Lost Spring Summary Class 12 English

Summary of Lost Spring

The Lost Spring summary describes the terrible condition of poor children. These children are those who
didn’t get to enjoy childhood because of the prevailing socio-economic condition in this world. This is
something that one can see all over the world. These children don’t have the opportunity for schooling.
Moreover, there is a lot of pressure on these children to enter into labour early in life. These unfortunate
children are forced into labour. This certainly denies them education as well as the opportunity to have
enjoyment. The author Anees Jung raises voice to eliminate child labour. Jung does so by raising
awareness regarding child education and strict law enforcement against child labour. The call is to put an
end to the exploitation of children. This way the children will be able to enjoy the days of the spring and
have fun.

Lost Spring Summary in English

The first part tells the author’s impressions regarding the life of poor rag pickers. The rag pickers have
come from Dhaka. Furthermore, the settlement of the rag pickers is in the area of Seemapuri. Destruction
has come in their fields and homes due to the storms. They had come to the big city in the hope of finding
living there. However, the reality was, in fact, painful for them and they had to face many hardships. They
are certainly poor and lack various resources.

The writer watches Saheb every morning as he scrounges for “gold” in the neighbourhood. The means of
survival for these rag pickers is the garbage. Furthermore, for the children, it is a wondrous thing. The
children are able to find a coin or two from it. These people have ambitions and desires. The problem is
that they do not know the way to make them possible. There are quite a few things that they are unable to
reach. Later Saheb joins a tea stall where there is a possibility for him to earn 800 Rupees and all the
meals. However, this job has deprived him of his freedom. As such their condition is pretty hopeless and
full of misery.

The second part explores the life of Mukesh. Mukesh is a boy who belongs to the family of Bangle-
makers. Firozabad is famous for its amazing glass-blowing industry. There is an engagement of nearly
20,000 children in this particular business. Furthermore, no one over there understands or respects the
law that forbids child labour. Moreover, the living condition, as well as the working environment, are both
horrendous.

These children live in dreary cells. Also, they work close to hot furnaces. This is certainly very dangerous
as it makes these children blind when they enter adulthood. Furthermore, these children have to deal with
the pressure of debt. Moreover, they are unable to think of a solution to solve this problem. There is no
way for these children to come out of this trap.

The policemen, bureaucrats, middlemen, and politicians will all hinder their way of progress. The women
in the household consider it to be their destiny or fate. As a result of such thinking, they just follow the
established tradition. There is something different about Mukesh. He is not like the rest of the folk there.
This is because Mukesh has big dreams. He has a desire to become a motor mechanic in future. The
garage is far away from where he lives but he has the determination to walk.

Conclusion of Lost Spring

Lost Spring summary gives us an analysis of the impoverished condition faced by many children that
condemn them to a life of pain, oppression, and lack of education.
Lost Spring Summary In English

I. “Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage’ The author comes across Saheb every morning. Saheb
left his home in Dhaka long time ago. He is trying to sponge gold in the heaps of garbage in the
neighbourhood. The author asks Saheb why he does that. Saheb mutters that he has nothing else to
do. There is no school in his neighbourhood. He is poor and works barefooted.

There are 10,000 other shoeless rag-pickers like Saheb. They live in Seemapuri, on the outer edge of
Delhi, in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin but devoid of sewage, drainage or running
water. They are squatters who came from Bangladesh back in 1971. They have lived here for more
than thirty years without identity cards or permit. They have right to vote. With ration cards they get
grains. Food is more important for survival than identity. Wherever they find food, they pitch their tents
that become transit homes. Children grow up in them, and become partners in survival. In Seemapuri
survival means rag-picking. Through the years rag-picking has acquired the proportions of a fine art.
Garbage to them is gold. It is their daily bread and a roof over their heads.

Sometimes Saheb finds a rupee or even a ten-rupee note in the garbage-heap. Then there is hope of
finding more. Garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. For children it is
wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.

One winter morning the author finds Saheb standing by the fenced gate of a neighbourhood club. He
is watching two youngmen playing tennis. They are dressed in white. Saheb likes the game but he is
content to watch it standing behind the fence. Saheb is wearing discarded tennis shoes that look
strange over his discoloured shirt and shorts. For one who has walked barefoot, even shoes with a
hole is a dream come true. But tennis is out of his reach.

This morning Saheb is on his way to the milk booth. In his hand is a steel canister. He works in a tea
stall. He is paid 800 rupees and all his meals. Saheb is no longer his master. His face has lost the
carefree look. He doesn’t seem happy working at the tea-stall. II. I Want to Drive a Car The author
comes across Mukesh in Firozabad. His family is engaged in bangle making, but Mukesh insists on
being his own master. “I will be a motor mechanic,” he announces. “I will learn to drive a car,” he says.

Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles.
Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for women.
None of them know that it is illegal for children like Mukesh to work in the glass furnaces with high
temperatures, in dingy cells without air and light. They slog their daylight hours, often losing the
brightness of their eyes. If the law is enforced, it could get Mukesh and 20,000 children out of the hot
furnaces.

They walk down stinking lanes choked with garbage, past homes that remain hovels with crumbling
walls, wobbly doors and no windows. Humans and animals, co-exist there. They enter a half-built
shack. One part of it is thatched with dead grass. A frail young woman is cooking evening meal over a
firewood stove. She is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother and already in charge of three men-her
husband, Mukesh and their father. The father is a poor bangle maker. Despite long years of hard
labour, first as a tailor and then as a bangle maker, he has failed to renovate a house and send his
two sons to school. All he has managed to do is teach them what he knows: the art of making
bangles.

Mukesh’s grandmother has watched her own husband go blind with the dust from polishing the glass
of bangles. She says that it is his destiny. She implies that god-given lineage can never be broken.
They have been born in the caste of bangle makers and have seen nothing but bangles of various
colours. Boys and girls sit with fathers and mothers welding pieces of coloured glass into circles of
bangles. They work in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps. Their eyes are
more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing their eyesight before they
become adults.
Savita, a young girl in a drab pink dress, sits along side an elderly woman. She is soldering pieces of
glass. Her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine. Perhaps she does not know the
sanctity of the bangles she helps make. The old woman beside her has not enjoyed even one full
meal in her entire life time. Her husband is an old man with flowing beard. He knows nothing except
bangles. He has made a house for the family to live in. He has a roof over his head.

