NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English
Hornbill
Chapter 4 – The
Adventure (Jayant Narlikar)
Extract/Passage based Question Answers
Passage
1
Meanwhile,
the racing fund of Professor Gaitonde had arrived at a plan of action in
Bombay* Indeed, as a historian he’felt he should have thought of it sooner. He
would go to a big library and brow-fee through history books. That was the
surest way of finding out how the present state of affairs was reached.
He
also planned eventually to return to Pune and have a long talk with Rajendra
Deshpande, who would surely help him understand what had happened. That is,
assuming that in this world there existed someone called Rajendra Deshpande !
The train stopped beyond the long tunnel. It was a small station called Sarhad.
An Anglo-Indian in uniform went through the train checking permits.
Questions:
(i) Who was
Professor Gaitonde, and what was his hometown?
(ii) What was
his destination, and what objective did he have in mind?
(iii) What
sense of responsibility did he associate with his role as a historian?
(iv) Can you
estimate the timeframe when the story might have been composed?
(v) Provide
synonyms for the following:
(a) exist
(b) tunnel.
Answers:
(i) Professor
Gaitonde served as a historian, and he hailed from Pune.
(ii) His
current destination was Bombay, and his purpose was to visit the significant
library there, where he intended to peruse history books in order to understand
the circumstances leading to the present state of affairs.
(iii) As a
historian, Professor Gaitonde believed it was incumbent upon him to thoroughly
investigate and discern the reasons behind the altered state of affairs.
(iv) The
paragraph alludes to the entry of an 'Anglo-Indian' into the carriage to
inspect permits, indicating he was a government official. Such occurrences were
prevalent only during the era of British rule.
(v) (a) exist:
live
(b) tunnel: a
long narrow (generally) underground path/a long cave with an outlet at another
end also.
Passage
2
He
thanked the girl politely and came out. It was characteristic of him jot to
worry about where he would stay. His main concern was to make his way to the
library of the Asiatic Society to solve the riddle of history. Grabbing a quick
lunch at a restaurant, he made his way to the Town Hall. Yes, to his relief,
the Town Hall was there, and it did house the library. He entered the reading
room and asked for a list of history books including his own.
His
five volumes duly arrived on his table. He started from the beginning. Volume
one took the history up to the period of Ashoka, volume two up to Samudragupta,
volume three up to Mohammad Ghori and volume four up to the death of Aurangzeb.
Up to this period history was as he knew it. The change evidently had occurred
in the last volume.Reading volume five from both ends inwards, Gangadharpant
finally converged on the precise moment where history had taken a different
turn.
Questions:
(i) Who is
referred to as 'he' in this context? Can you identify the 'girl' he expressed
gratitude to?
(ii) What was
the primary focus of his attention?
(iii) The
mention of a specific trait of the subject is made here. What does this
characteristic indicate?
(iv) Was he
successful in locating what he was searching for?
(v) Provide
synonyms for:
(a) concern
(b) converged.
Answers:
(i) The term
'he' pertains to Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde. Yes, the 'girl' he thanked
is the English receptionist at the Forbes Building.
(ii) His main
focus was to navigate to the library of the Asiatic Society to unravel the
historical mystery.
(iii) Professor
Gaitonde is the subject under discussion here. His disregard for personal
lodging reflects a characteristic trait. This indicates that, rather than
prioritizing his own physical comforts, he placed greater importance on his
intellectual pursuits.
(iv) Yes, he
did find what he was seeking. He had arrived with the purpose of solving a
historical puzzle, and while reading the fifth volume of the history book, he
discovered the crucial clue that clarified the enigma.
(v) (a) concern
— worry
(b) converged —
moved towards a point from different directions and met to form a large crowd.
