01.

The Third Level Short Answer Type Questions

Qu. 1 What was the third level? Where was it situated?

Ans. The third level was an imagination of Charley because it was not present in reality. But Charley
claimed that it was present. According to Charley, the third level was at Grand Central Station in New York.

Qu. 2 Who was psychiatrist? What did he tell about the third level?

Ans. Sam was a psychiatrist. He was a friend of Charley. He told about the third level that it was just an
imagination of Charley. He explained that modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry etc. Due to all
these, Charley was upset. So the imagination of ‘The Third Level’ rose in his mind. This imagination of him
was an escape from reality.

Qu. 4 How did Charley enter in the third level?

Ans. One night, Charley worked late at his office. He was in a hurry to get home. So he went to Grand
Central Station to catch a suburban train. But he was lost in corridor. He thought it was a second level. But
according to Charley, he had entered in the third level.

Qu. 5 Why did Charley think that Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new corridor and
staircase like roots?

Ans. Charley always found new doorways, stairs and corridors at Grand Central Station. So he thought
Grand Central is growing like a tree, pushing out new corridors and staircases like roots.

Qu. 6 What did Charley find when entered to the third level?

Ans. According to Charley, when he entered the third level, he saw the people wearing old fashioned
dresses, an old locomotive, newspaper dated June 11, 1894, brass spittoons, flickering gas light and many
other things related to that century.

Qu. 7 What did Charley do to make sure that he was on the third level?

Ans. To make sure that he was on the third level, Charley went to a newsboy and saw the stack of
newspapers. It was ‘The World’ which has not been published for years. Later, he found the front page in
the Public Library files and it was printed June 11, 1894.

Qu. 9 What happened with Charley at the ticket window?

Ans. When Charley went to the ticket window for two tickets to Galesburg. He paid the currency of the
present world which was totally different from 1890’s world. On seeing the big notes, the clerk got stunned
and he thought that Charley was trying to skin him.

Qu. 10 Did Charley find the corridor at Grand Central Station again? Why or why not?

Ans. No, Charley did not find the corridor at Grand Central Station again. It was not present in reality
because it was only an imagination of Charley.

Qu. 11 Who was Sam Wiener? Where was he disappeared and why?
Ans. Sam Wiener was a psychiatrist. He was friend of Charley. He disappeared all of sudden but Charley
could make a guess because he knew that Sam liked Galesburg very much. So, according to Charley, Sam
was disappeared in Galesburg because he liked it to start his business.

Qu. 12 What was ‘stamp collection’? How was it related to Charley?

Ans. ‘Stamp collection’ was the link which joins the past and present in the story. This collection was passed
on to Charley from his grandfather.

Qu. 13 What is the first – day cover?

Ans. When a new stamp is issued, stamp collector buy some. They use them to mail envelopes to themselves
on the very first day of sale. The stamp of the post office proves the date. The envelope is called the first –
day cover.

Qu. 14 What did Sam write in his letter to Charley?

Ans. Sam wrote in his letter to Charley that he had found the third level and he had reached there. Sam was
saying in his letter that he was staying there in Galesburg since last two weeks and watching various
activities. He invites both Charley and his wife Louisa there. So, we can say that Sam was also a victim of
worldly worried like Charley.

Qu. 15 Why did Sam bought old currency of eight hundred dollars? What did he do with it?

Ans. According to Charley, Sam bought old currency of eight hundred dollars because of going to 1894’s
Galesburg and Charley hoped that Sam would set up a hey, feed and grain business in 1894’s Galesburg
with these money.

02. The Tiger King Short Question Answer

Question – 1 Who was the tiger king? How was he named it?
Answer – The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram was the tiger king. He got this name as an astrologer foretold
that his death would come from a tiger.

Question 2. What miracle did take place at the time of tiger king’s birth?
Answer – At the time of tiger king’s birth took place a miracle. When at the time of tiger king’s birth, the
astrologers declared that the prince would have to die one day. The ten days old prince asked the astrologers
to reveal the manner of his death. The wise men were surprised at this miracle.

Question 3. How was the tiger king brought up?

Answer – The tiger king drank the milk of an English cow, was brought up by an English nanny, tutored
English by an Englishman, saw nothing but English films. Day by day the tiger king grew taller and
stronger. Like this the tiger king was brought up.

Question 4. What was the astrologer’s prediction?

Answer – The astrologer’s prediction was that the newly born prince would grow up to become hero of the
heroes, warrior of the warriors, champion of the champions. He also predicted that the baby was born in the
hour of the bull. The bull and the tiger are enemies, therefore, death would come from the tiger.
Question 5. Why did the Maharaja kill the tigers in the forest of his state Pratibandapuram?
Answer – The Maharaja killed the tigers in the forest of his state Pratibandapuram because the astrologers
had predicted that the death would come from tiger. Therefore, the Maharaja decided to kill the tigers to
defend himself.

