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The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala

 The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala

Short Answer-type Questions (word limit: About 30-40)

Q1. Justify the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.

Ans. The Earth has become an ailing planet. Its environment is being polluted. It has become very difficult to breathe in this polluted air, particularly in big cities. Environmental pollution has created so many problems for the vegetation and millions of creatures living on the earth. The earth’s temperature is rising up. Climatic changes have further aggravated (worsened) the situation. Its natural resources are depleting day by day.

Q2. What is the ‘Green Movement’?

Ans. The ‘Green Movement’ refers to the activity that is continued together by people to change or improve the present situation by means of united efforts. It is called Green because in this movement much stress is laid on planting more and more trees.

Q3. What is the significance of the Green Movement?

Ans. This movement was founded in New Zealand in 1972 and with the help of so many agencies, awareness among people has spread. Now, we think of ourselves as partners on the earth, not the sole owner of it. We have to share this earth with other creatures and the vegetation also.

Q4. What is scientific temperament?

   Ans. Scientific temperament refers to the characteristic of a personality that affects mood or behaviour. The word ‘scientific’ refers to the careful and systematic or reasonable approach to achieve some aim.

Q5. What is ‘Sustainable development’?

  Ans. This is the development in which natural resources are used by keeping in view the share of the coming generations in them. They are not used blindly, rather efforts are made to preserve and increase them for future generations.

   Q6.  What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?

  Ans. It emphasizes the fact that man is responsible for making the earth an ailing planet. Man’s activities are making the survival of millions of living beings and vegetation on the earth impossible. That’s why; he has been called the world’s most dangerous animal. The notice at Zambia Zoo is a constant reminder to humans of his guilt to dominate the whole of the earth.

Q7 What awareness and wisdom have dawned upon Man now?

   Ans. Man has now realized his folly (foolishness) and a sort (kind) of wisdom has  dawned (became known) upon him. It has made a shift (change) in his thinking, which was based on dominating (controlling) everything, every creature on the Earth. Now, it is based on partnership, sharing the planet with all the creatures & vegetation on it. Now, man is not the ‘sole’ owner of the earth.

Q8.  What is the significance of the question “Are we to leave our successors a scorched (damaged by heat) planet of advancing (increasing) deserts, impoverished made weaker or worse in quality:) landscapes and ailing environment?’ raised in the first report forwarded by  the Brandt Commission?

Ans. In a way, the commission has raised a voice against all human activities which are constantly (continuously) endangering the earth along with all its treasures (resources) . We are cutting trees to fulfil various needs. The environment is being polluted by us. We are polluting and endangering so many birds, and animals on land and in water. We will have to stop all these activities to make the earth a better place to live.

Q9. What are the four principal biological systems that form the global economic system, according to Mr Lester Brown,?

   Ans. Mr Lester Brown points out in his book ‘The Global Economic Prospect’ that there are four principal biological systems on the earth. These are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. These four biological systems form the global economic system.

   Q 10. What do the four biological systems of the global economic system provide us?

   Ans. These four systems fulfil our basic needs including food. They provide all the raw materials for industries, except the synthetics, which are derived from minerals & petroleum.

Q11.  What does the writer mean to say when he quotes the statement, “forests precede (came before) mankind; mankind follow.”?

   Ans. It lays stress on one thing before mankind took birth on the earth's planet, forests were already there on it. Mankind came thereafter, maybe, after a very long time. But after that, human beings started exploiting (recklessly cutting) forests for their personal use in such a way that it disturbed the whole ecosystem of the earth.

Q 12. How does the increase in population at a high rate pose a big hurdle in the way to the country’s progress?

   Ans. He says that if the population continues increasing at the present rate, the development becomes meaningless and its speed may also decrease. Until population control is given the topmost priority, the hope for a better condition in life would die in their hungry hutments (group of huts).

Q 13. In the words of Mr Lester Brown, “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.” What does he mean to say in this context?

