Journey to the end of the Earth

Theme of the Lesson

An informative account of the author‟s trip to the world‟s coldest, windiest, and driest continent can
be found in the Vistas book for Class 12 entitled Journey to the End of the Earth. According to
Tishani Doshi, visiting Antarctica is necessary if one wants to comprehend the past, present, and
future of the planet. We can learn a lot about this area by studying it because Antarctica is where the
world‟s geological history is preserved. She travelled with a group of students who were exploring
the continent. Her encounter with the ice-mysteries of this ice-region was exhilarating.

Journey to the end of the Earth Summary

For a south Indian man travelling to Antarctica from Madras, it takes nine time zones, six
checkpoints, three water bodies and just as many ecospheres to reach there. Tishani Doshi travelled
to the Southern end of the Earth along with an expedition group named „Students on Ice‟ that
provides an opportunity to the young minds to sensitise towards the realistic version of climatic
changes happening in the world. According to the founder of the organisation, we are the young
versions of future policymakers who can turn the situation around. Antarctica is one of the coldest,
driest and windiest continents in the world.
As far as the eyes can see, it is completely white and its uninterrupted blue horizon gives immense
relief. It is shocking to believe that India and Antarctica were part of the same supercontinent
Gondwana, that got segregated into countries giving rise to the globe we know today. Antarctica had
a warmer climate until then. Despite human civilisation around the globe, it still remains in it pure
form. Being a south Indian sun-worshipping guy, it was unimaginable for the author to visit the place
that constitutes world‟s 90 per cent of ice, a place so quiet that it is only interrupted by snow
avalanches. It is home to a lot of evidences that can give us a glimpse of the past and at the same
time, Antarctica helps us foresee the future. The place gives an awakening to threatening alarm that
global warming is actually real. Who knows if Antarctica will be warm again and even if it does, will
we be alive to see it?

1. „The world‟s geological history is trapped in Antarctica.‟ How is the study of this region
useful to us?
Ans. The geological phenomena of separation of the landmass into various continents and water
bodies almost six hundred and fifty million years ago marks the beginning of the human race on the
Earth. Mammals started existing after dinosaurs became extinct which happened once the
landmarks separated.
2. What are Geoff Green‟s reasons for including high school students in the Students on Ice
expedition?
Ans. Geoff Green took high school students on an expedition to one end of the Earth to make them
realize the impact that human intervention could have on nature. He wanted the future policy –
makers to experience how difficult it would be to sustain life with the rising temperatures. He wanted
them to see the melting ice shelves so that they could estimate the trouble that mankind was headed
to.
3. „Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.‟ What is the
relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?
Ans. The staement holds great importance in context of the Antarctic environment. For instance, the
phytoplanktons in the region serve as food for marine birds and animals. The depletion of the ozone
layer affects the phytoplanktons and the carbon cycle. This can obstruct the existence of marine life.
So, if the process carried on by these small grasses is taken care of, the processes of the bigger
animals and birds can be taken care of.
4. Why is Antarctica the place to go to, to understand the earth‟s present, past and future?
Ans. Antarctica is the place to go to to understand the earth‟s past, present and future because it
gives us an idea of how the earth was millions of years ago. The melting sheets of ice give us an
idea of the future also.

Class 12 English Journey to the End of the Earth Question

Answers Lesson 3 – Extract Based Questions
Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct
option for each question by carefully reading the passage.

A. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
Early this year, I found myself aboard a Russian research vessel the Akademik Shokalskiy heading
towards the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the world: Antarctica. My journey began 13.09
degrees north of the Equator in Madras, and involved crossing nine time zones, six checkpoints,
three bodies of water, and at least as many ecospheres.

1. Name the chapter from which the following extract has been taken.
A Evans Tries an O Level
B Memories of Childhood
C The Tiger King
D Journey to the End of the Earth
Ans D Journey to the End of the Earth
2. Who is „I‟ in the above lines?
A Tishani Doshi
B Kalki
C Pearl S Buck
D William Saroyan
Ans A Tishani Doshi
3. What was Akademik Shokalskiy?
A A Boat
B A Canoe
C A Watercraft
D All of these
Ans C A Watercraft
4. Where was the narrator going on her journey?
A Amsterdam
B Antarctica
C Australia
D America
Ans B Antarctica

B. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
By the time I actually set foot on the Antarctic continent I had been travelling over 100 hours in
combination of a car, an aeroplane and a ship; so, my first emotion on facing Antarctica’s expansive
white landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon was relief, followed up with an immediate and
profound wonder. Wonder at its immensity, its isolation, but mainly at how there could ever have
been a time when India and Antarctica were part of the same landmass.
1. What do you mean by the horizon?
A The apparent boundary between the sky and the earth
B The apparent boundary between the sky and the solar system
C Both A and B
D None of these
Ans A the apparent boundary between the sky and the earth
2. How much time did it take to get to Antarctica?
A 100 Hours
B 150 Hours
C 200 Hours
D 250 Hours
Ans A 100 Hours
3. As they arrived in Antarctica, what feelings did the narrator experience?
A Stressed
B Distressed
C Relieved
D Baffled
Ans C Relieved
4. Find out the synonym of the word „Immense‟ from the following?
A Tiny
B Monstrous
C Lagged
D None of these
Ans B Monstrous

C. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
Six hundred and fifty million years ago, a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent Gondwana did
indeed exist, centred roughly around the present- day Antarctica. Things were quite different then:
humans hadn’t arrived on the global scene, and the climate was much warmer, hosting a huge
variety of flora and fauna. For 500 million years Gondwana thrived, but around the time when the
dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of the mammals got under way, the landmass was forced to
separate into countries, shaping the globe much as we know it today.
1. For how long did Gondwana thrive?
A 600 Million years
B 500 Million years
C 400 Million years
D 300 Million years
Ans B 500 Million years
2. How was the world of Gondwana different from our own?
A It was cooler
B It was warmer
C It was hotter
D Both B and C
Ans D Both B and C
3. What does “Wipe out” mean as a phrasal verb?
A Cleaned
B Disappeared
C Removed
D All of these
Ans D All of these
4. Gondwana did indeed exist, centred roughly around the present- day ______________.
A Asia
B Arctic
C Africa
D Antarctica
Ans D Antarctica

D. Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
For a sun-worshipping South Indian like myself, two weeks in a place where 90 percent of the
Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect (not just for circulatory and metabolic
functions, but also for the imagination). It’s like walking into a giant ping-pong ball devoid of any
human markers – no trees, billboards, buildings. You lose all earthly sense of perspective and time
here. The visual scale ranges from the microscopic to the mighty: midges and mites to blue whales
and icebergs as big as countries (the largest recorded was the size of Belgium). Days go on and on
and on in surreal 24-hour austral summer light, and a ubiquitous silence, interrupted only by the
occasional avalanche or calving ice sheet, consecrates the place. It’s an immersion that will force
you to place yourself in the context of the earth’s geological history. And for humans, the prognosis
isn’t good.
1. How long was the narrator in Antarctica and the surrounding area?
A 14 Days
B 16 Days
C 18 Days
D 12 Days
Ans A 14 Days
2. In the line “It‟s like going into a gigantic ping-pong ball,” what literary device is employed?
A Transferred Epithet
B Metaphor
C Alliteration
D Simile
Ans D Simile
3. Find out the synonym of „Ubiquitous‟ from the following?
A Present Everywhere
B Omnipresent
C That is everywhere present
D All of these
Ans D All of these
4. Where was the author originally from?
A North India
B South India
C East India
D West India
Ans B South India

Q1 How do geological phenomena aid our understanding of human history?

