisticated.
• They are courteous to outsiders/tourists.
• They look after the tourists because they earn through them.

Question 2.
The reasons why people willingly undergo the travails of difficult journeys?
Answer:

• On pilgrimages due to faith.
• For some emergency when the journey has to be made whatever the circumstances.
• Out of a sense of adventure and a desire to explore.

The accounts of exotic places in legends and the reality.

• Often legends and earlier accounts were glowing and exaggerated.
• Reality often proved to be shabby and different.
• The author had heard accounts of the superlative beauty of Mansarover but the author did not find it so.

Silk Road Thinking about language

Question 1.
Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author. How do you think he picked it up?
Answer:
semi-educated – picked up English to interact with tourists

Question 2.
What do the following utterances indicate?
(i) “I told her, through Daniel…”
(ii) “It’s cold,” he said finally through Tsetan.
Answer:
(i) Daniel acted as an interpreter between the narrator and Lhamo.
(ii) the doctor .informed Tsetan who would tell the narrator.

Question 3.
Guess the meaning of the following words,
kora, drokba, kyang
In which language are these words found?
Answer:
Kora – pilgrimage
Drokba — shepherd, shepherd’s coat
Kyang-wild asses. Probably Tibetan
(Probably Tibetan)

Working with words

Question 1.
The narrative has many phrases to describe the scenic beauty of the mountainside like:
A flawless half-moon floated in a perfect blue sky.
Scan the text to locate other such picturesque phrases
Answer:
To be found by the student.

Question 2.
Explain the use of the adjectives in the following phrases.
(i) shaggy monsters
(ii) brackish lakes
(iii) rickety table
(iv) hairpin bend
(v) rudimentary general stores
Answer:
(i) shaggy – thick fur of Tibetan dogs.
(ii) brackish — water tasting of salt and minerals.
(iii) rickety — table with loose joints — shaky, unstable.
(iv) hairpin – very sharp bends, comparable to the bend of a hairpin.
(v) rudimentary – basic, having the bare necessities.

Noticing form

1. The account has only a few passive voice sentences. Locate them. In what way does the use of active voice contribute to the style of the narrative?
2. Notice this construction: Tsetan was eager to have them fixed. Write five sentences with a similar structure.
Answer:
To be done by the student.

Silk Road Things to do

Question 1.
“The plateau is pockmarked with salt flats and brackish lakes, vestiges of the Tethys Ocean which bordered Tibet before the continental collision that lifted it skyward.” Given below is an extract from an account of the Tethys Ocean downloaded from the Internet. Go online, key in Tethys Ocean in Google search and you will find exhaustive information on this geological event. You can also consult an encyclopaedia.

Today, India, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean cover the area once occupied by the Tethys Ocean. Turkey, Iraq and Tibet sit on the land once known as Cimmeria. Most of the floor of the Tethys Ocean disappeared un(Jer Cimmeria and Laurasia. We only know that Tethys existed because geologists like Suess have found fossils of ocean creatures in rocks in the Himalayas. So, we know those rocks were underwater, before the Indian continental shelf began pushing upward as it smashed into Cimmeria. We can see similar geologic evidence in Europe, where the movement of Africa raised the Alps.
Answer:
Read the note and find information on the net about the Tethys Ocean.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English

The Adventure NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 7

The Adventure NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Adventure About the Author

Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (born 19 July 1938) is an Indian astrophysicist. He developed with Sir Fred Hoyle the conformal gravity theory, known as Hoyle-Narlikar theory. In 1966, Fred Hoyle established Institute of Theoretical Astronomy in Cambridge, and Narlikar served as the founding staff member of the institute during 1966-72. In 1972, Narlikar took up Professorship at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, India.

The Adventure Main Theme

The author, Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, is an astrophysicist of international repute. This is another science fiction that he has offered to his readers. The story contains an episode of a person being in another dimension of history. The basic premise is “What would have been the state of affairs if a certain crucial event had taken place differently?” The event in question here is the Third Battle of Panipat. The author has visualised the situation as if Marathas won the war and Vishwas Rao remained alive to lead his people.