Little has moved with time in Firozabad. Families do not have enough to eat. They do not have money
to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles. The youngmen echo the lament of
their elders. They have fallen into the vicious circle of middlemen who trapped their fathers and
forefathers. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream. They are
unwilling to get organised into a cooperative. They fear that they will be hauled up by the police,
beaten and dragged to jail for doing something illegal. There is no leader among them. No one helps
them to see things differently. All of them appear tired. They talk of poverty, apathy, greed and
injustice.

Two distinct worlds are visibleone, families caught in poverty and burdened with the stigma of caste in
which they are born; the other, a vicious circle of money-lenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the
keepers of law and politicians. Together they have imposed the baggage on the child that he cannot
put it down. He accepts it as naturally as his father. To do anything else would mean to dare. And
daring is not part of his growing up. The author is cheered when she senses a flash of it in Mukesh
who wants to be a motor mechanic.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come
from?
Ans. Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbourhood of the author.
Saheb has come from Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in 1971. His house was set amidst the
green fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their fields and homes. So they left the country.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
Ans. One explanation offered by the author is that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. It is not lack of
money. He wonders if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty. He also
remembers the story of a poor body who prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.

Ans. No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His face has
lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly
over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea-shop.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
Ans. The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in
making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations
working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women in the land.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?

Ans. Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of
flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more
adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing eyesight before they become
adults. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles is injurious to eyes. Many workers have
become blind. The furnaces have very high temperature and therefore very dangerous.
Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
Ans. Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the god-given lineage can never be broken. Her son and
grandsons are bom in the caste of bangle makers. They have seen nothing but bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he knows—the art of making bangles. But Mukesh wants to be
a motor mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn, though the garage is far away from his home.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
Ans. People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their fields fail to provide them
means of survival. Cities provide employment, jobs or other means of getting food. The problem in
case of the poor is to feed the hungry members. Survival is of primary concern.

Q2. Would you agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept? Why do you
think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
Ans. The promises made to the poor are rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-joking, whether he
will come to her school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days later he asks if the school
is ready. The writer feels embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. Promises like
hers abound in every comer of their bleak world.

Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
Ans. Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty. These
include the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Together they impose a heavy burden on the child.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
Ans. Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad. Most of the young men of Firozabad
have no initiative or ability to dream, but Mukesh is an exception. He has the capacity to take courage
and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He does not want to
be a pawn in the hands of the middlemen or moneylenders. He insists on being his own master by
becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing cars and driving them. He
will have to overcome many hurdles before he succeeds. Then comes transport problem. Money is
the first one. He will have to earn some money himself. The garage is a long way from his home. He
will have to cover it twice everyday anyhow—by walking on foot.
Patience, hardwork, firm will and the determination to learn will help him realise his dream.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.

Ans. The glass bangles industry has many health hazards. It usually employs small children. It is
illegal to employ very young children in hazardous industries, but certain forces like ! middlemen,
moneylenders, police and politicians combine to entrap the poor workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle makers work. It is a cottage industry. They work in the
glass furnaces with high temperatures. The dingy cells are without air and light. Boys and girls work
hard during day next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark
than to the light outside. That is why, they often end up losing their eyesight before they become
adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of glass are all health hazards. Even the dust from
polishing the glass of bangles adversely affects the eyes and even adults go blind. Thus, the
surroundings, prevailing conditions and the type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of the
workers.

Q3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Ans. Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender age as i domestic
servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous industries making glass bangles, biris,
crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life. Their childhood is stolen. Burdened by the
responsibility of work, they become adults too soon. Most of them are undernourished, ill-fed,
uneducated, and poor. They have a stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part of government agencies,
NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative societies and political leaders. Mere passing of
law will not help. Laws should be enacted faithfully. The children thrown out of work should be
rehabilitated and given proper food, clothes, education and pocket money. Their feelings, thoughts
and emotions should be respected. Let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air.

Summary of Journey to End of the Earth

Journey to End of the Earth Summary will help you learn all about this travelogue in detail. This
travelogue is about the author’s experience when she goes on a journey to Antarctica. The author is
Tishani Joshi. The journey to Antarctica commences on the Russian Vehicle. Geoff Green was leading it.
Moreover, Geoff Green is the one who takes interest in taking students on educational trips. Through this,
helps them discover the end of the Earth. Thus, over here, the author went to Antarctica for educational
purpose as well as learns more about the place. This study tour turns out to be very insightful as students
learn about the impact of global warming. Moreover, they also learn how a little step can impact the
environment greatly. In addition, they also learn about the ice sheets of West Antarctica and if they will
melt or not.

Journey to End of the Earth Summary in English

The story begins with the author on a journey in a Russian vessel. It was headed towards Antarctica. We
learn that the author has travelled about 100 hours in a car, aeroplane as well as the ship. The main
objective of this trip is to learn everything in detail about Antarctica. Further, we learn about her two-week
stay there and what all is present there. The place stores 90% of the earth’s total ice volumes with no
trees, buildings or anything. It has 24-hour austral summer light. Moreover, it is covered in silence.

This makes the author wonder about the time when India and Antarctica were the same landmass’s part.
We learn about the existence of a southern supercontinent, Gondwana. It existed for six hundred and fifty
million years ago. We learn that the climate back then was much warmer and also sustained a huge
variety of flora and fauna.

All this was before the arrival of human beings. Moreover, for 500 million years, Gondwana flourished.
Thus, after the extinction of dinosaurs, the landmass separated into countries, as we know today.
Moreover, we also learn about the reality of climate change. Similarly, the author believes that to study
the impact closely, one must make a visit to Antarctica.

After that, we learn about Antarctica’s ecosystem and how it lacks biodiversity. Moreover, it is the place to
observe if you wish to see what consequences a little action can bring about in the environment. If the
ozone layer keeps depleting at the present rate, it will impact the lives of the inhabitants of the area like
the sea-animals and birds. Moreover, it will also impact the global carbon cycle.

We learn about the contributors to climate change, like the burning of fossil fuels and more. All this is
damaging the quality of Antarctica and this may cause immense danger to human life. Moreover, we also
learn about it through examples of phytoplankton. Finally, the story ends with the author observing some
seals sunbathing on ice. It makes her wonder whether this beauty will be reserved for the years to come,
or will the future be catastrophic.
Conclusion of Journey to End of the Earth
To sum up, Journey to End of the Earth summary, we learn in detail about climate change and how it is
impacting our lives and of other living beings dangerously, it serves as a wakeup call to start working to
make the planet a healthier place.

