English Class 12
Vistas - Chapters (Literature)

Read the extract and answer the following questions.

Extract:

My Antarctic experience was full of such epiphanies, but the best occurred just short of the Antarctic Circle at 65.55 degrees south. The Shokalskiy had managed to wedge herself into a thick white stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island which was preventing us from going any further. The Captain decided we were going to turn around and head back north, but before we did, we were all instructed to climb down the gangplank and walk on the ocean. So there we were, all 52 of us, kitted out in GoreTex and glares, walking on a stark whiteness that seemed to spread out forever. Underneath our feet was a metrethick ice pack, and underneath that, 180 metres of living, breathing, salt water. In the periphery Crabeater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs will do under the shade of a banyan tree. It was nothing short of a revelation: everything does indeed connect.

(Journey to the end of the Earth)

Journey to the end of the Earth (4) - Extract Based Questions - Teachoo.png

Question (i)

What was the name of the ship that the author was travelling on?

  1. Shokalskiy
  2. Tadpole
  3. GoreTex
  4. Crabeater

Answer:

Answer as written by the student:

(a) Shokalskiy

Step-by-step explanation: 🧐

  • The name of the ship that the author was travelling on was Shokalskiy.
  • This is stated in the first sentence of the extract, where the author says that the Shokalskiy had managed to wedge herself into a thick white stretch of ice.
  • The Shokalskiy is a Russian research vessel that is used for expeditions to Antarctica and other polar regions.
  • The ship is named after Yevgeny Shokalsky, a Russian geographer and oceanographer who studied Antarctica in the early 20th century.

Question (ii)

Why did the author and the other passengers walk on the ocean?

  1. Because they wanted to explore the ice pack and see the seals
  2. Because they wanted to experience a rare and unique opportunity
  3. Because they wanted to reach Tadpole Island and cross the Antarctic Circle
  4. Because they wanted to help the ship get unstuck from the ice

Answer:

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