Samacheer Kalvi solutions for English Class 12 TN Board chapter 4.1 - The Summit [Latest edition]

Adventures, expeditions, and explorations are always exciting. Especially when they are real and if it is the first of its kind, it is even more thrilling. The only question that comes to one’s mind is what makes one to take up such tasks that involve high risks. It is the spirit of formidable adventure and certain qualities which make them achieve such feats.

Tick the qualities that are required to achieve such a feat.

What did Hillary do with his wet boots?

Name an equipment and a tool carried by the climbers during their expedition.

Why did Hillary become clumsyfingered and slow-moving?

What did Hillary find in a tiny hollow?

When did Hillary feel a sense of freedom and well being?

What did Hillary mean by saying “We had had enough to do the job, but by no means too much”?

How did the mountaineers belay?

Why was the original zest fading away?

What did Edmund Hillary do to escape the large overhanging ice cornices?

What did Tenzing and Edmund Hillary gift to the Gods of lofty Summit? How did they do it?

What did the photograph portray?

The soft snow was difficult and dangerous. Why?

How did the firm snow at the higher regions fill them with hope?

Para 1

We started up our cooker and
drank large quantities of lemon juice and
sugar, and followed this with our last tin of
sardines on biscuits. I dragged our oxygen
sets into the tent, cleaned the ice off them,
and then rechecked and tested them.

Para 2

I had removed my boots, which
had become wet the day before, and they
were now frozen solid. So I cooked them
over the fierce flame of the Primus and
managed to soften them up. Over our
down clothing, we donned our windproof
and onto our hands, we pulled three pairs
of gloves – silk, woollen, and windproof.

Para 3

At 6.30 a.m. we crawled out of that
tent into the snow, hoisted our 30 lb. of
oxygen gear on to our backs, connected
up our masks and turned on the valves to
bring life-giving oxygen into our lungs. A
few good deep breaths and we were ready
to go. Still a little worried about my cold
feet, I asked Tenzing to move off.

How did Hillary and Tenzing prepare themselves before they set off to the summit? (Para 1, 2, and 3)

Para 4

Tenzing kicked steps in a long
traverse back towards the ridge, and we
reached its crest where it forms a great
snow bump at about 28000 feet. From
here the ridge narrowed to a knife-edge
and, as my feet were now warm, I took
over the lead.

Para 5

The soft snow made a route on top
of the ridge both difficult and dangerous,
which sometimes held my weight but often
gave way suddenly. After several hundred
feet, we came to a tiny hollow and found
there the two oxygen bottles left on the
an earlier attempt by Evans and Bourdillon.
I scraped the ice off the gauges and was
relieved to find that they still contained
several hundred liters of oxygen-enough
to get us down to the South Col if used sparingly

Para 6

I continued making the trail on up
the ridge, leading up for the last 400 feet
to the southern summit. The snow on this
the face was dangerous, but we persisted in
our efforts to beat a trail up it.
We made frequent changes of
lead. As I was stamping a trail in the deep
snow, a section around me gave way and

Para 7

I slipped back through three or four of
my steps. I discussed with Tenzing the
the advisability of going on, and he, although
admitting that he felt unhappy about the
snow conditions, and finished with his
the familiar phrase “Just as you wish”.

Para 8

I decided to go on, and we finally
reached firmer snow higher up, and then
chipped steps up the last steep slopes and
crampon onto the South Peak. It was now 9 a.m.

Give an account of the journey to the South Col from 28,000 feet. (Para 4 to 8)

Para 18

My first feelings were of relief–
relief that there were no more steps to
cut, no more ridges to traverse, and no
more humps to tantalize us with hopes
of success. I looked at Tenzing. In spite of
the balaclava helmet, goggles, and oxygen
mask – all encrusted with long icicles–that
concealed his face, there was no disguising
his grin of delight as he looked all around
him. We shook hands, and then Tenzing
threw his arm around my shoulders and
we thumped each other on the back until
we were almost breathless. It was 11.30
a.m. The ridge had taken us two and a
half hours, but it seemed like a lifetime
To the east was our giant

Describe the feelings of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing as they reached the top of the Summit. (Para 18)

Para 15

For a few moments, I lay regaining
my breath, and for the first time really
felt the fierce determination that nothing
now could stop us from reaching the top. I took
a firm stance on the ledge and signaled
to Tenzing to come on up. As I heaved
hard on the rope, Tenzing wriggled his
way up the crack, and finally collapsed at
the top like a giant fish when it has just
been hauled from the sea after a terrible
struggle.

