The Adventure Question Answers (Important)| Class 11 English Hornbill Book

by | May 5, 2023 | General | 0 comments

 

CBSE Class 11 English Lesson 5 The Adventure Question Answers (Important) from Hornbill Book

Class 11 English The Adventure Question Answers – Looking for The Adventure question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Book Chapter 5? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 11 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 5: The Adventure now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract based questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions. 

Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams. 

 

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The Adventure NCERT Solution

Understanding the Text
I. Tick the statements that are true.
1. The story is an account of real events.
2. The story hinges on a particular historical event.
3. Rajendra Deshpande was a historian.
4. The places mentioned in the story are all imaginary.
5. The story tries to relate history to science.

Ans:
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True

II. Briefly explain the following statements from the text.
1. “You neither traveled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a different world.”
Ans: This statement was said by Rajendra to Professor Gaitonde. As he made a transition from one world to another, he had a real-life experience for two days in an alternative reality. It was one at a time experience for him. He neither travelled to the past nor the future. He was in the present all the time.

2. “You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience.”
Ans: This statement was said by Rajendra to Professor Gaitonde. When he was hit by the truck, he was thinking about Catastrophe theory and its role in the war. He was unconscious in the hospital for the next two days but he was in an alternate world having a real-life experience of many things which were not true in the real world where he actually lives. He noticed that the scenario was different and facts about history were different. So, he had passed a catastrophic experience.

3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew what he was witnessing around him.
Ans: Gangadharpant Gaitonde had witnessed different facts of history which were the decline of Marathas and British rule. But here in a different world, the reality was different. Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat and there was no slavery under the white man. India was free and here people had self-respect. When he compared two different facts of the same country, he liked this different version of India more.

4. “The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”
Ans: The lack of determinism means the inability of the scientist to know where the electron would move. Quantum theory means in physics, it can be measured how the energy is produced and in what direction electrons may move. This happened when Professor saw two different sets of history in the case of the Battle of Panipat. In one reality, Marathas had won the war and in other, they had lost the battle. The same happened in the case of the Battle of Waterloo.

5. “You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
Ans: Professor Gaitonde before the collision with the truck was thinking about catastrophe theory and its role in the war. He was wondering what might happen if the result was different in the Battle of Panipat. When he hit the truck, the neurons in his brain made the transition. This was explained by Rajendra to the professor when he failed to understand why only he made the transition.

Talking about the Text

1. Discuss the following statements in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.

(i) A single event may change the course of the history of a nation.
Ans:
For: A single event may change the course of the history of a nation. In the case of the Battle of Panipat, when Marathas won the war. The course of history changed and it led to a different shape of India. British rule ended and India soon became a democratic nation. People no longer were slaves under the white man. India was self-dependent and had self-respect.
Against: It is a matter of perspective that a single event may change the course of the history of a nation. As explained by Rajendra in the chapter, it is a catastrophic phenomenon that the Battle of Panipat had two courses of history in different worlds. Similarly, there may be different worlds having a different history of the same nation.

(ii) Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.
Ans: For: As Gangadharpant experienced a different reality in the different world for two days, he even brought back a torn-off page of Bakhar book. He was experiencing different realities one at a time. It happened due to the lack of determinism in quantum theory and catastrophic theory. We sense our reality with our taste buds, hearing, seeing, smelling and a sense of touch.
Against: Reality is not entitled to the senses. Electrons can move to any direction at any point in time. They don’t have a definite path to travel. When we can predict the direction of the fired bullet, we cannot predict the same thing about electrons.

(iii) The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar.
Ans:
For: The methods of inquiry of history, science and philosophy are similar. In the chapter, history, philosophy, and science converge and Professor Gaitonde experienced a different set of events and reality in two different worlds. In one world, the Battle of Panipat was won by Marathas and in other, it was won by the Mughals. Later, Rajendra explained to him the catastrophe theory and lack of determinism. This explained to us how history and science converged. Similarly, in Philosophy, truth is relative.
Against: It is inaccurate to say that the methods of inquiry of history, science, and philosophy are similar. In the chapter, Rajendra tried to explain the events with a catastrophic theory which surely convinced Professor but not us. Philosophy is speculative, while science is about the exact fact which is tested. History is based on a set of events and how they shaped the existing reality. The chapter is a science fiction where the writer tries to show the convergence of the three different subjects but in reality, it employs different methodologies.