Question 6. How did the king save his throne? How much loss did he bear?
Answer – The king saved his throne just by sending fifty diamond rings to the wife of British officer. He
thought that the lady would keep one or two rings and send back the remaining. But she kept all the fifty
rings. The king had to bear the expense of three lac rupees for it but he managed to save his throne.

Question 7. Why did the tiger king decide to marry?

Answer – The tiger king decided to marry because he had killed all the tigers in his kingdom. But the
number of killed tigers was only seventy. He still needed thirty more tigers to kill to fulfill his vow.
Therefore, he decided to marry the princess from the kingdom which had a large number of tiger population.

8. What happened when the tiger king did not find any tiger for hunting?
Answer – When the tiger king did not find any tiger for hunting, his fury and obstinacy mounted alarmingly.
Many officers lost their jobs and he ordered the Dewan to double the land tax.

Question 9. How did the dewan manage the situation to find the hundredth tiger when the king became
extremely furious?
Answer – When the king became extremely furious, the dewan managed the situation to find the hundredth
tiger just by bringing a tiger from People’s Park in Madras. It was very old tiger.

Question 10. When the hunters went close to look the dead hundredth tiger, what happened?
Answer – When the hunters went close to look the dead hundredth tiger, the tiger opened his eyes and one of
the hunters took aim from a distance of one foot and shot the tiger. Actually, the hundredth tiger was not
killed by the Maharaja.

Question 11. What gift did the king find perfect to give his son on his birthday and why?
Answer – The Maharaja found the perfect gift of wooden tiger to give his son on his birthday because he
wanted to give his son a symbol of his bravery.

Question 12. How was the birthday gift? What happened with the king?
Answer – The birthday gift was a wooden tiger. It was carved by an unskilled carpenter. It had a rough
surface with tiny slivers of wood standing up like quills all over it. One of those slivers pierced the
Maharaja’s right hand. Although the king pulled it out, his arm got infected.

Question 13. How was the operation successful?

Answer – The operation was successful as the prediction came true. The hundredth tiger took away the life
of the king. The tiger king died.
03. Journey to the end of the Earth

Question 1.
How do geological phenomena help us to 1 know about the history of mankind? (2000; 2009 Delhi)
Answer:
It is geological phenomena that help us to know about the history of mankind. Geologists say about 650
million years ago a giant ‘amalgamated’ super continent, Gondwana existed in the South. At that time India
and Antarctica were parts of the same landmass. Gondwana had a warm climate and a huge variety of flora
and fauna. This supercontinent survived for 500 years till the age of mammals got underway.

Question 2.
What kind of indications do we get while visiting Antarctica to save Earth? (2004 Delhi)
Answer:
Tishani Doshi’s entire experience of visiting Antarctica was nothing short of a revelation. It made her
wonder about the “beauty of balance in play on our planet”. She hopes the new generation will understand
their planet better and save it from annihilation. The planet’s ecosystem and its balance that took millions of
years to form can be soon destroyed. Scientists warn that a further depletion in the ozone layer will affect the
activities of the phytoplankton. The lives of the marine animals and birds of the region will be affected. But
the school students’ visit to the Antarctica may make human beings handle their planet in a better way.

Question 3.
How can a visit to the Antarctica be an enlightening experience? (2008 Outside Delhi; All Comptt. Delhi)
Answer:
By visiting the Antarctica we can understand the earth’s past, present and future. A visit there can teach the
next generation to understand and value our planet. Antarctica also holds within its ice-cores half-million-
years old carbon records which will help us to study climatic changes by global warming.

Question 4.
Why is a visit to Antarctica important to realise the effect of global warming? (2008 Outside Delhi)
Answer:
Antarctica is the perfect place to study the effects that global warming is causing. It is here that one can see
the effect of melting glaciers and collapsing ice-shelves and how this is likely to raise the water levels in the
sea and the ocean, as a result of which many low lying regions will be submerged under water.

Question 5.
How is Antarctica a crucial element in the debate on climate change? (2008 Outside Delhi; 2013 Comptt.
Outside Delhi)
Answer:
Antarctica is a crucial element in the debate on climate change because it is the only place in the world
which has never sustained a human population and thus remains relatively pristine. Moreover, it holds in its
ice-caves half-million- year old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. The world’s climate is changing
fast and is at present one of the most hotly debated issues. Antarctica is the ideal place to study the effect of
these environmental changes as it has a very simple ecosystem and lacks biodiversity. If global warming
makes Antarctica warmer, it will have disastrous consequences elsewhere.

