NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English - Chapter 5 : The Summit Within

NCERT Solutions  - The Summit Within

Comprehension Check - 

Question 1:
 Standing on Everest, the writer was
 (i) overjoyed.
 (ii) very sad.
 (iii) jubilant and sad.
 Choose the right item.
 Answer:
(iii) Standing on Everest, the writer was jubilant and sad.

Question 2:
 The emotion that gripped him was one of
 (i) victory over hurdles.
 (ii) humility and a sense of smallness.
 (iii) greatness and self-importance.
 (iv) joy of discovery
 Choose the right item.
 Answer:
(ii) The emotion that gripped him was one of humility and a sense of smallness.

Question 3:
 “The summit of the mind” refers to
 (i) great intellectual achievements.
 (ii) the process of maturing mentally and spiritually.
 (iii) overcoming personal ambition for the common welfare.
 (iv) living in a world of thought and imagination.
 (v) the triumph of mind over worldly pleasures for a noble cause.
 (vi) a fuller knowledge of oneself.
 Mark the item(s) not relevant.
 Answer:
(i), (iii), (iv) and (v) are not relevant.

Working with the text - 

Question 1:
 Answer the following questions.
 Q(i) What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb?
 Answer: The three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb are endurance, persistence and will power.

Q(ii) Why is an adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable?
Answer: Adventure is risky but pleasurable. Though it presents great difficulties, the man takes delight in overcoming such hurdles. Everest is the highest, the mightiest, and many attempts have been made to climb it. According to the author, when the summit is climbed, there is the feeling of “exhilaration, the joy of having done something, the sense of a battle fought and won”. There is a feeling of victory and of happiness. The physical conquest of a mountain is only one part of the achievement. It is followed by a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. The experience is not merely physical, but it is emotional and spiritual also.

Q(iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible?
Answer: Everest drew him towards itself by its beauty, aloofness, might, ruggedness and the difficulties encountered on the way. That is why he found it irresistible.

Q(iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for fame alone. What does one do it for, really?
Answer: Climbing a peak means endurance, persistence and will power. The demonstration of these physical qualities is exhilarating for a climber. The experience, apart from being merely physical, is also emotional and spiritual. It surely presents great difficulties. However, the man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. Therefore, it is not for fame alone that one climbs a mountain. It is actually for the feelings of exhilaration and satisfaction.

Q(v) “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines an emotion mentioned in the first paragraph. Which is the emotion?
Answer:  “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines the emotion of humility.

Q(vi) What were the “symbols of reverence” left by members of the team on Everest?
Answer:  On Everest, a picture of Guru Nanak was left by the author; a picture of Goddess Durga was left by Rawat; a relic of the Buddha was left by Phu Dorji. Apart from these ‘symbols of reverence’ there was also the cross that had been buried by Edmund Hillary.

Q(vii) What, according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him?
Answer: According to the writer, his experience as an Everester provided him with the inspiration to face life’s ordeals determinedly. It taught him that the conquest of the internal summit is as worthwhile as climbing the mountain. He also concluded that perhaps the internal summits are higher than Everest.

Question 2:
 Write a sentence against each of the following statements. Your sentence should explain the statement. You can pick out sentences from the text and rewrite them. The first one has been done for you.
 (i) The experience changes you completely.
One who has been to the mountains is never the same again.
 (ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles.
 _________________________________________________________
 (iii) Mountains are nature at its best.
 _________________________________________________________
 (iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying.
 _________________________________________________________
 (v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience.
 _________________________________________________________
 Answer:

(i) The experience changes you completely. 
One who has been to the mountains is never the same again.

(ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. 
The demonstration of endurance, persistence and will power in overcoming great difficulties is delightful.

(iii) Mountains are nature at its best.
The beauty and majesty of the mountains pose a great challenge for a climber.

(iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying. 
Climbing the mountains was difficult, but reaching the summit was a feeling of satisfaction and deep fulfillment.

(v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience. 
The act of making a physical conquest of the mountain is actually a conquest of the mountain within, which gives deep satisfaction and is spiritual.

Working With Language

Question 1:
 Fill in the blanks in the following dialogues choosing suitable phrases from those given in the box.
 At hand, At once, At all, At a low ebb, At first sight

(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal ________and submit your explanation.
 Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first?

(ii) Arun: Are you unwell?
 Ila: No, not _________ Why do you ask?
 Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor.

(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love _________________.
 David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries?

(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits _________________ today? (Use such in the phrase)
 Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I never heard before.

(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close _______________.
 Jyoti: How should I welcome it?
 Shieba: Get up and receive a trophy.

Answer:
(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal at once and submit your explanation.
Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first?

(ii) Arun: Are you unwell?
Ila: No, not at all. Why do you ask?
Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor.

(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love at first sight.
David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries?

(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits at such a low ebb today? (Use such in the phrase)
Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I never heard before.

(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close at hand.
Jyoti: How should I welcome it?
Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.

Question 2:
 Write the noun forms of the following words adding −ance or −ence to each.
 (i) endure _____________
 (ii) persist ______________
 (iii) signify _____________
 (iv) confide _____________
 (v) maintain ____________
 (vi) abhor _______________

Answer:
(i) endure : endurance
(ii) persist : persistence
(iii) signify: significance
(iv) confide: confidence
(v) maintain: maintenance
(vi) abhor: abhorrence

Question 3:
 (i) Match words under A with their meanings under B.
 A – B
 remote – difficult to overcome
 means – most prominent
 dominant – be overcome/overpowered
 formidable – method(s)
 overwhelmed – far away from

(i)

A = B
remote = far away from
means = method(s)
dominant = most prominent
formidable = difficult to overcome
overwhelmed = be overcome/overpowered

(ii) Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with appropriate words from under A.

(a) There were ___________ obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely.
 (b) We have no ___________ of finding out what happened there.
 (c) Why he lives in a house ____________from any town or village is more than I can tell.
 (d) ___________by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice.
 (e) The old castle stands in a __________position above the sleepy town.

Answer:

(ii)
(a) There were formidable obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely.
(b) We have no means of finding out what happened there.
(c) Why he lives in a house far from any town or village is more than I can tell.
(d) Overwhelmed by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice.
(e) The old castle stands in a dominant position above the sleepy town.