Section I : Language Development
Chapter 12 Animal World
Working with words
A. Find the words from the text which have the following meanings.
a. Persons who are related to you and who live
after you, such as your child or grandchild are called descendants.
b. ‘Twirl’ means
to turn or spin around and around quickly
c. Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains
(glycans) attached to amino acid side-chains
d. Lectins are
carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar groups that
are part of other molecules and so cause agglutination of particular cells.
e. Polyps are
abnormal tissue growths that most often look like small, flat bumps or tiny
mushroom like stalks found in the phylum Cnidaria and the medusa
f. Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the
predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey.
g. Anemone is
a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family.
h. A/An finicky person
is extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or
standards.
i. Nudibranch is a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs
which shed their shells after their larval stage.
j. A medusa is
a free-swimming sexual form of a coelenterate such as a jellyfish, typically
having an umbrella-shaped body with stinging tentacles around the edge.
B. Look up a dictionary and write the meanings of the following words then use them in your own sentences.
Arthropod : an invertebrate animal of the
large phylum Arthropoda
Many arthropod animals undergo physiological
changes that smooth their integration.
Gastropod : a mollusc of the large class
Gastropoda
The problem of the causes of the torsion of
the Gastropod body has been much discussed.
Biomass : the total quantity or weight of
organisms in a given area or volume
Energy from biomass is a growing source of
renewable energy.
Calcification : the hardening of tissue or other
material by the deposition of insoluble calcium compounds
The extremities of the cartilages frequently
undergo calcification.
Metamorphosis : the process of transformation
from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages
A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from
a caterpillar.
Sturgeon : a very large primitive fish with
bony plates on the body
Caviar is sturgeon roe prepared by a special
process.
Comprehension
Answer the following questions.
a.
What are the indicators of the fact that we are very self-conscious about
ourselves these days?
The indicators of the
fact that we are very self-conscious about ourselves these days are
self-realization, self-help, self-development, self-awareness, self-respect and
self-enlightenment.
b.
How have we celebrated the fact that we have our individual identity?
We have celebrated the fact
that we have our individual identity by providing ourselves with a real name.
c.
Are we, human beings, really unique? Why/Why not?
No, we human beings,
aren’t really unique. It’s because uniqueness is so commonplace a property of
living things that there is really nothing at all unique about it. The
phenomenon can’t be unique and universal at the same time.
d.
How do fish recognize each other?
Fish recognize each other
by the smell of each other.
e.
What is the function of individuality?
The function of
individuality is self-preservation and maintaining individuality.
f.
What does the mix-up of two selves tell us about our identity?
The mix-up of two selves
tells us unity and cooperation to each other is required for survival and
existence.
g.
What does the author illustrate with the tale of the nudibranch and the medusa?
The author illustrates
the value of co-existence, cooperation, helpfulness, collaboration and
togetherness with the tale of the nudibranch and the medusa. It also projects the
significance of friendship and dependence on each other for survival and
existence.
h.
Why is the author disturbed by the thought of the creatures like the nudibranch
and medusa?
The author is disturbed
by the thought of the creatures like the nudibranch and medusa because it
provides him with an odd feeling and confuses in with vague and bizarre concept
like a dream.
i.
What does the writer mean by “they remind me of the whole earth at once?”
By saying “they remind me
of the whole earth at once'”, the writer means to say that it is very
complicated and bizarre to justify the relationship between the creatures and
non-living things of the world and as more as one tries to understand, the more
he/she gets confused.
Critical thinking
a.
How does the author make satire on the modern idea of the ‘self’ based on
individuality, independence and uniqueness?
The author in this essay
satires on the modern idea of ‘self’ based on individuality, independence and
uniqueness. This essay is about the self and what nature can teach us. In the
beginning the writer brings an attention to the trend in humans on uplifting
the feeling of self-based on individuality, independence and uniqueness.
Here the author is presenting the close
relationship between the nudibranch and medusa living in the Bay of Naples. A
mature jellyfish engulfs a tiny newly-hatched slug only to be devoured bit by
bit until the snail dominates and the jellyfish is reduced to a round
“successfully edited parasite” affixed to the skin near the snail’s mouth.
Finally the tentacles, until the jellyfish becomes reduced in substance by
being eaten while the snail grows correspondingly in size.
This essay projects both creatures cannot live
in any other way, they depend for their survival on each other. The author
illustrates the value of co-existence, cooperation, helpfulness, collaboration
and togetherness with the tale of the nudibranch and the medusa. We all are
important and one’s life is determined by another like the relation between
anemones and crabs as well as medusa and snail. It also shows the significance
of friendship and dependence on each other for survival and existence. Through
this, the author justifies that the modern people’s pride over the concept of
individuality, independence and uniqueness is not applicable in the real and
practical life.
