Question Bank — Journey to the End of the Earth

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. The narrator’s first emotion on reaching Antarctica was
   a) fear
   b) relief followed by wonder
   c) anger
   d) boredom

2. Gondwana existed approximately
   a) 100 million years ago
   b) 650 million years ago
   c) 12,000 years ago
   d) 500 years ago

3. The Students on Ice programme is headed by
   a) Tishani Doshi
   b) Geoff Green
   c) The Captain of the Akademik Shokalskiy
   d) A team of marine biologists

4. Which single-celled plants form the base of the Southern Ocean food chain?
   a) Krill
   b) Phytoplankton
   c) Algae
   d) Coral polyps

5. Assertion (A): Antarctica holds half-million-year-old carbon records in its ice cores.
   Reason (R): It is the only continent that has never sustained a human population and remains relatively pristine.
   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 true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

6. The “parable of the phytoplankton” illustrates that
   a) large animals control the ecosystem
   b) small changes can have big repercussions
   c) photosynthesis occurs only in warm climates
   d) icebergs are the main food source

7. The narrator walked on the ocean at
   a) 13.09° N
   b) 65.55° S
   c) the South Pole
   d) the equator

8. Assertion (A): The rapid increase in human population has created a blanket of carbon dioxide.
   Reason (R): Burning of fossil fuels has raised average global temperature.
   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 true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

9. The visual scale in Antarctica ranges from
   a) trees to buildings
   b) midges to icebergs the size of countries
   c) deserts to forests
   d) villages to megacities

10. The programme Students on Ice targets
    a) retired rich tourists
    b) high-school students who may become future policy-makers
    c) professional scientists only
    d) celebrities

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“Six hundred and fifty million years ago, a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent — Gondwana — did indeed exist, centred roughly around the present-day Antarctica.”

1. What is the context of this statement?
2. What does the reference to Gondwana tell us about the earth’s past?
3. Identify the literary device used in describing Gondwana as a “giant amalgamated southern supercontinent”.
4. Give the meaning of “amalgamated” as used in the extract.

Extract 2

“Take care of the small things and the big things will fall into place.”

1. Who is the speaker of this line and in what context is it mentioned?
2. To which microscopic organisms does the statement refer?
3. Name the literary device used in presenting this idea as a “parable”.
4. What inference can be drawn about the Antarctic ecosystem from this statement?

Extract 3

“So there we were, all 52 of us, kitted out in Gore-Tex and glares, walking on a stark whiteness that seemed to spread out for ever.”

1. Where exactly were the 52 people walking and why?
2. What does the phrase “walking on the ocean” reveal?
3. Identify one literary device used in the description.
4. What feeling does the scene evoke in the narrator?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Why did Geoff Green start the Students on Ice programme?
2. How does the study of Antarctica help us understand the earth’s geological history?
3. What effect can depletion of the ozone layer have on phytoplankton?
4. Describe the scene when the passengers walked on the frozen ocean.
5. Why does the narrator feel that “a lot can happen in a million years, but what a difference a day makes”?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. “Antarctica is the perfect place to study how little changes in the environment can have big repercussions.” Discuss with reference to the chapter.
2. How does the chapter highlight both the fragility and the interconnectedness of the earth’s ecosystem? Give examples from the text.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the unit, pick any four words/phrases related to climate and environment (e.g., carbon dioxide, ozone layer, phytoplankton, global warming) and use each in a meaningful sentence of your own.
2. You are one of the high-school students who participated in the Students on Ice expedition. Write a diary entry (100–120 words) describing your experience of walking on the Antarctic ice and what you learnt about climate change.