Question 2 - Chapter 3 - Journey to the End of the Earth - Vistas - Chapters (Literature) - English Class 12

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

Human civilisations have been around for a paltry 12,000 years — barely a few seconds on the geological clock. In that short amount of time, we’ve managed to create quite a ruckus, etching our dominance over Nature with our villages, towns, cities, megacities. The rapid increase of human populations has left us battling with other species for limited resources, and the unmitigated burning of fossil fuels has now created a blanket of carbon dioxide around the world, which is slowly but surely increasing the average global temperature.

(Journey to the end of the Earth)

Question (i)

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon of increasing average global temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?

1. Global warming
2. Climate change
3. Ozone depletion
4. Acid rain

Answer:

Answer as written by the student: 

(a) Global warming

Step-by-step explanation: 🧐

• The term used to describe the phenomenon of increasing average global temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is global warming.
• Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor.
• These gases are naturally present in the atmosphere, but human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, agriculture, and industry have increased their concentration and enhanced their effect.
• Global warming is one of the main causes of climate change, which is the term used to describe the longterm changes in weather patterns and environmental conditions due to global warming and other factors.

Question (ii)

How long have human civilizations been around according to the extract?

1. 12,000 years
2. 120,000 years
3. 1.2 million years
4. 12 million years

Answer:

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Answer as written by the student:

(a) 12,000 years

Stepbystep explanation: 🤓

• According to the extract, human civilizations have been around for a paltry 12,000 years.
• Human civilizations are defined as complex societies that have developed culture, technology, agriculture, urbanization, and social organization.
• The first human civilizations emerged around 10,000 BCE in different regions of the world, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, and Mesoamerica.
• These civilizations were based on the domestication of plants and animals, the invention of writing systems, and the establishment of political and religious institutions.

Question (iii)

Fill in the blank with an appropriate word.

The rapid increase of human populations has left us ___________ with other species for limited resources.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

battling

Step-by-step explanation: 🙃

• The word that fits in the blank is battling, which means fighting or struggling.
• The rapid increase of human populations has left us battling with other species for limited resources, such as land, water, food, and energy.
• Human populations have grown exponentially from about 1 billion in 1800 to about 7.8 billion in 2020.
• This growth has resulted in habitat loss, deforestation, pollution, overexploitation, and extinction of many other species that share the planet with us.

Question (iv)

Explain why human civilisations are described as "barely a few seconds on the geological clock" in the extract.

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

 Human civilisations are described as "barely a few seconds on the geological clock" in the extract because they are very recent and shortlived compared to the geological history of Earth.

Step-by-step explanation: 😊

• The geological clock is a metaphor that compares the 4.6 billion years of Earth's history to a 24hour day.
• On this scale, each second represents about 53,000 years and each hour represents about 191 million years.
• Human civilisations have been around for only 12,000 years, which is equivalent to about 0.2 seconds on the geological clock.
• This means that human civilisations are very recent and shortlived compared to the geological history of Earth, which includes events such as the formation of continents and oceans, the evolution of life forms, and the occurrence of mass extinctions.

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