Para 16

The ridge continued as before:
giant cornices on the right; steep rock
sloped on the left. The ridge curved away
to the right and we have no idea where the
top was. As I cut around the back of one
hump, another higher one would swing
into view. Time was passing and the ridge
seemed never-ending.

Para 17

Our original zest had now quite
gone, and it was turning more into a grim
struggle. I then realized that the ridge
ahead, instead of rising, now dropped
sharply away. I looked upwards to see a
narrow snow ridge running up to a snowy
summit. A few more whacks of the ice-ax
in the firm snow and we stood on top.

The ridge had taken us two and half hours, but it seemed like lifetime. Why? (Para 15 to 17)

Para 19

neighbour Makalu, unexplored and
unclimbed. Far away across the clouds,
the great bulk of Kanchenjunga loomed
on the horizon. To the west, we could
see the great unexplored ranges of Nepal
stretching off into the distance.

Para 20

The most important photograph,
I felt, was a shot down the North Ridge,
showing the North Col and the old route
which had been made famous by the
struggles of those great climbers of the
1920’s and 1930’s. After ten minutes,
I realized that I was becoming rather
clumsy-fingered and slow-moving. So I
quickly replaced my oxygen set

Describe the view from the top. What was the most important photograph? (Para 19 and 20)

‘There is no height, no depth that the spirit of man, guided by higher Spirit cannot attain’. Discuss the above statement in the context of the achievement of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing.

Given below are some idiomatic expressions with their meanings. Understand the meaning.

Fill in the blank with the right idiom. Choose from the option.

The Sherpas are cheerful, gallant men, who______ tents, oxygen, food etc., for climbers during their ascent of the summit.

Fill in the blank with the right idiom. Choose from the option.

The team ______carefully so as to reach the summit successfully

Fill in the blank with the right idiom. Choose from the option.

When they had to climb through deep new snow the party sometimes had to______.

Fill in the blank with the right idiom. Choose from the option.

Each member of the team had all their ______.  

Fill in the blank with the right idiom. Choose from the option.

We could not believe that with a few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow we were ______to the top. 

Understand the meaning of the given idiomatic expression and choose the right one to complete the sentence.

The conference room was silent though packed. The chairman introduced an interactive session to ______.

Understand the meaning of the given idiomatic expression and choose the right one to complete the sentence.

Our headmistress not only promised us to take us for an excursion, but also announced that on return we would get a holiday. It was like ______.

Given below are the phrasal verbs with their meanings. Use the given phrasal verbs in sentences of your own.

Given below are some Phrasal Verb which are frequently used in connection with travelling. Guess the meaning and match.

Given below are some Phrasal Verb which are frequently used in connection with travelling. Guess the meaning and match.

Given below are some Phrasal Verb which are frequently used in connection with travelling. Guess the meaning and match.

Here are some compound words chosen from the text.

Match the following with their right field, choosing appropriately from the box given.

First, read the following statements. Then, listen to the passage read aloud by your teacher or played on the recorder and complete the statements. You may listen to it again, if required.

There are many answers to this question. Firstly, 1 would say that we owed much to the work of previous climbers on Everest: to the experience and know ledge they passed on, and to the fact that they had gone on trying and had never given up hope.

Next, I w ould place the careful and thorough planning done before the climb began. On the Everest, a large number of people have to do different things in different places at the same time. Unless every detail had been worked out in advance, things would quickly have gone wrong.
The third reason was the excellence of our equipment. In particular, our oxygen apparatus was very important, and it worked well. Without it. we could not have reached the summit.

Our own fitness played a big part in the climb, and this was due to our periods of training, in which we got used gradually to great heights: and to our food; and to the care and attention we received from our doctors.