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.

Let’s go on a journey with Tishani and other students to study earth’s life and processes.

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.

NCERT 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.

Conclusion

The lesson deals with the drastic climatic changes and it is a memoir of Tishani Joshi who along
with her students goes on a voyage to Antarctica. The students will be able to know the depth and to
study the changes one needs to come here and can better know about the changes in overall climatic
pattern. This lesson will act as a wake-up call to all of us to stop taking our planet Earth for granted
and start an effort towards healing it and making it a beautiful place to live on.
Journey to the end of the Earth Class 12 Questions and Answers
Journey to the end of the Earth Reading with insight

Question 1

How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of humankind?

Answer

Geological phenomena such as the drifting of land masses and their separating into countries help us
to know about the history of humankind. A visit to Antarctica around which Gondwana once existed, is
like going back to past as it gives us an understanding of evolution and extinction, ozone and carbon,
where humankind came from, and where it is headed

Question 2.

What are the indications for the future of humankind?

Answer

All thoughtless activities of humankind such as increasing cities and megacities, cutting forests and
turning those to concrete jungles, careless burning of fossil fuel, depleting ozone and increasing
carbon dioxide, and global warming, melting ice caps and shields, our battle with other species for
limited resources and other similar reckless activities point to a grim future for humankind. If concrete
steps are not taken immediately, these drastic changes may lead to the end of the world

Journey To The End Of The Earth Reading with Insight

Question 2

What emotions did the author experience when she reached Antarctica at last?

Answer:

The author finally set foot on the Antarctica continent after travelling over 100 hours in combination of
car, aeroplane and ship. Her first emotion on seeing the vast expansive white landscape and the blue
horizon was of relief. She experienced the emotion of wonder at its immensity and isolation and its
strange relationship with India

Question 3.

How would you describe Gondwana?

Answer

Gondwana was a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent, centering around present-day

Antarctica Humans had not arrived on the global scene. The climate was much warmer There was a
huge variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. When the age of the
mammals got underway, the landmass was forced to separate into countries. Antarctica separated
from the whole landmass shaping the globe as we know it today.

Question 4.

What is that thing that can happen in a million years and would be mind-boggling?

Answer

The author says that in a million years India may push riorthwards, jamming against Asia. It will buckle
its crust and form the Himalayas South America may drift off to join North America. The Drake
Passage may open up to create a cold circumpolar current. Antarctica may remain frigid, desolate and
at the bottorn of the world

Question 5.
In what respect, Tishani Doshni's encounter with Antarctica is a chilling prospect?

Answer

The author remained there for two weeks. For a sun worshipper South Indian, being face to face with
ninet per cent of earth's total ice volume was a mind-boggling and chilling prospect. It was also a
chilling experience for circulatory and metabolic functions and for imagination. It is like walking into a
giant ping-pong ball with no human markers such as trees, billboards, and buildings.

Question 6

What is the visual experience in Antarctica?

Answer:

In Antarctica the visual scale ranges from the microscopic to the mighty midgets and mites to blue
whales and icebergs as big as countries. The writer refers to it as walking into a giant ping-pong ball
devoid of any human markers, without trees, billboards, buildings. Days go on in 24 hours austral
summer light. A ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by an occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet
consecrates the place.

Question 7.

How, according to the author, has mankind etched its dominance over nature?

Answer:

According to the author, though civilizations have been around for barely a few seconds on the
geological clock, yet they have created a ruckus by their various activities like exploiting the limited
resources and careless burning of fossil fuels. In the short span of existence on the earth, they have
already created a blanket of carbon dioxide and increased the average global temperature.

Question 8

How has Antarctica sustained itself and managed to remain pristine?

Answer:

Antarctica, on account of being the coldest, windiest and driest continent in the world, has never
sustained a human population and has thus managed to remain pristine. This has prevented man
from being able tocreate ruckus in this part of the world by his thoughtless exploitation of the natural
resources

Question 9

How is global temperature increasing? What are the immediate fears due to it?

Answer

Global temperature is increasing due to the increasing burning of fossil fuels. It has now created a
blanket of carbon dioxide around the world. This has given birth to questions like: Will the West
Antarctica ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream Ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end
of the world as we know of? It may be. It may not be

Question 10.

How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate of climate change?

Answer
Antarctica is a crucial element not because it has no human population but because it holds in its ice
cores halt a million year old carbon records. They are trapped in its layers of ice. It will open up areas
of knowledge about the past, present and future of the earth.

Question 11.

What are the reasons for the success of the Students on ice programme?

Answer.

Sitting distant in the comfort zone of our houses, any talk about global warming looks so unreal and
one can be unconcerned. But the visible experience of seeing glaciers retreating, ice caps melting
and ice shelves collapsing makes one understand and realize what global warming is all about. The
indications for the future of humankind become clear when one actually witnesses the geological
phenomena.

Question 12

The author says that her Antarctica experience was full of such epiphanies. What was that best
epiphany that occurred there?

Answer

The Akademik Shokalskly got wedged into a thick white sheet of ice. The captain decided to turn
aroundand asked the passengers to walk on the ocea. Undemeath their feet they saw 180 metres of
living, breathing salt water Crab eater seals were stretching and surining themselves on ice floes
much like stray dogs under a banyan tree. It was a great epiphany, a revelation.

Question 13

What is that beauty of balance that a trip to Antarctica unfolded to the author?

Answer:

The author was wonderstruck by the beauty of balance in play on our planet. Travelling across nine
time zones, three bodies of water and as many ecospheres was an experience that unfolded a wide
range of climate, geographical features, and flora and fauna. It was also a visible experience of the
varied geographical phenomena

Question 14

Why does the author conclude the chapter by saying that a lot can happen in a million years, but what
a difference a day makes?

Answer

The author concludes the chapter by saying that much more can really happen in a million years as it
happened in the case of Antarctica, But in this long period, changes even in a day make a great
difference because global climate is changing. It is posing a threat to the beauty of balance on the
earth.

Question 15

what are phytoplanktons? What is their importance?

Answer

Phytoplanktons, the grasses of the sea, are single-celled organisms living in the southern ocean.
They nourish and sustain the entire ocean's food chin, being first link in the food chain of ocean.
Using sun's energy, they assimilate carbon and synthesize organic compounds

The diminishing number of these organisms due to the depletion of ozone layers affects other
organisms of the ocean, finally leading to the extinction of life on earth
Question 16

Why does the author feel that the prognosis for the human beings is not healthy?