Prof. Gaitonde travels to Bombay which is under the British. He feels it is different from how he knows it to be. He looks for traces of his son in the city but does not find any. He consults history books written by himself and finds a different account of the battle of Panipat. The Marathas won the battle and became very powerful and had influence all over India. In the twentieth century, they put up centres of science and technology with the help of the British. In the twentieth century, India moved towards democracy, but the Sultanate of Delhi continued and Bombay remained a British territory. In this India, ruled by the Marathas, the people were confident and self-reliant.

Prof. Gaitonde wanted to know how this had happened. He looked at the history books again and discovered that Vishvas Rao did not die of bullet injury. A bullet brushed past his ear and he was in no danger.In the evening, after the library closed, Prof. Gaitonde went to Azad Maidan where a meeting was in progress. He noticed that there was no chairperson. He himself went up to the dais and started speaking. The public, however, chased him away.

After this, he found himself in the present time speaking to his friend, Rajendra. He still had the ‘Bakhar’ In his pocket from the library and had been missing for two days.

Where had he gone? His friend Rajendra tried to rationalise this experience on the basis of two theories— the catastrophe theory or ‘a crucial event gone the other way’ and the lack of determinism in the quantum theory, which means that the behaviour of electrons in atoms cannot be predicted. Rajendra says that ‘catastrophic situations offer radically different alternatives for the world to proceed. Therefore, there was a bifurcation in the battle of Panipat and Prof. Gaitonde experienced a different world not in past or future but at the present time.

How this happened is a mystery to science. Prof. Gaitonde had a collision with a truck and was thinking of the Battle of Panipat at that moment. Probably, that caused the transition.

The Adventure Understanding the text

I. Tick the statements that are true.

Question 1.
The story is an account of real events.
Answer:
For discussion only—to be conducted by the teacher as spoken activity. Any point of view may be taken.

Question 2.
The story hinges on a particular historical event.
Answer:
For discussion only—to be conducted by the teacher as spoken activity. Any point of view may be taken.

Question 3.
Rajendra Deshpande was a historian.
Answer:
False

Question 4.
The places mentioned in the story are all imaginary.
Answer:
False

Question 5.
The story tries to relate history to science.
Answer:
True

II. Briefly explain the following statements from the text.

Question 1.
“You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a different world.”
Answer:
The story is based on the theory that catastrophic situations offer radically different alternatives. Prof. Gaitonde experienced a different world where he spent two days. In that world a catastrophic event, the Third Battle of Panipat, had a different outcome.

Question 2.
“You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience.”
Answer:
Prof. Gaitonde had experienced living in a different world which had a different history. The bifurcation took place in the Battle of Panipat, which had a different outcome. In this world Marathas had won the Battle and Vishwas Rao had remained alive to lead India. Consequently, the British presence in India was confined to Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

Question 3.
Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him.
Answer:
The country which Prof. Gaitonde knew had endured British rule for two centuries, whereas in the other world they had a very minor presence. The Marathas had supremacy all over India. The Mughals were confined to Delhi. The Peshwas had taken steps to ensure scientific and technological advance in the twentieth century.

Question 4.
“The lack of determinism in quantum theory !”
Answer:
The behaviour of very small systems like atoms and their constituents, cannot be predicted definitively even if all the physical laws governing those systems are known. For example, if an electron is shot, it cannot be said with certainty where it will go. This is lack of determinism in the quantum theory.

Question 5.
“You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
Answer:
Rajendra was not quite clear about how the transition from this world to another was made by
Prof. Gaitonde. He explained the occurrence thus. At the time of the collision with a truck
Prof. Gaitonde was thinking about the Catastrophe Theory and its role in wars. He was also thinking about the Battle of Panipat. Perhaps the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger. This interaction brought about the transition.