   Ans. Mr Lester Brown wants to lay stress the fact that we all human beings must care for the health of the earth. It is not something that we got from our ancestors in inheritance. But we have borrowed it from our coming generation. We will have to keep and use it as we do in case of the borrowed thing. We do not try to harm a borrowed thing in any way. So we will not harm the earth also.

  Q14. What ‘shift’ has occurred now in our views towards the earth?

  Ans. The shift in our outlook to view the earth as a living organism, that has its own metabolism and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

Ans. The earth’s principal four biological systems are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands.

These are the four pillars of any country’s economic growth. But, these four pillars are on the verge of collapse. Forests are being cut to use wood for so many purposes. Croplands are becoming infertile day by day. Farmers are using chemical manures. Grasslands are getting transformed into a barren wasteland. Overfishing is being practised by the protein-hungry world. Forests are the shelter house for so many animals, big and small. The earth’s fertile land has started changing into deserts. Human activities are responsible for causing various types of damage to the ecosystem of the earth. It has to be stopped at any cost in order to save this planet.

Q2. How are forests helpful to us? What is their present condition?

   Ans. Forests are one of the four principal biological systems that form the economical growth of a country. But unfortunately, these are being cut at a very fast speed.   Forests are helpful to all of us in many ways. They provide timber, fuel, fruits, medicine, and shelter to animals. The most important function of trees is to provide us with a free of cost supply of oxygen. They save us from heat and bring rain which is necessary for all the vegetation on the earth. All living beings need water to drink; without it, life is impossible on earth. But, unfortunately, we human beings are not fully aware about the importance of forests. But the Green Movement has done a lot of work in making people aware of saving the earth from all these dangers.

 

Q3. Discuss the statement, ‘The choice is really between the control of population and perpetuating (making permanent) of poverty.’

   Ans. Our Government has two options: (1) to control the fast-growing population (2) to make poverty the country’s permanent feature. 

If the population is not controlled, it would bring so many other problems associated with it. It is truly said that overpopulation is the mother of many other problems, like unemployment, rise in prices, increasing crime rate, traffic jams on the roads, long queues everywhere, crowds in markets, crowds in classrooms, need for more houses, etc. No single problem quoted above may be dissociated from over-population.

  Over-population is the cause of poverty also. If maximum people of a country remain unemployed, they will not be able to educate their children properly. In this way, poverty will find a permanent place in the huts of the poor section of society.

(C)Important Passages (Textual) for Comprehension

 Passage 1

  ONE cannot recall any movement in world history which has gripped the imagination of the entire human race so completely and so rapidly as the Green Movement which started nearly twenty-five years ago. In 1972 the world’s first nationwide Green party was founded in New Zealand. Since then, the movement has not looked back.

Q1.What is Green Movement?

 Ans. Making the earth green but growing more and more trees is called the Green Movement.

 Q2. What special thing did this movement do in world history?

Ans. It caught the attention of the entire human race very quickly.

Q3. Where was the Green party first founded?

 Ans. In New Zealand.

Q4.  Write the synonym of the word ‘gripped’.

Ans. ‘caught’

Q1. Name the title of the lesson and its writer.

Ans. The title of the lesson is: The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role and its writer is Nani Palkhivala

Passage 2

 We have shifted — one hopes, irrevocably — from the mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world. It is a shift in human perceptions as revolutionary as that introduced by Copernicus who taught mankind in the sixteenth century that the earth and the other planets revolved around the sun. For the first time in human history, there is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism — an enormous being of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs and vital processes which need to be respected and preserved.

  Q1. What was the mechanical view of the earth in the past?

   Ans. It was to view the earth as a dead planet that is to be used to fulfil human needs without paying attention to preserving its treasures.

Q2. What ‘shift’ has occurred now in our views towards the earth?

   Ans. The shift in our outlook to view the earth as a living organism, that has its own metabolism and vital processes that need to be respected and preserved.

Q3.What did Copernicus teach mankind in the 16^th century?

 Ans. He taught mankind that the earth and the other planets revolved round the earth.