2. (i) The story is called ‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die…’
Ans: ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die…’ is a story about a family who went on a seafaring trip with their two children and two crewmen. The challenge was to keep them alive and reach the shore safely when the Storm hit the sea and affected their boat. Their experience was real and painful. On the other hand, Professor Gaitonde’s experience was imaginative. After his collision, he travelled the world through his mind when he was unconscious for two days.

(ii) Why do you think Professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
Ans: When in a different world, the professor noticed the empty presidential chair on the stage in the ongoing lecture. He tried to sit on it as it should not remain empty. He was asked to move away by the speaker. Later when he started talking on the mic, the audience was not ready to listen to him. They threw many objects at him and asked him to move aside. They physically lifted him from the stage.
Such experiences prompted Professor to never preside over meetings again.

Thinking about Language

1. In which language do you think Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to each other? Which language did Gangadharpant use to talk to the English receptionist?
Ans: Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to each other in the Hindi language. On the other hand, Gangadharpant talked to the English receptionist in the English language.

2. In which language do you think Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written?
Ans: It was written in the Marathi language.

3. There is mention of three communities in the story: the Marathas, the Mughals, the Anglo-Indians. Which language do you think they used within their communities and while speaking to the other group?
Ans: The Muslims used to speak Urdu, the Marathas used to speak the Marathi and Anglo-Indians used to speak in English within their communities.

4. Do you think that the ruled always adopt the language of the ruler?
Ans: Yes, the ruled always adopted the language of the ruler.

Working with Words
I. Tick the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrases.
1. to take issue with
(i) to accept
(ii) to discuss
(iii) to disagree
(iv) to add
Ans. (iii) to disagree

2. to give vent to
(i) to express
(ii) to emphasise
(iii) suppress
(iv) dismiss
Ans. (i) to express

3. to stand on one’s feet
(i) to be physically strong
(ii) to be independent
(iii) to stand erect
(iv) to be successful
Ans. (ii) to be independent

4. to be wound up
(i) to become active
(ii) to stop operating
(iii) to be transformed
(iv) to be destroyed
Ans. (ii) To stop operating

5. to meet one’s match
(i) to meet a partner who has similar tastes
(ii) to meet an opponent
(iii) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself
(iv) to meet defeat
Ans. (iii) To meet someone who is equally able as oneself

II. Distinguish between the following pairs of sentences.
1. (i) He was visibly moved.
(ii) He was visually impaired.
2. (i) Green and black stripes were used alternately.
(ii) Green stripes could be used or alternatively black ones.
3. (i) The team played the two matches successfully.
(ii) The team played two matches successively.
4. (i) The librarian spoke respectfully to the learned scholar.
(ii) You will find the historian and the scientist in the archaeology and natural science sections of the museum respectively.
Ans:
1. (i) clearly
(ii) defective eyesight
2. (i) one after the other
(ii) in place of
3. (i) with success
(ii) one after the other
4. (i) dignity
(ii) same order

 

Class 11 English The Adventure Question Answers Lesson 5 – Extract Based Questions

Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct option for each question by carefully reading the passage.

 

A. Meanwhile, the racing fund of Professor Gaitonde had arrived at a plan of action in Bombay* Indeed, as a historian he’felt he should have thought of it sooner. He would go to a big library and brow-fee through history books. That was the surest way of finding out how the present state of affairs was reached.
He also planned eventually to return to Pune and have a long talk with Rajendra Deshpande, who would surely help him understand what had happened. That is, assuming that in this world there existed someone called Rajendra Deshpande ! The train stopped beyond the long tunnel. It was a small station called Sarhad. An Anglo-Indian in uniform went through the train checking permits.