The Adventure Talking about the text

Question 1.
Discuss the following statements in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.

(i) A single event may change the course of the history of a nation.
Answer:
The following points may be discussed. the death/survival of a leader, e.g. what if Mahatma Gandhi had died before India got free.
(i) the outcome of a war, e.g. what if Italy and Germany had won the Second World War.

(ii) Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.
Answer:

• Reality may be extra sensory, e.g. the experiment of ghosts, etc.
• Reality may be intuitive, e.g. extra sensory perception.
• Reality may exist in another dimension of time or space.

(iii) The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar. Discuss.
Answer:

• Similar — because analysis, reasoning, inference are employed.

Question 2.
(i) The story is called ‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die…’
Answer:
‘The Adventure’ is not a narration of real events; ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die is ….’

• ‘The Adventure’ is based on a hypothesis; ‘We’re Not’ is based on real incidents.
• ‘We’re Not…’ is a story of a family’s courage, resourcefulness and bonding together.

The Adventure’ has none of these because it is not a real story.

(ii) Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
Answer:

• because he had a bad experience in Azad Maidan.

The Adventure Thinking about language

Question 1.
In which language do you think Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to each other? Which language did Gangadharpant use to talk to the English receptionist?
Answer:
Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to each other in English G. spoke to the receptionist too the English.

Question 2.
In which language do you think Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written?
Answer:
Bhausahebanchi Bakhar written a Marathi.

Question 3.
There is mention of three communities in the story: the Marathas, the Mughals, the Anglo-Indians. Which language do you think they used within their communities and while speaking to the other groups?
Answer:
The Marathas spoke in Marathi, the Mughals in Persian or Urdu, the Anglo-Indians in English.

Question 4.
Do you think that the ruled always adopt the language of the ruler?
Answer:
The ruled learn the language of the rulers for business official work and jobs. In the interaction within then communities they use their own language. Thus Indians learnt Persian under the Mughals and English under the British but used their own languages too.

The Adventure Thinking Working with words

I. Tick the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrases.

Question 1.
to take issue with
(i) to accept
(ii) to discuss
(iii) to disagree
(iv) to add
Answer:
(iii) to disagree

Question 2.
to give vent to
(i) to express
(ii) to emphasise
(iii) suppress
(iv) dismiss
Answer:
(i) to express

Question 3.
to stand on one’s feet
(i) to be physically strong
(ii) to be independent
(iii) to stand erect
(iv) to be successful
Answer:
(ii) to be independent

Question 4.
to be wound up
(i) to become active
(ii) to stop operating
(iii) to be transformed
(iv) to be destroyed
Answer:
(ii) to stop operating

Question 5.
to meet one’s match
(i) to meet a partner who has similar tastes
(ii) to meet an opponent
(iii) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself
(iv) to meet defeat
Answer:
(iii) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself

II. Distinguish between the following pairs of sentences:

Question 1.
(i) He was visibly moved.
(ii) He was visually impaired.
Answer:
(i) One could see that he was emotionally touched.
(ii) He was blind.

Question 2.
(i) Green and black stripes were used alternately.
(ii) Green stripes could be used or alternatively black ones.
Answer:
(i) One green and one black stripe were used many times in the same order.
(ii) Black stripes could be used in place of green ones.

Question 3.
(i) The team played the two matches successfully.
(ii) The team played two matches successively.
Answer:
(i) The team won the two matches they played.
(ii) The team played two matches one after the other.

Question 4.
(i) The librarian spoke respectfully to the learned scholar.
(ii) You will find the historian and the scientist in the archaeology and natural science sections of the museum respectively.
Answer:
(i) spoke with respect.
(ii) in the given order.