 Q4. Which word in the passage has the following synonym ‘ changed ‘

 Ans. ‘Shifted’

Passage 3

In the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, there is a cage where the notice reads, ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’. Inside the cage there is no animal but a mirror where you see yourself. Thanks to the efforts of a number of agencies in different countries, a new awareness has now dawned upon the most dangerous animal in the world. He has realised the wisdom of shifting from a system based on domination to one based on partnership.

Q1. What notice is placed on a cage in the zoo?

Ans. It reads ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’.

Q2. What does the notice refer to?

Ans. It refers to Man, as the world’s most dangerous animal.Q3. Q3.Why is Man called the world’ most dangerous animal? Ans. Man considers being the ‘owner’ of the earth and the boss of all the creatures found on it. It does not hesitate to do cruelty on any creature and destroy anything that belongs to the earth.

Q4. What new awareness has dawned upon the most dangerous animal in the world?

Ans. He has realised that he is not the owner and the boss of the earth. He is a partner with millions of other creatures and vegetation on the earth.

 Q5. Use ‘dawned upon’ in your own sentence.

 Ans. Suddenly an idea dawned upon me.

Passage 4.

Article 48A of the Constitution of India provides that “the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. But what causes endless anguish is the fact that laws are never respected nor enforced in India. (For instance, the Constitution says that casteism, untouchability and bonded labour shall be abolished, but they flourish shamelessly even after forty-four years of the operation of the Constitution.) A recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee has highlighted the near-catastrophic depletion of India’s forests over the last four decades. India, according to reliable data, is losing its forests at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Large areas, officially designated as forest land, “are already virtually treeless”. The actual loss of forests is estimated to be about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics.

 Q1. What does article 48 A of the Constitution of India say?

Ans. It says that “the State shall endeavour (try) to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.”

 Q2. What causes anguish to the writer regarding the laws?

Ans. It is a fact that the laws are neither respected nor are they enforced in India.

Q3. What social evils does the writer talk about in this passage?

Ans. The writer talks about casteism, untouchability and bonded labour and these are still present in our society.

Q4. What does the recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee say?

Ans. It says that India is losing forests at the alarming speed of 3.7 million acres a year. The actual loss is about eight times the rate indicated by the government.

 

              

The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth-Qs-Ans

  The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth

Questions-Answers-The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth

Very Short Answer-type Qs (one word-a phrase-a sentence)

Q1. According to the poet, what is man's attitude to nature?

Ans. Man’s attitude to nature is indifference (lack of interest).

Q2. Who were Proteus and Triton?

Ans. They were Greek and Roman gods of Nature.

Q3.Why does the poet want to become a Pagan?

Ans. He wants to become a Pagan to worship the gods of Nature.

Q4. What does the poet mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us?

Ans. It means that man has become too attached to the material world.

Q5. What are we ‘out of tune with?

Ans. We are ‘out of tune' with Nature.

Q6. What is the ‘sordid boon’?
Ans. Lust (extreme greed) for possessing material things is a sordid boon.

Q7. Who is the Pagan according to the poet?

Ans. A non-Christian is a Pagan according to the poet.

Q8. What does the poet glimpse and what is its effect on him?

Ans. The poet has glimpses of the gods of Nature, Proteus, and Triton and it makes him happy.

Q9.What does the poet mean by “the world’ in the first line?

Ans. It means worldly possessions.

Q10. Identify the rhyme scheme used in this Sonnet?

Ans. The poet has used the following rhyme scheme in this poem: abba, abba, cdcdcd.

Q11. How has materialism affected us?

Ans. It has made us slaves to material possessions.

Q12. ‘It moves us not’. What moves us not?

Ans. The beauties of Nature do not move us.

Q13.How do we waste our powers according to Wordsworth?

Ans. We waste our power in getting and spending money on material things.

Q14. What does Wordsworth say he could do if he were a Pagan?

Ans. In that case, he would have a glimpse of the gods of nature.

Q15. Why can't we make nature a part of our life?