Answer:

The world is battling an ever increasing population, leading to burning of fossil fuels. This has created
a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world thereby increasing global temperatures: All this is
hazardous and life threatening for all flora and fauna. Hence the future of mankind in fact, all life on
earth, is bleak. So, the author is correct in saying that the prognosis for man is not encouraging and
healthy.j

Question 17.

Why is it necessary to remain fully equipped while walking on ice?

Answer

While walking on ice, the troupe was fully kitted out in Gore-Tex (type of spiked boots that help in
walking on ice) and glares. The spiked boots protect them from falling down on ice which might result
in injury and the glares protect the eyes because the sunglasses can injure their eyes, particularly the
ratina

Question 18.

Do you think that programmes like the Students on Ice do more harm than good? Support your
answer

Answer:

I personally feel that such trips do more harm than good. We have ruined the earth as much as we
could and as wide as we could go, because Antarctica was far away and extremely cold. But now we
have so many reasons to go to this pristine continent. Let's not encourage such trips. After all, what
else do we have to learn about the earth than the fact that we have been running a business, not a
service. Please spare Antarctica

Student on Ice is an educational journey to Antarctica. It took high school students to Antarctica where
they understood the senousness of the threat that the end of the earth is quite near. By visiting
Antarctica they would act their bit to save the planet from further deterioration. The educational youth
of today is the nope for the earth and if they are more informed and more aware of the weakening
strength of the earth, they willbe able to steer the government machinery of their counthes as they
grow up

Question 19

Does the study of the lesson give you a feeling that man is his own great enemy?

Answer

In his 12000-year-long stint on the earth so far man has caused untold harm to the planet, its
environment and biodiversity. His activities in the name of development have spelt doom for the flora
and fauna and his own existence is in danger Man is to blame for all the havoc and ruckus created on
earth. Thus it is quite right that man is his own great enemy.

journey To The End Of The Earth Long Questions and Answers

Question 1

What is the significance of the title Journey to the End of the Earth?

Answer
The title Journey to the End of the Earth, has more than one meaning it describes an educational
journey to Antarctica undertaken by a group of high school students. To learn more about the real
impact of global warming and future of the earth 52 students went to the coldest, drnest, windiest
continent in the world called Antarctica in Russian research vessel, the Akadernik Shokalskiy.

The author calls it a journey to the end of the earth because it began 13:09 degrees North of Equator
in Madras, involved crossing nine time zones, six checkpoints, three oceans and as many
ecospheres. She travelled over 100 hours in combination of a car, an aeroplane and a ship. The
journey being to the extreme south of the the earth, was really towards the end of it. Another meaning
of this title is more significant as the warnings that Antarctica gives are shocking and much concerning
the humanity and the millions of other species on the earth. The changes taking place in Antarctica
are pointing a warning finger at the existence of of the earth, the earth is journeying to its end

.Question 2

The author says, It was nothing short ci a revelation, everything does connect What does it mean?

Answer

Antarctica is a perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big
repercussions as far as Antarctica is concerned. Various human activities like exploiting the limited
resources and careless burning of fossil fuel have already created a blanket of carbon dioxide,
increased the averige global temperatures and caused the retreating of glaciers, melting of ice caps
and collapse of ice shelves as far as Antarctica Global warming does not only change the
geographical features, but also cause depletion in the ozone layer which will affect the activities of the
phytoplanktons, the tall grasses which support the lives of marine animals and birds of the region.
Hence, the author says everything doess connect and all human. activities are interlinked with the
geological phenomena, whatever be the geological distance

Question 3

By whom and with what objective was Students on Ice programme started? How far has it achieved
its goal

Answer

The Students on Ice programme was started by Canadian Geoff Green He felt students are the future
generation of policy makers They should be provided an opportunity to have this life-changing
experience at a young age in order to foster a new understanding and respect for our planet. It would
help them to absorb, leam and, more importantly, act for the benefit of the planet.

Geoff Green was tired of taking celebrities and retired rich curiosity seekers who could only give back
in a limited way. It means Geoff wanted something in return from his passenger to solve the problems
relating to climate changes due to environmental pollution it is difficult to imagine or be affected by the
polar ice caps melting while sitting in our living rooms and so this visible life changing expence is
important. Hence, this programme made the children leam that to save big things, small things must
be cared for
Question 4

What makes Antarctica an ideal subjeci of study?

Answer.

Antarctica is the only place in the world which has never sustained a human population. It thus
remains relatively pristine in this respect. But, more importantly, it holds in its ice core, half a million-
year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of life. Antarctica has a simple ecosystem and lack of
biodiversity. It is therefore, a perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big
repercussions Visiting Antarctica means knowing where we have come from and where we could
possibly be heading This place holds the key to know the geological evolution and it shall reveal the
earth's past, present and future
Question 5

The author states that her Antarctic experience was full of epiphanies, but the best occurred just short
of the Antarctic Circle of 65-55 degrees south? Explain

Answer:

Epiphanies is a Christian festival that celebrates the revelation or enlightenment. Here epiphanies are
used metaphorically to suggest moments when the author suddenly becomes conscious of something
that is very important to her

The author experienced the rare of the rarest experiences there in Antarctica both in relation to
beauty, wonder, and geological phenomena. Such masterly geological epiphany was experienced by
her when the Akademik Shokalskiy got wedged into a thick white stretch of ice between the peninsula
and Tadpole Island. The captain decided to turn around and asked the passengers to walk on the
ocean. They kitted out in Gore-Tex and glares, walking on a white sheet of ice. Underneath their feet
was a metre-thick ice pack And underneath that, 180 metres of living breathing saltwater lay before
them in the periphery, craberater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes. They
were doing so like stray clogs will do under the shade of a banyan tree. It was nothing short of
revelation. The author saw in it that everything does indeed connect. This read oved to be the most
wonderful experience of all experiences of Antarctica

Question 1

Who was Saheb? Where was he and where had he come from? What did he look for in the garbage
dumps?

