Journey to the End of the Earth

Q1. What is the ‘Students on Ice’ programme? Why is it significant?

‘Students on Ice’ is an international programme that takes students to Antarctica, giving them firsthand experience of its pristine environment. It sensitizes them to climate change and teaches them the importance of preserving Earth’s delicate ecological balance, inspiring them to become responsible environmental citizens.

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Q2. Why is Antarctica considered the perfect place to understand Earth’s past, present, and future?

Antarctica is untouched by human interference, holds 90% of Earth’s ice, and its ice cores reveal 500,000 years of climate history. It helps scientists understand Earth’s geological past, study present global warming, and predict future climate changes, making it the perfect natural laboratory for research.

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Q3. Explain the significance of Gondwana Land in the context of this chapter.

Gondwana was a supercontinent that existed 650 million years ago, comprising India, Africa, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. Its break-up shaped today’s continents and ecosystems. Visiting Antarctica is like travelling back in time, helping scientists study evolution and life’s development on Earth.

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Q4. How has human activity in the last 12,000 years affected the planet?

In the last 12,000 years, humans have increased population, urbanised, and industrialised rapidly. This has caused deforestation, pollution, resource depletion, global warming, and ozone layer damage, disturbing Earth’s natural systems and threatening the ecological balance necessary for survival.

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Q5. What does Tishani Doshi experience and feel on reaching Antarctica?

Tishani is awestruck by Antarctica’s vast whiteness, silence, and scale. The absence of human habitation makes her realise the fragility of Earth and the smallness of human existence. The journey deeply impacts her, urging her to respect and protect the planet.

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Q6. How does Antarctica act as an early warning system for the world?

Melting glaciers and thinning ice sheets in Antarctica signal rising sea levels that can flood coastal regions worldwide. Changes in phytoplankton populations disturb the global food chain. These warning signs highlight the urgent need to control global warming and protect the environment.

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Q7. What is the central message of the chapter? How does it inspire young people?

The chapter teaches that Earth’s systems are interconnected and fragile. Tishani stresses that climate change must be addressed immediately. It inspires young people to become environmentally responsible, respect nature, and work towards preserving the planet for future generations.

MCQs

Q8.

Assertion (A): Gondwana Land’s break-up shaped today’s continents and ecosystems.

Reason (R): Its break-up led to the origin of life on Earth.

Options:

A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B. Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.

C. A is true but R is false.

D. A is false but R is true.

Answer: C – A is true but R is false.

(Life existed before the break-up; the break-up only changed the distribution of life forms.)

Q9. Why does Tishani Doshi compare visiting Antarctica to travelling back in time?

A) Because Antarctica is always frozen and lifeless

B) Because its ice cores reveal climate history and show Earth before human interference

C) Because it has dinosaurs fossils preserved in ice

D) Because it has no modern technology

Answer: B

Q10. Why does the author say that students are the right participants for this programme?

A) They are physically stronger and can tolerate the cold better

B) They will inherit the planet and can influence future decisions

C) They are more interested in travelling to new places

D) They have free time to go on long trips

Answer: B

A Thing of Beauty (Poem Analysis)

John Keats begins the poem with one of the most memorable lines in English poetry: “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.” With this declaration, he establishes the central idea that beauty is permanent and eternal. He compares beauty to an eternal source of joy. Unlike worldly pleasures that fade with time, beauty never loses its charm; rather, its impact deepens as time passes. It offers a “bower quiet” — a peaceful, shady shelter from the chaos of life — and brings “a sleep full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.” In other words, beauty nourishes both body and soul, restoring calm and well-being.

The poet then acknowledges the harsh realities of human life. The world, he admits, is full of pain and suffering. People experience “despondence,” meaning hopelessness, and there is an “inhuman dearth of noble natures,” suggesting a lack of kindness and generosity among men. Days often seem “gloomy,” and human beings tend to follow “unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways” that lead to despair. Despite these negative forces, beauty provides a powerful counterbalance. Keats compares it to a “flowery band to bind us to the earth,” a metaphor that conveys how beauty keeps us attached to life, making existence meaningful even when difficulties surround us. Beauty, he says, has the capacity to “move away the pall from our dark spirits” — like lifting a covering from the soul, bringing in light and joy.

To make his idea concrete, Keats points to examples of natural beauty. The sun and the moon are eternal sources of light that sustain life. Trees, both old and young, provide shade and comfort not only to human beings but also to simple sheep. The daffodils, with their brightness, enrich the green world around them, while clear streams, or “rills,” offer coolness in the heat of summer. Forest thickets, rich with musk-rose blooms, add fragrance and charm to the landscape. Through this vivid imagery, Keats shows how nature continuously refreshes and heals the human spirit.

However, beauty is not limited to the physical world of nature. Keats also finds beauty in human imagination, history, and legend. He refers to the “grandeur of the dooms we have imagined for the mighty dead,” meaning the noble deeds and sacrifices of great men from the past. Their stories, filled with bravery, truth, and love, continue to inspire future generations. These stories are themselves enduring sources of beauty. In this way, Keats extends the idea of beauty beyond the visible, physical realm to the moral and imaginative world.

The poem concludes with a majestic image: beauty as “an endless fountain of immortal drink, pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.” Here, Keats uses an extended metaphor to describe beauty as a divine, inexhaustible source of nourishment. Just as water from a fountain quenches thirst, beauty sustains the human soul forever. It flows endlessly, directly from heaven, symbolising that beauty is not man-made but a spiritual gift bestowed upon humanity.

Thus, the entire poem builds on the Romantic belief that beauty is eternal, spiritual, and redemptive. Despite life’s hardships and sorrows, beauty — whether in nature, noble deeds, or inspiring tales — uplifts the human spirit, offering joy, peace, and hope. For Keats, beauty is not superficial; it is an eternal truth that binds us to life and connects us with the divine.