Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF of Class 11 English Core textbook (Resonance), chapter The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role by Nani Palkhivala which is part of the syllabus of students studying under MBOSE (Meghalaya Board). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
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Summary
The essay by Nani Palkhivala discusses the significant impact of the Green Movement, which began around 25 years ago and aims to foster a holistic and ecological view of the world. This movement marks a revolutionary shift in human perception, akin to the Copernican revolution. It emphasizes the idea that Earth is a living organism with its own needs and processes that must be respected and preserved.
The text highlights the growing consciousness about environmental issues and the ethical responsibility humans have to act as stewards of the planet. The concept of sustainable development, popularized in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development, advocates for meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
Various alarming statistics and reports are presented to underscore the severity of environmental degradation. For instance, a notice in the Lusaka Zoo identifies humans as the most dangerous animal due to their impact on the planet. Scientists have catalogued 1.4 million living species, but many more remain unnamed and endangered. The destruction of forests, overfishing, and depletion of natural resources are some of the critical issues discussed.
The essay mentions notable figures and organizations that have contributed to environmental awareness. The Brandt Commission and Lester R. Brown’s work are cited, emphasizing the strain on Earth’s principal biological systems—fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands. The text argues that these systems are being exploited to unsustainable levels, leading to significant ecological damage.
Population growth is identified as a major factor exacerbating environmental problems. The essay highlights that while development can serve as a natural contraceptive by improving education and health, unchecked population growth undermines these benefits.
The author calls for a new era of responsibility, where industry leaders and individuals adopt sustainable practices. The idea that we have borrowed the Earth from future generations, rather than inheriting it from our ancestors, is emphasized. This perspective encourages a shift from a mechanistic to a holistic view, promoting environmental stewardship for the sake of the planet’s future.
Textual questions and answers
State whether true or false
1. The entire world now is concerned with environmental issues.
Answer: True
2. The Green Party founded in 1972 questioned the worldwide movement to protect the earth.
Answer: False
3. Before Copernicus, people had no idea that the planets rotated round the Sun.
Answer: True
4. There are obvious signs of danger for the Earth, resulting from environmental degradation.
Answer: True
5. Economic development is possible if fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands are destroyed.
Answer: False
6. Getting firewood from the forests does not affect the forests.
Answer: False
7. We are adding 3.7 million acres of forests every year.
Answer: False
Argue for or against in about 100 words each
1. It is right to label man as the world’s most dangerous animal.
Answer: It is right to label man as the world’s most dangerous animal. Human activities have significantly contributed to environmental degradation. Deforestation, pollution, overfishing, and the emission of greenhouse gases are largely driven by human needs and industrial activities. Unlike other species, humans have the capability to alter ecosystems on a global scale, often with detrimental consequences. This unique ability to cause widespread harm justifies the label, highlighting the responsibility humans have to mitigate their impact and protect the environment for future generations.
2. The children of tomorrow will thank us for the way we have used up all the Earth’s natural resources.
Answer: The children of tomorrow will not thank us for the way we have used up all the Earth’s natural resources. Unsustainable exploitation of resources leads to scarcity, environmental degradation, and climate change, which will create severe challenges for future generations. They will inherit a planet with diminished natural wealth, increased natural disasters, and a compromised ability to sustain life. Responsible management and conservation of resources are essential to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to thrive in a healthy and balanced environment.
3. We can live a happy and healthy life with just minerals and petroleum-derived synthetics.
Answer: We cannot live a happy and healthy life with just minerals and petroleum-derived synthetics. A balanced ecosystem is crucial for providing clean air, water, fertile soil, and biodiversity, all of which are essential for human health and well-being. Reliance solely on minerals and synthetics ignores the importance of natural processes and ecosystems that sustain life. Moreover, the extraction and use of these resources often lead to environmental pollution and health hazards. A sustainable approach that integrates natural resources with technological advancements is necessary for long-term well-being.
4. Development is really not necessary to address environmental issues.
Answer: Development is necessary to address environmental issues, but it must be sustainable. Technological and infrastructural advancements can provide solutions for environmental challenges, such as renewable energy, efficient waste management, and sustainable agriculture. However, development should not come at the cost of environmental degradation. Instead, it should focus on creating systems that meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Sustainable development aims to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship and social well-being, ensuring a holistic approach to progress.
Answer these questions brief
1. Why is the Earth like a patient in poor health now?
Answer: The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. We have begun to realise our ethical obligations to be good stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generations.
2. Why do we have to make sure that development does not leave the Earth with no resources?
Answer: The concept of sustainable development was popularised in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development. In its report, it defined the idea as ‘Development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs’, i.e. without stripping the natural world of resources future generations would need.
3. Will a burnt-out planet covered by just deserts and no green forests be a healthy place to live in? Why/why not?
Answer: It has been well said that forests precede mankind; deserts follow.
4. What suggestion has the World Bank made to cope with the demand for fuel wood?
Answer: The World Bank estimates that a five-fold increase in the rate of forest planting is needed to cope with the expected fuel wood demand in the year 2000.
5. How can we say that the Chairman of Du Pont is a responsible and caring human being?
Answer: What a transformation would be effected if more businessmen shared the view of the Chairman of Du Pont, Mr Edgar S Woolard who, five years ago, declared himself to be the Company’s ‘Chief Environmental Officer’. He said, ‘Our continued existence as a leading manufacturer requires that we excel in environmental performance.’
