Class 12 : English (core) Compulsory – Lesson 16.Journey to the End of the Earth
EXPLANATION & SUMMARY
🌟 Introduction to the Story
Journey to the End of the Earth by Tishani Doshi is a travelogue describing the author’s Antarctic expedition with the Students on Ice programme. It blends personal experience, science, and environmental concerns, showing Antarctica as a fragile, vital part of Earth’s ecosystem.
📚 About the Author
Tishani Doshi (b. 1975) is an Indian poet, novelist, and journalist. Her writing often connects themes of nature, identity, and travel. This piece combines her poetic voice with scientific insight to highlight the urgency of environmental conservation.
🧭 The Journey
From Chennai to Antarctica — a long route by air and sea — the author reaches the coldest, driest, windiest continent, holding 90% of Earth’s ice and a vast, ancient history.
🌍 Why Antarctica Matters
Reveals Earth’s climatic past through ice-core records.
Holds clues about the supercontinent Gondwana.
Acts as a global climate regulator by reflecting solar radiation.
🔬 Students on Ice Programme
Led by Geoff Green, it takes students to witness environmental issues firsthand, inspiring them to become future leaders in conservation.
🌱 Lessons from Antarctica
Delicate ecosystems are easily disturbed by temperature rise.
Melting ice impacts global sea levels.
Human actions anywhere affect the planet everywhere.
🌊 Personal Reflection
In untouched wilderness, the author feels the deep interconnectedness of life and the urgent need for sustainable living — Antarctica becomes both a warning and a hope for the planet.
💠 Summary
The travelogue recounts Doshi’s Antarctic journey with Students on Ice, blending awe for the pristine landscape with concern over climate change. Antarctica emerges as a vital key to Earth’s past, present, and future, reminding us of our responsibility to protect the planet.
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PASSAGE
“Students on the ‘Students on Ice’ programme spend two weeks aboard the Russian research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy, heading towards Antarctica to learn about its ecosystem, climate history, and global environmental significance.”
💠 Short Answer (30 words)
What is the aim of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme?
Answer: To provide students with firsthand experience of Antarctica’s environment, enabling them to study its ecosystem, climate history, and role in understanding global environmental changes.
💠 Short Answer (30 words)
Why is the Russian vessel Akademik Shokalskiy significant here?
Answer: It is the research ship that takes students to Antarctica during the ‘Students on Ice’ programme, serving as their base for travel and study.
💠 Multiple Choice
The ‘Students on Ice’ programme primarily focuses on:
A. Space research
B. Antarctica’s environment
C. Desert survival skills
D. Arctic oil drilling
Answer: B. Antarctica’s environment
💠 Fill in the blank
The research vessel used in the programme is called __.
Answer: Akademik Shokalskiy
💠 Fill in the blank
The ‘Students on Ice’ programme lasts for __ weeks.
Answer: two
💠 Assertion & Reason
Assertion (A): The ‘Students on Ice’ programme takes place in Antarctica.
Reason (R): Antarctica is crucial for studying global climate change and environmental issues.
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 false, but R is true.
D. Both A and R are false.
Answer: A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
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OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR EXAMS
🔴 Q1. Who is the author of Journey to the End of the Earth?
🔵 Answer: Tishani Doshi, an Indian poet, writer, and dancer.
🔴 Q2. What is the ‘Students on Ice’ programme?
🔵 Answer: An educational expedition to Antarctica, founded by Geoff Green, to provide young students firsthand experience of the continent’s environment and climate science.
🔴 Q3. Why is Antarctica important for studying Earth’s past, present, and future?
🔵 Answer: It holds the world’s geological history, ancient carbon records, and is a key indicator of climate change impacts.
🔴 Q4. What can 500 million-year-old rocks in Antarctica tell us?
🔵 Answer: They reveal evidence of the supercontinent Gondwana and Earth’s climatic and biological evolution.
🔴 Q5. Why is the Antarctic ecosystem considered fragile?
🔵 Answer: Small environmental changes here can drastically affect global climate patterns.
🔴 Q6. What role do phytoplankton play in the Antarctic food chain?
🔵 Answer: They are microscopic plants that form the base of the food web, producing oxygen and supporting marine life.
🔴 Q7. How does Antarctica help us understand global warming?
🔵 Answer: Its ice cores preserve records of past atmospheric conditions, helping scientists study the effects of rising CO₂ levels.
🔴 Q8. What did Tishani Doshi feel when she first saw Antarctica?
🔵 Answer: A sense of awe at its vastness, beauty, and its crucial role in Earth’s environmental balance.
🔴 Q9. How does the author link Antarctica to the idea of sustainable living?
🔵 Answer: By showing how human actions elsewhere affect this pristine region, highlighting the need for conservation and reduced ecological footprints.
🔴 Q10. What is the significance of ice cores from Antarctica?
🔵 Answer: They contain trapped air bubbles from thousands of years ago, revealing historical climate data.
🔴 Q11. Who founded the ‘Students on Ice’ programme?
🔵 Answer: Canadian educator Geoff Green.
🔴 Q12. What lesson does the chapter convey about environmental responsibility?
🔵 Answer: That urgent global action is needed to combat climate change and protect delicate ecosystems like Antarctica.
🔴 Q13. What did the trip teach the students about Earth’s interconnectedness?
🔵 Answer: It showed how changes in one region, like Antarctica, can have far-reaching impacts on global climate and biodiversity.
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ONE PAGE REVISION SHEET
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MIND MAPS
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