Q1. Who was Professor Gaitonde and where did he hail from?
Ans- The historian Professor Gaitonde was a native of Pune.

Q2. What was his destination and what was his purpose of visit?
Ans-. He was travelling to Bombay. He desired to visit the large library and examine the history sections in order to learn how the current situation came to be.

Q3. What did he feel about his duty as a historian?
Ans- Professor Gaitonde felt it was his responsibility as a historian to have considered long ago how to determine the cause of the changed state of affairs.

Q4. Could you guess the period when the story might have been written?
Ans- According to the paragraph, “An Anglo-Indian” entered the carriage to look at the permits. He was obviously a government official. It could only happen when Britain was in power.

Q5. Give the synonyms of the following :
(a) ultimately/in due course
(b) underpass
Ans-. (a) eventually
(b) tunnels

 

B. He thanked the girl politely and came out. It was characteristic of him jot to worry about where he would stay. His main concern was to make his way to the library of the Asiatic Society to solve the riddle of history. Grabbing a quick lunch at a restaurant, he made his way to the Town Hall. Yes, to his relief, the Town Hall was there, and it did house the library. He entered the reading room and asked for a list of history books including his own.
His five volumes duly arrived on his table. He started from the beginning. Volume one took the history up to the period of Ashoka, volume two up to Samudragupta, volume three up to Mohammad Ghori and volume four up to the death of Aurangzeb. Up to this period history was as he knew it. The change evidently had occurred in the last volume.Reading volume five from both ends inwards, Gangadharpant finally converged on the precise moment where history had taken a different turn.

Q1. Who is ‘he’ here? Do you know who is the ‘girl’ he thanked?
Ans- ‘He’ here is Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde. Yes. The ‘girl’ he thanked is the English receptionist at Forbes Building.

Q2. What was his main concern?
Ans- His major focus was getting to the Asiatic Society library so he could figure out the historical riddle.

Q3. Which characteristic of the subject being talked about here, is mentioned here?
What does it show?
Ans- Professor Gaitonde is the subject being talked about here. He’s never given his housing much thought. It was his personality. It demonstrates that he cared more about his value than his own bodily comforts.

Q4. Did he find what he wanted to do?
Ans- Yes, he did find what he was seeking. He had travelled there to unravel a historical puzzle. He discovered the hint or point that solved the riddle while reading the fifth volume of the history book.

Q5. Give synonyms of:
(a) worry
(b) intersect/merge/coincide
Ans- (a) worry – concern
(b) intersect/merge/coincide – converged

 

C. Their victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas hut it also established their supremacy in northern India. The East India Company, which had been watching these developments from the sidelines, got the message and temporarily shelved its expansionist programme. For the Peshwas the immediate result was an increase in the influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao who eventually succeeded his father in 1780 AD. The trouble-maker, Dadasaheb, was relegated to the background and he eventually retired from state politics.
To its dismay, the East India Company met its match in the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao. He and his brother, Madhavrao, combined political acumen with valour and systematically expanded their influence all over India. The Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like its European rivals, the Portu guese and the French.

Q1. What was the effect of the battle? What was its result?
Ans- The Marathas’ win in the battle gave them more confidence. As a result, they established their dominance in Northern India.

Q2. How did this change in situation affect the British /East India Company?
Ans-. As Maratha dominance was established in Northern India, the East India Company was forced to temporarily postpone its imperialism plan. It remained confined to certain areas in nearby Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.

Q3. What impact did it have on Dadasaheb?
Ans- The Marathas viewed Dadasaheb as a troublemaker. As a result, he was sent to the shadows and eventually left state politics.

Q4. How did Vishwasrao act as a ruler?
Ans- Vishwasrao and his brother Madhavrao very methodically increased their power throughout India. The East India Company was only able to exert influence in the areas close to Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay.

