The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role Question Answers (Important)| Class 11 English Hornbill Book

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the ailing planet important questions

 

CBSE Class 11 English Lesson 4 The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role Question Answers (Important) from Hornbill Book

Class 11 English The Ailing Planet Question Answers – Looking for The Ailing Planet question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 11 English Hornbill Book Chapter 4? 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 4: The Ailing Planet 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 Ailing Planet NCERT Solutions

Understanding the text

1. Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Ans: The lines that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’ are:
i.  “The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health”
ii.  “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes, and the ailing environment?”
iii. “…the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated”
iv.  “There can be no doubt that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society”

2. What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Ans: The notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ signifies that human has deteriorated the planet from a long time that his own survival is under threat now.

3. How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?
Ans: There are four principal biological systems – fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These four systems provide food and raw materials for industry except for minerals and synthetics. These systems have reached an unsustainable point where their productivity have impaired. As a result, fisheries are collapsing, deforestation is taking place, grasslands are turning into barren wasteland and croplands are becoming worse. Overfishing is very common nowadays where people are becoming protein-conscious. In poor countries, the forest is being cut down on a large scale to obtain wood for cooking. In some areas, firewood is more costly than food. Many species are under destruction in tropical forests.

4. Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Ans: The author avers that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors behind the distortion of the future of mankind because overpopulation leads to unemployment, rise in poor health conditions and ultimately poverty. It deteriorates the environment and the four principal biological systems.
The richer are getting rich and the poor is birthing more children which leads to more unemployment. Development is the best contraceptive which will lead to more employment, rise in health conditions and improvement in education. It also results in a reduction in fertility rate. We have to choose between population control and keeping up with poverty.

 

Talking about the text

1. Discuss – Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.
Ans: According to the Article 48A of the Constitution of India, the state should try to protect and improve the environment and must protect the forest and wildlife of the country. But the painful fact is that laws are not followed in India. For example – casteism, untouchability and bonded labour, are said to be abolished in India but are still in practice. Over the last four decades, India is losing forest at a harmful rate of 3.7 million acres a year as per the report of Parliament’s Estimates Committee. The large area of forestland is now treeless and the actual loss is estimated to be eight times the rate given by government statistics.

2. Discuss – “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?”
Ans: The above lines were mentioned in the first report of the Brandt Commission. With the rising scale of distortion of the environment, humans are going to leave a burned planet with aided deserts, poor landscapes and a poor environment for our future generations. Our earth is like a patient with declining health and it is not a good sign. Deforestation and over populations are some of the reasons behind the deterioration of the earth. We must realize our ‘Era of Responsibility’ before it’s too late. We must conserve the earth as if we have borrowed it from our future generations.

3. Discuss – “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”.
Ans: From many decades, humans are using the resources of the earth at a very alarming rate without worrying about future generations. Now the environment has become critical enough that humans must realize the era of responsibility towards it. With quite some time, human perception is changing and the earth is seen as a ‘holistic and ecological view’. Earth is seen as a living organism which has its own metabolic and vital needs. We must protect the resources for future generations. Use of ‘Sustainable Development’ which means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising with future generations. Thus, the earth’s resources should be utilized in a way that doesn’t affect the future.

4. Discuss – The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life.
Ans: Overpopulation leads to many problems that are affecting mankind and natural resources. It leads to poverty and unemployment. The poor children are forced to live the same lifestyle as their parents did because of the lack of resources and facilities. Overpopulation leads to lesser education and low health facilities which results in more problems like the rise in harmful diseases and fertility rate. The natural resources are being consumed at a very fast rate to fulfill the need of the population throughout the world. Deforestation is one of the issues where forests are being cut down. All this results in global warming and if the population is not controlled, it will deplete the environment and earth.

 

Thinking about language

The phrase ‘inter alia’ meaning ‘among other things’ is one of the many Latin expressions commonly used in English. Find out what these Latin phrases mean.