Noticing form

The story deals with unreal and hypothetical conditions. Some of the sentences used to express this notion are given below.
1. If I fire a bullet from a gun in a given direction at a given speed, I know where it will be at a later time.
2. If I knew the answer I would solve a great problem.
3. If he himself were dead in this world, what guarantee had he that his son would be alive?
4. What course would history have taken if the battle had gone the other way?
Notice that in an unreal condition, it is clearly expected that the condition will not be fulfilled.
Answer:
Read the notes and examples.
Notice the use of would, and the conditional clauses to express conditions that cannot be fulfilled.

The Adventure Thinking Things to do

Question 1.
Read the following passage on the Catastrophe Theory downloaded from the Internet.
Answer:
Originated by the French mathematician, Rene Thom, in the 1960s, catastrophe theory is a special branch of dynamical systems theory. It studies and classifies phenomena characterized by sudden shifts in behaviour arising from small changes in circumstances.

Catastrophes are bifurcations between different equilibria, or fixed point attractors. Due to their restricted nature, catastrophes can be classified on the basis of how many control parameters are being simultaneously varied. For example, if there are two controls, then one finds the most common type, called a ‘cusp’ catastrophe. If, however, there are more than five controls, there is no classification.

Catastrophe Theory has been applied to a number of different phenomena, such as the stability of ships at sea and their capsizing, bridge collapse, and, with some less convincing success, the fight- or-flight behaviour of animals and prison riots.

II. Look up the Internet or an encyclopaedia for information on the following theories.

(i) Quantum theory
(ii) Theory of relativity
(iii) Big Bang theory
(iv) Theory of evolution
Answer:
To be done by the student.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English

The Browning Version NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 6

The Browning Version NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Browning Version About the Author

Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 1911 – 30 November 1977) was a British dramatist. He was one of England’s most popular mid-twentieth century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.- He wrote ‘The Winslow Boy’, ‘The Browning Version’, ‘The Deep Blue Sea’ and ‘Separate Tables’, among many others.

The Browning Version Main Theme

The Browning Version is an extract from a play by Terence Rattigan. Taplow, a sixteen-year-old student has to meet his teacher Mr Crocker-Harris at 6.30 p.m. in order to make up for some classes he had missed. While he waits for Mr Harris, he meets Frank, a science teacher in the school, and the two get into conversation. Mostly they talk about Mr Crocker-Harris whom Taplow calls ‘Crock’. Mr Crocker-Harris emerges as a strict disciplinarian, who speaks gently even when he is not saying anything pleasing to the students. In spite of his strictness, Taplow likes him and Frank envies him. He is not a sadist like some other teachers. Towards the end of the play, Millie, Crocker-Harris’ wife, enters. She knows about Taplow’s ‘extra work’. She sends him away.

The Browning Version Understanding the text

Question 1.
Comment on the attitude shown by Taplow towards Crocker-Harris.
Answer:
Taplow appears resentful as Crocker-Harris called him on the last day of school to do extra time in lieu of a day of class that he missed. Taplow thinks of Crocker-Harris as a strict disciplinarian who does not break rules. In spite of the punishment that Taplow got, he respects him a lot. He also has fear of Crocker-Harris, somewhere he feels that Crocker has no feelings, but he is surely not a sadist. Deep inside, Taplow has a liking for Crocker-Harris.

Question 2.
Does Frank encourage Taplow’s comments on Crocker-Harris?
Answer:
Somewhere as a teacher, Frank does not discourage Taplow from talking about Crocker-Harris. On the other hand, he does not allow him to become disrespectful. Frank respects the image Crocker- Harris has among students.

Question 3.
What do you gather about Crocker-Harris from the play?
Answer:
Crocker-Harris can be seen from two perspectives. The first is as a teacher and the second is as a human being. As a teacher, Crocker-Harris is a strict disciplinarian. He calls Taplow even on the last day of school to make up for a missed class. Till date, none of his students could miss his lectures. He is an unbiased teacher who believes in given marks according to what a student deserves. He appears strict but is not a sadist.

