Discuss with your partner the various hazards and risks that a mountaineer/ trekker has to face in an expedition:
Ans. Mountaineering is something very adventurous and is not meant for the weak hearted people. It involves various risks and dangers as well like heavy rain storm, avalanches, if a mountaineer loses focus he/ she may fall down from height, lack of oxygen, extreme tiredness, feeling dizzy, and a lot other kind of troubles mountaineers might face.
Q. Give reasons for the ‘rope’ being called a symbol:
Ans. The rope was considered a symbol as it tied Tenzing and Hillary together. One could not move without the other. They were not two individuals, but a team.
Q. List the ways in which Tenzing Norgay celebrates on reaching the top.
Ans. On reaching the summit-
a) His first thought on reaching the top was a sense of gratitude to God, he had blessed Tenzing with fulfillment of this desire which he had held for so long.
b) Tenzing and Hillary embraced each other overjoyed at their success, and then he took photograph of Tenzing holding aloft the flags of Great Britain, Nepal, the United Nations and India.
c) He then placed on the summit the offerings to God that he had carried with him. This is in accord with Tezing’s Buddhist religion. The offerings were biscuits, candy and a little blue pencil that his youngest daughter Nima had given to him before he left home.
BRAINSTORMING
A(1) Summarise to the class in your own words the highly risky and dangerous journey of Tenzing and Hillary from the base to the top of Mt. Everest.
Ans. This time Tenzing thought he will surely conquer the peak even at any cost. Before this he tried to climb the Everest and failed six times. Both Hillary and Tenzing were well coordinated with each other and had a good understanding. They took turns to take the lead and the other was walking behind, which was rather a difficult job. Tenzing carried the flags of four countries, including India so that he can put them onto the summit. After an hour of steady going, they had to cut across the south face and started up to the west side where they had to cross a steep line of rocks. That was quite difficult, thus slow. However, once they had cleared these, there was nothing barring their way, just a snow-covered incline. This was eventually becoming easier as the steep incline decreased as they neared the top. Although the last sixty or seventy feet up the top were not very dangerous, they maintained the same steady pace and reached the small, flattened summit almost together. During the last fifty feet from the peak, Hillary and Tenzing were moving about twenty feet apart. They were tied together with a rope. This rope was a symbol as it proved that they were not two individuals, but a team.
(A2) (i) Complete the web highlighting the feelings/emotions of Tenzing after reaching the summit:
Ans. Tenzing’s feelings/ emotions after reaching the summit-
a) Feeling of gratitude.
b) Exhilaration
c) A sense of satisfaction and clarity.
d) Feeling of nostalgia.
(ii) Glance through the text again and explain the qualities of Tenzing Norgay. Pick lines that show his unique qualities. One is done for you:
Ans.
Sr. Qualities Lines
1 Patriotic I told colonel Hunt that I was carrying the Indian flag with me and I would like it to on the top with other flags.
2 Spiritual My first thought on reaching the top was a sense of gratitude to God. He had blessed me with fulfillment of this desire I had held so long.
3 Nostalgic and emotional I was wearing a red scarf which my great friend Lambert (leader of the 1952 Swiss expedition) had given me last year. It was just a year ago, on May 28th, when we were standing at 28,215 feet, that he gave me the scarf.
4 Simplicity and love for his family My youngest daughter, Nima, had given me the pencil before I left home. She asked me to put it on the top of the mountain as her offering.
(iii) Write down the significance of the following in the context of ‘On to the Summit’:
(i) Red Scarf (ii) husiar (iii) Kerosene flavoured tea (iv) Ice axe (v) Anchor
Ans. (a) Red Scarf: The red scarf was a gift to Tenzing by his good friend Lambert who was the leader of the Swiss Expedition of 1952. It was just a year ago, on May 28th, when they were standing at 28,215 feet,that he gave Tenzing the scarf and now he was all nostalgic reminiscing about his friend. This scarf reminded Tenzing of their successful mission and it also shows a great sense of companionship.
(b) Husiar: Using a different language term in English is called code-mixing. Here, in the chapter it shows that Tenzing’s knowledge about mountaineering was very clear and apt. Both Tenzing and Hillary were very cautious while climbing down. After successful completion, they remained humble and were fully aware of the technique and remained calm and cautious throughout their way down.