Above all else, I should like to mention how well we worked together. That was the biggest single reason why we got to the top. In the four months we were together we lived and worked as a team. Not everyone could climb to the top. Some of the members had jobs to do on other parts of the mountain; jobs that were less exciting than climbing to the summit, but just as dangerous and uncomfortable. But everyone played his part to the full. That was the biggest thing of all.

In the same way, our Sherpas were magnificent. Without our tents, our oxygen, our food, our climbing gear, the summit could not have been reached. And without the Sherpas, we could

not have lifted all this equipment, which weighed 750 lb., up to 26,000 feet, ready for the assaults. No praise is too high for these cheerful and
gallant men.

Finally, there was the weather. For five weeks we had bad weather; then, after the middle of May, we were lucky. It no longer snowed, and even the wind sometimes dropped.

Complete the following.

a) List any three aspects which contributed to the success of the ascent of the summit.

1. ______
2. ______
3. ______

b) Without the help of ______nothing would have been possible.

c) The main idea of the passage is ______.

d) The biggest thing of all is ______.

e) ______were cheerful and gallant men.

Have you ever been on an adventurous trip? If so, share your success story with your friends.

How will you organize or plan for a trip or an event? Do you have the habit of preparing a check-list? Discuss.

Given below are a few proverb. Prepare a short speech of two minutes on one of the proverb.

Nothing is impossible.

Given below are a few proverb. Prepare a short speech of two minutes on one of the proverb.

Where there is a will there is a way.

Given below are a few proverb. Prepare a short speech of two minutes on one of the proverb.

Together we can achieve more.

Here are a few instructions given by a Health Inspector to a group of students, in order to prevent malaria and dengue. Complete the series adding some more important instructions.

1. Do not allow water to stagnate in and around your house.
2. Keep your surroundings clean.
3. Wear long-sleeved shirts/blouses and long pants/skirts that cover your arms and legs.
4. ______

Now, write a set of 8 to 10 instruction for the following situation.

A traffic police personnel to the public, as to how to move around in safety, in crowded public places during festival seasons.

Now, write a set of 8 to 10 instruction for the following situation.

A doctor instructing a patient regarding a healthy diet and proper care after a surgery.

Now, write a set of 8 to 10 instruction for the following situation.

A mother to her children, on safety measures to be taken before leaving home on vacation.

On the basis of your understanding of the given passage, make notes in any appropriate format.

The Sherpas were nomadic people who first migrated from Tibet approximately 600 years ago, through the Nangpa La pass and settled in the Solukhumbu District, Nepal. These nomadic people then gradually moved westward along salt trade routes. During 14th century, Sherpa ancestors migrated from Kham. The group of people from the Kham region, east of Tibet, was called “Shyar Khamba”. The inhabitants of Shyar Khamba, were called Sherpa. Sherpa migrants travelled through Ü and Tsang, before crossing the Himalayas. According to Sherpa oral history, four groups migrated out of Solukhumbu at different times, giving rise to the four fundamental Sherpa clans: Minyagpa, Thimmi, Sertawa and Chawa. These four groups have since split into the more than 20 different clans that exist today

Sherpas had little contact with the world beyond the mountains and they spoke their own language. AngDawa, a 76-year-old former mountaineer recalled “My first expedition was to Makalu [the world’s fifth highest mountain] with Sir Edmund Hillary’’. We were not allowed to go to the top. We wore leather boots that got really heavy when wet, and we only got a little salary, but we danced the Sherpa dance, and we were able to buy firewood and make campfires, and we spent a lot of the time dancing and singing and drinking. Today Sherpas get good pay and good equipment, but they don’t have good entertainment. My one regret is that I never got to the top of Everest. I got to the South Summit, but I never got a chance to go for the top.

The transformation began when the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and the New Zealander Edmund Hillary scaled Everest in 1953. Edmund Hillary took efforts to build schools and health clinics to raise the living standards of the Sherpas. Thus life in Khumbu improved due to the efforts taken by Edmund Hillary and hence he was known as ‘Sherpa King’.