Ans. As we are all the time busy with material pursuits, we cannot make nature a part of our life.

Q16. How, according to the poet, is ‘the world’ too much with us?

Ans. We are all the time busy with material pursuits; earning and spending money on material things.

Q17.Sonnet is of two types. Out of these two, which type of Sonnet is Wordsworth’s poem ‘The World is Too Much with Us’?

Ans. This poem is based on the Petrarchan sonnet.

Q18. How many lines are there in a Petrarchan Sonnet?

Ans. It has fourteen lines.

Comprehension Exercises:

Answer the following questions in 20-30 words each:

Q1. According to the poet, what is man's attitude to nature?

Ans. Man’s attitude to Nature is indifference. We have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen.

Q2. Who were Proteus and Triton?

Ans. The poet mentions the ancient Greek and Roman mythical gods Proteus and Triton in this poem. Proteus would be seen emerging from the sea and Triton would be blowing his curled conch-like horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely and sad at all in the company of Roman and Greek gods.

Q3.Why does the poet want to become a Pagan?

Ans. The poet declares that he would prefer to be a Pagan rather than be affected by the growing materialism in the world due to the first phase of industrialization in England. He would be ready to renounce his religion ‘Christianity’ which advocates for only one God. He would like to follow the religion in which Nature is worshipped. This stanza reflects Wordsworth’s deep love for Nature. This is the reason why the poet wants to become a pagan.

Q4. What does the poet mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us’?

 Ans. The poet means to say that human beings have become more attached to material things. He expresses his deep concern over people’s growing love for worldly things. Man has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. He appeals to all of us to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature. At that time, industrialization had just started showing its impact on human minds.

Q5. What are we ‘out of tune with?

Ans. The poet says that people are out of tune with nature. He says that people do not feel attracted by the beauties of nature. The poet quotes examples of some beautiful scenes of Nature. It all shows that Man has become very much indifferent to the beauties of Nature. They are in disharmony with the world of  Nature.

Q6. What is the ‘sordid boon’?

Ans. Actually, the poet has used ‘too much in the title of the poem ‘The World is too much With Us’. We have a clue here to explain the meaning of the paradox ‘sordid boon’. It seems that the poet does not have much objection to people’s limited love for material things. Then it is a boon for them. But when they have crossed limits and got too much involved in their love for material things, then it becomes sordid. Hence, the meaning of the paradox is ‘a sordid boon’.

Q7. Who is the Pagan according to the poet?

Ans. A pagan is a worshipper of nature. Ans. He believes in many gods and goddesses of nature. But this word was also used as a ‘non-believer of God’ or a non-Christian person. This is because a Christian believes only in one God.

Q8. What does the poet glimpse and what is its effect on him?

 Ans. The poet has glimpses of the ancient Greek and Roman mythical gods Proteus and Triton. Proteus would be seen emerging from the sea and Triton would be blowing his curled conch-like horn. In this way, he would not feel lonely and sad at all in the company of Roman and Greek gods.

Q9.What does the poet mean by “the world’ in the first line?

Ans. In this poem ‘the world’ means the greed for material things. The people of the world have become too much involved in possessing material things. They do so by earning lots and lots of money. In this process, they have become indifferent to Nature. They worship only the god of money, that is, Mammon.

Q10. Identify the rhyme scheme used in this Sonnet?

Ans. The poet has used the following rhyme scheme in this poem: abba, abba, cdcdcd.

It means the first line rhymes with the fourth line, the second line rhymes with the third; the fifth line rhymes with the eighth while the sixth one with the seventh; the ninth line rhymes with the eleventh and thirteenth; the tenth line rhymes with the twelfth and the fourteenth.

 Answer the following questions in about 150 words each

Q1. What does the poet think about the way a man treats nature? How does he express his thoughts and feelings on this topic in the poem?

