This unit has a story “The Summit Within” which mentions the successful Indian expedition of Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia to Mount Everest in 1965. This story reveals his experiences, feelings and the challenges that he faced while accomplishing this adventurous feat.
The Summit Within
Comprehension Check
Question 1: Standing on Everest, the writer was
(i) overjoyed.
(ii) very sad.
(iii) jubilant and sad.
Choose the right item.
Answer: (iii) jubilant and sad – The author mentioned that he had already done the ‘ultimate’ in climbing and there would be nothing higher to climb and all roads would lead down thereafter.
Question 2: The emotion that gripped him was one of
(i) victory over hurdles.
(ii) humility and a sense of smallness.
(iii) greatness and self-importance.
(iv) joy of discovery.
Choose the right item.
Answer: (ii) humility and a sense of smallness – The author mentions that anyone who reaches the peak of Everest can enjoy the panoramic view look across the miles, and feel the sheer scale of smallness in front of nature’s beautiful creation.
Question 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 the common welfare.
(iv) living in the world of thought and imagination.
(v) the triumph of the mind over worldly pleasures for a noble cause.
(vi) a fuller knowledge of oneself.
Mark the item(s) not relevant.
Answer:
The following item(s) not relevant:
(i) great intellectual achievements.
(iii) overcoming personal ambition for the common welfare.
(iv) living in the world of thought and imagination.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Unit 4 – Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory & The Last Bargain
Working with the text
Question 1: Answer the following questions.
(i) What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb?
(ii) Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable?
(iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible?
(iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for fame alone. What does one do it for, really?
(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?
(vi) What were the “symbols of reverence” left by members of the team on Everest?
(vii) What, according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him?
Answer: (i) The three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb are endurance, persistence and willpower.
(ii) Although adventure is risky, it is pleasurable too. This implies that climbing a mountain is a great challenge filled with difficulties, but overcoming those hurdles boosts the confidence, endurance and willpower of the climber. The author gives the example of the mighty Mount Everest; reaching its summit is an achievement in itself. There is a great sense of exhilaration, joy and fulfilment to being able to scale such greater heights. There is a feeling of victory and happiness. Hence, the experience is not merely physical. It is indeed both emotional and spiritual.
(iii) Being one of the mightiest and highest mountains in the world, Mount Everest has its own special charm and beauty. The author found it irresistible due to its beauty, ruggedness and the obstacles that he encountered while climbing to its summit. Every ounce of his energy was utilized in climbing the mountain covered with rock and ice. One who decides to climb Everest cannot give up his/her dream by returning halfway even when one’s life is at stake. This is because when a person climbs to the summit of a mountain, one is filled with a great sense of exhilaration, joy and fulfilment for being able to scale such greater heights. This gives him/her a sense of extreme joy and happiness and a feeling of victory and satisfaction. These were some of the reasons why the author found Mount Everest to be extremely irresistible.
(iv) Climbing a mountain and reaching its peak successfully requires endurance, persistence and willpower. Therefore, the experience is not merely physical. It is indeed both emotional and spiritual. It satisfies a climber’s eternal love for adventure which gives one a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and a deep urge to rise over and above the surroundings.
(v) “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines an emotion of humility in a person.
(vi) The author left on Mount Everest a picture of Guru Nanak. Rawat left a picture of Goddess Durga. Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha, and Edmund Hillary had buried a cross under a cairn (a heap of rocks and stones) in the snow. These were not merely symbols of conquest but of reverence.
(vii) As an Everester, the author experienced a great sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. It encouraged him to face the ordeals of life in a determined manner. It taught him that the conquest of the internal summit is also equally important compared to climbing a mountain. He realised that it will give him a better and fuller knowledge about himself which no one else other than him can scale to meet his true self.
Question 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.
_________________________________________
Answer: (ii) Endurance, persistence and will power are the qualities that are required in a climber to overcome the challenges and have a delightful experience.
(iii) The majestic beauty of the mountains poses a considerable challenge for climbers as they are the medium of communion with the Almighty.
(iv) Although climbing a mountain is a difficult task, reaching the summit gives a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction to the climber.
(v) Climbing a mountain is not merely a physical activity, but it is indeed both emotional and spiritual, as mountains are a means of communion with God.
GLOBAL FOOTBALL FEVER: UNVEILING THE TOP 10 SOCCER LEAGUES AROUND THE WORLD
Working with language
Question 1:
Look at the italicised phrases and their meanings given in brackets.
Mountains are nature (nature’s best form and appearance) at its best.
Your life is at risk. (in danger; you run the risk of losing your life.)
He was at his (it was his best/worst performance.) best/worst in the last meeting.
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 never heard before.
(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close ________________.
Jyoti: How should I welcome it?
Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.
Answer:
(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 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.
Question 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 ________________
Answer:
- endure endurance
- persist persistence
- signify significance
- confide confidence
- maintain maintenance
- abhor abhorrence
Question 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.
Answer:
(i)
| A | B |
| remote | far away from |
| means | method(s) |
| dominant | most prominent |
| formidable | difficult to overcome |
| overwhelmed | be overcome/overpowered |
(ii)
(a) There were formidable obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely.
(b) We have no means of finding out what happened there.
(c) Why he lives in a house remote from any town or village is more than I can tell.
(d) Overwhelmed by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice.
(e) The old castle stands dominant above the sleepy town.
The School Boy
Working with the poem
Question 1:
Find three or four words/phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy.
Answer:
The words or phrases in stanza 1 that reflect the child’s happiness and joy are “love to rise in a summer morn”, “birds sing on every tree”, “distant huntsman winds his horn”, “the skylark sings with me” and “sweet company”.
Question 2:
In stanza 2, the mood changes. Which words/phrases reflect the changed mood?
Answer:
The words or phrases that reflect the changed mood are “it drives all joy away”, “a cruel eye outworn”, and “in sighing and dismay”.
Question 3:
‘A cruel eye outworn’ (stanza 2) refers to
(i) the classroom, which is shabby/noisy.
(ii) the lessons 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.
Answer:
(iii) the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play.
Question 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.
(ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.
(iii) Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.
Answer:
(ii) Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.