Q5. Give one word for the following-
(a) given less important place/rank
(b) ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly.
Ans- (a) relegated
(b) acumen

 

D. He found a guest house to stay in and had a frugal meal. He then set out for a stroll towards the Azad Maidan. In the maidan he found a throng moving towards a pandal. So, a lecture was to take place. Force of habit took Professor Gaitonde towards the pandal. The lecture was in progress, although people kept coming and going. But Professor Gaitonde was not looking at the audience.
He was staring at the platform as if mesmerised. There was a table and a chair but the latter was unoccupied. The presidential chair unoccupied! The sight stirred him to the depths. Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he swiftly moved towards the chair. The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to continue. But the audience soon found voice.
“Vacate the chair !”
“This lecture series has no chairperson…”
“Away from the platform, mister !”
“The chair is symbolic, don’t you know ?”
What nonsense! Whoever heard of a public lecture without a presiding dignitary ? Professor Gaitonde went to the mike and gave vent to his views. “Ladies and gentlemen, an unchaired lecture is like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. Let me tell you.”

Q1. Where did he go for a stroll? What did he find there?
Ans- He took a stroll towards the Azad Maidan. He discovered a crowd approaching on a pandal.

Q2. How did he feel after going there?
Ans-. He was mesmerised as he observed the platform. The presidential chair was vacant when he arrived. He was incredibly impressed by that. Like an iron rod being drawn to a magnet, he felt drawn to the chair.

Q3. What was the general reaction at his arrIval?
Ans-. Gangadharpant was approaching the presidential chair, and the speaker was too frightened to continue. Mid-sentence, he paused. When this happened, the audience responded angrily and demanded that Professor Gaitonde leave the chair. They didn’t seem interested in paying attention to the chairperson.

Q4. How did he try to explain- himself or his position?
Ans-. Professor Gaitonde had expertise speaking in front of large crowds. Seeing that the chairperson’s seat was vacant, he moved to the microphone. A lecture without a chair, according to him, is similar to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” without the Prince of Denmark.

Q5. Give the meaning of:
(a) Spellbound
(b) congregation
Ans- (a) mesmerised
(b) throng

 

E. “Don’t smile smugly. In case you think that it was just my mind playing tricks and my imagination running amok, look at this.” And, triumphantly, Professor Gaitonde produced his vital piece of evidence : a page tom out of a book. Rajendra read the text on the printed page and his face underwent a change. Gone was the smile and in its place came a grave expression. He was visibly moved.Gangadharpant pressed home his advantage. “I had inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my pocket as I left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my meal. I had intended to return it the next morning.
But it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost; only this tom-off page remained. And, luckily for me, the page contains vital evidence.” Rajendra again read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bul¬let; and howr that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army, turned the tide in their favour.“Now look at this.” Gangadharpant produced his own copy of Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, opened at the relevant page. The account ran thus :‘… And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were fighting, and he attacked them. And God expressed His displeasure. He was hit by the bullet ’

Q1. Why did Gangadharpant produce a piece of paper?
Ans-. In order to demonstrate that Iris’ mind was not playing tricks on him and that his imagination was not running wild, Gangadhar produced the piece of paper as evidence. He was speaking from actual experience.

Q2. What influence did the evidence have on Rajendra?
Ans- The proof really shook Rajendra. He had previously dismissed it as Gangadharpant’s imagination. But when he saw the proof, he became serious and began reading the page (evidence).

Q3. How did that evidence come in the pocket of Professor Gaitonde?
Ans- Gangadharpant had visited the large library. While reading Bakhar there, he unintentionally put it in his pocket as he was leaving the library. As a result, the proof was in his pocket.

Q4. What is the point of discussion between Gangadharpant and Rajendra?
Ans- Rajendra and Gangadharpant had been talking about the mystery of where Gangadharpant had been during the two days during which he’d been away from Bombay.