Writing
A.
Write an essay on “Independence vs. Interdependence” in about 250 words.
Independence
vs. Interdependence
Human beings usually
categorize themselves into individual or group entities. These self-conceptions
usually emanate in people’s minds and determine their motivation as well as
cognitions. There are usually two perceptions that people have about themselves
regarding their relationship with others. The first is the independent
self-concept where an individual’s conception about his or her existence is
that he or she exists separate from other people. Independent self-concept
encompasses behaviour traits, preferences and attitudes of an individual. The
second perception is the interdependent self-concept where a person is
affiliated or feels connected to others. This paper explores the advantages of
interdependence as opposed to independence. Gish Jen argues that “the joy of a
functioning interdependent relationship can be tremendous.”
Unlike independent-self which focuses on
individual responsibility separate from the entire society, interdependent
self-concept emphasizes shared responsibilities. The main tenet of
interdependence self-concept is the reliance that exists among individuals in
the society for survival and mutual development. Interdependence self-instils
the idea that people are not alone in their attempts at mental growth and
development. People also provided support for one another to grow socially.
Interdependent self-concept also promotes responsibility sharing by encouraging
individuals to take various roles, which contribute to the development and
growth of the society.
Interdependent self-concept is also crucial
for overcoming fear. Unlike independence, which puts an individual against the
rest of other members of the society, interdependence promotes cohesion among
society members, thus helping individuals to experience lower levels of fear and
insecurity. The recognition of the fact that one has support of others remains
crucial for alleviating negative feelings, which could yield fear in
individuals. Support for each other is only possible in a society where people
feel close to each other and the society is characterized by high level of
interdependence.
Interdependence emphasizes on how people
relate with each other and get on well with existing norms of the society,
which dictate how people relate. Intrinsic attributes of individuals play no
major role in the way individuals think, feel or act. However, Jen also argues
that “we need both the interdependent and the independent self,” appealing that
people from either side of self-concepts accommodates and understands each
other.
B. Write a newspaper article
highlighting the increasing individualism in the modern Nepali society.
Increasing
Individualism in the Modern
Nepali Society
By Ramesh Thapa
March 12, 2019
Individualism is the moral stance, political
philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of
the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one’s goals and desires
and to value independence and self-reliance and advocate that interests of the
individual should achieve precedence over the state or a social group while
opposing external interference upon one’s own interests by society or
institutions such as the government. Individualism is often defined in contrast
to totalitarianism, collectivism and more corporate social forms.
In the modern Nepalese society, individualism
is increasing rapidly. This increase appears to be due mostly to increasing
socio-economic development, including higher incomes, more education,
urbanization, and a shift toward white-collar jobs. Increases in these factors
in a given region are reliably followed by gains in individualist beliefs and
practices in the ensuing decade Nepal comes under those few countries that
bucked the global trend toward individualism.
Rising prosperity and education are largely
welcome changes that reflect not merely gains in wealth for the
already-wealthy, but for the desperately poor as well. Wealth, and the
individualism that follows, are often conflated with selfishness. This is, in
part, because individualism’s inverse — collectivism — emphasizes close social
ties and an interconnected rather than independent view of the self.
Grammar
A. Make passive sentences from the following information as in the example.
a.
volleyball/every/country/play
Volleyball is played in
every country.
b. spaghetti/boiling water/cook
Spaghetti is cooked in
boiling water.
c.each lesson/an exercise/follow
Each lesson is followed
by an exercise.
d.
taxes/the price/include
Taxes are included in the
price.
e.
extensive information/the internet/find
Extensive information is
found on the internet.
f.
our order/the waiter/took
Our order was taken by
the waiter.
g.
the schedule/the participants/will distribute
The schedule will be
distributed by the participants.
h.
the police/footprint/found
Footprint was found by
the police.
i.
the children/the sandcastles/built
The sandcastles were
built by the children.
j.
the father/the window/not going to open
The window is not going
to be opened by the father.
B. Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice using the correct form of verbs in the brackets.
a. Call the ambulance! Two boys have been injured (injure) in a motorbike accident.
b. The clock has been used (use) since the 17th century.
c. I had to wait outside the classroom while
the classroom was being cleaned (clean).
d. The problem is being discussed (discuss) by the subject specialists at the moment.
e. By the time I came back, the task has been finished (finish).
f. Women are said (say) to be happier than men.
g. Look! The house had been destroyed (destroy) by the fire.
h. The other three reports will be submitted (submit) by next month.
i. Many people have been resuced (rescue) from the floods by the security persons this
year.
j. The state of Florida was hit (hit)
by a hurricane that did serious damage.