OR
How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of mankind? (CBSE 2000,
2009)
Ans Geological phenomena help us learn more and more about human history because it is the only
way by which we can understand the past, present, and future of the Earth. How life was before, and
how it has progressively changed now. The world‟s geological history lies imprisoned beneath
Antarctica‟s strata, according to scientists.
Q2 What signs point to a bright future for humanity?
Ans If global warming doesn‟t stop, humanity will soon be expelled from the planet Earth because of
the ozone layer being depleted, deforestation, glacier melting, and the collapse of ice shelves.
Q3 Akademik Shokalskiy was heading towards Antarctica, why?
Ans Under the direction of Canadian Geoff Green, the Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy was
sailing towards Antarctica with a crew of 52 people to investigate and explore human history.
Q4 Name the programme and its objectives. (CBSE 2011)
Ans The programme was Students on Ice with the motive to give high school students the
educational opportunity to do the study of Antarctica.
Q5 After reaching Gondwana, what were the students‟ reactions?
Ans They were incredibly excited since they were in an isolated part of the world with no human
habitation and a serene environment; it was a place devoid of vegetation, signs, and structures.
Q6 Gondwana existed before six hundred and fifty million years ago. Explain.
Ans About 650 million years ago, a giant amalgamated Southern supercontinent Gondwana did
indeed exist centered roughly around present-day Antarctica. The continents of Gondwana were
crushed or separated from each other by meteorites that fell to Earth. And all the fragments of
Gondwana formed a new continent. As a result, they are the seven continents of the world.
Q7 How does Antarctica factor into environmentalists‟ debates?
Ans Antarctica is constantly up for discussion among environmentalists because it is the only
continent that has not been affected by human activity. Concerns over whether it will melt, whether it
will affect the Gulf Stream ocean current, and whether it will bring about the end of the world are all
brought up for discussion.
Q8 Why did Geoff Green begin to only take pupils to Antarctica?
Ans Geoff Green observed that wealthy retirees and famous people only visit Antarctica for
recreational purposes, while students, who would eventually determine policy, showed curiosity and
were willing to take on the challenge.
Q9 Why is Antarctica the ideal location for studying nature?
Ans Antarctica is the perfect place to study nature because it has a simple ecosystem and lack of
biodiversity, above all, it is untouched by human beings.
Q10 Why the programme „Students on Ice‟ became so successful?
Ans The program‟s effectiveness is attributable to the fact that no place near the South Pole can be
visited without being impacted by it. Students were given educational chances through this
programme.
Q11 What justifications does Geoff Green give for bringing high school kids along on the
Students on Ice Expedition
OR
Students on Ice is a programme that prepares global citizens. Discuss. (CBSE QUESTION
BANK)
Ans Canadian Geoff Green founded the Students on Ice programme six years after this chapter was
first written. Because high school kids still have a lot of absorbing, learning, and most importantly
acting to do, it was necessary to include them in the most compelling educational opportunities that
would make them aware of the destruction of our ecosystem and foster an understanding to save
our planet.
Q12 “Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves: What is
the relevance of this statement in the context of the Antarctic environment?
Ans Antarctica is the ideal location for research and illustrate how minor environmental changes can
have significant effects because of its simple ecosystem and lack of species. Photosynthesis is
carried out by single-celled, tiny phytoplankton using energy from the Sun. Also, any impediment to
this process will have an impact on the global carbon cycle as well as the survival of all local birds
and marine animals. Experts caution and suggest that if the tiny things are taken care of, the large
things will follow.
Q13 Why is Antarctica the best site to visit in order to comprehend the past, present, and
future of the earth? (CBSE 2010)
OR
Antarctica is a doorway to the past. Explain. (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
OR
Antarctica is unlike any other place on Earth. Justify the statement. (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans Since it has carbon records from half a million years ago preserved in its ice layers, Antarctica
is currently the only place on earth that is in its purest and most natural state. Since it has never
supported a human population, Antarctica is still considered to be relatively “pristine” in this regard.
In order to comprehend the past, present, and future of Earth, one needs to travel to Antarctica.
Q14 For the narrator, spending two weeks in Antarctica is a challenge not only for the body
but also the mind. Elaborate. (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans Throughout their two-week Antarctica journey, the narrator of “Journey to the End of the World”
encounters not only physical but also psychological difficulties. It‟s challenging to have a cheerful
attitude because of the tough conditions and solitude, and it is confusing because of the darkness
and lack of landmarks.
Q15 Based on the chapter, elucidate any three consequences that global warming will have
on Antarctica. (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans Land is under strain as a result of a rapid and continuous increase in human population relative
to the depleting natural resources. The world‟s temperature is rising as a result of the burning of
fossil fuels and clearing forests. Global warming, ozone layer loss, and glacier melting are putting
human existence in jeopardy. This will undoubtedly have a negative impact on humans, birds, and
marine life. Additionally, this is probably going to cause the sea and ocean‟s water levels to rise,
which will cause many low-lying areas to become submerged in water. Experts caution that future
ozone layer thinning will impact phytoplankton activity. The region‟s birds and marine creatures‟ lives
will be impacted. If Antarctica warms up as a result of global warming, terrible things will happen
elsewhere.
Q16 Identify Tishani Doshi‟s writing style in Journey to the End of the Earth and state two
aspects that characterise it using examples from the text. (CBSE SAMPLE PAPER 2022-23)
Ans She uses precise factual details in her writing/she pays close attention to detail such as the
name of the vessel, the number of hours that took her to reach Antarctica, the number of time zones
/ the number of checkpoints/ geological/historical facts to build her narrative/she divides her writing
into three coherent parts, each with its individual heading for clarity. She uses her words to create
vivid word-pictures/she uses visual imagery to compare ice-clad Antarctica to an endless stretch of
„stark whiteness‟, giving the reader a mental image of the place/she uses similes to bring the
experience to life, saying that going to Antarctica is like walking into a giant ping-pong ball”