Answer

Saheb was a child who had been forced by circumstances to become a ragpicker. His family had
migrated from the green fields of Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1971. They had been forced to move out
because storms had swept away all they had. They had shifted to Delhi to make a living. They lived in
the slums of Seemapuri Each day the child went looking for money in garbage heaps

Question 2

Saheb was a victim of circumstances. Justify

Answer

Saheb had once lived in the green fields of Dhaka but the storms swept away their fields and homes:
Consequently, he ended up in Delhi as a ragpicker. There was an inherent desire in him to attend
school and study. This could not be fulfilled because of poverty. When Anees suggested that he go to
school, he was excited and a few days later asked her if her school was ready..

Question 3

Bring out the irony in Saheb's name.

Answer

Saheb's name was "Saheb-e-Alam Ironically, it meant, lord of the universe. But that was something
he would never know. Even if he did, he would have found it hard to believe. He roamed the streets
barefoot scrounging the garbage heaps, but hardly managed to get one full meal.

Question 4

Explain: "Seemapun, a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it, metaphoncally

Answer
Geographically, Seemapuri is a place on the outskirts of Delhi It housed migrants from Bangladesh,
who earned their living as ragpickers. A run-down place that lacked amenities of sewage, drainage, or
running water, it was unlike the life of glitter and glamour in Delhi. People in Delhi lived a luxurious life
in contrast to the poverty prevailing in Seemapuri,

Question 5

What does garbage mean to adults and the children in the slum?

Answer

Garbage meant different things to the adults and to the children in the slum. To the adults in
Seemapuri, rag-picking meant survival. It had assumed proportions of fine art. On the other hand, to
the children garbage was like a mysterious package. They scrounged through it to discover unknown
valuables

Question 6

Saheb is resigned to his fate and does not covet for what he considers is beyond his means Justify

Answer

Saheb, a poor ragpicker, had resigned himself to his fate. He knew the areas that were out of bounds
for him. He used to stand by the fenced gate of the club and was content watching others play tennis.
He ventured into the club, to swing when no one was around. He had accepted his place in the
society where he had to subsist on the items discarded by the privileged-tennis shoes, shirt and
shorts: He gladly accepted work at a tea stall although it robbed him of his freedom

Question 7

How was Mukesh different from Saheb?

Answer

Saheb was more resigned to his fate and had given up the freedom he enjoyed as a ragpicker for a
salaried job at a tea stall On the other hand, Mukesh insisted on being his own master. He was
determined to be a motor mechanic. He was not prepared to compromise his dreams and give in like
Saheb, He had even chalked out a path to achieve his dreams.

Question 8

What did most slum dwellers do for a living in Firozabad?

Answer

Firozabad is known for its bangles, it is the centre of India's glass-blowing industry. Many people are
employed in this industry Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass
and making bangles. Since child labour is cheap, this place has around twenty thousand children who
work in the hot fumaces. These children often lose vision before they become adults because of the
environment they work in

Question 9

Describe the scene in Mukesh's house as viewed by the narrator

Answer

Mukesh was another young child who had been forced by poverty into child labour. He lived in a
dilapidated shanty with garbage strewn around. His house was a half-built shack, thatched with dead
grass and a wobbly iron door When the narrator visited the place, she noticed a firewood stove with a
large vessel of spinach leaves. She also noticed a frail very young woman.cooking. Later she realized
she was wife of Mukesh's elder brother. The narrator also saw Mukesh's grandmother and his father,
who were weak. having spent their lives making bangles
Question 10.

How do you know that everyone in Mukesh's family had resigned to their fate?

Answer:

Like most people in Firozabad, Mukesh was bom in the caste of bangle makers. Mukesh's father was
a poor bangle maker who had worked hard, first as a tailor. But despite slogging all his life, he had not
been able to renovate a house or educate his two sons. Hence he had no option but to pass on the art
of making bangles to his sons. Mukesh's grandmother was an old woman who had watched her
husband go blind but she did not complain. She accepted it as her fate of her "god-given lineage" it
was only Mukesh who dreamt of breaking out and being a mechanic

Question 11

The future of the slum dwellers in Firozabad is as bleak as their present. Why does the writer feel so?

Answer

The future of the slum dwellers in Firozabad was as bleak as their present. The families were trapped
in poverty, a curse that continued for generations. They also faced the stigma of having been bom in a
lower caste and were victimized by the inhuman sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the
keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. With all forces working against them, they were
unable to defy the norms

Question 12

Why didn't the people in Firozabad organize themselves into a cooperative to fight the system?

Answer

Despite being exploited, the people in Firozabad were unable to organize themselves into a
cooperative to escape from being manipulated and fight the system. Had they organized themselves
into cooperatives, they ran the risk of running into trouble with the authorities Moreover, there was no
lesader among them who could lead them. They were trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty,
indifference, greed and injustice

Question 13

Mukesh dreams of a different future. What does he dream of? How does he want to accomplish his
dreams?

Answer

Mukesh was bom in a family of poor slum dwellers. He has been taught to work in the glass factory
but Mukesh did not want to follow the traditional profession. He dreamt of being a motor mechanic. He
wanted to leam about cars and was determined to learn the skill in order to ensure for himself a better
life

Question 14

Explain: Few airplanes fly over Firozabad.

Answer

Mukesh wanted to be a motor mechanic and he was prepared to walk to the garage to learn. He
never dreamt of flying a plane as to the slum dwellers in Firozabad, planes were a far-fetched reality
Because of the limited exposure in the slums of Firozabad, Mukesh dreamt within his means

Lost Spring Long Answer Questions

Question 1.

Describe the miserable plight of the people in Seemapun

Answer

Seemapuri was a locality on the outskirts of Delhi which housed unlawful residents who came from
Bangladesh back in 1971. This area was a place where thousands of ragpickers lived. The people
lived in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There was no sewage system, no drainage
or running water. The migrant poor lived there for more than thirty years without an identity, without
permits but with ration cards that got their names on voters' lists. The children in these slums grew up
to become partners in survival as ragpickers. To them, garbage heaps were like gold mine that would
ensure their daily bread and a roof over their heads.

Question 1.

Describe the miserable plight of the people in Seermapuri.

Answer

Seemapurn was a locality on the outskirts of Delhi which housed unlawful residents who came from
Bangladesh back in 1971. This area was a place where thousands of ragpickers lived. The people
lived in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. There was no sewage system, no drainage
or running water. The migrant poor lived there for more than thirty years without an identity, without
permits but with ration cards that got their names on voters' lists. The children in these slums grew up
to become partners in survival as ragpickers. To them, garbage heaps were like gold mine that would
ensure their daily bread and a roof over their heads.

Question 2

But promises like mine abound in every comer of his bleak world" What does the writer mean?

Answer

The narrator, Anees, met Saheb every morning looking for money in the garbage. Saheb confessed to
the narrator that he scrounged the rubbish heaps as he had nothing better to do. He longed to go to
school but there was not one in the neighbourhood. When Anees asked him half joking that if she
started a school, would he join, he consented very gladly. In fact he was so enamoured with the idea
that a few days later he asked her if her school was ready. Anees was embarrassed at having made a
promise that she was not serious about. She felt that most people made promises to children like him
that were never fulfilled

Question 3

What do people have to say about people walking barefoot? What is the writer's opin

Answer

The writer narrates an expenence when she asked a child why they were barefoot. One replied that
his mother did not bring them down from the shelf, while the other boy felt that he would throw them
off anyway. Yet another boy expressed his desire for shoes. The writer recalled having seen children
walking barefoot. She had been informed that people walked barefoot not because of lack of money
but due to the tradition in India. She wondered if this was an excuse to explain away the perpetual
poverty. She had also heard of a boy from Udipi, who prayed every morning for a pair of shoes

Question 4

Explain: The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag

Answer
The writer, one morning, saw Saheb on his way to the milk booth carrying a steel canister. He had
relinquished his job as a ragpicker and had taken up employment in a tea stall for eight hundred
rupees. His face had lost the carefree look when he roamed the streets like a vagabond. As a
ragpicker he seemed carefree, constantly looking for things-wrapped in wonder

At the tea stall he was now burdened with the responsibility of a job. He was literally and
metaphorically fraught with the weight of the steel canister. The canister was heavier than the plastic
bag that he camed "lightly over his shoulder The plastic bag was light because the bag gave him the
freedom to lead a life that was not governed by adults. He was no longer the master of his own free
will after he was burdened by the job at the tea stall

Question 5.

Describe the poverty of living conditions of the people in Firozabad

Answer

Firozabad is a city known for bangles and glass industry. However the people working in the industry
led a pitiable life They lived in dilapidated, dingy houses in cloistered lanes that were foul smelling and
clogged with garbage. Their homes were hovels with crumbling walls, shaky doors, no windows, and
crowded with families of humans and animals living togetherMukesh's house was no better. It was a
half-built shack One part of the house was thatched with dead grass and it had a wobbly iron door
Most of the houses were similar dark huts. The children worked under flickering oil lamps with their
parents, welding pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes were more adjusted to
the dark than to the light outside. Hence, they often ended up losing their eyesight before they
became adults. The people were exploited by sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers
of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians

Question 6

Describe the writer's visit to Mukesh's place

Answer

Anees visited Mukesh's house in Firozabad, a place known for its glass industry, Mukesh was bom in
the caste of bangle makers. Anees noticed a weak young woman, the wife of Mukesh's elder brother,
cooking the evening meal for the whole family. She was very young but as the daughter-in-law of the
house, was in charge of three men-her husband, Mukesh and their father
Mukesh's father was an impovenshed bangle maker He had worked nard, first as a tailor, then a
bangle maker Despite years of relentless labour, he had neither been able to renovate a house, nor
send his two sons to school Mukesh's grandmother had watched her husband go blind with the dust
from polishing the glass of bangles. But she had accepted it as her fate She felt that "god-given
lineage could never be broken

7.

Mukesh is not like the others. His "dream(s) loom like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his
town Firozabad JustifyAnswer:

Mukesh was born in a family riddled with poverty. He and his family were leading a difficult life that
was not uncommon to the people of that socio-economic strata. But that had riot deterred his desire to
lead a different life. Mukesh was determined to be his own master. He had decided to become a
motor mechanic and was determined to leam to drive a car

When Anees heard of that, she felt that Mukesh's dreams were like a mirage-unattainable because it
was difficult for him to break out of the generations of bangle-making tradition. She was convinced it
would be difficult for Mukesh to achieve his unconventional dream.

Question B

In your opinion, can Mukesh realize his dream?

Answer

Yes, Mukesh could certainly achieve his dream as he dared to dream in the first place. He was unlike
most people who spent their lives doing what their families had done for generations. Mukesh had a
tangible plan in action to realize his dreams. He was determined to go to a garage arid leam more
about cars Despite the fact that the garage was at a distance, he was resolute "I will walk," he said.
His passion and perseverance would certainly help him achieve his goals.

OR

No, Mukesh will not be able to realize his dream because there were thousands of families trapped in
poverty who face the stigma of caste system. To cap it all, they live with insensitive people who exploit
the situation The inhuman sahukars, the middlemen, policemen, the keepers of law the bureaucrats
and the politicians-all work against them. These poor people are unable to come out of their misery
because they lack education or leadership. Mukesh's dream will too die a death like many others of
his station

Class 12 Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood Long Answer Questions Chapter 2
Q1. Would you agree that promises made to poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this
happens in the incidents narrated in the text ?
Ans. We agree that promises made to underprivileged kids are frequently broken. We host several
chat shows to end child labour, however the majority of child labourers worldwide are found in India.
Children who work as children suffer both physical and mental suffering. The author of the lesson
“Lost Spring” painted a clear picture of children working in the bangle and rag-picking professions. As
she realised the plight of rag pickers, she asked Saheb if he would attend a school if she decided to
create one in the area. Eventually, she felt ashamed for making a youngster a promise that she had
no intention of keeping.Both child labourers in Firozabad and rag pickers in Seemapuri had never
attended school. All of their initiative, desire, and capacity for dreaming were killed when they were
persuaded to choose that line of work.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangle industry.

Ans. The glass bangle industry is highly dangerous to work in. Employees spend a lot of time close to
the glass furnaces, which operate at high temperatures. They toil during the day in dismal cells with
inadequate ventilation and illumination. Rather than the light and open air outside, their eyes become
more accustomed to the gloom that prevails inside their workshop. They frequently lose their vision as
a result of the dust that is released during the polishing of glass bangles. Despite the fact that child
labour is illegal under the law, young children are mostly employed in this dangerous occupation.
They work in a dimly lit hut with their parents or other other adults, shaping bits of coloured glass into
lovely round bangles.They become more prone to accidents as a result of working in such poor
sanitary conditions, and their desire to follow their dreams and escape their family’s constraints is also
killed.

Q3. How in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?

