NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English Hornbill: The Ailing Planet The Green Movement’s Role
The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role
Understanding the text
Question 1: Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Answer-
The following lines and phrases support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’ by describing the Earth’s deteriorating condition:
(a) “The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health.”
(b) The question posed in the Brandt Report: “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?”
(c) The report that India is losing its forests, and large areas officially designated as forest land “are already virtually treeless”.
(d) The warning that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated by the United Nations.
Question 2: What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Answer-
The notice signifies that the most dangerous animal in the world is mankind itself, as the cage holds no animal but a mirror where you see yourself. This realization highlights:
(a) The dawning of a new awareness upon humanity regarding its destructive potential.
(b) The need for mankind to realize the wisdom of shifting from a system based on domination to one based on partnership with nature.
Question 3: How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?
Answer-
The earth’s four principal biological systems—fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands—are being depleted because human claims on them are reaching an unsustainable level.
(a) Fisheries collapse due to over-fishing, which is common every day in a protein-conscious and protein-hungry world.
(b) Forests disappear because tropical forests are being decimated to procure firewood for cooking in poor countries, leading to the potential extinction of several species. The world’s ancient patrimony of tropical forests is eroding at the rate of forty to fifty million acres a year.
(c) Grasslands are converted into barren wastelands, and croplands deteriorate as their productivity is impaired.
Question 4: Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Answer-
The author believes the growth of world population is a strong distorting factor because:
(a) The rapid rate of increase (the world population increases by one million every four days) puts immense pressure on natural resources.
(b) Development itself may not be possible if the constant increase in numbers continues, leading to unsustainable levels of resource use.
(c) It perpetuates poverty, as the poor beget children which condemns them to remain poor, resulting in more people without work.
(d) The hope of the people, especially in countries like India, will die in their hungry hutments unless population control is given topmost priority.
Talking about the text
Question 1: Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.
Answer-
This assertion is supported by the text despite the constitutional provisions:
(a) Article 48A of the Constitution of India mandates that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
(b) However, the author notes that laws are never respected nor enforced in India, drawing a parallel with how mandates to abolish casteism, untouchability and bonded labour still flourish shamelessly.
(c) A Parliament’s Estimates Committee report confirmed this failure, highlighting the near catastrophic depletion of India’s forests despite protective laws, with the actual loss being estimated at about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics.
Question 2: “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?”
Answer-
This question, originally posed by the Brandt Report, serves as a moral and ethical call to action regarding planetary stewardship:
(a) It summarizes the severe environmental degradation—advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes, and an ailing environment—that is the potential legacy of the current generation if unsustainable practices continue.
(b) It directly relates to the modern realization of our ethical obligations to be good stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generations.
(c) It underscores the core idea of sustainable development, which requires meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Question 3: “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”.
Answer-
This statement by Mr Lester Brown captures the essence of the Era of Responsibility and the need for a holistic view of existence.
(a) It emphasizes that humanity holds the Earth in trust, not as a permanent possession, contrasting with the idea of a freehold.
(b) It places the onus on the present generation to maintain the planet's vital signs and resources, recognizing the debt owed to our successors.
(c) It promotes the view that we have a full repairing lease, meaning we must actively preserve and restore the Earth, rather than depleting resources that rightfully belong to future generations.
Question 4: The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life.
Answer-
Overpopulation, identified as a strong factor distorting the future of human society, causes several everyday problems:
(a) Depletion of Common Resources: The sheer number of people places unsustainable demands on the Earth’s four principal biological systems, leading to the collapse of fisheries and the destruction of forests.
(b) Rising Costs and Scarcity: Deforestation driven by the need for firewood for cooking in poor countries results in scarcity, making “what goes under the pot now costs more than what goes inside it”.
(c) Poverty and Unemployment: Increased population leads to more people without work, perpetuating poverty and ensuring that the hope of the people would die in their hungry hutments.
Thinking about language
The phrase ‘inter alia’ meaning ‘among other things’ is a Latin expression commonly used in English.
Question 1: prima facie
Answer-
Prima facie is a Latin phrase meaning "at first sight" or "based on the first impression".
Question 2: ad hoc
Answer-
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for a specific purpose or end" or "for this case only".
Question 3: in camera
Answer-
In camera is a Latin phrase meaning "in a room" or "in private".
Question 4: ad infinitum
Answer-
Ad infinitum is a Latin phrase meaning "to infinity" or "endlessly".
Question 5: mutatis mutandis
Answer-
Mutatis mutandis is a Latin phrase meaning "with things changed that should be changed" or "with the necessary changes having been made".
Question 6: caveat
Answer-
Caveat is a Latin term meaning "let him beware" or "a warning" regarding certain conditions or limitations.
Question 7: tabula rasa
Answer-
Tabula rasa is a Latin phrase meaning "scraped tablet" or "blank slate".