Hi Everyone!! This article will share Adventures In Antarctica Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Footloose In Agra, The World At Our Fingertips and The Brook so, you can check these posts as well.
Adventures In Antarctica Questions & Answers
Question 1: Choose the correct option.
It was a most unusual December for the two children because
(a) it was a hot and sunny Christmas in the southern hemisphere.
(b) the children were travelling to Antarctica.
(c) there were no Christmas gifts either from parents or from Santa.
(d) instead of gifts, there were two small envelopes for the children.
Question 2: What was the super surprise that greeted them on Christmas day?
Answer: The super surprise that greeted them on Christmas day was that instead of the usual present under the tree, they found white envelopes which contained an invitation to travel to Antarctica.
Question 3: Pick out the expressions in the text which tells us that the children could not believe their eyes.
Answer: Expressions like ‘Are we hallucinating?’, ‘Are they kidding us?’ show that the children could not believe their eyes.
Question 4: The narrator refers to Antarctica as the ‘fabled continent’. What are the fables that the children had heard and read about before they got the invitation?
Answer: Among what the children had read about Antarctica in geography textbooks, it was listed as the seventh continent of the world, largely unexplored, covered in ice and snow all year round. It released gigantic icebergs and had little penguins that looked like cute butlers in their black and-white plumage. Its ancient name was ‘Terra Incognita’, the Unknown Land.
Question 5: Why did you think Antarctica was named ‘Terra Incognita’?
Answer: ‘Terra Incognita’ which means the unknown land was the ancient name of Antarctica. It was given the name because the continent was very difficult to reach as it was covered in ice and snow throughout the year. One had to conquer stormy seas and discover the untold secrets of the land. Due to this, it was largely unexplored.
Question 6: The Drake Passage is said to be the main reason why Antarctica was not discovered for a long time. That were the difficulties that the seafarers faced?
Answer: The Drake Passage is the principal reason why the continent of Antarctica was not discovered for a long time because it is one of the most turbulent seas on earth. It is covered with ice, snow and mist that made navigation difficult. Seafaring explorers and courageous captains could not get across it, nor pierce its mantle of ice, snow and shrouds of mist. Occasionally, the ‘Drake Lake’ had low winds and calm waters. But many a time, people experienced the ‘Drake Shake’, unleashing all the fury of the elements. The waters are so dangerous that even the most experienced sailors fear to cross it. Even with modern technological advances in seafaring, merciless storms in the Drake can leave ships stranded.
Question 7: Why is the Antarctic Convergence so called?
Answer: The waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans churn around Antarctica resulting in a windy storm. This is known as the Antarctic Convergence.
Question 8: Was this the first attempt made by their ship to enter the Drake Passage? How can you tell?
Answer: No, they had a previous brief encounter with the Drake but it had not prepared them for the shaky-shaky-shakes. We can tell this when they refer to ‘our previous brief encounter with the Drake’.
Question 9: What were the effects of the ‘Big Drake Shake’ on the narrators and their parents?
Answer: The children and their parents had not expected the full wind of 90 knots that hit them around two in the morning. With 30-metre-high waves crashing into it, the ship rocked so wildly that they did not feel inclined to make it for breakfast later that morning. They stayed in their cabins and clung to their berths. The vicious seas and the screaming winds all converged to put them through the ‘Drake Shake’. They gave up trying to sleep. They got bruise on their skin and their muscle strained as they slid from one end of the berth to the other. Just getting from their bunks to the bathroom was a risky business. The narrator’s father was thrown clear across the cabin. He was so lucky not to have cracked his head.
Question 10: When they reached Antarctica, their first emotions were of relief and gratitude. Explain why.
Answer: To reach the mysterious Continent of Antarctica, they found that they had to go through one of the most violent seas on the planet and skimmed past unnamed island. The crossing of the Drake was a nail-biting, hair-raising experience with howling winds, zero visibility mist and fog, enormous waves tossing and spinning around the ship like clothes in the washing machine. They we relieved when they were able to overcome such experience and grateful to land on the fabled continent of Antarctica.
So, these were Adventures In Antarctica Questions & Answers.