Q5. Give one word for the following-
(a) pleasantly for having achieved something.
(b) just accidently, unintentionally.
Ans- (a) pleasantly for having achieved something – smugly
(b) just accidently, unintentionally – inadvertently

 

F. “A good guess. I was indeed wondering what course history would have taken if the result of the battle had gone the other way,” Professor Gaitonde said. “That was going to be the topic of my thousandth presidential address.”“Now you are in the happy position of recounting your real life experience rather than just speculating,” Rajehdra laughed. But Gangadharpant was grave. “No, Rajendra, my thousandth address was made on the Azad Maidan when I was so rudely interrupted. No. the Professor Gaitonde who disappeared while defending his chair on the platform will now never be seen presiding at another meeting—‘I have conveyed my regrets to the organisers of the Panipat seminar.

Q1. What was going to be the topic of Professor Gaitonde’s thousandth Presidential address? Could he deliver it?
Ans- ‘What direction history would have taken if the result of the fight had gone the other way,’ was going to be the subject of Gangadharpant Gaitonde’s thousandth lecture.

Q2. Why could he not deliver his thousandth presidential address?
Ans- Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde was violently interrupted by the audience and the speaker there, preventing him from delivering his thousandth presidential speech. He was actually forcefully dragged off the stage.

Q3. What did Gangadharpant resolve as a result?
Ans- Gangadharpant resolved never to be seen presiding over a gathering again after being so insulted (and surprised) by the harsh interruption of the public at Azad Maidan in Pune.

Q4. Why did Professor Gaitonde convey his regrets to the organisers of the Panipat Seminar?
Ans- Professor Gaitonde expressed his regrets to the Panipat seminar organisers since he had resolved to never speak at or attend/address as President of any of the meetings in future. It happened as a result of his unpleasant experience in Pune.

Q5. Give one word for the following-
(a) telling something about your personal experience
(b) forming an opinion that you don’t know in detail
Ans-

(a) recounting
(b) speculating

 

Class 11 English The Adventure Question Answers (including questions from Previous Years Question Papers)

In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the Chapter 5 The Adventure for CBSE Class 11 exams for the coming session.

 

Q1. What sort of ‘Adventure’ has been narrated by Jayant Narlikar?
Ans. Professor Gangadharpant’s adventure wasn’t tangible or real. He studied history. He was interested in what would have happened if Marathas had lost the Battle of Panipat. He visited the new Bombay during his two-day coma and had a traumatic experience on Azad Maidan.

Q2. Who was Professor Gaitonde? What was his plan in Bombay?
Ans. Professor Gaitonde, also known as Gangadharpant, was a historian. He had penned five volumes on history. Yet, he was still conducting research. He was travelling to Bombay. He intended to visit a large library and review the history books there to learn how the current situation came to be.

Q3. What was Gangadharpant’s experience on the way to Bombay?
Ans. Gangadharpant took the Jijamata express to get from Pune to Mumbai. His objective was to study some history books at the library. At Sarhad station, an Anglo-Indian checked the permits. The British Raj was established there. On the train, he was joined by a man named Khan Sahib. He observed that the city was very dissimilar from what he had imagined it to be.

Q4. What was Gangadhar’s experience when he reached a small station Sarhad?
Ans. Gangadhar was touring the new Bombay for the first time. The words “Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway” and a miniature Union Jack were painted on each blue carriage. That gently prompted him to remember that he was now on British territory. An Anglo-Indian verified the passengers’ railway tickets.

Q5. What had Professor Gaitonde not expected in Bombay?
Ans. Although Professor Gaitonde had anticipated many surprises, he had not anticipated to witness the dominance of the East India Company in Bombay. According to history texts, the corporation was dissolved after 1857. But it seemed to be still be alive and flourishing in Bombay. He discovered a distinct array of shops, retail stores, and large bank structures than in England.

Q6. What for did Professor Gaitonde enter the Forbes building? What was his experience there?
Ans. The professor met his son, Vinaya Gaines, at the Forbes building. The front desk agent looked through the staff directory and telephone book. That name didn’t belong to anyone. It was a significant setback. He believed that everything up to this point had been sudden and unexpected, so the blow of his son’s absence wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Q7. What did the professor do in the Town Hall library?
Ans. The professor requested the history books he himself had written. The circumstances up till Aurangzeb’s death remained unchanged. The modification had been made in the prior volume. He read the account of the Panipat Battle. The Maratha army under the command of Sadashiv Rao Bhau and his nephew Vishwas Rao destroyed Abdali. Hence, there was a power struggle. It confirmed the Marathas’ dominance. The British company was downsized to a few influential enclaves close to Mumbai. The Marathas built their institutions for scientific research. They agreed to have English experts help them.