He is the man of the principles who strictly adheres to the rules. As a human being, he is reserved. He never reveals his emotions in front of students, never allows students to show affection towards him. He has got values and principles. He abides by all the rules. He is a firm and stern human being. Overall, he can be considered disciplined and sincere.

The Browning Version Talking about the text

Discuss with your partners

Question 1.
Talking about teachers among friends.
Answer:
These questions are for discussion in class. The points of discussion can be these—

• What is your tone? Respectful? Complaining? Critical? Mocking?
• What do you speak about? — His teaching? Relationship with students? Mannerism? Oddities of speech and behaviour?
• How often you speak about teachers? All the time? Rarely? Frequently?
• Do you talk about all teachers or a selected few?
• Do you talk about their personalities ? — manner of dressing, speaking?

Question 2.
The manner you adopt when you talk about a teacher to other teachers.
Answer:
These questions are for discussion in class. The points of discussion can be these—

• What is your tone? Respectful? Complaining? Critical? Mocking?
• What do you speak about? — His teaching? Relationship with students? Mannerisms? Oddities of speech and behaviour?
• How often you speak about teachers? All the time? Rarely? Frequently?
• Do you talk about all teachers or a selected few?
• Do you talk about their personalities? – manner of dressing, speaking?

Question 3.
Reading plays is more interesting than studying science.
Answer:
Reading Plays:

• imaginative
• ideas about human life and behaviour
• good language
• enjoyment

Reading Science:

• get knowledge, facts
• modern in approach
• practical, useful in daily life
• future growth is possible

Working with words

A sadist is a person who gets pleasure from giving pain to others.

Given below are some dictionary definitions of certain kinds of persons. Find out the words that fit these descriptions.

Question 1.
A person who considers it very important that things should be correct or genuine, e.g. in the use of language or in the arts: P…
Answer:
Perfectionist

Question 2.
A person who believes that war and violence are wrong and will not fight in a war: P…
Answer:
Pacifist

Question 3.
A person who believes that nothing really exists: N…
Answer:
Nihilist

Question 4.
A person who is always hopeful and expects the best in all things: O…
Answer:
Optimist

Question 5.
A person who follows generally accepted norms of behaviour: C…
Answer:
Conformist

Question 6.
A person who believes that material possessions are all that matter in life: M…
Answer:
Materialist

The Browning Version Things to do

Question 1.
Based on the text, enact your own version of the play. Work in pairs.
Answer:
Act out the play.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 5

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role About the Author

Nanaboy “Nani” Ardeshir Palkhivala (January 16, 1920 – December 11, 2009) was an Indian jurist and economist. Nani Palkhivala was born in Bombay to blue collar, middle-class Parsi parents. He was educated at Masters Tutorial High School, and later at St. Xavier’s College, both in Bombay.

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Main Theme

Nani Palkhivala, the well-known lawyer, has reviewed the ecological situation of the earth with particular reference to India. He points out that our point of view has shifted from the mechanistic to a holistic view of the world where ecology is concerned.

The earth has become like an ailing patient. The World Commission on Environment and Development put forward the idea of sustainable development. The idea is that the resources should be used with restraint so that they last for the future generations.

The principal biological systems such as fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands are fast depleting. Forests are being lost at the rate of an acre and a half per second. Though rules exist for the preservation of environment, in India laws are constantly flouted. The actual loss of forests may be 8 times the government statistics. The environmental condition in eighty-eight countries is critical.

The growth of world population is chiefly responsible for the degradation of the environment. Population control must be given top priority.Now the thinking of the people has changed to holistic. We think not just about the survival of the people but of saving the earth too. Industries need to cooperate in the preservation of the environment. We have borrowed the earth from our children and we must return it to them intact.

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Understanding the text

Question 1.
Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Answer:
“The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. We have begun to realise our ethical obligations to be good stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generations.”

Question 2.
What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia signify?
Answer:
Human beings are the most dangerous to the environment. They cause the most destruction to the environment. Human beings are the most dangers species.

