Questions Answers

1. Based on your reading of the text, answer the following questions in one or two sentences each.

a)        What did Hillary do with his wet boots?

Hillary heated his wet shoes over the flame of the Primus [stove] and softened the shoes.

b)       Name an equipment and a tool carried by the climbers during their expedition.

Oxygen set is an equipment and ice axe is a tool carried by the mountaineers during their expedition.

c)        Why did Hillary become clumsy-fingered and slow-moving?

Hillary became clumsy-fmgered and slow-moving because the oxygen set was exhausted.

d)       What did Hillary find in a tiny hollow?

Hillary found two oxygen bottles in a tiny hollow. They had been left there on earlier attempt by Evans and Bourdillon.

e)        When did Hillary feel a sense of freedom and well being?

When One bottle of oxygen was exhausted and their apparatus was light, Hillary felt a sense of freedom and well-being. And also, when his ice-axe bit into the first steep slope of the ridge, his high hopes were realized.

f)         What did Hillary mean by saying “We had had enough to do the job, but by no means too much”?

By saying these words Hillary means that they had to undergo a lot of difficulties while climbing, but those hard times were very less in front of their success.

2. Answer the following questions in two or three sentences each.

a)        How did the mountaineers belay?

The mountaineers tied a rope to a pin which was fixed hard in the snow. Then they would crawl along, holding on to the rope.

b)       Why was the original zest fading away?

Time was passing and the ridges seemed never-ending. So Hillary and Tenzing lost hope and their original zest was fading away.

c)        What did Edmund Hillary do to escape the large overhanging ice cornices?

To escape from the overhanging ice cornices, Edmund Hillary cut a line of steps down the snow.

d)       What did Tenzing and Edmund Hillary gift to the God of lofty Summit? How did they do it?

Tenzing gifted to the God of lofty Summit a bar of chocolate, a packet of biscuits and a handful of lollies. Hillary placed a crucifix in a hole as his gift which was given by Colonel Hunt.

e)        What did the photograph portray?

The photograph portrayed the North Ridge showing the North col and the old route. The route had been made famous by the great climbers of 1920’s and 1930’s.

f)         The soft snow was difficult and dangerous. Why?

The soft snow was difficult and dangerous. Because it was slippery. It could not bear the weight of Hillary and gave way suddenly.

g)        How did the firm snow at the higher regions fill them with hope?

As the snow was firm, two or three blows of the ice-axe would sink the shaft half­way into the snow. It gave a solid and comfortable belay. Thus the firm snow was helpful to the mountaineers.

3. Based on the text, answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 100–150 words each.

a)        How did Hillary and Tenzing prepare themselves before they set off to the summit? (Para 1, 2 and 3)

Hillary and Tenzing woke up early. They heated and drank large quantities of lemon juice. They ate the last tin of sardines on biscuits. They removed the ice off their oxygen sets. They rechecked and tested them. Hillary heated his wet shoes over the flame of the Primus [stove] and softened the shoes. Over their down clothing, they wore their windproof. They wore three pairs of gloves — silk, woolen and windproof. At 6.30 a.m. they crawled out of their tent into the snow. They lifted up their oxygen gear on to their backs. They connected up their masks and turned on the valves to bring oxygen into their lungs. They took a few deep breaths. Then they started to move.

b)       Give an account of the journey to the South Col from 28,000 feet.(Para 4 to 8)

Hillary and Tenzing reached the crest where a snow bump was formed at about 28,000 feet. From there, the ridge narrowed to a knife-edge. First Hillary took the lead. The soft snow was difficult and dangerous. Because it was slippery. It could not bear the weight of Hillary and gave way suddenly. On their way Hillary found two oxygen bottles in a tiny hollow. They had been left there on earlier attempt by Evans and Bourdillon. They took the bottles that contained several hundred litres of oxygen. Hillary continued to lead. They often changed leads. When a portion of ice gave way Hillary lost hope but Tenzing would not give up. Finally they reached finn snow higher up. They chipped [cut] steps and reached the South Peak.

c)        Describe the feelings of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing as they reached the top of the Summit. (Para 18)