  1. prima facie
  2. ad hoc
  3. in camera
  4. ad infinitum
  5.  mutatis mutandis
  6. caveat
  7. tabula rasa

Ans:

  1. Prima Facie – At first sight, before closer inspection
  2. Ad Hoc – for a specific purpose or situation
  3. In Camera – in secret
  4. Ad Infinitum – having no end
  5. Mutatis Mutandis – changing only those things which needs to be changed
  6. Caveat – a warning
  7. Tabula Rasa – without any prior knowledge

 

Working with words

I. Locate the following phrases in the text and study their connotation.

  1. gripped the imagination of
  2. dawned upon
  3. ushered in
  4. passed into current coin
  5. passport of the future

Ans:

  1. gripped the imagination of – received much attention
  2. dawned upon – become apparent
  3. ushered in – begin the new idea
  4. passed into current coin – something which has been brought into use
  5. passport of the future – a thing that makes something possible to happen

II. The words ‘grip’, ‘dawn’, ‘usher’, ‘coin’, ‘passport’ have a literal as well as a figurative meaning. Write pairs of sentences using each word in the literal as well as the figurative sense.

Ans:

Grip:

  1. She held the balloon with a tight grip.
  2. The movement of ‘Stop Rape’ has gripped the minds of people.

Dawn –

  1. She waited for Ronald until dawn, but he never came back.
  2. The idea of starting a new business dawned on him.

Usher –

  1. The attendant ushered them to their seats.
  2. The internet ushered in an era of mass communication.

Coin –

  1. She asked him to give all the coins he had collected so far.
  2. The term was coined by a famous Physicist.

Passport –

  1. He went to the visa office to get his passport stamped to go to New York.
  2. Education is our passport to the future.

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Class 11 English The Ailing Planet Question Answers Lesson 4 – 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. 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 round 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. How have we shifted our view of the world?
Ans. We have shifted our view of the world from the mechanistic to holistic and ecological.

Q2.What did Copernicus teach mankind?
Ans. Copernicus taught mankind that the earth and other planets revolve around the sun.

Q3. Which growing worldwide consciousness is the author referring to here?
Ans. The author is referring to growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism. It is an enormous being and we are parts of it.

Q4. What needs to be respected and preserved?
Ans. The metabolic needs and vital processes of the earth need to be respected and preserved.

Q5. Find words from the extract which means the same as :
(a) in a way that cannot be changed, reversed
(b) the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
Ans. (a) in a way that cannot be changed, reversed – irrevocably
(b) the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted – perspective

B. 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 realized the wisdom of shifting from a system based on domination to one based on partnership. Scientists have catalogued about 1.4 million living species with which mankind shares the earth.

Q1. Which notice hangs in the zoo at Lusaka?
Ans. The notice reads, ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’.

Q2. What is found inside the cage?
Ans. Inside the cage there is no animal, but only a mirror where the visitor sees himself.

Q3. What is the new awareness dawned upon man?
Ans. The new awareness is to realize the wisdom of shifting from a system based on oil domination to one which is based on partnership.

Q4. How many living species have the scientists catalogued?
Ans. The scientists have catalogued about 1.4 million living species.

Q5. Find opposites of the following words from the given extract.
(а) ignorance
(b) safe
Ans. (а) ignorance – awareness
(b) safe – dangerous

 

C. Mr Lester R. Brown in his thoughtful book, The Global Economic Prospect, points out that the earth’s principal biological systems are four—fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands—and they form the foundation of the global economic system. In addition to supplying our food, these four systems provide virtually all the raw materials for industry except minerals and petroleum-derived synthetics.

In large areas of the world, human claims on these systems are reaching an unsustainable level, a point where their productivity is being impaired. When this happens, fisheries collapse, forests disappear, grasslands are converted into barren wastelands, and croplands deteriorate. In a protein-conscious and protein-hungry world, over-fishing is common every day. In poor countries, local forests are being decimated in order to procure firewood for cooking.

Q1. What principal have biological systems been mentioned in the passage?
Ans. The principal biological systems mentioned are : fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands.

Q2. What does the biological system provide?
Ans. Besides food, the biological systems provide nearly all the raw materials for industry except minerals and petroleum-derived synthetics.

Q3. What happens when the productivity of these biological systems are impaired?
Ans. Consequently, fisheries collapse, forests disappear, grasslands turn into barren wasteland and croplands deteriorate.

Q4. What happens in poor countries?
Ans. In poor countries forests are being cut to procure firewood for cooking.

Q5. Find the words in the passage, which mean
(a) world-wide
(b) diminished, weakened.
Ans. (a) world-wide – global
(b) diminished, weakened – impaired

 

D. There can be no doubt that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society. It took mankind more than a million years to reach the first billion. That was the world population around the year 1800. By the year 1900 a second billion was added, and the twentieth century has added another 3.7 billion. The present world population is estimated at 5.7 billion.

Every four days the world population increases by one million. Fertility falls as incomes rise, education spreads, and health improves. Thus development is the best contraceptive. But development itself may not be possible if the present increase in numbers continues.