Q8. What is the professor’s opinion that was the cause of expanding British influence in India?
Ans. Professor Gangadhar was happy to find that the white men could not have increased their influence if the Marathas had not permitted them to remain in Bombay for commercial purposes. The 1908 deal stated that the lease would end in 2001.

Q9. What did the professor wish to find out in history books?
Ans. He was looking for an answer to how the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. In Bakhars, a history book, he discovered a clue. A bullet that missed Vishwasrao’s ear caused him to narrowly avoid death. The Maratha army’s spirit was raised by this, and they fought gallantly.

Q10. What two things did the professor put into his pockets at the Town Hall?
Ans. He slid the book, “Bakhar,” into his left pocket and placed some notes in his right pocket.

Q11. What bitter experience did the professor have at the meeting in Azad Maidan?
Ans. A lecture was in process when the professor reached Azad Maidan. When he noticed that the presidential chair was empty, he quickly sat on it. The crowd objected. They claimed the chair had symbolic meaning. The professor was violently escorted from the dais as soon as he started speaking to the audience.

Q12. How did Bakhar’s account of the Battle of Panipat differ from what other history books said?
Ans. In every history book the Maratha army was stated to have lost the battle. A bullet struck Vishwasrao, causing him to fall. As a result, t he army’s morale was damaged. The professor’s own copy of the Bakhar did not say that. According to the report, Vishwas Rao narrowly avoided being hit as the bullet missed his ear. The professor was delighted to learn the truth.

Q13. How did Rajendra rationalise the professor’s experience?
Ans. Rajendra made an effort to use two scientific theories to explain the professor’s experience. The professor had just gone through a terrible ordeal. The Abdali force was evenly matched with the Maratha army. Hence, a lot rested on the leadership and troop morale. The killing of Vishwas Rao turned out to be the decisive moment. They became discouraged and lost their will to win. But, Bakhar’s page offered a different perspective. According to the report, Vishwas Rao was not hit by the bullet, which helped the soldiers’ morale. The professor was thinking of this aspect when he was hit by the truck.

Q14. How did Rajendra try to explain the mystery of reality?
Ans. Normally, our senses allow us to directly experience reality. However, what we see is not entirely accurate. The professor, said Rajendra, had made a transition from one world that he knew to another that could have been. Alternative realities exist in addition to the reality that the observer can experience. When the professor fell unconscious after being struck by a truck, he also had a physical experience of another world.

Q15. ‘But why did I make the transition?’ What explanation did Rajendra give to the professor?
Ans. Rajendra surmised that some sort of contact must have brought about the transformation. Perhaps the catastrophic theory and its application to wars were on the professor’s mind at the moment of the collision. The professor acknowledged that he had been considering the direction history might have taken at the time if the Marathas had prevailed in the Battle of Panipat.

 

Class 11 The Adventure Long Answer Questions Lesson 5

 

Q1. ‘Gangadharpant had not been to this Bombay before.’ Show how this Bombay is different from the one he knew.
Ans.Gangadharpant found Bombay entirely different. The Bombay he now toured had the trains that now paned through the suburban rail traffic. The Union Jack and the G.B.M.R marking were printed on the blue carriages. The station appeared incredibly organised and tidy. The majority of the staff members were Anglo-Indians and Parsees, with a small number of British officers. There was an impressive East India Company building. Gangadharpant could locate a variety of stores and corporate buildings as he strolled down Hornby Road. The only place under British rule was Bombay. The British did not rule over any other regions of the country.