Ans. Mukesh came from a family of bangle makers who practised their ancestors’ trade, thought it
was a calling from God, and accepted the hardship, pain, and exploitation that went along with it as a
part of their fate. Mukesh chose the profession of his choice with a tender heart. H e was ready to
leave the glass-making family’s legacy and its vicious cycle. He refused to let poverty thwart his
ambitions. He desired to work as an apprentice in a garage since he had an ambition of becoming a
mechanic. He aspired to get his driver’s licence so he could maybe work as a mechanic or a
mechanic’s assistant, and he was willing to travel a significant distance to go to the garage.In this
way, he dared to fulfil his dream.

Q4. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities.
Ans. More and more people are moving from villages to cities as years roll on. The village is under
more strain now because of overpopulation, illiteracy, and unemployment. Furthermore, landless
labourers are forced to move to cities in search of employment due to the introduction of mechanised
farmingTheir primary occupation used to be agriculture, but as a result of increasing industrialization
and advances in education, young people now move to cities in pursuit of employment and
educational opportunities. They don’t want to remain in the soiled rural environment. Modern
machines have also taken the role of the local crafts. The market is crowded with high-quality, low-
priced competition. The villagers are unable to sell their wares because they are unable to compete
with the new system of vast industrialisation.They frequently become indebted because of agricultural
loans and lose their lands and properties as a result. Finally, as a result of urbanisation, the villages
move to the metropolis to live a contemporary lifestyle.

Q5. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?

Ans. Employment of child labour is illegal. The law forbids it. Nonetheless, it continues uninterrupted
in numerous cities and villages. It has a risky nature.
It causes them physical and mental harm because they are unable to comprehend or communicate.
They frequently lose or hurt their important organs while working. Before kids reach adulthood, they
lose their innocence. All of their initiative, ambition, and desire to dream in life are killed by working
day and night. They are even denied access to a formal education and to healthy development. It is
dangerous to use kids in dangerous businesses like making carpet, bangles, and fireworks. These
kids have no idea how to defend themselves in the event of an accident or calamity.The only way to
resolve the issue with the government and society is to mercilessly punish the exploiters.

Q6. What forces conspire to keep the workers in the bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty ?
Ans. Anees Jung correctly identified the two different classes that existed in the town of Firozabad.
Families trapped in the tradition of creating bangles made up the first group. They had never
considered careers outside of those of their ancestors. They were aware of how little money they
were making and how challenging it was to make ends meet.
The second stratum included sahukars, bureaucrats, police officers, and cunning politicians who
coerced the kids into child labour in the dangerous bangle making industry. Both young and old were
caught in this terrible loop. If they spoke out against this continued system, the police would arrest
them. They viewed it as a divinely mandated bloodline that could never be broken.They never
considered creating a union. They never spoke up to escape the web of poverty and the grasp of the
bureaucrats because they had accepted it as their fate.
Q7. Mukesh is not like the others. His dreams loom like a mirage amidst the dust of streets that fill his
town Firozabad‟. Justify the statement in the light of contrast in the mindsets of Mukesh and the
people of Firozabad. (SQP 2018-19)
Ans. Mukesh belongs to a family of glass bangle makers in Firozabad. Even though the children of
such families usually carry on their family profession, Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic and drive
a car. Unlike his family members, and others of his community, he has dared to dream. His
grandmother’s words about the unbreakable lineage represent the attitude they have towards their
situation in life. They believe that it is their destiny to toil as bangle makers. Mukesh was different from
the others of his community. His dreams look like a mirage amidst the dust of street that fill his town
Firozabad. By daring to dream, he has already taken the first step towards a big change. He wants to
become a motor mechanic and drive a car. He can realise this dream with determination and hard
work. There might bemany obstacles on his way but a strong willpower will help him move towards
the path of success. The resolute boy is willing to walk a long distance from home to learn to be a
mechanic.
Q8. How does the story, ‘Lost Spring’ highlight the apathy of society and those in power to end the
vicious cycle of poverty? Support your answer with textual evidence.
Ans. In this story, ‘Lost Spring’s Saheb and Mukesh were the two main characters in two different
stories and both of them suffered extreme poverty. In the first story Saheb was a child who did rag
picking with his family to fulfil their needs. After a few days he started working in a tea stall and he is
no longer his own master as he worked under someone.On the other side mukesh belonged to a
family of bangle makers and works in bangle making industry along with his family but he was focused
and determined for his aim to become a motor mechanic. Both Saheb and Mukesh were unable to
move out of poverty and live a normal life,as they got no opportunities and it was almost impossible
for them to fulfil their dreams. This was because the upper class people, politicians and officials did
not help them at all ,rather they pushed them down in poverty for their greed. Also they did not have
much knowledge about their rights and the importance of education, as no one told them about
this.They both just followed the old customs and worked in poverty as no one guided them. Even the
people who have the power to help them showed lack of interest in helping them. That is why this
vicious cycle of poverty continues and the poor people become more poor and the rich become richer.
If the upper class people and the men in power would have helped them to get out of poverty and get
educated, then both Saheb and Mukesh would definitely be able to fulfil their dreams and enjoy their
life like others. Also, it is the duty of common people to make them aware of their rights and tell them
how they can move out of poverty stricken life so as to make them succeed in life.
Q9. Certain traditions and lineage, condemn thousands of children to a life of abject poverty and
choke their aspirations. • Do you agree? Explain. • How can we change this? Suggest some ways to
tackle this issue.
Ans. Yes, I do agree that ‘Lost Spring’ narrates the grinding poverty and traditions that condemn
thousands of people have succumbed. The story written by Anees Jung revolves around the pitiable
condition of poor children who have been forced to live in the slums and work hard in dirty conditions.
The first part tells the writer’s impression about the life of poor rag pickers who have migrated from
Bangladesh but now are settled in the Seemapuri area of Delhi. The second part narrates the
miserable life of the bangle-makers in the town of Firozabad. The stark reality of these families is that,
in spiteof back-breaking hard work that they put in, they cannot have two square meals a day.
Besides, false and blind belief in traditions does not let their children take up other respectable and
better paying jobs which will improve their financial situations.

Class 12 Journey to the End of the Earth Long Answer Questions Lesson 3

Q1. How did the author defend the use of the heading “journey to the end of the earth”?