Sherpas working on the Everest generally tend to perish one by one, casualties of crevasse falls, avalanches, and altitude sickness. Some have simply disappeared on the mountain, never to be seen again. Apart from the bad seasons in 1922, 1970 and 2014 they do not die en masse. Sherpas carry the heaviest loads and pay the highest prices on the world’s tallest mountain. In some ways, Sherpas have benefited from the commercialization of the Everest more than any group, earning income from thousands of climbers and trekkers drawn to the mountain. While interest in climbing Everest grew gradually over the decades after the first ascent, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the economic motives of commercial guiding on Everest began. This leads to eclipse the amateur impetus of traditional mountaineering. Climbers looked after each other for the love of adventure and “the brotherhood of the rope” now are tending to mountain businesses. Sherpas have taken up jobs as guides to look after clients for a salary. Commercial guiding agencies promised any reasonably fit person a shot at Everest.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

You can solve this problem in different ways.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

The professor has been working on the last chapter of the book since March.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

Despite being a celebrity, Ravi mingles easily with everyone.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

You must speak clearly to make yourself understood.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

The chairman being away, the clerk is unable to approve the proposal.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

Getting down from the car, the Chief Guest walked towards the dais amidst applause.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

The old man struggled to walk without support.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

In case of emergency, please contact this number.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

The sun having set, the temperature fell rapidly.

Pick out the finite verb in the following sentence:

But for your help, I could not have completed the assignment.

Read the following passage and identify the simple sentences.

Sunflowers turn according to the position of the sun. In other words, they ‘ chase the light’. Have you ever wondered what happens on cloudy, rainy days when the sun is completely covered by clouds? If you think the sunflower withers or turns its head towards the ground, you are completely mistaken. Do you know what happens? Sunflowers turn to each other to share their energy. Learning from Nature, we too should support and empower each other.

Look at the following complex sentence. Circle(bold) the Main clause and underline the Subordinate clause.

Nobody knows when the power supply will resume.

Look at the following complex sentence. Circle(bold) the Main clause and underline the Subordinate clause.

Please tell me what the time is.

Look at the following complex sentence. Circle(bold) the Main clause and underline the Subordinate clause.

The man who directed the film was my schoolmate.

Look at the following complex sentence. Circle(bold) the Main clause and underline the Subordinate clause.

I believe that all men are basically good.

Look at the following complex sentence. Circle(bold) the Main clause and underline the Subordinate clause.

No one knows when he will return.

Pick out the complex sentences in the following passage.

A man saw a lion in the bush, as he was walking through the forest. He did not know what to do. He was helpless. He was too scared to turn around and run. He just knelt down as if he were getting ready to pray. He closed his eyes, thinking that the lion would pounce on him anytime. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the lion on its knees too. Shocked, he asked the lion what it was doing. The lion replied that he was praying before he started his meal.

Identify the two Main clause and conjunction in each of the following sentence.

It started raining suddenly and people ran for shelter.

Identify the two Main clause and conjunction in each of the following sentence.

Understand the concept well, otherwise you cannot solve the problem.

Identify the two Main clause and conjunction in each of the following sentence.

Fifty candidates appeared for the interview, but only five were selected.

Identify the two Main clause and conjunction in each of the following sentence.

Ramesh did not know Spanish, so he wanted a translator.

Identify the two Main clause and conjunction in each of the following sentence.

He is a good actor, still he is not popular.

Pick out the compound sentences in the following passage.

The food we eat has to be digested and then thrown out of the body. The air we breathe in has to be thrown out, to help us survive. But we hold negative emotions like insecurity, anger, and jealousy within ourselves for years. If these negative emotions are not eliminated, the mind grows corrupt and diseased. Let us do away with hatred and lead a healthy life filled with peace and joy

Complete the sentences choosing the right endings.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

If I ______(be) a spider, I ______ (weave) webs

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

If Raj ______(be) a sculptor, he ______(make) beautiful idols.

Read the following sentence

and fill in the blank.

If Mary had an umbrella, she______ (lend) it to me.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

Rex would have played with me, if he ______(has) time.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

If I were you, I ______(accept) this offer.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

We ______ (select) story books for kids, if we allot time for storytelling.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

The Education Minister ______ (visit) our school tomorrow, if he goes by this way

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

You will be rewarded by the wise, if you ______(stand) for truth.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

If my mother ______(know) of my poor performance in the exam, she will not allow me to watch a movie.

Read the following sentence and fill in the blank.

