A JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH

Answer the following questions:

Q1.How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of mankind?

It is geological phenomena that help us to know about the history of mankind. Geologists say
about 650 million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana existed in the
South. At that time India and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a warm
climate and a huge variety of flora and fauna. This supercontinent survived for 500 years till the
age of mammals got underway.

Q2. What kind of indications do we get while visiting Antarctica to save Earth?

Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a revelation. It made
her wonder about the “beauty of balance in play on our planet”. She hopes the new generation
will understand their planet better and save it from annihilation. The planet’s ecosystem and its
balance that took millions of years to form can be soon destroyed. Scientists warn that a further
depletion in the ozone layer will affect the activities of the phytoplankton. The lives of the marine
animals and birds of the region will be affected. But the school students’ visit to the Antarctica
may make human beings handle their planet in a better way.

Q3. How can a visit to the Antarctica be an enlightening experience?

By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can
teach the next generation to understand and value our planet. Antarctica also holds within its ice-
cores half-million-years old carbon records which will help us to study climatic changes by global
warming.

Q4. Why is a visit to Antarctica important to realise the effect of global warming?

Antarctica is the perfect place to study the effects that global warming is causing. It is here that
one can see the effect of melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves and how this is likely to raise
the water levels in the sea and the ocean, as a result of which many low lying regions will be
submerged under water.

Q5. How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change?

Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the
world which has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine.
Moreover, it holds in its ice-caves half-million- year old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice.
The world’s climate is changing fast and is at present one of the most hotly debated issues.
Antarctica is the ideal place to study the effect of these environmental changes as it has a very
simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming makes Antarctica warmer, it will
have disastrous consequences elsewhere.

Q6. What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’?

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits
of the world and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable
them to understand and respect our planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing
experience at an age when they are ready to absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to
Geoff Green, the High School students are the future policy makers and through this programme
they would save this planet from ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming.

Q7. Why is Antarctica and its understanding important for the survival of the world?

Antarctica and its understanding is important for the survival of the world because it helps us to
know that the southern supercontinent of Gondwana existed and centered around the present-day
Antarctica. Human beings had not come on the global scene but a huge variety of flora and fauna
was present in the supercontinent. It was after 500 million years that the landmass was forced to
separate into countries that exist today. Antarctica’s ice-cores hold over half-million-year-old
carbon records which are crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and future.

Q8. What are the indications for the future of humankind?

A fast and steady rise in human population in proportion to the limited natural resources is
exerting pressure on land. Forests are being cut and fossil fuels are being burnt and these factors
are increasing the global temperature. Melting of glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global
warming are endangering man’s existence on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life,
birds and mankind.

Q9. How did the Antarctica amaze the writer when he first saw it?

When the writer first saw Antarctica he was amazed by its vastness and immense white landscape.
It was an endless blue horizon and the fact that it was isolated from the rest of the world created
an added sense of wonder and mystery about the continent.

Q10. Why was Tishani Doshi filled with relief and wonder when he set foot on the Antarctic
continent?

Tishani Doshi’s first emotion when he set foot on the Antarctic continent was one of relief. He
felt relieved to have set foot there after over a hundred hours. Its vastness and immense wild
landscape dazzled his eyes. Its endless blue horizon and its isolation from the rest of the world
created a sense of wonder and mystery for him.

Q11. Why is Antarctica the place to go to if we want to study the earth’s past, present and future?

The Antarctica landmass, that was an amalgamated southern supercontinent called Gondwana
dates back to 650 million years. It can help us understand better the formation of continents and
mountains like the Himalayas as they are in the modem world. Its ice-cores hold over half-
million-year old carbon records that are vital to study the Earth’s past, present and future.

Q12. What do you think is the reason behind the success of the programme,

The programme ‘Students on Ice’ was a success because it offered a life changing exposure to the
future generation of policy makers at an age when they could absorb, learn and act. It provided
them with inspiring educational opportunities which would help them foster a new understanding
and respect for our planet.
Q13. How the programme, ‘Students on Ice’ was an attempt to equip future generation with
knowledge to save Earth?

The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take the High School students to the
limits of the world and provide them with inspiring opportunities in education to enable them to
understand and respect our planet. According to Geoff Green, the High School students are the
future policy-makers and through this programme they would be able to save this planet from the
ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming. Antarctica, with its simple
ecosystem and lack of biodiversity, is the perfect place to study how little changes in the
environment can have major repercussions. The school students’ impressionable minds can study
and examine the Earth’s past, present and future by their voyage to Antarctica.

Q14. What are phytoplanktons? How are they important to our ecosystem?

The microscopic phytoplankton are tiny forms of plant life on the sea. They nourish and sustain
the entire southern ocean’s food chain. They are single-celled plants and use the energy of the sun
to assimilate carbon supplying oxygen and synthesise compounds. Depletion of the ozone layer
that protects us from the harmful rays of the sun adversely affects the activities of the
phytoplankton. Any further depletion in the ozone layer will hamper their activity which, in turn,
is bound to affect the growth of marine animals and birds and even the global carbon cycle. Thus
to save the big organisms the small organisms need to be cared for because even minor changes
have huge repercussions.