Passage
3
Their
victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas hut
it also established their supremacy in northern India. The East India Company,
which had been watching these developments from the sidelines, got the message
and temporarily shelved its expansionist programme. For the Peshwas the
immediate result was an increase in the influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao
who eventfully succeeded his father in 1780 AD. The trouble-maker, Dadasaheb,
was relegated to the background and he eventually retired from state politics.
To
its dismay, the East India Company met its match in the new Maratha ruler,
Vishwasrao. He and his brother, Madhavrao, combined political acumen with
valour and systematically expanded their influence all over India. The Company
was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like
its European rivals, the Portu guese and the French.
Questions:
(i) What were
the consequences of the battle? What transpired as its outcome?
(ii) How did
the altered circumstances impact the British/East India Company?
(iii) What were
the repercussions for Dadasaheb?
(iv) In what
manner did Vishwasrao govern as a ruler?
(v) Provide
synonyms for:
(a) relegated
(b) acumen
Answers:
(i) The battle
culminated in the triumph of the Marathas, subsequently bolstering their
morale. This ultimately established their supremacy in Northern India.
(ii) Following
the establishment of Maratha dominance in Northern India, the East India
Company had to momentarily set aside its expansionist agenda. Its influence
remained confined to specific areas near Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
(iii)
Dadasaheb, perceived as a troublemaker by the Marathas, was sidelined and
eventually withdrew from active involvement in state politics.
(iv)
Vishwasrao, in collaboration with his brother Madhavrao, systematically
extended their influence throughout India. The East India Company's sway
remained limited to regions near Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
(v) (a)
relegated: given a less important place/rank
(b) acumen: the
ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly.
Passage
4
He
found a guest house to stay in and had a frugal meal. He then set out for a
stroll towards the Azad Maidan. In the maidan he found a throng moving towards
a pandal. So, a lecture was to take place. Force of habit took Professor
Gaitonde towards the pandal. The lecture was in progress, although people kept
coming and going. But Professor Gaitonde was not looking at the audience.
He
was staring at the platform as if mesmerised. There was a table and a chair but
the latter was unoccupied. The presidential chair unoccupied! The sight stirred
him to the depths. Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he swiftly moved
towards the chair. The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to
continue. But the audience soon found voice.
“Vacate
the chair !”
“This lecture series has no chairperson…”
“Away from the platform, mister !”
“The chair is symbolic, don’t you know ?”
What
nonsense! Whoever heard of a public lecture without a presiding dignitary ?
Professor Gaitonde went to the mike and gave vent to his views. “Ladies and
gentlemen, an unchaired lecture is like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without the Prince
of Denmark. Let me tell you.”
Questions:
(i) Where did
he choose to take a leisurely walk? What did he encounter there?
(ii) What
emotions did he experience upon reaching that location?
(iii) How did
the audience respond upon his arrival?
(iv) In what
manner did he attempt to clarify his situation or position?
(v) Provide the
meanings for:
(a) mesmerised
(b) gave vent
to
Answers:
(i) He opted to
stroll toward the Azad Maidan. There, he observed a crowd converging towards a
temporary shelter (pandal).
(ii) He felt
spellbound as he gazed at the platform. The sight of the vacant presidential
chair deeply affected him, drawing him towards it as if by a magnetic force.
(iii) The
speaker was so taken aback (seeing Gangadharpant approaching the presidential
chair) that he halted mid-sentence. In response, the audience reacted with
hostility, urging Professor Gaitonde to stay away from the chair. They appeared
unwilling to listen to the chairperson.
(iv) Professor
Gaitonde, having experience in addressing public gatherings, approached the
microphone upon noticing the vacant chair. He remarked that an unchaired
lecture is akin to Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' without the Prince of Denmark.
(v) (a)
mesmerised: spellbound/having such a strong effect that full attention is
captivated.
(b) gave vent
to: expressed.