When Hillary and Tenzing reached the top of the Summit, their first feeling was a sense of relief—because they had no more steps to cut, no more ridges to climb and no more humps of snow to tantalize them. They had nothing but a feeling of great success. They shook hands. They hugged and thumped each other on their back. They were almost breathless. It was 11.30 a.m. Hillary said the ridge had taken two and a half hours to traverse and it seemed like a lifetime. Indeed the journey was diificult and hard, but before their feeling of success it was nothing.

d)       The ridge had taken us two and half hours, but it seemed like lifetime. Why? (Para 15 to 17)

Hillary reached the top of a ridge. He stood firm and pulled Tenzing up. Tenzing wriggled his way up and collapsed like a giant fish hauled from the sea to the land. The ridge was difficult to climb. There were giant cornices on the right and deep rocks of snow on the left. They had to cut around many humps one after another. Time was passing and the ridges seemed never-ending. So Hillary and Tenzing lost hope and their original zest was fading away. Indeed the journey was difficult and hard till they reached the Summit. So Hillary said that the ridge had taken them two and half hours, but it seemed like lifetime.

e)        Describe the view from the top. What was the most important photograph? (Para 19 and 20)

From the top of the Summit, Hillary and Tenzing could see the giant neighbour Makalu to the east. It was unclimbed and unexplored. Far away was the great bulk of Kanchenjunga. To the west, they could see the great unexplored ranges of Nepal. The most important photograph was the shot down the North Ridge. It portrayed the North Ridge showing the North Col and the old route. The route had been made famous by the great climbers of 1920’s and 1930’s.

f)         ‘There is no height, no depth that the spirit of man, guided by higher Spirit cannot attain’. Discuss the above statement in the context of the achievement of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing.

The conquest of Everest by Tenzing and Edmund Hillary was one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind. The two mountaineers had to risk their lives to achieve success. They had to climb up soft snow which was slippery and gave way at times. Time was passing and the ridges seemed never-ending. So Hillary and Tenzing lost hope and their original zest was fading away. But they did not give up their hope. The route was uncertain. But still they overcame such hard times. Their strong determination and willpower were guided by the higher spirit. Therefore it is apt to say: “There is no height, no depth that the spirit of man guided by higher Spirit cannot attain.” Here higher Spirit refers to faith in God.

ESSAY

Introduction

Preparation

Journey from the South Col

Disappointment Vs Determination

Sense of Fulfillment

Conclusion

Introduction

Edmund Hillary has written his own experiences while climbing Mount Everest and his sense of fulfillment after climbing. Indeed climbing was exciting and adventurous. Hillary and Tenzing completed the task with a lot of determination.

Preparation

Hillary and Tenzing woke up early. They heated and drank large quantities of lemon juice. They ate the last tin of sardines on biscuits. They removed the ice off their oxygen sets, and rechecked and tested them. Hillary heated his wet shoes over the flame of the Primus [stove] and softened the shoes. Over their down clothing, they wore their windproof. They wore three pairs of gloves - silk, woolen and windproof.

Journey from the South Col

Hillary and Tenzing reached the crest where a snow bump was formed at about 28,000 feet. From here the ridge narrowed to a knife-edge. First Hillary took the lead. The soft snow was difficult and dangerous. Because it was slippery. It could not bear the weight of Hillary and gave way suddenly. On their way Hillary found two oxygen bottles in a tiny hollow. They had been left there on earlier attempt by Evans and Bourdillon. 

Disappointment Vs Determination

The ridge was difficult to climb. There were giant cornices on the right and deep rocks of snow on the left. They had to cut around many humps one after another Time was passing and the ridges seemed never-ending. So Hillary and Tenzing lost hope and their original zest was fading away. Indeed the journey was difiicult and hard till they reached the Summit.

Sense of Fulfillment

When Hillary and Tenzing reached the top of the Summit, their first feeling was a sense of relief-—because they had no more steps to cut, no more ridges to climb and no more humps of snow to tantalize them. They had nothing but a feeling of great success. They shook hands. They hugged and thumped each other on their back. They were almost breathless.

Conclusion

Hillary and Tenzing accomplished their task of climbing Mount Everest. In other words they proved that there is nothing but hard work and persistence leads to success. Hillary said the ridge had taken them two and half hours, but it seemed like lifetime. But success was just a few steps ahead of them.

Moral: Hard work and diligence are the two sides of the coin ‘SUCCESS’