Ans – The author, Tishani Doshi, more than justifies the title “Journey to the End of the World”. The
entire group was excited by their trip to Antarctica and became aware of the fact that it is the world’s
coldest, driest, and windiest continent. Their trip appeared to have been very successful because one
cannot really appreciate Antarctica’s size, significance, and crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem’s
balance without physically travelling there.
Through a thorough investigation of this island, the writer discovered Antarctica to be still unaffected
by humans and sought to understand where we have come from and might be going. The writer made
the assumption that without addressing the rapidly escalating global warming, we won’t be able to
stop the melting of ice, particularly glaciers, and that maintaining Antarctica, which accounts for 90%
of the world’s ice, is essential. Perhaps, in the near future, Antarctica would bring about the end of the
World by causing the destruction of human life on the planet (if it didn’t stop global warming).

Q2. Describe the journey to Antarctica by the Vessel Akademik Shokalskiy.

Ans – 52 persons make up the first troop on the expedition, which is led by adventurer and
knowledgeable Canadian Geoff Green. In order to teach the teens about the urgent need for the
escapement of Antarctica Akademik Shokalskiy, a Russian vessel headed for the world’s coldest,
driest, and windiest continent: Antarctica, he launched the mission Students on Ice.
Nine time zones, six checkpoints, three bodies of water, and at least as many ecospheres were
traversed during the journey, which started in Madras, which is located 19.09 degrees North of the
equator. They travelled for more than 100 hours by vehicle, aircraft, and ship before arriving at
Antarctica’s wide white landscape and unbroken blue horizon, where vastness and isolation made
them wonder-filled and tenaciousQ3. ‘Take care of small things and big ones will take care of
themselves.’ What is the relevance of this statement in the context of Antarctica?
Ans – The little things have their own significance in their own right. When small things are joined,
they have an impact on larger things. Phytoplankton is the grass of the Southern Ocean, and through
the process of photosynthesis, they convert light energy into the chemical energy that provides food
and oxygen to all marine life. Phytoplankton are very tiny single-celled plants, but they nourish and
sustain the entire Southern Ocean’s food processes (animals and birds). Thus, very small plants are
necessary for life to exist.

Q3. ‘Take care of small things and big ones will take care of themselves.’ What is the relevance of this
statement in the context of Antarctica?
Ans – The little things have their own significance in their own right. When small things are joined,
they have an impact on larger things. Phytoplankton is the grass of the Southern Ocean, and through
the process of photosynthesis, they convert light energy into the chemical energy that provides food
and oxygen to all marine life. Phytoplankton are very tiny single-celled plants, but they nourish and
sustain the entire Southern Ocean’s food processes (animals and birds). Thus, very small plants are
necessary for life to exist. Yet, the activity of these plants as well as the entire Earth’s ecology may be
impacted by global warming. These plants use the sun’s energy to absorb carbon and create organic
molecules. The rapidly increasing depletion of the Ozone layer will surely adversely affect this natural
system. By any means, the depletion should be stopped to preserve our ecological balance and save
all mankind and all creatures from extinction. So, opening our eyes, we should take care of little things
to care for the big things automatically and naturally.
Q4. A lot can happen in a million years, but what a difference a day makes. Explain.
Ans – The author travelled to Antarctica, the world’s coldest, driest, and windiest continent, with a
group of 52 people, and she was thrilled to discover the uninhabited, brutal environment devoid of any
trees, signs, or structures. The study of Antarctica can reveal the secrets of evolution and extinction
because the history of the Earth began there.
We urgently need to be conscious of the fact that, in order to prevent the extinction of humanity, we
also need to preserve nature. Antarctica is the ideal location for this because it contains 90% of the
world’s ice and conceals the world’s mysteries beneath its surface. Writer spent two weeks with a
group of teenagers under the leadership of Canadian Geoff Green, and after assuming the need of
action said that a lot could happen in a million years, but what a difference a day makes.

Q5. Geoff Green, a Canadian explorer and educator, started to include high school students on the
expedition Students on Ice. Explain why?
Ans – Since the beginning, Geoff Green has brought famous people, wealthy retirees, and curious
people to Antarctica, but they have all remained unhappy and dissatisfied, and those in positions of
authority have likewise failed to comprehend the issues that face humanity. They never responded
and didn’t seem concerned about the environment. The overall amount of time wasted and Geoff’s
useless attempts were evident. The project provided an opportunity for newcomers to learn more
about our world and ecology as Geoff began to enlist the help of students, willing individuals, and
learners. These kids seem prepared to take in information, learn it, and act right away.

They realise the threat of global warming and can actually do something as they are the future policy
makers and also expected to act and solve the environmental problems. Thus, the
expedition/movement started to give its results in a positive manner and people seemed to be aware
of global warming.

Q6. The world’s geological history is trapped in Antarctica. How is the study of this region useful to
us? (CBSE 2008)
Ans – Our understanding of Antarctica can be very perplexing and illuminating. A supercontinent
called “Gondwana” existed 350 million years ago; it was centred roughly on what is now Antarctica.
The environment was significantly warmer and supported an enormous variety of plants and fauna.
Gondwana flourished for 500 million years. Around that period, the landmass was compelled to divide
into nations, greatly influencing the modern world. By the study of this region, it is simple to gain an
understanding of where we have come from and where we might be going, as well as the evolution
and extinction of species.

Q7. On returning home, Tishani Doshi writes her thoughts reflecting on how her decision to enroll for
the Students on Ice programme has been the single most important decision of her life that has
completely transformed her. Imagine yourself to be Tishani and express these thoughts. You may
begin like this: I can’t thank my stars enough for having cashed in on the opportunity of………..
(CBSE SAMPLE QUESTION PAPER 2022-23)
Ans- I’m really grateful that I took advantage of the chance to sign up for the “Students on Ice”
programme. It was a significant event in my life. Visits to islands without human habitation were
entirely apart from all previous experiences. The landscape’s relative pristineness and lack of human
tampering gave visitors a glimpse into the history, present, and future of the planet. Because all life is
interconnected, I became aware of the threat to the environment and all living things as a result of the
melting glaciers brought on by human activity. The entire Earth’s ecology may be impacted by global
warming. Through a thorough investigation of this island, I discovered Antarctica to be still unaffected
by humans and sought to understand where we have come from and might be going. I think that
without addressing the rapidly escalating global warming, we won’t be able to stop the melting of ice,
particularly glaciers, and that maintaining Antarctica, which accounts for 90% of the world’s ice, is
extremely essential.