Q2. Gangadharpant was able to find the precise moment ‘where history had taken a different turn for India’. What was this moment? How did it affect India and the Indian people?
Ans. When Gangadharpant discovered that the Marathas had won the Third Battle of Panipat, that is the precise moment when Indian history changed. The Marathas’ success in the battle not only gave them a huge morale boost, but it also secured their dominance in northern India. It was also obvious that Vishwasrao survived the conflict. To its dismay, Vishwasrao, the new Maratha ruler, proved to be the East India Company’s equivalent. With the help of their combined political acumen, he and his brother Madhavrao increased their influence throughout India. The East India Company, like its European rivals the Portuguese and the French, was confined to small areas of control surrounding Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.

Q3. How did Rajendra Deshpande explain Gangadhar Pant’s experience? Write in detail.
Ans. Using catastrophe theory and the quantum theory’s lack of determinism, Prof. Rajendra provided an explanation for Prof. Gaitonde’s theory. He examined the Battle of Panipat using catastrophe theory. While both armies were well-equipped, much hinged on the leadership and troop morale. He claimed that the killing of Vishwasrao served as a pivotal moment. At the time, it was unknown if he perished in the battle or lived. But the fear of losing their important leaders kept the army under constant pressure. They lost their morale and will to fight. As soon as the bullet missed Vishwarao, the battle shifted, giving the soldiers hope. Their spirits were raised, and they put in a lot of effort to win the battle.
This occurred because quantum theory lacks determinism, which means that no behaviour can be predicted. In the alternate India where the Marathas had won in the Battle of Panipat, Prof. Gaitonde was able to enter a new world. The shift occurred because, at the time of the collision, Prof. Gaitonde was thinking of the catastrophe Theory and the Battle of Panipat.

Q4. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him. Explain briefly.
Ans. When the train stopped outside the lengthy tunnel, at a small station named Sarhad, Gangadharpant was stunned to see an Anglo-Indian in uniform verifying permits. Mumbai, as Gangadharpant knew it, was very different. He learned that this was the starting point of British rule.
This was the new Mumbai, according to Gandadharpant. He spotted blue carriages with the markings GBMR and the little Union Jack painted on each vehicle as the train passed through the Suburban rail traffic. The station appeared to be pristine. Anglo-Indians, Parsees, and a few British officers made up the staff. Together with a few other shops and office buildings, he also saw the East India Company building. The Britishers had now fully taken over control of Bombay.

 

EXTRA QUESTIONS FROM THE INTERNET ASKED FROM THE CHAPTER “The Adventure”

Q1. Who is Khan sahib?
Ans. Khan Sahib was a passenger in the Jijamata Express. He was travelling to Peshawar. He told endless stories of life in India that were so different from India as was known to Professor Gaitonde.

Q2. Why did the professor want to go through History books?
Ans. The professor went through history books  for the details of the battle of Panipat. He found that a shot brushed past Vishwasrao’s ear and he escaped his death.

Q3. Where was the Jijamata express heading to?
Ans. The Jijamata was heading towards Bombay from Pune.

Q4. As the train entered the British Raj territory, what did Gaitonde notice?
Ans. When he got down at the Victoria Terminus and saw the headquarters of The East India Company. The professor was shocked because the East India Company had closed down after the events of 1857, but he saw the company functioning well right in front of his eyes. He concluded that history had taken a different turn. While walking down the Hornby Road, he found offices of Lloyds, Barclays and other British banks, instead of Boots and Woolworth departmental stores.

Q5. What did the professor do at the Town Hall library?
Ans. The professor made his way to the library of the Asiatic Society to understand this alternate version of history. He asked for a list of History books including his own. He went through all the five volumes and noticed that the change had occurred in the last one which took place in the Battle of Panipat.

He looked into a book, Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, for the details of the battle and found that a shot brushed past Vishwasrao’s ear and he escaped his death. As Gangadharpant was leaving the library, he absentmindedly tore and put a few pages into his left pocket.

Important Videos Links

Class 11 Important Questions Videos Class 11 English Hornbill and Snapshots Book MCQs Video
Class 11 Snapshots Book Chapter wise Video Explanation Class 11 Hornbill Book Chapter wise Video Explanation

 

 

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