NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 5 The Summit Within PDF are available for free on our website that helps you a better understanding of the chapter. These NCERT solutions have been provided after a detailed analysis of the latest syllabus issued by CBSE. Students of Class 8th can study the answers provided here to score well in their school exams.
CBSE Class 8 English The Summit Within Textbook Questions and Answers
Comprehension Check (Page 79)
Question 1: Standing on Everest, the writer was
(i) overjoyed
(ii) very sad.
(iii) jubilant and sad.
Choose the right item.
Answer: (iii) 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) 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 common welfare.
(iv) living in the 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.
(i) What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb?
Answer: The three qualities that ensured the success of the author were ‘endurance, persistence and will power’.
(ii) Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable?
Answer: Mountain climbing is a great adventure but is also risky. It is a great challenge and a doing challenging job is in itself pleasurable. It gives immense joy to the doers.
(iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible?
Answer: The author has been drawn by Mount Everest because it is the highest, the most strong and has resisted many earlier attempts. It takes up one’s last ounce of energy.
(iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for fame alone. What does one do it for, really?
Answer: Conquering summit is a great physical achievement. But more than that, it gives the climber the emotional and spiritual satisfaction. It satisfies man’s eternal love for adventure.
(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: That emotion is ‘humility’.
(vi) What were the ‘symbols of reverence’ left by members of the team on Everest?
Answer: The author left an image of Guru Nanak on Everest. Rawat left Goddess Durga depicted. Phu Durgi left a Buddha reliquary. As a Christian Edmund Hillary buried a Cross under the rock. These were all tokens of devotion to Heaven.
(vii) What according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him?
Answer: The experience of having conquered Mount Everest changed him completely. It made him realise his own smallness.
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: (ii) The obstacles in climbing a mountain are physical. A climb to a summit is a test of endurance and will power. It is a challenge that is difficult to resist.
(iii) Everest is the highest and the mightiest and has defied many previous attempts.
(iv) When the summit is climbed, there is the joy of having done something, one has the feeling of victory and of happiness.
(v) Mountains are a means of communion with God.
Working with language (Page 81-82)
Question 1: Look at the italicised phrases and their meanings given in brackets.
Mountains are nature at its best. (nature’s best form and appearance)
Your life is at risk. (in danger; you run the risk of losing your life.)
He was at his best/worst in thelast meeting. (it was his best/worst performance.)
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 the 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 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 |
Answer:
| 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:
(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 remote 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.