 Or Summary of the poem ‘The World Is Too Much with Us’

Ans.   The poet thinks that we have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. He means to say that God has created Nature for all the creatures on the earth. So Nature belongs to us and we also belong to Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen. We have given our hearts to material things. It means we have started loving them. He expresses his deep concern over people’s growing love for worldly things. Man has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. All the diseases and mental discomforts are due to our love for material things. As a great worshipper of Nature, the poet appeals to all of us to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature.

To prove his love for nature, the poet declares that the Pagans in ancient times lived healthier life. It is because they were always connected to nature. They were nourished in the lap of nature. So, all qualities of head and heart, like patience, love, peace, hard work, etc. automatically got imbibed into their personality. This is the reason why the poet wishes to become a pagan and have the glimpses of gods of nature.

Q2.The sonnet is a criticism of life in this modern mechanized milieu. Comment on the assessment of this fine.

Ans. The sonnet is really a criticism of life because William Wordsworth makes a strong case of criticism against life the people had started living in the nineteenth century under the effect of industrialization and scientific progress. The case is still applicable in this modern mechanised world today also. We don’t have any time to ‘stand and stare at a beautiful object of nature. The love for material things has made us blind to natural beauty.

We have made ourselves detached (cut off/separated) from Nature. We are every time busy earning and spending money. We have no communion with Nature. He means to say that God has created Nature for all the creatures on the earth. So Nature belongs to us and we also belong to Nature. We cannot afford separation from it. If it happens, harmful effects on the earth can be felt or seen.

Man has become a slave to the god of money, Mammon. All the diseases and mental discomforts are due to our love for material things. As a great worshipper of Nature, the poet appeals to all of us to give up Mammon worship and start loving Nature.

To prove his love for nature, the poet declares that the Pagans in ancient times lived healthier life. It is because they were always connected to nature. They were nourished in the lap of nature. So, all qualities of head and heart, like patience, love, peace, hard work, etc. automatically got imbibed into their personality. This is the reason why the poet wishes to become a pagan and have the glimpses of gods of nature.

Q3.How does Wordsworth employ Greek mythology and other devices to portray the materialistic mind of modern man?

Ans. After reading and understanding the poem, we all come to know how William Wordsworth feels hurt to see his fellow Christians getting too attached to materialism. They have started wasting much of their time and energy in earning and spending money. In this way, money has become a curse for them. It is the root cause of all of their ailments.

To depict the materialistic mind of modern man, the poet uses Greek mythology. He tells us how in ancient times the Greeks used to believe in Pagan gods. They believed in and loved every object in nature. They used to have glimpses of Pagan gods like Proteus and Triton rising from the sea. He uses beautiful imagery from Nature to make the readers feel and think about how nature blesses every human heart.

 

The poet creates a very beautiful word picture using personification of the sea and the moon. The poet uses a straightforward image of the sea in female form exposed to the view of the moon. The second image that emerges in the poet’s mind is that of the winds huddled together like sleeping flowers. The poet uses a simile of sleeping flowers for the winds that have now huddled up together as if in the position of sleeping.

  In the end, the poet declares that he would prefer to be a Pagan rather than be affected by the growing materialism in the world. He would be ready to renounce his religion ‘Christianity’ that advocates for only one God. He would like to follow the religion in which Nature is worshipped.

Q4. The poet prefers paganism to worldliness. Discuss.

Ans. William Wordsworth’s love for Nature is known to all of us. He wrote so many poems to show his great love for nature.

In this poem, his immense love for Nature makes him announce that he would prefer to be a pagan rather than a believer in a religion that restricts (stops) him from loving gods of nature, like Proteus and Triton.

In ancient Greece and Rome, people believed in so many gods and goddesses. So they were called Pagans. But in Christianity, only one God is worshipped. Nature is also blessed with them in so many ways.

The poet further says that people of his times have become slaves to materialism. They have stopped loving nature. They have detached themselves from the beauties of nature.

   The poet does not want to become too lost in materialism. The poet also declares that he would like to be a Pagan than continue following the outdated religion in which he was brought up. He would not stop loving nature even if his religion forces him to do so.