Question 3.
How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?
Answer:
Four systems

• Fisheries—their productivity is impaired—overfishing is common.
• Forests are decimated for firewood, several species face extinction—forty to fifty million acres of forests are being eroded every year—we are losing one and a half acre of forests per second.
• Grasslands and croplands too are being depleted.
• Croplands are overused and over exploited.
  These are being destroyed because of overuse by human beings.

Question 4.
Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Answer:
It is true that the growth of the worid population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society. The present world population is 5-7 billion. Increasing population hampers the development. If population growth is under control, income and education of people will increase thus, improving the standard of living.

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Talking about the text

Discuss in groups of four.

Question 1.
Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.
Answer:
In India, so many laws have been passed year after year, but, the attitude of Indians towards these laws has been non-serious and casual. As if laws are only for the name sake in India. So, many laws related to traffic rules, construction of buildings, cleanliness, etc. have been passed but they are never sternly imposed, as a result, people violate them frequently.

Question 2.
‘Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?’
Answer:
If human beings will blindly keep on cutting trees and forest covers, in no time this planet will turn into a barren land, devoid of greenery as well as beauty. If reckless activities of humans continue, we will have to pass on a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment. It is time to be active and considerate towards the preservation of environment. We should plant more and more trees, stop the usage of polybags, use eco-friendly fuel. We must not forget that the earth has been borrowed from the future generation.

Question 3.
We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.
Answer:
No generation can deplete the earth of its resources. The use of w ater, trees and minerals should be such that they are available to the coming generations too. Therefore, we should understand the concept of sustainable development, i.e. development which meets the needs of the present and.at the same time preserves the environment for future generations. It is essential that we preserve the four principal biological systems of the earth—the fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. So, we should plant trees for the future, take a holistic view of the environment and the planet and act with responsibility. This is what the Green Movement is all about.

Question 4.
The problems of overpopulation directly affect our everyday life.
Answer:
Today the world population is almost on the verge of explosion. It has almost reached 5-7 billion. If the trend continues, all of us will be severely affected by it. With the increase in population, the rate of development will dwindle.The rich will become richer and the poor will get poorer. Poverty and unemployment will be common. People will not get space to live. Price rise i.e. inflation will reach its peak. It will also lead to increase in the demand of the products. People will have to actually struggle for the existence. So, it’s the need of this hour to aware people about the need for family planning. Rather, government should enforce and make some laws for ‘population control’.

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Thinking about language

Question 1.
The phrase ‘inter alia’ meaning ‘among other things’ is one of the many Latin expressions commonly used in English.
Find out what these Latin phrases mean.
1.’prima facie
2. ad hoc
3. in camera
4. ad infinitum
5. mutatis mutandis
6. caveat
7. tabula rasa
Answer:

1. Prima facie — at first view
2. Ad hoc — for a special purpose
3. In camera – in a judge’s private room; in secret
4. Ad infinitum – to infinity
5. Mutatis mutandis —with the necessary changes
6. Caveat — a warning or caution, process to suspend proceedings
7. Tabula rasa — an absence of preconceived notions, a clean slate, erased tablet.

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Working with words

Locate the following phrases in the text and study their connotation.
1. gripped the imagination of
2. dawned upon
2. ushered in
4. passed into current coin
5. passport of the future
Answer:

1. appealed greatly
2. realised
3. brought in
4. became popular
5. leading to the future

The words ‘grip’, ‘dawn’, ‘usher’, ‘coin’, ‘passport’ have literal as well as figurative meaning. Write pairs of sentences using each word in the literal as well as the figurative sense.
Answers may vary, student’s own response.

The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role Things to do

Question 1.
Make posters to highlight the importance of the Green Movement.
Answer:
To be done by students.

Question 2.
Maintain a record of the trees cut down and the parks demolished in your area, or any other act that violates the environment. Write to newspapers reporting on any such acts that disturb you.
Answer:
To be done by students.