Lesson 5 The Summit Within

 

Comprehension check… (Page 80)

1. Standing on Everest, the writer was

(i) overjoyed.

(ii) very sad.

(iii) jubilant and sad.

Choose the right item.

Ans: (i) overjoyed.

2. The emotion that gripped him was one of

(i) victory over hurdles.

(ii) humility and a sense of smallness.

(iii) joy of discovery.

Choose the right item.

Ans:  (ii) humility and a sense of smallness.

3. "The summit of the mind" refers to

(i) great intellectual achievements.

(ii) the process of maturing mentally and spiritually.

(iii) overcoming personal ambition for common welfare.

(iv) living in the world of thought and imagination.

(v) the Triumph of mind over worldly pleasures for a noble cause.

(vi) a fuller knowledge of oneself.

Mark the item(s) not relevant.

Ans: (iii) overcoming personal ambition for common welfare.

Working with the text… (Page 81)

1. Answer the following questions.

(i)  What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author's climb?

Ans:  The three qualities that played a major role in the author's climb are endurance, persistence and will power.

(ii)  Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable?

Ans: When the summit is climbed, there comes the exhilaration, the joy of having done something. This very feeling of victory mixed with happiness makes the risky adventure, a pleasurable one.

(iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible?

Ans: The author felt that Mountains were nature at its best. Their beauty, majesty, aloofness and the difficulties faced on the way were amongst the most difficult aspects of Everest that the author found difficult to resist.

(iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for a fame alone. What does it for, really?

Ans:  A climber does not climb a high peak only for a fame. The sense of fulfillment and a satisfaction of a deep urge to rise above one’s surroundings are also driving forces. It also brings within him a deeper understanding of himself.

(v)  “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines an emotion mentioned in the first paragraph. Which is the emotion?

Ans: The emotion mentioned in the first paragraph is ‘humility’.

(vi)  What were the “symbols of reverence” left by members of the team on Everest? 

Ans: The author left a picture of Guru Nanak, Rawat left a picture of Goddess Durga, Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha and Edmund Hillary buried a cross under a cairn.

(vii) What, according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him? 

Ans: According to the author, his experience as an Everest climber inspired him to face life's challenges in a resolute manner. It showed him that conquering the internal summit is just as important as climbing the mountain. It gives one a fuller knowledge of oneself.

2. Write a sentence against each of the following statements. Your sentence should explain the statement. You can pick out sentences from the text and rewrite them. The first one has been done for you. 

(i) The experience changes you completely. One who has been to the mountains is never the same again. 

(ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. _______________.

(iii) Mountains are nature at its best ___________.

(iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying __________. 

(v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience ________.

Ans: 

(ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. The display of perseverance, resilience, and willpower in the face of enormous adversity is delightful. 

(iii) Mountains are nature at its best. The beauty, majesty and difficulties posed by the mountains are the aspects that drive one towards them.

(iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying. Climbing the mountains was arduous, but reaching the summit provides a sense of contentment. 

(v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience. The physical act of climbing to the summit of a mountain is akin to the act of climbing the mountain within, which is a spiritual as well as emotional experience.

 

Working with Language…

 

1. Fill in the blanks in the following dialogues choosing suitable phrases from those given in the box.

 

at hand

at once

at all

at a low ebb

at first sight

 

(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal -------- and submit your explanation. Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first? 

(ii) Arun: Are you unwell? 

Ila: No, not -------- Why do you ask? 

Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor. 

(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love --------.

David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries? 

(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits -------- today? (Use such in the phrase) Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I have never heard before. 

(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close ----------. 

Jyoti: How should I welcome it? 

Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.

Ans: 

(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal at once and submit your explanation.

Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first? 

(ii) Arun: Are you unwell? 

Ila: No, not at all. Why do you ask? 

Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor. 

(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love at first sight.

David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries? 

(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits at a low ebb today? (Use such in the phrase)

Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I have never heard before. 

(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close at hand

Jyoti: How should I welcome it? 

Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.

2. Write the noun forms of the following words adding -ance or -ence to each. 

(i) endure      -----------

(ii) persist      -----------

(iii) signify     -----------

(iv) confide    ----------

(v) maintain   ----------

(vi) abhor      -----------

Ans: 

(i) endure      :  endurance 

(ii) persist     :  persistence 

(iii) signify     :  significance 

(iv) confide   :  confidence 

(v) maintain  :  maintenance 

(vi) abhor     :  abhorrence

 

3. (i) Match words under A with their meanings under B.

A

B

remote

difficult to overcome

means

most prominent

dominant

be overcome/overpowered

formidable

Method(s)

overwhelmed 

far away from

 

(ii) Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with appropriate words from under A. 

(a) There were --------- obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely. 

(b) We have no ---------- of finding out what happened there. 

(c) Why he lives in a house ---------- from any town or village is more than I can tell.

(d) ----------- by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice. 

(e) The old castle stands in a --------- position above the sleepy town.

Ans: (i)

A

B

remote

far away from

means

method(s)

dominant

most prominent

formidable

difficult to overcome

overwhelmed 

be overcome/overpowered

(ii) 

(a) formidable  

(b) means

(c) remote

(d) overwhelmed

(e) dominant

 

Poem  5                  The school Boy

Working with the poem… (Page 85)

1. Find three or four words/ phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.

Ans (i) love to rise in a summer morn

(ii) the birds sing on every tree

(iii) huntsman winds his horn

(iv) the skylark sings with me

2. In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/ phrases reflect the changed mood?

Ans: (i) drives all joy away

(ii) under a cruel eye

(iii) the little ones spend the day in sighing and dismay

3. ‘A cruel eye outworn’ (stanza2) refer to

(i) the classroom which is shabby/ noisy.

(ii) the lesson which are difficult/ uninteresting.

(iii) the dull/ uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.

Mark the answer that you consider right.

Ans: (iii) the dull/ uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.

4. ‘Nor sit in learning’s bower

worn thro’ with the dreary shower’

which of the following is a close paraphrase of the lines above?

(i) Nor can I sit in a roofless classroom when it is raining.

(iii) the dull/ uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.

 (iii) Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.

Ans: (iii) the dull/ uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

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