Question 6.
What was the objective of the ‘Students on Ice Programme’? (2009 Delhi; 2011 Comptt. Outside Delhi)
Answer:
The objective of the ‘Students on Ice’ programme was to take High School students to the limits of the
world and provide them not only with inspiring opportunities in education but also enable them to
understand and respect our planet. The idea was to provide them a life-changing experience at an age when
they are ready to absorb, learn and most importantly act. According to Geoff Green, the High School
students are the future policy makers and through this programme they would save this planet from
ecological hazards and the harmful effects of global warming.

Question 7.
Why is Antarctica and its understanding important for the survival of the world? (2009 Outside Delhi)
Answer:
Antarctica and its understanding is important for the survival of the world because it helps us to know that
the southern supercontinent of Gondwana existed and centered around the present-day Antarctica. Human
beings had not come on the global scene but a huge variety of flora and fauna was present in the
supercontinent. It was after 500 million years that the landmass was forced to separate into countries that
exist today. Antarctica’s ice-cores hold over half-million-year-old carbon records which are crucial for the
study of the Earth’s past, present and future.

Question 8.
What are the indications for the future of humankind? (2009 Outside Delhi)
Answer:
A fast and steady rise in human population in proportion to the limited natural resources is exerting pressure
on land. Forests are being cut and fossil fuels are being burnt and these factors are increasing the global
temperature. Melting of glaciers, depletion of ozone layer and global warming are endangering man’s
existence on earth. This is bound to adversely affect marine life, birds and mankind.

Question 9.
How did the Antarctica amaze the writer when he first saw it? (2010 Delhi)
Answer:
When the writer first saw Antarctica he was amazed by its vastness and immense white landscape. It was an
endless blue horizon and the fact that it was isolated from the rest of the world created an added sense of
wonder and mystery about the continent.

Question 10.
Why was Tishani Doshi filled with relief and wonder when he set foot on the Antarctic continent? (2010
Comptt. Delhi)
Answer:
Tishani Doshi’s first emotion when he set foot on the Antarctic continent was one of relief. He felt relieved
to have set foot there after over a hundred hours. Its vastness and immense wild landscape dazzled his eyes.
Its endless blue horizon and its isolation from the rest of the world created a sense of wonder and mystery
for him.

Question 11.
Why is Antarctica the place to go to if we want to study the earth’s past, present and future? (2010 Comptt.
Outside Delhi)
Answer:
The Antarctica landmass, that was an amalgamated southern supercontinent called Gondwana dates back to
650 million years. It can help us understand better the formation of continents and mountains like the
Himalayas as they are in the modem world. Its ice-cores hold over half-million-year old carbon records that
are vital to study the Earth’s past, present and future.

Question 12.
What were the writer’s feelings on reaching Antarctica? (2011 Delhi)
Answer:
The writer’s first emotion on reaching Antarctica was that of relief. He felt relieved to have set foot on the
Antarctic continent after over 100 hours. Then he experienced a sense of amazement on seeing its vastness
and immense white landscape which dazzled his eyes.

Question 13.
What sort of brightness and silence prevailed in Antarctica dining summer? (2011 Delhi)
Answer:
The brightness that prevailed in Antarctica was surreal (strange) as the austral summer light remained for 24
hours in the continent. The silence there was ubiquitous (widespread) interrupted only by the occasional
avalanche or calving ice sheet.

Question 14.
What do you think is the reason behind the success of the programme, ‘Students on Ice’? (2011 Delhi)
Answer:
The programme ‘Students on Ice’ was a success because it offered a life changing exposure to the future
generation of policy makers at an age when they could absorb, learn and act. It provided them with inspiring
educational opportunities which would help them foster a new understanding and respect for our planet.

Question 15.
Why does the author of Journey to the End of the Earth state that in 12000 years man has managed to create
a ruckus on this earth? (2012 Comptt. Outside Delhi )
Answer:
Humans have been on this Earth for about 12,000 years and have created a havoc and ruckus on this Earth.
They have done this by encroaching on nature and establishing cities and megacities. Their increasing
population has depleted natural resources and their callousness towards nature has led to a rise in global
temperature.

Question 16.
How was Antarctica a chilling prospect for a South Indian, Tishani Doshi? (2013 Comptt. Delhi)
Answer:
Tishani Doshi is a sun-worshipping South Indian and for her to spend two weeks in a place where 90 per
cent of the Earth’s total ice volumes are stored is a chilling prospect, not just for circulatory and metabolic
functions, but also for the imagination.