Contents
Chapter 5 The Summit Within
Class 8 – English – Honeydew
| Class | Class 8 |
| Subject | English |
| Book Name | Honeydew |
| Chapter Name | The Summit Within |
| Category | Class 8 English NCERT Solutions |
Comprehension Check
Question 1 Standing on Everest, the writer was
(i) overjoyed.
(ii) very sad.
(iii) jubilant and sad.
Choose the right item.
Answer
(iii) jubilant and sad – He was jubilant because he had reached the highest point in the world, but he was sad because he had had to descend to reach the real world.
Question 2 The emotion that gripped him was one of
(i) victory over hurdles.
(ii) humility and a sense of smallness.
(iii) greatness and self importance.
(iv) joy of discovery.
Choose the right item
Answer humility and a sense of smallness – Anyone who reaches the highest peak can enjoy the view and look across the miles, and feel the sheer scale of smallness in front of nature’s beautiful creation.
Question 3 “The summit of the mind” refers to
(i) great intellectual achievements.
(ii) the process of maturing mentally and spiritually (iii) overcoming personal ambition for common welfare.
(iv) living in the world of thought and imagination.
(v) the triumph of mind over worldly pleasures for a noble cause.
(vi) a fuller knowledge of oneself.
Mark the item(s) not relevant.
Answer (i), (iii), (iv), and (v) are not relevant.
Working with the Text
Question 1 Answer the following questions.
(i) What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb?
(i) The three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb are endurance, persistence and willpower.
(ii) Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable ?
(ii) Climbing a mountain is a great challenge filled with difficulties, but overcoming those hurdles increases the confidence, endurance, and will power of the climber. Everest is the highest mountain and countless attempts have been made to climb it. When the author reaches the summit, he feels exhilaration, the joy of having done something, there is a sense of accomplishment and joy, feeling of victory and happiness. The experience is not only physical but also emotional and spiritual in nature. It is a great challenge and a doing challenging job is in itself pleasurable.
(iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible?
(iii) Mount Everest being one of the highest and mightiest mountains always attracted author towards it by its beauty, harshness, toughness and the obstacles that he will encounter while climbing. Every ounce of his energy was utilised in climbing the mountain and even his life is at stake. But when a person climbs to the summit of a mountain, one is filled with a great sense of exhilaration, joy and fulfilment for being able to scale such greater heights. This gives him a sense of extreme joy and happiness and a feeling of victory and satisfaction. That is why author found the Mount Everest to be extremely irresistible.
(iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for fame alone. What does one do it for, really?
(iv) Climbing a peak means lots of stamina, determination, persistence and a strong will power. The experience indeed is physical, emotional and spiritual. One does not climb a mountain solely for the sake of glory. It is truly for the satisfaction of having accomplished something, the sense of a struggle fought and won, a sense of victory and contentment. There is a sense of accomplishment, the fulfillment for being able to scale such greater heights, satisfaction and a deep urge to rise over and above the surroundings.
(v) “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines an emotion mentioned in the first paragraph. Which is the emotion?
(v) This awareness describes the emotion of humility.
(vi) What were the “symbols of reverence” left by members of the team on Everest?
(vi) The author left on Mount Everest a picture of Guru Nanak. Rawat left a picture of Goddess Durga. Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha, and Edmund Hillary had buried a cross under a cairn (a heap of rocks and stones) in the snow. These were not merely symbols of conquest but of reverence.
(vii) What, according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him?
(vii) According to the writer, his experience as an Everester taught him to be inspired to face life’s difficulties firmly and in a determined manner. It taught him that the conquest of the internal summit is also equally important compared to climbing a mountain. He also believed that the interior summits could be higher than Everest.
Question 2 Write a sentence against each of the following statements. Your sentence should explain the statement. You can pick out sentences from the text and rewrite them. The first one has been done for you.
(i) The experience changes you completely.
One who has been to the mountains is never the same again.
(ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles.
_____________________________________
(iii) Mountains are nature at its best.
_____________________________________
(iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying.
_____________________________________
(v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience. _______________________________________
Answer
ii) Endurance, persistence and will power are the qualities that are required in a climber to overcome the challenges and have a delightful experience.
(iii) The majestic beauty of the mountains poses a considerable challenge for climbers as they are the medium of communion with the Almighty.
(iv) Although climbing a mountain is a difficult task, reaching the summit gives a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction to the climber.
(v) Climbing a mountain is not merely a physical activity, but it is indeed both emotional and spiritual, as mountains are a means of communion with God.
Working with language
Question 1 Look at the italicised phrases and their meanings given in brackets.
Mountains are nature (nature’s best form and appearance) at its best.
Your life is at risk. (in danger; you run the risk of losing your life.)
He was at his (it was his best/worst performance.) best/worst in the last meeting.
Fill in the blanks in the following dialogues choosing suitable phrases from those given in the box.
| at hand | at once | at all | at a low ebb | at first sight |
(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal ________________ and submit your explanation.
Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first?
(ii) Arun: Are you unwell?
Ila: No, not ________________ Why do you ask?
Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor.
(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love ________________.
David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries?
(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits ________________ today? (Use such in the phrase)
Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I never heard before.
(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close ________________.
Jyoti: How should I welcome it?
Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.
Answer
(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal at once and submit your explanation.
Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first?
(ii) Arun: Are you unwell?
Ila: No, not at all. Why do you ask?
Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor.
(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love at first sight.
David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries?
(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits at such at a low ebb today? (Use such in the phrase) Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I have never heard before.
(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close at hand.
Jyoti: How should I welcome it?
Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.
Question 2
Write the noun forms of the following words adding -ance or -ence to each.
(i) endure ________________ (ii) persist _______________
(iii) signify ________________ (iv) confide ______________
(v) maintain ________________ (vi) abhor ______________
Answer
1) endure endurance
2) persist persistence
3) signify significance
4) confide confidence
5) maintain maintenance
6) abhor abhorrence
Question 3
(i) Match words under A with their meanings under B.
| A | B |
| remote | difficult to overcome |
| means | most prominent |
| dominant | be overcome/overpowered |
| formidable | method(s) |
| overwhelmed | far away from |
(ii) Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with appropriate words from under A.
(a) There were ________________ obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely.
(b) We have no ________________ of finding out what happened there.
(c) Why he lives in a house ________________ from any town or village is more than I can tell.
(d) ________________ by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice.
(e) The old castle stands in a ___________ position above the sleepy town.
Answer (i)
| A | B |
| remote | far away from |
| means | method(s) |
| dominant | most prominent |
| formidable | difficult to overcome |
| overwhelmed | be overcome/overpowered |
(ii)
(a) There were formidable obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely.
(b) We have no means of finding out what happened there.
(c) Why he lives in a house remote from any town or village is more than I can tell.
(d) Overwhelmed by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice.
(e) The old castle stands dominant above the sleepy town.
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