Q1.Which is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Ans. One of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society is the growth of world population.

Q2.How much time did it take to reach the first billion in the world?
Ans. It took more than a million years to reach the first billion in the world.

Q3. What is the approximate present world population?
Ans. The present world-population is approximately 5.7 billion.

Q4. When does fertility fall?
Ans. The fertility falls when incomes rise, education spreads and health improves.

Q5. Find a word in the passage which means :
(a) deforming
(b) productiveness.
Ans. (a) deforming – distorting
(b) productiveness. – fertility

 

E. The rich get richer, and the poor beget children which condemns them to remain poor. More children does not mean more workers, merely more people without work. It is not suggested that human beings be treated like cattle and compulsorily sterilised.

But there is no alternative to voluntary family planning without introducing an element of coercion. The choice is really between control of population and perpetuation of poverty. The population of India is estimated to be 920 million today more than the entire populations of Africa and South America put together.

Q1. Why do the poor remain poor?
Ans. The poor remain poor because they beget more children.

Q2.What does ‘more children’ mean?
Ans. More children mean more people without work.

Q3. What alternative does the author suggest for family planning?
Ans. The author suggests voluntary family planning without introducing an element of coercion.

Q4. How much is the population of India today?
Ans. The population of India is approximately 920 million today. It is more than the entire population of Africa and South America put together.

Q5. Find the words from the extract which means the same as:
to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation
in a way that is required by law or a rule.
Ans. (a) to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation – condemns
(b) – in a way that is required by law or a rule – compulsorily

 

 

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

In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from Chapter 4 The Ailing Planet for CBSE Class 11 exams for the coming session.

 

Q1. What is the Green Movement? Why has it become popular all over the world?
Ans: In New Zealand, the Green Movement first emerged in 1972. It has made the populace aware that the earth is a living thing that demands preservation. It advises us to work together and coexist with different animals. The Green Movement approaches the situation holistically and aims to protect the environment while still promoting further development.

Q2. What is the holistic and ecological view of the world that has emerged in recent times?
Ans: The holistic and ecological view is that Earth itself is an organism which needs to be cared for. It has metabolic requirements and essential functions that must be respected and maintained. For the sake of the next generation, we must preserve the planet.

Q3. What is the concept of ‘sustainable development’?
Ans: Sustainable development is the process of meeting the demands of the present while also protecting the environment for future generations.

Q4. What do you mean by ‘sustainable development’?
Ans: The only strategy for preserving the planet Earth is “sustainable development.” It implies that environmental preservation shouldn’t be sacrificed for economic growth. Earth’s resources should be used judiciously so that they are accessible to future generations as well.

Q5. Who is ‘the world’s most dangerous animal’? Why is it called so?
Ans: The greatest threat to the ecosystem is from mankind. Compared to other animals, they are the ones who damage the ecosystem the most.

Q6. Who is ‘the world’s most dangerous animal’? Why is it called so?
Ans: The human being is the most dangerous of all animals because he destroys the elements of nature that sustain him. He does not show mercy to his fellow creatures, the animals. Natural resources like water, land, forests, etc. are overused and exploited by human beings.

Q 7. What was the significance of placing a mirror in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia?
Ans: The cage that is labelled “The world’s most dangerous animal”. The zoo in Lusaka, Zambia, has a mirror in it. The purpose of this notice is to raise awareness of the fact that humans are the most destructive animals on the planet. The zoo administrators have done this on purpose to make us know that we are the true offenders. This step of the zoo authorities brings some hope.

Q8. What are the earth’s principal biological systems? What is happening to them and what can be the results?
Ans: Fisheries, woods, grasslands, and croplands are the four main biological systems. They provide us with food and the raw materials needed by the industries, which makes them the foundation of the world economy. These biological systems are currently threatened and stressed. Fisheries will run dry soon, grasslands will become wasteland, woodlands will start to disappear, and croplands will also start to decline. Before it’s too late, we must awaken. Sense and sensibility is required on the part of all human beings.

Q9. Explain the statement, ‘forests precede mankind; deserts follow’.
Ans: Man destroys trees so carelessly that deserts appear where once woods flourished. Trees aid in the upbringing of people. By destroying woods, man causes himself to perish.

Q10. How are biological systems endangered by human beings?
Ans: Fisheries, woods, grasslands, and croplands are examples of the earth’s biological systems. These are quickly becoming depleted as a result of people’s unrestricted greed. An acre and a half of forest land is lost every second.

Q11. What is the status of the earth’s forest systems?
Ans: 40 to 50 million acres of tropical forests are lost to erosion every year. One and a half acres of forests are being lost every second.

Q12. What is the role of industries in the preservation of the environment?
Ans: When using natural resources, businesses must use caution. The top executives must take on the role of environmental protectors by managing effluents, installing filters on smoke emissions, and doing other essential actions to protect the environment.

Q13. Has the growth of world population contributed to the bad environment situation today?
Ans: Natural resources are under a lot of pressure because of population increase. Rivers and other natural resources are being depleted.

Q14. Explain Margaret Thatcher’s statement made by her, during the years of her Prime Ministership on the earth-as an ailing planet.
Ans: In order for our children to benefit from the bounty of our earth, we must care for it. We shouldn’t exhaust and destroy the Earth’s resources.

Q15. We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children. Elucidate this keeping in mind the lesson ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Ans: We must engage in sustainable development, which satisfies existing demands while also protecting the environment for future generations.

 

Class 11 The Ailing Planet Long Answer Questions Lesson 4

Q1. Why does Nani Palkhivala call the earth ‘The Ailing Planet’? How can the ailing planet survive?
Ans: ‘Ailing’ denotes being ill. The author, Nani Palkhivala, believes that the current condition of our planet “Earth” is comparable to a patient whose health is not improving. The condition of the Earth is bad because its essential systems, including the atmosphere, water, and forests, are getting worse by the day. All these components of the earth need to be revived. This dying planet still has a chance to survive.

It only requires our care and attention. In order to protect our environment for future generations, we should do specific actions. We must use natural resources wisely, and the ecosystem must be improved by replenishing the four biological systems. Industries should curb their level of pollution. We all need to monitor our activities. Overall, awareness has to be created among all and sundry.

Q2. ‘No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life with a full repairing lease.’ Explain with reference to The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role.
Ans: The riches of the earth cannot be exhausted by one generation. Water, forests, and minerals should all be used in a way that ensures future generations can access them. Therefore, it is important that we comprehend the idea of sustainable development, which is defined as development that satisfies present needs while also protecting the environment for future generations.
The four main biological systems on earth — the fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands — must be protected. Therefore, we ought to act responsibly, consider the environment and the planet holistically, and plant trees for the future. The Green Movement is centred around this.

Q 3. What is the concept of sustainable development? Why did it become greatly popular?
Ans: These days, sustainable development is a hot topic. It serves as the guiding principle for achieving human development objectives while both sustaining and protecting the environment. A civilization in which living circumstances and resource consumption continue to meet human needs without compromising the integrity and stability of the natural system is the desired outcome. It focuses on addressing current requirements while maintaining the capacity of coming generations. The fact that this idea has followed a road to protect the environment has contributed to its enormous popularity. It states that you should plant trees if you cut them down. The requirements of upcoming generations should always be in our minds. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands should not be over used. One is expected to be wise and judicial with the planet’s resources.

Q4. “Are we to leave our successors a planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment”. Explain.
Ans: It is a concern brought up by a global commission on ecology and the environment. It is extremely frightening and pertinent. Actually, the answer to this query ought to stir our inner conscience. The environment of the world has suffered greatly as a result of man’s alleged progress.
Large-scale deforestation has caused a cycle of floods and droughts. Due to this, the croplands and grasslands are being rapidly transformed into deserts. Year after year, their production decreases. They are quickly losing their viability. This entails a global warming and climate change that will cause the extinction of many species, as well as decreased food production and a shortage of potable water. Polluted air, water, and soil are examples of an “ailing environment,” which will make it harder for organisms to survive.

Question 5. “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.”
Margaret Thatcher’s words highlight the theme of the lesson ‘The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role.’ You feel very concerned about this earth which is being destroyed gradually. Write an article in about 100 words on ‘Save the Planet Earth.’

Ans: Save the Planet Earth

The remark made by Margaret Thatcher regarding our world is highly important. Each generation is accountable for making wise use of the earth’s resources. Today air, water, soil, trees and rivers are being consumed or polluted as if there will be no tomorrow.
The image seems gloomy. Overuse and pollution are damaging the earth’s essential processes. We must engage in sustainable development, which is defined as development that satisfies current demands while also protecting the environment for future generations. The world’s fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands must be protected. Controlling population increase and acting properly towards the environment are both crucial.

 

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