6. What shifts in perceptions have taken place by the rapidly growing popularity of the Green Movement?
Answer: 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.
Answer these questions in detail
1. What are the Earth’s principal biological systems? What are the effects of human activity on them?
Answer: The Earth’s principal biological systems are: fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands. They provide us with food and raw materials for industry. Human activity is damaging these systems. Overfishing is leading to the collapse of fisheries. Forests are being destroyed to obtain firewood and for other purposes. Grasslands are being converted into barren wastelands, and croplands are deteriorating.
2. Discuss the effects of the population explosion on the future of the Earth.
Answer: The population explosion is one of the main factors that is damaging the future of the Earth. The earth’s population is increasing rapidly. This is putting a strain on the Earth’s resources, leading to pollution, and the depletion of natural resources. If the population continues to grow at the present rate, it will be very difficult to provide enough food, water, and other resources for everyone.
3. The author stresses in a number of instances the need for us, as citizens of this world, to move from a narrow mechanistic view to a holistic, ecological view. Using ideas from the text to support your answer, substantiate this statement.
Answer: We have shifted from the mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world, a shift in human perceptions as revolutionary as that introduced by Copernicus. There is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism with its own metabolic needs and vital processes. We have begun to realise our ethical obligations to be good stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generations. The emerging new world vision has ushered in the Era of Responsibility, seeing the world as an integrated whole rather than a dissociated collection of parts.
Appreciating Form and Language
1. What is the style of narration used in this passage?
Answer: The style of narration used in this passage is expository. It aims to inform and explain the current state of the Earth’s environment and the impact of human activities on it.
2. Do you know what an epigram is?
Answer: An epigram is a short poem or sentence that expresses a thought or an idea in a short and clever or funny way. For example, “Forests precede mankind; deserts follow.” This style is dramatic and conveys the message emphatically.
Explain this statement in your own words.
Answer: This statement means that forests existed before humans appeared on Earth, but due to human activities, deserts often follow in place of forests, indicating environmental degradation.
Pick out another epigrammatic statement from the text and explain it in your own words.
Answer: Another epigrammatic statement from the text is, “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.” This means that the Earth is not ours to use irresponsibly; instead, we must take care of it for future generations.
Extra fill in the blanks
1. One cannot recall any movement in world history which has gripped the imagination of the entire human race so completely and so rapidly as the ______ Movement. (Green/Blue)
Answer: Green
27. The style of narration used in this passage is ______. (descriptive/narrative)
Answer: descriptive
Extra true or false
1. The Green Movement started nearly twenty-five years ago.
Answer: True
2. The world’s first nationwide Green Party was founded in Canada.
Answer: False
3. The shift to a holistic and ecological view of the world is as revolutionary as the shift introduced by Copernicus.
Answer: True
4. The concept of sustainable development was popularised in 1972.
Answer: False
5. The notice in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, reads, ‘The world’s most dangerous species.’
Answer: False
6. Scientists have catalogued about 1.4 million living species with which mankind shares the earth.
Answer: True
7. The First Brandt Report raised the question about leaving our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts.
Answer: True
8. The earth’s principal biological systems are fisheries, forests, grasslands, and rivers.
Answer: False
9. Over-fishing is common every day in a protein-conscious and protein-hungry world.
Answer: True
10. Local forests are being decimated in order to procure building materials.
Answer: False
11. The world’s ancient patrimony of tropical forests is now eroding at the rate of forty to fifty million hectares a year.
Answer: False
12. The Constitution of India provides that ‘the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the rivers and wildlife of the country.’
Answer: False
13. A recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee has highlighted the near catastrophic depletion of India’s rivers over the last four decades.
Answer: False
14. A three-year study using satellites and aerial photography conducted by the United Nations warns that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated.
Answer: True
15. It took mankind more than a thousand years to reach the first billion.
Answer: False
16. The present world population is estimated at 5.7 billion.
Answer: True
17. Every four days, the world population increases by one million.
Answer: True
18. Fertility rises as incomes rise, education spreads, and health improves.
Answer: False
19. The population of India is estimated to be 920 million today.
Answer: True
20. For the first time in human history, we see a transcending concern for the survival of the people.
Answer: False
21. Industry has the most crucial role to play in the new Era of Responsibility.
Answer: True
22. The Chairman of Du Pont declared himself to be the Company’s ‘Chief Financial Officer’.
Answer: False
23. Margaret Thatcher said, ‘No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life tenancy with a full repairing lease.’
Answer: True
24. The environmental problem is our barrier for the future.
Answer: False
25. We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.
Answer: True
Extra question and answer
Q. When and where was the world’s first nationwide Green Party founded?
Answer: The world’s first nationwide Green Party was founded in New Zealand in 1972.
26. Discuss the holistic and ecological view mentioned in the text.
Answer: The holistic and ecological view sees the world as an integrated whole, where all parts are interconnected and interdependent. This perspective contrasts with the mechanistic view that treats natural systems as separate and machine-like. The Green Movement has promoted this ecological consciousness, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and ethical stewardship to protect the planet for future generations. This view encourages seeing the environment not just as a resource to be exploited but as a complex, living system that must be preserved and respected.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger. He manages Online Free Notes and reads Victorian literature. His favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and he hopes to travel the world. Get in touch with him by sending him a friend request.
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