If I had won the lottery, I ______ (donate) relief materials for the flood victims.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

Sindhu would not have won the world championship, unless she had had singleminded devotion.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

You will not reach your goal, unless you chase your dream.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

Unless we plant more trees, we cannot save our planet.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

The rescue team would not have saved the victims unless they had received the call in time.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

The palace cannot be kept clean, unless we appoint more people.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

The portraits would not have been so natural unless the artist had given his best.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

The manager would not have selected Nithiksha unless she exhibited good accounting skill.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

The policeman would not have arrested the man unless he had violated the rules.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

Mr. Kunaal would not sponsor my higher education unless I studied well.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

Kavin will not stop flying kites unless he understands the risk involved in it.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

Tanya would not know the answer unless she referred to the answer key.

Rewrite the following sentence using ‘If ’ without changing the meaning.

My village cannot achieve 100 % literacy rate, unless the elders of the village cooperate with the education department.

Summarizing is to briefly sum up the various points from the notes made from the below passage.

The Sherpas were nomadic people who first migrated from Tibet approximately 600 years ago, through the Nangpa La pass and settled in the Solukhumbu District, Nepal. These nomadic people then gradually moved westward along salt trade routes. During 14th century, Sherpa ancestors migrated from Kham. The group of people from the Kham region, east of Tibet, was called “Shyar Khamba”. The inhabitants of Shyar Khamba, were called Sherpa. Sherpa migrants travelled through Ü and Tsang, before crossing the Himalayas. According to Sherpa oral history, four groups migrated out of Solukhumbu at different times, giving rise to the four fundamental Sherpa clans: Minyagpa, Thimmi, Sertawa and Chawa. These four groups have since split into the more than 20 different clans that exist today.

Sherpas had little contact with the world beyond the mountains and they spoke their own language. AngDawa, a 76-year-old former mountaineer recalled “My first expedition was to Makalu [the world’s fifth highest mountain] with Sir Edmund Hillary’’. We were not allowed to go to the top. We wore leather boots that got really heavy when wet, and we only got a little salary, but we danced the Sherpa dance, and we were able to buy firewood and make campfires, and we spent a lot of the time dancing and singing and drinking. Today Sherpas get good pay and good equipment, but they don’t have good entertainment. My one regret is that I never got to the top of Everest. I got to the South Summit, but I never got a chance to go for the top.

The transformation began when the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and the New Zealander Edmund Hillary scaled Everest in 1953. Edmund Hillary took efforts to build schools and health clinics to raise the living standards of the Sherpas. Thus life in Khumbu improved due to the efforts taken by Edmund Hillary and hence he was known as ‘Sherpa King’.

Sherpas working on the Everest generally tend to perish one by one, casualties of crevasse falls, avalanches, and altitude sickness. Some have simply disappeared on the mountain, never to be seen again. Apart from the bad seasons in 1922, 1970 and 2014 they do not die en masse. Sherpas carry the heaviest loads and pay the highest prices on the world’s tallest mountain. In some ways, Sherpas have benefited from the commercialization of the Everest more than any group, earning income from thousands of climbers and trekkers drawn to the mountain. While interest in climbing Everest grew gradually over the decades after the first ascent, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the economic motives of commercial guiding on Everest began. This leads to eclipse the amateur impetus of traditional mountaineering. Climbers looked after each other for the love of adventure and “the brotherhood of the rope” now are tending to mountain businesses. Sherpas have taken up jobs as guides to look after clients for a salary. Commercial guiding agencies promised any reasonably fit person a shot at Everest.

Reading a map

Nowadays though locations are traced easily using GPS, (Global Positioning System) one should know what to look for in the map to reach the destination. Here are a few general instructions to be followed while reading a map.

1. Identify and understand the elements of the map correctly.
2. Look out for the title to know what the map shows.
3. Study the symbols/colors that are used on the map and find what they stand for.
4. Look at the scale of the map. (whether to be scaled or not to be scaled)
5. Look for the pointer to know the direction.

Let us together scale the summit. Here is a drawing of the Everest showing the way to the summit, and the position of the camps with their heights. Trace the trekking trail to reach the summit with the given details and write an interesting paragraph in about 100 words.

The Summit of Mount Everest