Q15. Why does Tishani Doshi call her trip to Antarctica a “Journey to the End of the Earth”?
What experience did she have during this expedition?

Tishani Doshi calls her trip to Antarctica a ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’ because she crosses
nine time zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and many ecospheres to reach there. The
entire journey takes one hundred hours. She is wonder-struck by the immensity and isolation of
the region. She is also relieved to see its expansive wide landscape and uninterrupted blue horizon.
Antarctica provides young students like her with a platform to study changes in the environment.
The programme is also likely to help them develop a new respect and understanding of our planet.
Antarctica is also the perfect place for them to study how little climatic changes can have big
repercussions and how global warming and further depletion of the ozone layer can affect the
Antarctic region. The study of the Antarctica will help them to understand the earth’s past,
present and future.

Extra question answers:

Q1. How is present day Antarctica different from Gondwana?

Gondwana was a giant amalgamated southern supercontinent. The climate was much warmer,
hosting a huge variety of flora and fauna. Gondwana thrived for about 500 million years.
Subsequently, when dinosaurs were wiped out and the age of mammals happened, the landmass
separated into countries, shaping the globe as we know it today.

Q2. Why does one lose all earthly perspective in Antarctica?

The author compares it to walking into a giant ping-pong ball, devoid of any human markers.
There are no trees, billboards, or buildings. The visual ranges from the microscopic to the mighty,
from midges and mites to blue whales and icebergs.

Q3. Explain: ‘And for humans, the prognosis isn’t good’.

The human civilisation has been around for a mere 12,000 years—barely a few seconds on the
biological clock. Yet we have managed to etch our dominance over nature, battling for limited
resources, and unmitigated burning of fossil fuel. This has created a blanket of carbon dioxide
around the world, which is increasing average global temperature.

Long answer type questions:

Q1. What is the significance of the title, ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’?

Tishani Doshi calls it a Journey to the end of this Earth’ because her journey was an educational
one to Antarctica. She travelled aboard the ‘Academic Shokaskiy’, a Russian research vessel,
along with a group of high school students, to learn more about the real impact of Global
Warming and the future of planet Earth. They went to the coldest, driest, windiest continent in the
world. Also, for the author, her journey started from Madras 13.09 degrees north of the Equator.
She crossed nine time zones, six check points, three bodies of water and as many ecospheres.
After travelling for almost one hundred hours, in a car, aeroplane and a ship, she actually set foot
on the Antarctic continent, which is in the extreme southern part of the earth, almost at its end.
The warning signals that Antarctica gives are shocking and make the author realise that “the end
of the earth” may become a metaphorical reality before long, unless humans take timely action.

Q2. Describe the impact of Antarctica on the author.

Tishani Doshi describes her Antarctica experience as “nothing short of a revelation”. It was a
mind boggling experience to travel to reach the coldest, windiest, and driest part of the world. She
was filled with wonder at its vastness, seclusion and geological history. Its isolation and
immensity made it difficult to understand that there may have been a time when India and
Antarctica were a part of the same landmass. Spending two weeks where day and night merge in
an austral summer light, where the only sounds are that of avalanche or calving ice-sheets was a
transcending experience.

It gave her – an invaluable realisation: if we take care of small things, the big things will
automatically fall into place, that everything is interconnected. Her experience of a walk on the
ocean over a metre thick ice, with 180 meters of sea underneath, was an eye-opening one. She
came away, marveling at the beauty of balance in nature, and a realisation of the pressing need to
preserve it.

Q3. How is man blamed for despoiling the earth and climate changes? How can you see the effect
of these changes in Antarctica?

Human civilisation is new. However, during the short period man has lived, he has created
confusion and disturbances. He gained dominance over nature by building cities, towns and
villages. Since human population is ever increasing, the need of natural resources also increases.
Man has been conflicting with other species to grab these exhaustible resources. He has burnt
fossil fuels. This has led to a blanket of carbon dioxide around the earth. It has raised the average
global temperature.

The rise in temperature has led to climatic changes. We cannot fully appreciate the effect of these
changes. If you go to the Antarctica, it has not been spoiled by man. Its ecosystem is simple. Any
change easily affects it, and is easily visible. That is why, the narrator involved students on ice
expedition to save future generations.

Q4. The world’s geological history is trapped in the Antarctica. How is the study of this region
useful to us?

The Antarctic landmass dates back to 650 million years. It was an amalgamated southern
supercontinent called Gondwana. This landmass centered around the present-day Antarctica.
Human beings did not exist as their civilization is only 12,000 years old. The climate at that time
was warm and landmass flourished with a vast variety of flora and fauna. The study of this region
shows that Gondwana prospered for 500 million years. But then the dinosaurs got wiped out and
mammals began to appear. The landmass disintegrated into countries and India, the Himalayas
and South America was formed. This left Antarctica frigid at the bottom of the earth. Today, it
stores the key to the significance of coridelleran folds and pre- Cambrian granite shields, ozone
and carbon layers as well as a study of the evolution and extinction. This can help us to
understand in a better way the formation of continents and mountains like the Himalayas as we
find them in the modem world. Its ice-folds hold over half-million-year-old carbon records that
are so crucial for the study of the Earth’s past, present and future, thus trapping the world’s
geological history in Antarctica.