Passage
5
“Don’t
smile smugly. In case you think that it was just my mind playing tricks and my
imagination running amok, look at this.” And, triumphantly, Professor Gaitonde
produced his vital piece of evidence : a page tom out of a book. Rajendra read
the text on the printed page and his face underwent a change. Gone was the
smile and in its place came a grave expression. He was visibly moved.Gangadharpant
pressed home his advantage. “I had inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my
pocket as I left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my
meal. I had intended to return it the next morning.
But
it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost; only this tom-off
page remained. And, luckily for me, the page contains vital evidence.” Rajendra
again read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bul¬let;
and howr that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army, turned the tide in
their favour.“Now look at this.” Gangadharpant produced his own copy of
Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, opened at the relevant page. The account ran thus :‘…
And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were
fighting, and he attacked them. And God expressed His displeasure. He was hit
by the bullet ’ .
Questions:
(i) For what
reason did Gangadharpant present a piece of paper?
(ii) What
impact did the evidence have on Rajendra?
(iii) How did
Professor Gaitonde end up with that piece of evidence in his pocket?
(iv) What is
the focal point of the conversation between Gangadharpant and Rajendra?
(v) Provide
synonyms for the following words:
(a) smugly
(b)
inadvertently
Answers:
(i) Gangadhar
produced the piece of paper as part of evidence to substantiate that his mind
was not deceiving him, and his experiences were not mere figments of
imagination. He sought to validate that he genuinely lived through the events
he narrated.
(ii) Rajendra
was genuinely affected by the evidence. Initially, he had considered it a
product of Gangadharpant's imagination. However, after seeing the evidence, he
became serious and carefully examined the content of the page.
(iii)
Gangadharpant had visited the large library where he read a Bakhar. Upon
leaving the library, he inadvertently placed it in his pocket. Consequently,
the evidence found its way into his possession.
(iv)
Gangadharpant and Rajendra were engaged in a discussion concerning the enigmatic
situation of where Gangadharpant spent the two days while he was absent from
Bombay.
(v) (a) smugly:
contentedly, pleased with oneself for achieving something.
(b)
inadvertently: accidentally, unintentionally.
Passage
6
“A
good guess. I was indeed wondering what course history would have taken if the
result of the battle had gone the other way,” Professor Gaitonde said. “That
was going to be the topic of my thousandth presidential address.”“Now you are
in the happy position of recounting your real life experience rather than just
speculating,” Rajehdra laughed. But Gangadharpant was grave. “No, Rajendra, my
thousandth address was made on the Azad Maidan when I was so rudely
interrupted. No. the Professor Gaitonde who disappeared while defending his
chair on the platform will now never be seen presiding at another meeting—‘I
have conveyed my regrets to the organisers of the Panipat seminar.’
Questions:
(i) What was
intended to be the subject of Professor Gaitonde's thousandth Presidential
address? Was he able to deliver it?
(ii) Why was he
unable to give his thousandth presidential address?
(iii) What
resolution did Gangadharpant make as a consequence?
(iv) Why did
Professor Gaitonde express his regrets to the organizers of the Panipat
Seminar?
(v) Provide the
meanings of the following words:
(a) recounting
(b) speculating
Answers:
(i) The
proposed topic for Gangadharpant Gaitonde's thousandth address was "what
course history would have taken if the result of the battle had gone the other
way." However, he was unable to deliver it.
(ii) Professor
Gangadharpant Gaitonde could not deliver his thousandth presidential speech
because he was abruptly interrupted by the public and the speaker at Azad
Maidan in Pune. He was physically pulled down from the stage.
(iii) Feeling
deeply offended and shocked by the rude interruption at Azad Maidan in Pune,
Gangadharpant resolved never to preside at any meeting again.
(iv) Professor
Gaitonde conveyed his regrets to the organizers of the Panipat seminar because
he had decided never to attend or address any meeting as the President in the
future. This decision resulted from his bitter experience at the Pune meeting.
(v)(a)
recounting: narrating or telling something about your personal experience.
(b)
speculating: forming an opinion about something you don’t know in detail.