(c) Kerosene Flavored Tea: This tea was brought by C.W.F. Noyce for Tenzing and Hillary from camp eight. A little bit of Kerosene got mixed with the tea as it was made in a hurry by Noyce. It was a kind gesture and a sense of happiness for both of them so Tenzing didn’t say anything to Noyce and drank the tea. Both the mountaineers were grateful as they got hot tea at a time when they needed it the most. The gentleman had taken so much trouble to serve them tea and they were not bothered about the smell or what so ever.
(d) Ice Axe: Tenzing got out the flags which he had on piece of string about four feet long. HE fastened one end to his ice axe and Hillary took pictures as he held it up. As he had to bring his ice axe down with him, he buried one end of the string in the ice on the top, and the other in snow on the slope down below. When they left, the flags were lying flat against the summit.
A3) (i) Add suitable suffixes (-tion,-ly, -ment, -ous) and prefixes (un, il, im) to the words given below. One is done for you:
Ans.
Sr. Word Prefix Suffix
1 absolute X absolutely
2 fulfill unfulfilled fulfillment
3 determine undetermined determination
4 danger X dangerous
5 tight untighten tightly, tighten
6 clear unclear clearly
7 sure Unsure surely
8 legal illegal legally
9 legitimate illegitimate legitimately
10 possible impossible possibility
(ii) By filling appropriate letters in the blank spaces, you will get a past participle from it. Use the word as adjective in your own sentence. One is done for you.
(a) s _ _ n _ d Word- signed.
The advocate took all the signed documents to the court.
A3) (i) Add suitable suffixes (-tion,-ly, -ment, -ous) and prefixes (un, il, im) to the words given below. One is done for you:
Ans.
| Sr. | Word | Prefix | Suffix |
| 1 | absolute | X | absolutely |
| 2 | fulfill | unfulfilled | fulfillment |
| 3 | determine | undetermined | determination |
| 4 | danger | X | dangerous |
| 5 | tight | untighten | tightly, tighten |
| 6 | clear | unclear | clearly |
| 7 | sure | Unsure | surely |
| 8 | legal | illegal | legally |
| 9 | legitimate | illegitimate | legitimately |
| 10 | possible | impossible | possibility |
(ii) By filling appropriate letters in the blank spaces, you will get a past participle from it. Use the word as adjective in your own sentence. One is done for you.
(a) s _ _ n _ d Word- signed. The advocate took all the signed documents to the court.
(b) p_ _ z _ d (c) f_ _ t_ e n e_ (d) b _ i _ e_
Ans. b) Prized – This wrist watch, my dad’s last gift to me, is my prized possession.
c) Flattened – A plateau is a tabular land form, with flattened top.
d) Boiled – I love to eat boiled egg.
(iii) Spot the error. One is done for you.
I was not afraid for die that day.
Correct Sentence- I was not afraid to die that day.
(a) Tenzing and Hillary made an pact at the office of P M of Nepal.
Ans. Tenzing and Hillary made a pact at the office of P M of Nepal.
(b) I has to bring my ice axe down with me.
Ans. I have/ had to bring my ice axe down with me.
(c) Tenzinghave spent a night with Camp Eight.
Ans. Tenzing had spent a night with Camp Eight.
(d) Pact was signed from Tenzing and Hillary.
Ans. Pact was signed by Tenzing and Hillary.
(e) I and Hillary were in no mood of talking.
Ans. Hillary and I were in no mood for any talking.
A4) When Tenzing and Hillary reached the summit, Tenzing in utter joy said, “We have done it.” In this sentence the subject (we) is the doer of the action while it (achieving the feat) is the subject. The verb of passive voice is formed by using the correct form of the verb ‘to be’ + past participle of the main verb. Construct the sentences accordingly.
Now carefully go through the changes in both the sentences and do the changes accordingly in the remaining sentences.
Ans. It has been done by us.
(a) We made a pact.
Passive- A pact was made by us.
(b) I offered silent prayer in my heart.
Passive– A silent prayer was offered by me in my heart.
(c) Colonel Hunt gave me three flags.
Passive
