Journey to the End of the Earth – Question and Answers
SHORT ANSWERS
1. How did the author reach Antarctica?
The author reached Antarctica through the *Students on Ice* programme, travelling with Geoff Green on the ship *Akademik Shokalskiy*.
2. How did the author feel when he reached Antarctica?
The author felt amazed at Antarctica’s vast whiteness and silence, realizing Earth’s beauty, fragility, and human insignificance.
3. What was Gondwana?
Gondwana was an ancient supercontinent including India, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica that existed 650 million years ago.
4. How is the present globe shaped which we know today?
The present globe formed through tectonic plate movements and continental drift, shaping continents, oceans, and mountain ranges.
5. What can be the mind-boggling thing about the history in a million years?
In a million years, Earth’s history may change completely—continents move, climates shift, and species evolve or vanish.
6. What is a chilling prospect for the author?
The chilling prospect is that global warming could melt glaciers, raise sea levels, and threaten human existence.
7. What does one feel in Antarctica? How is it captured visually?
In Antarctica, one feels silence and wonder; it’s visually captured by endless white ice and floating glaciers.
8. What is the achievement of human beings during the duration of 12,000 years?
In 12,000 years, humans built civilizations, developed science, and changed Earth’s environment through progress and exploitation.
9. How can we study and examine the Earth’s past, present, and future? How does Antarctica play a role in it?
We study Earth’s history using ice cores and fossils; Antarctica’s ice preserves vital climate and environmental records.
10. What was the 'Students on Ice' programme?
*Students on Ice* is an educational expedition taking students to Antarctica to study environment and climate change.
11. Who was Geoff Green? What did he offer to the students?
Geoff Green, a Canadian explorer, founded *Students on Ice* to help students understand environmental issues firsthand.
12. What was the reason for the success of the programme ‘Students on Ice’?
The programme succeeded by inspiring students through direct Antarctic experience, increasing awareness of global warming and ecology.
13. What is photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is the process where plants make food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen.
14. What did the ‘Shokalskiy’ the vessel manage when they reached at 65.55 degrees south?
At 65.55° south, *Shokalskiy* reached Antarctica, navigating icy waters and observing glaciers and frozen landscapes.
15. How many members reached Antarctica and what did they find there?
Fifty-two members reached Antarctica; they saw glaciers, icebergs, and nature’s pure, untouched beauty and scientific importance.
16. How is Antarctica the perfect place to study environmental changes?
Antarctica is ideal for climate studies because it’s pollution-free, uninhabited, and stores ancient climate information in ice.
17. Describe the environment of Antarctica.
Antarctica’s environment is cold, dry, and windy, covered with thick ice, little vegetation, and extreme daylight variations.
1. What was ‘Akademik Shokalskiy’? What was its mission and how was it accomplished?
Answer: Akademik Shokalskiy was a Russian research ship used for the Students on Ice expedition. Its mission was to take students and teachers to Antarctica to study its climate and environment. It successfully crossed the Drake Passage and reached safely through icy waters.
2. What was Gondwana? What had happened for 500 million years? How is Antarctica helpful to find the history of the Earth?
Answer: Gondwana was an ancient supercontinent existing about 650 million years ago, including India, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica. Over 500 million years, it broke into today’s continents. Antarctica’s preserved ice layers and fossils help scientists study Earth’s geological and climatic history.
3. What is there on Antarctica? How is the ubiquitous silence interrupted there sometimes?
Answer: Antarctica is a vast, icy landmass with snow, glaciers, and mountains but no permanent human life. It is completely silent and pure. Sometimes, this deep silence is broken by the cracking of ice or the roaring sound of avalanches.
4. What is the most hotly contested environmental debate of our times? How can the factors destroying the environment be controlled?
Answer: The most debated environmental issue today is global warming and climate change caused by pollution and deforestation. These can be controlled by reducing carbon emissions, conserving forests, using renewable energy, and promoting awareness about protecting our planet for future generations.
5. What was the ‘Students on Ice’ programme? What was its aim and why was it successful?
Answer: Students on Ice was an international educational expedition founded by Geoff Green. Its aim was to give students firsthand experience of Antarctica’s environment. It succeeded because it inspired youth to understand global warming and environmental conservation through direct observation.
6. Describe the passengers’ treading on Antarctica. What life was surviving there and what did they learn from Antarctica?
Answer: The passengers walked carefully on the icy surface, observing penguins, seals, mosses, and lichens. They were amazed to see life surviving in such extreme conditions. The journey taught them about Earth’s fragility and the importance of preserving the environment.
7. Describe Antarctica in your own words on the basis of the lesson Journey to the End of the Earth.
Answer: Antarctica is a frozen, silent continent filled with glaciers and icebergs. It has no trees or cities, only nature’s purity. The lesson highlights Antarctica’s beauty, scientific value, and its warning about the effects of human actions on climate.
8. Assess the human impact on Antarctica.
Answer: Human impact on Antarctica is seen through global warming, melting glaciers, and ozone depletion. Though few people visit, pollution and climate change caused by humans elsewhere are harming its pristine environment and threatening the survival of its wildlife
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon