Gujarat Board GSEB Class 11 English Textbook Solutions Hornbill Chapter 7 The Adventure Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.

Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 7 The Adventure

GSEB Class 11 English The Adventure Text Book Questions and Answers

Understanding the Text
Say True or False of the following:
(1) The story is an account of real events.
(2) The story hinges on a particular historical event.
(3) Rajendra Deshpande was a historian.
(4) The places mentioned in the story are all imaginary.
(5) The story tries to relate history to science.
Answer:
(1) False
(2) True
(3) False
(4) False
(5) True

Briefly explain the following statements from the text:

Question 1.
“You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a different world.”
Answer:
This statement was said by Rajendra to Professor Gaitonde. He made a transition from one world to another and back again. By making a transition, he was able to experience two worlds although one at a time. He neither travelled to the past nor to the future. He was in the present but experiencing a different world.

Question 2.
“You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience.”
Answer:
This statement was made by Rajendra to Prof. Gaitonde in the text ‘The Adventure’ by Jayant Vishnu Narlikar. Gangadhar had passed through a strange experience. He had the experience of living in two world, one he lived in now and other where he had spent two days.

Question 3.
Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him.
Answer:
Gangadharpant knew India which had seen the decline of Peshwas and experienced the slavery of the British. But the India he had seen in two days was completely different. It had not been subjected to slavery for the whiteman. It was self-dependent and enjoyed self-respect. He compared the two countries the one that he knew already and other that he was witnessing around him. Both had different histories.

Question 4.
“The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”
Answer:
Professor Gaitonde had decided to go to a big library at Bombay and browse through history books. Then he would find out how the present state of affairs was reached. On his return to Pune, he would have a long talk with Rajendra Deshpande. He hoped that Rajendra would help him understand what had happened.

Question 5.
“You need some interaction to cause a transition.”
Answer:
This Bombay was under the British Raj. An Anglo-Indian in uniform checked permits. Each of the blue carriages of GBMR had the tiny Union jack painted on it. The Victoria Terminus station looked very neat and clean. The staff was mostly of Anglo-Indians and Parsee alongwith a handful of british officers.

Talking about the Text
Discuss the following statements in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view:

Question 1.
A single event may change the course of the history of a nation.
Answer:
For
A single event may change the course of the history of a nation. The battle of Panipat for example is said to be the turning point jn the history of India. In the Battle of Panipat, the Marathas gave in to the forces of Ahmed Shah Abdali. After this event the history of India took another turn. Gradually, the country was overtaken by the foreign forces. In the story ‘The Adventure’ it is mentioned how in the beginning Prof. Gaitonde was preparing a speech on what course the history would have taken if the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. This shows the importance of a single event in the history of a nation.

Against
The motion that a single event may change the course of the history of a nation is a matter of perspective only. It is a relative truth. If we apply the catastrophic theory in understanding history then we will find that there may be alternative outcomes of a single event so that we cannot proclaim that any one course of event is the reality. Since there may be alternative courses of history so debating on a single course is not fruitful.

In the story ‘The Adventure’ due to catastrophic phenomenon the Battle of Panipat is revealed in a different version to Prof. Gaitonde. According to this version, the Marathas emerged victorious in the Battle of Panipat. After the event the Marathas extended influence over the entire country. India never fell to the alien forces. So, to argue that a single course of event may change the course of history is not tenable. There may be alternative effects following an event.

Question 2.
Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.
Answer:
For
Our senses, i.e., the senses of touch, sight, taste, hearing and smell provide us facts about the world we live in. Knowledge from experience come through these senses. The reality is what we directly experience through these senses. No other reality exists which is not revealed to the senses.

Against
Reality is not what is directly revealed to the senses. We cannot experience so many entities like atoms and molecules but these are real. We cannot even predict the behaviour of these entities accurately. This point is mooted by Rajendra in the story ‘The Adventure’ when he points to the discoveries made by the physicists regarding the behaviour of the atoms. We can predict the position of a bullet fired in a particular direction from a gun but we cannot predict the position of a an electron fired from a source. This proves that reality is not what is directly revealed to the senses, there can be alternative realities existing side by side.

Question 3.
The methods of inquiry of History, Science and Philosophy are similar.
Answer:
For
The methods of inquiry of History, Science and Philosophy are similar. In the story ‘The Adventure’ one can find the perspectives of History, Philosophy and Science converging towards a focal point. History employs the methods of observation, analysis and rationalism in understanding the course of past events. Science is based on observation, experimentation and analysis.

Rationalism is the most fundamental principle that Science follows. Philosophy is thoroughly critical in methodology. Philosophy examines everything including the assumptions and methodology of Science and other disciplines like History. In the story ‘The Adventure’ History, Science and Philosophy converage, Prof.

Gaitonde experienced an altogether different version of the out come of the Battle of Panipat. Contrary to the version as provided in History text books, the Marathas emerged as victorious in this battle, Prof. Gaitonde tried to understand this rationally but he failed to get any clue. In this context, Rajendra intervened to explain this phenomenon in the light of the Catastrophic theory which is being employed by Physicists in understanding the behaviour of atoms. Here we find Science and History converging.

The similar perspective is, seen in Philosophy that truth is relative and notabsolute. In fact, the philosophical movement of post Modernism is based on this. In other words, the methods of inquiry of History, Science and Philosophy are similar.

Against
It is a misnomer that the methods of inquiry of History, Science and Philosophy are similar.
The similarity is at superficial level and not at the core. In the story, ‘The Adventure’ Rajendra tried to rationalise the experience of Prof. Gaitonde by applying the Catastrophic theory. But this explanation is not convincing though it convinced the professor,

Catastrophic theory can best explain phenomenon of the physical world but History deals with behavioural world. It is concerned with the behaviour of society and individuals. The ‘ methods of inquiry will also vary accordingly. The method of inquiry of Philosophy is speculative. Philosophy even questions rationalism.

Philosophy is highly critical of the methods of Science and History. In other words, the methods of History, Scieiice and Philosophy are not similar. The story ‘The Adventure’ by Jayant Vishnu Narlikar is, in fact, a science fiction which is trying to show the convergence of Science, History and Philosophy. In reality the three disciplines, namely, Science, History and Philosophy have to employ different methodology of inquiry Vis-a-vis the subject matter.

Question 4.
The story is called ‘The Adventure’. Compare it with the adventure described in ‘We’re Not Afraid to Die.’
Answer:
The underlying theme of both the stories, ‘The Adventure’ and ‘We Are Not Afraid to Die’ is the same. However, the execution is very different. One deals with the adventure in a real life situation and the other one is about the adventure that was mentally experienced. In the story, ‘We Are Not Afraid to Die,’ the characters take a hazardous sea voyage, to overcome the odds and survive. Whatever the dangers were, they were very real. In the story, ‘The Adventure’ the protagonist does not embark upon an adventurous journey. His collision with the truck triggers his mind to travel to a world, which is different from the world that he lives in.

Question 5.
Why do you think Prof. Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again?
Answer:
Prof. Gaitonde was experiencing a different version of the Battle of Panipat.

According to this version, the Marathas emerged victorious in the Battle and started extending influence over the entire country. His mind was actually witnessing a different version of the historical reality. Interestingly, he was also witnessing an event that was not conforming to the conventions. The event was a lecture session on the outcomes of the Battle of Panipat. In this lecture session Prof.

Gaitonde observed that the chair of the President was vacant. This again was contrary to the conventions. Prof. Gaitonde rushed to occupy the chair and started explaining the need of a President in a lecture session like this. The public got angry on this point and started throwing objects on him. He had a harrowing experience. This led him to decide not to preside over meetings again.

Thinking about Language

Question 1.
In which language do you think Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked to each other? Which language did Gangadharpant use to talk to the English receptionist?
Answer:
Gangadharpant and Khan Sahib talked in Hindi language. Gangadharpant used English to talk to the English receptionist.

Question 2.
In which language do you think Bhausahebanchi Bakhar was written?
Answer:
Bahusahebanchi Bakhar was written in Marathi language.

Question 3.
There is mention of three communities in the story: the Marathas, the Mughals, the Anglo-Indians. Which language do you think they used within their communities and while speaking to the other groups?
Answer:
The Marathas naturally used Marathi in their community and while speaking to other groups they used Hindi.

• The Mughals used Turkish and Persian language or their derived version-Urdu in their community and while speaking to the other groups they must be using ‘Urdu’ or rarely Hindi.
• The Anglo-Indians used English in their community and while speaking to the other groups they must be using the same English language.

Question 4.
Do you think that the ruled always adopt the language of the ruler?
Answer:
No, it hardly happens. Rulers are never permanent, while the ruled have their own culture and language. They retain it at any cost. Yes, it is a prolonged rule, viz. British rule in India, people in administration adopt their language at certain extent but not fully.

Working with Words
Select the item that is closest in meaning to the following phrases:

Question 1.
to take issue with
(a) to accept
(b) to discuss
(c) to disagree
(d) to add
Answer:
(b) to discuss

Question 2.
to give vent to
(a) to express
(b) to emphasise
(c) to suppress
(d) to dismiss
Answer:
(a) to express

Question 3.
to stand on one’s feet
(a) to be physically strong
(b) to be independent
(c) to stand erect
(d) to be successful
Answer:
(b) to be independent

Question 4.
to be wound up
(a) to become active
(b) to stop operating
(c) to be transformed
(d) to be destroyed
Answer:
(b) to stop operating

Question 5.
to meet one’s match
(a) to meet a partner who his similar tastes
(b) to meet an opponent
(c) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself
(d) to meet defeat
Answer:
(c) to meet someone who is equally able as oneself

Distinguish between the following pairs of sentences:

Question 1.
(i) He was visibly moved.
(ii) He was visually impaired.
Answer:
(i) He was visibly moved means the concerned person was perceptively
moved.
(ii) He was visually impaired means the concerned person was impaired with respect to sight.

Question 2.
(i) Green and black stripes were used alternately.
(ii) Green stripes could be used or alternatively black ones.
Answer:
(i) Green and black stripes were used alternately means green and black stripes were used reciprocally.
(ii) Green stripes could be used or alternatively black ones means either green stripes could be used or black ones, i.e., altering a choice.

Noticing Form
The story deals with unreal and hypothetical conditions. Some of the sentences used to express this notion are given below:

1. If I fire a bullet from a gun in a given direction at a given speed, I know where it will be at a later time.
2. If I knew the answer I would solve a great problem.
3. If he himself were dead in this world, what guarantee had he that his son would be alive.
4. What course would history have taken if the battle had gone the other way?
Notice that in an unreal condition, it is clearly expected that the condition will not be fulfilled.

Things to Do
Read the following passage on the Catas-trophe Theory downloaded from the Internet:

Originated by the French mathematician, Rene Thom, in the 1960s, catastrophe theory is a special branch of dynamical systems theory. It studies and classifies phenomena characterised by sudden shifts in behaviour arising from small changes in circumstances.

Catastrophes are bifurcations between different equilibrium, or fixed point attractors.. Due to their restricted nature, catastrophes can be classified on the basis of how many control parameters are being simultaneously varied. For example, if there are two controls, then one finds the most common type, called a ’cusp’ catastrophe. If, however, there are more than five controls, there is no classification.

Catastrophe theory has been applied to a number of different phenomena, such as the
stability of ships at sea and their capsizing, bridge collapse, and, with some less convincing success, the fight-or-flight behaviour of animals and prison riots.

Question 1.
Look up the Internet or an encyclopedia for information on the following theories:
1. Quantum Theory
2. Theory of Relativity
3. Big Bang Theory
4. Theory of Evolution (Biology)
Answer:
1. Quantum Theory: is a theory in Physics based on the principle that matter and energy have the properties of both particles and waves, created to explain the radiation of energy from a blackbody, the photoelectric effect, and the Bohr theory, and now used to account for a wide range of physical phenomena, including the existence of discrete packets of energy and matter, the uncertainty principle, and the exclusion principle.

2. Theory of Relativity: is the theory that space and time are relative concepts rather than absolute concepts.

3. Big Bang Theory: is a scientific theory describing the origin of all space, time, matter, and energy approximately 13.7 billion years ago from the violent expansion of a singular point of extremely high density and temperature.

4. Theory of Evolution (Biology) : is a scientific theory of the origin of species of plants and animals.

GSEB Class 12 English The Adventure Additional Important Questions and Answers

Questions – Answers (Textual)
Answer the following questions in four to Jive sentences each:

Question 1.
Why did Prof. Gaitonde want to browse through history books ?
Answer:
Prof. Gaitonde wanted to browse through history books because he knew that was the surest way of finding out how the present state of affairs was reached.

Question 2.
What did Gangadharpant find as the train emerged from Victoria Terminus ?
Answer:
When the train emerged from Victoria Terminus, Gangadharpant saw an imposing building in front of him. The letters on it proclaimed its identity to those who did not know that Bombay landmark :
East India House Headquarters of East India Company

Question 3.
Which five volumes did Gangadhar¬pant consult in the library ? Which one was useful to him?
Answer:
Gangadharpant had five volumes on his table. Volume one took the history up to the period of Ashoka, volume two up to Samudra- gupta, volume three up to Mohammad Ghori, and volume four up to the death of Aurangzeb. In volume five he could find required details about the Battle of Panipat.

Question 4.
What details did Gangadharpant find about the Battle of Panipat ? How was it important ?
Answer:
This battie was won by the Marathas handsomely. Abdali was routed and he was chased back to Kabul by the triumphant Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the young Vishwasrao. The victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas but it also established their supremacy in northern India.

Question 5.
‘The East India Company met its match in the new Maratha rulers – Vishwasrao and Madhavrao’ ?
Answer:
Vishwasrao and his brother, Madhavrao were a combined political acumen with valour. They systematically expanded their influence all over India. The East India Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

Question 6.
What sight stirred Prof. Gaitonde to the depths ? What did he do ? How did the audience react to it?
Answer:
Prof. Gaitonde saw that the lecture at the pandal was in progress. But the chair for President on the stage was empty. He directly went to the stage and occupied the chair. The audience started shouting to him ‘to vacate the chair’.

Question 7.
What happened to Gangadharpant at his speech in Pune?
Answer:
Gangadharpant had the experience of speaking at 999 meetings, but he found the one at Pune where the audience was at its most hostile. The audience showered tomatoes, eggs and other objects on him. Still he kept on hying bravely to correct his sacrilege. Finally the audience rushed to the stage to eject him boldly and thenafter he was nowhere to be seen.

Question 8.
What example is given to support the statement ‘Reality may not be unique’.
Answer:
To support the statement ‘Reality may not be unique’, the following example of the functioning of atoms and their constituent particles is given. If an electron is fired from a source, it will never go in the expected direction and reach the set target as it happens in the case of a bullet shot from a gun. It will go in the given direction at a given speed.

Question 9.
Explain the theory of catastrophic situations according to Prof. Gaitonde.
Answer:
According to Prof. Gaitonde, Catastrophic situations offer radically different alternatives for the world to proceed. So far as reality is concerned all alternatives are viable but the observer can experience only one of them at a time.

Question 10.
Why according to Rajendra Deshpande did Prof. Gaitonde make the transition from the present world to the parallel world?
Answer:
According to Rajendra Deshpande, Prof. Gaitonde needed some interaction to cause a transition. Perhaps, at the time of collision, i.e., Professor’s car with a truck-he was thinking about the catastrophe theory and its role in wars. Might be he was wondering about the Battle of Panipat. Perhaps, the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger and he might have slipped into transition.

2. Reading Comprehension [Textual]
Read the following passages and select the most appropriate options as answers to the questions given below them:

Question 1.
“This train goes to the Victoria Terminus. I will take the Frontier Mail tonight out of Central.”
“How far does it go? By what route?”
“Bombay to Delhi then to Lahore and then Peshawar. A long journey. I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow.”

Thereafter, Khan Sahib spoke a lot about his business and Gangadharpant was a willing listener. For, in that way, he was able to get some flavour of life in this India that was so different.

The train now passed through the suburban rail traffic. The blue carriages carried the letters. GBMR, on the side.

“Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway.” explained Khan Sahib. “See the tiny Union Jack painted on each carriage? A gentle reminder that we are in British territory.”

The train began to slow down beyond Dadar and stopped only at its destination, Victoria Terminus. The station looked remarkably neat and clean. The staff was mostly made up of Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a handful of British officers.

As he emerged from the station, Gangadharpant found himself facing an imposing building. The letters on it proclaimed its identity to those who did not know this Bombay landmark:

EAST INDIA HOUSE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY

Questions:
1. Gangadharpant’s final destination was …………………
A. Lahore
B. Bombay
C. Peshawar
D. Delhi
Answer:
C. Peshawar

2. What is the Union Jack symbol of?
A. Union Territory
B. British Rule
C. Indian Railway
D. Metropolitan Railway
Answer:
B. British Rule

3. The railway-staff at the Victoria Terminus was made up of …………….
A. Anglo-Indians
B. Parsees
C. Britishers
D. All of these three
Answer:
C. Britishers

4. How was the building of ‘The East India Company’ ?
A. Majestic
B. Tall
C. Modest
D. Easily visible
Answer:
A. Majestic

Question 2.
Gangadharpant pressed home his advantage. “I had inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my pocket as I left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my meal. I had intended to return it the next morning. But it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost; only this torn-off page remained. And, luckily for me, the page contains vital evidence.”

Rajendra again read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bullet; and how that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army, turned the tide in their favour.

“Now look at this.” Gangadharpant produced his own copy of Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, opened at the relevant page. The account ran thus:

………….And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were fighting, and he attacked them. And God expressed his displeasure. He was hit by the bullet.

“Prof. Gaitonde, you have given me food for thought. Until I saw this material evidence. I had simply put your experience down to fantasy. But facts can be stranger than fantasies, as I am beginning to realise.”

Questions:
1. The meaning of the phrase ‘pressed home’ in this extract is ……………
A. ‘went home’.
B. ‘returned to his country’.
C. ‘make clear by special emphasis’.
D. ‘make something avail of’.
Answer:
C. ‘make clear by special emphasis’.

2. The meaning of the word ‘inadvertently’ is …………..
A. ‘carefully’.
B. ‘unknowingly’.
C. ‘deliberately’.
D. ‘desperately’.
Answer:
B. ‘unknowingly’.

3. Here the words ‘God expressed his displeasure’ are used for indicating that …………….
A. Gangadharpant had lost his copy of book.
B. Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bullet.
C. Vishwasrao was killed in a bullet-shot.
D. The elite troops were fighting severely.
Answer:
C. Vishwasrao was killed in a bullet-shot.

4. Prof. Gaitonde gave …………….. to Gangadharpant.
A. some fantastic evidences
B. account of his own experiences
C. his own copy of Bakhar
D. Both ‘A’ and B’
Answer:
C. his own copy of Bakhar

Question 3.
“But is there any contact between those many worlds ?” Prof. Gaitonde asked.

“Yes and no ! Imagine two worlds, for example,. In both an electron is orbiting the nucleus of an atom ……….”

“Like planets around the sun………….” Gangadharpant interjected.

“Not quite. We know the precise trajectory of the planet. The electron could be orbiting in any of a large number of specified states. These states may be used to identify the world. In state no. 1 we have the electron in a state of higher energy. In state no. 2 it is in a state of lower energy. It can make a jump from high to low energy and send out a pulse of radiation. Or a pulse of radiation can knock it out of state no. 2 into state no. 1. Such transitions are common in microscopic systems. What if it happened on a macroscopic level?” Rajendra said.

“I get you! You are suggesting that I made a transition from one world to another and back again?” Gangadharpant asked.

Questions:
1. Pick out correct sentence/s from the following:
A. In both the worlds an electron is orbiting the nucleus of an atom.
B. Planets move along their fixed path.
C. Electrons do not move along the same path.
D. All of these three
Answer:
D. All of these three

2. We can identify the world by knowing ……………..
A. the movement of planets.
B. the movement of electrons.
C. the specified states with higher or lower energies.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B’
Answer:
C. the specified states with higher or lower energies.

3. ……………. is responsible for transitions in states.
A. Pulse of radiation
B. Microscopic system
C. Changes in the number of electrons
D. Orbiting of planets.
Answer:
A. Pulse of radiation

4. The meaning of the word ‘trajectory’ is the extract is ………………..
A. ‘movement’.
B. ‘path or passage’
C. ‘change’.
D. ‘function’.
Answer:
B. ‘path or passage’

Grammar

Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks choosing the correct words given in the brackets and write the answers only:

Question 1.
(characteristic, alive, restaurant, unexpected, riddle, politely, guarantee, concern)
This was a blow, not totally ………….1………… If he himself were dead in this world, what ……….2…………. had he that his son would be ………….3……………? Indeed, he may not even have been born!

He thanked the girl ……………..4………. and came out. It was …………….5………….. of him not to worry about where he would stay. His main ……………6……………. was to make his way to the library of the Asiatic Society to solve the …………7………. of history. Grabbing a quick lunch at a ………….8…………., he made his way to the Town Hall.
Answer:
1. unexpected
2. guarantee
3. alive
4. politely
5. characteristic
6. concern
7. riddle
8. restaurant

Question 2.
(gradually, figurehead, recommendations, further, enterprise, wielded, elected, democracy)
The twentieth century brought about …………1…………… changes inspired by the West. India moved towards a ………….2………… By then, the Peshwas had lost their ………….3………… and they were ……………..4…………. replaced by democratically …………..5…………….. bodies. The Sultanate at Delhi survived even this transition, largely because it …………….6………….. no real influence. The Shahenshah of Delhi was no more than a …………7………….. to rubber stamp the ………….8…………… made by the central parliament.
Answer:
1. further
2. democracy
3. enterprise
4. gradually
5. elected
6. wielded
7. figurehead
8. recommendations

Rectification of Errors
Rectify the errors in the following passages:

Question 1.
His five volumes duly arrival on his table. He started from the begin. Volume one take the history up to the period of Ashoka. Volume four up to the dead of Aurangazeb. Up to this period history was
as he know it. The change evident had occurred in the last volume.
Answer:

Question 2.
He thanked the girl polite and came out. It was character of him not to worry about where he would staying. His main concern was to made his way to the library of the Asiatic society to solving the riddle of history. Grab a quick lunch at a restaurant, he made his way to the Town Hall.
Answer:

Question 3.
As he walking along Hornby Road, as it was called, he find a differ set of shops and office buildings.There was no Handloom House built. Instead, there were Boots and Woolworth department stores, impose officers of Lloyds, Barclays and other British Banks.
Answer:

Question 4.
The train begin to slow down beyond Dadar and stop only at its destiny, Victoria Terminus.
The station looked remarkable neat and clean. The staff was most made up of Anglo-Indians and Parsees along over a handful of British officers.
Answer:

Replacing Phrases – Idioms
Choose the correct meanings of the phrases/idioms and rewrite the sentences:

1. Lawyers were called to wind up the company. (run, close, develop)
2. The project was relegated to a senior scientist. (entrusted, connected, supported)
3. The meeting will be an opportunity for everyone to give vent to their feelings. (promote, encourage, express)
4. The two dogs ran amok in a school playground, (acted wildly, acted in a funny way, barked loudly)
5. The Prime Minister got a hostile reception at a farmers’ meeting. (warm, unfriendly, loving)
Answer:
1. Lawyers were called to close the company.
2. The project was entrusted to a senior scientist.
3. The meeting will be an opportunity for everyone to express their feelings.
4. The two dogs acted wildly in a school playground.
5. The Prime Minister got a unfriendly reception at a farmers’ meeting.

Punctuations
Punctuate the following passage:
This train goes to the Victoria Terminus I will take the frontier mail tonight out of central how far does it go by what route Bombay to Delhi then to Lahore and then Peshawar a long journey I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow
Answer:
“This train goes to the Victoria Terminus. I will take the Frontier Mail tonight out of Central.” “How far does it go ? By what route ?” “Bombay to Delhi, then to Lahore and then Peshawar. A long journey. I will reach Peshawar the day after tomorrow.”

Indirect Narration
Turn the following dialogues into Indirect form of narration:

Question 1.
Doctor: Sher Singh Bahadur, are you there ?
Sher Singh: My father is not here, but I am Sher Singh.
Doctor: You are the boy who brought the child in from Laldwani?
Sher Singh: Yes.
Doctor: Sher Singh Bahadur ! Your brother will live. Come and see.
Answer:
Doctor called out and asked if Sher Singh Bahadur was there. The boy replied that his father was not there and informed that he was Sher Singh. The doctor inquired if he was the boy who brought the child in from Laldwani. Sher Singh replied that he was. Addressing the boy as Sher Singh Bahadur the doctor told him that his brother would live and he could go and see him.

Question 2.
Lady: Do you think my children, too, are infected ?
Doctor: I don’t think so; because they were born before you got infected.
Lady: And my husband ?
Doctor: Why don’t you come and see me again; and bring your husband with you.
Answer:
The lady asked the doctor if he thought that her children too were infected. The doctor assured her that he did not think so because they were born before she had got infected. The lady further inquired if her husband too was infected. The doctor advised the lady to come and see him again and asked her to bring her husband with her.

Transformation of Sentences
Rewrite the following sentences as directed:

Question 1.
The station was remarkably clean. (Change to Complex.)
Answer:
That the station looked neat and clean was remarkable.

Question 2.
Khan Saheb spoke a lot about his business. (Change the Voice.)
Answer:
A lot was spoken by Khan Saheb about his business.

Question 3.
As he walked along Hornby Road, he found different set of shops. (Make Simple.)
Answer:
While walking along Hornby Road, he found a set of shops.

Question 4.
I can’t find anyone of that name here or any of our branches. (Make affirmative.)
Answer:
I am unable to find anyone of that name here or any of our branches.

Question 5.
They were accepted only to make the local centres self-sufficient. (Use ‘So that’.)
Answer:
They were accepted so that they could make local centres self-sufficient.

Question 6.
Dadasaheb was relegated to the background and he eventually retired from state politics. (Change to Simple.)
Answer:
Being relegated to the background Dadasaheb eventually retired from state politics.

Question 7.
He entered the reading room and asked for a list of history books. (Use ’No sooner…….. than’.)
Answer:
No sooner did he enter the reading room than he asked for a list of history books.

Question 8.
The Shahenshah of Delhi was no more than a figurehead. (Use ‘only’.)
Answer:
The Shahenshah of Delhi was only a figurehead.

Question 9.
The Delhi Sultanate survived even this transaction. (Use ‘also’.)
Answer:
The Delhi Sultanate survived this transition also.

Question 10.
He had faced the Pune audience at its most hostile condition. (Change the Degree.)
Answer:
No other condition of Pune audience had been as hostile as this but he had faced this.

Question 11.
Unless the train speeded up it would not reach its destination in time. (Use ’if’.)
Answer:
If the train did not speed up it would not reach its destination in time.

Question 12.
Professor Gangadhar would not have been able to bear the shock if he had not been prepared. (Use ‘unless’.)
Answer:
Unless Professor Gangadhar had been prepared he would not have been able to ‘ bear the shock.

Question 13.
She could have found Vinay Gaitonde’s name in the list if it was there. (Use ‘unless’.)
Answer:
She could not have found Vinay Gaitonde’s name in the list unless it was there.

Question 14.
If the Peshwas did not want their own centres of technology to be set up the East India Company would not have had the opportunity to extend its influence over them. ”
(Use ‘unless’.)
Answer:
Unless the Peshwas want, their own centres of technology to be set up the East India Company would have had the opportunity to extend their influence over them.

Question 15.
If Gangadharpant had no experience of speaking to 999 meetings he would not have been able to face the hostile audience. (Use ‘unless’.)
Answer:
Unless Gangadharpant had the experience of speaking to 999 meetings he would have not been able to face the hostile audience.

The Adventure Summary in English

The Adventure Introduction:
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar (Born 19 July, 1938) is an Indian astrophysicist. He developed with Sir Fred Hoyle the conformal gravity theory, known as Hoyle – Narlikar theory. It synthesizes Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Mach’s Principle. It proposes that the inertial mass of a particle is a function of the masses of all other particles, multiplied by a coupling constant which is a function of cosmic epoch. He has been honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1965, Adam’s Prize in 1967, Padma Vibhushan in 2004.

The Adventure Summary:
Professor Gaitonde is a historian. He is going to give a lecture on the implication of the Catastrophe Theory in the Third Battle of Panipat. On the way, his car collides with a truck and he goes into a coma.

While in coma he experiences a different world where history is different from what we know in the real world. In the Third Battle of Panipat, in reality, the Afghans defeated the Marathas. Vishwasrao had died. He was the leader of the Marathas. But in the parallel world, Marathas win the war as Vishwasrao escapes death narrowly. The Marathas bring about diverse changes and reforms in the country. When Prof. Gaitonde gains his consciousness, his friend ‘Rajendra Deshpande rationalizes his strange experience on the basis of two scientific theories, viz. The Catastrophy Theory and the lack of determinism in Quantum Theory.

The Parallel World
Professor Gaitonde is on his way to Bombay from Pune. It is a pre-independent Bombay. He finds Anglo-Indians and the Union Jack. He goes to the library. There he finds five volumes of History written by him. The battle of Panipat is described in the fifth volume.

This is the third battle of Panipat fought between Abdali and the Marathas. The Afghans are defeated. Then on India moved towards democracy. Here the book wherein he finds the evidence of Vishwasrao’s escape from the bullet by a very short margin. He puts that evidence in his pocket and reaches Azad Maidan where a lecture is going on. The absence of chairman makes it strange. He tries to occupy that chair. The crowd does not let the professor to occupy that chair. They throw him out. He is lost in the crowd.

The professor’s experience comes to an end. He tells all this to his friend Rajendra Deshpande.
Rajendra connects this experience of the professor with two scientific theories namely the Catastrophy Theory and the lack of determinism in the Quantum Theory. In reality the Marathas had lost the battle. They had lost both their leaders. But in the parallel world the bullet had missed Vishwasrao and the battle was won by the Marathas. The evidence was in the pocket of Prof. Gaitonde. The reality is that these were the notes prepared by him for the delivery of the lecture. This was just his imagination. The hitting of the bullet is the Catastrophic incident.

It is because of the Quantum Theory that a transition is brought about in the theory where Vishwasrao escapes death as the bullet does not find its target. Here the Professor is in a different world. At the time of collision with truck he was thinking of catastrophic theory. When the neurons move, there is no specific direction. Perhaps the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger but the bullet missed its target and Vishwasrao escaped death and thus the battle was won by the Marathas. The Professor being a physicist applies his knowledge to the real situation and tries to prove the possibility of the battle resulting in favour of the Marathas. But we cannot do away with the reality that Vishwasrao had been killed in the battle.

The crowd in the maidan turns itself into a mob simply proves that introductory and concluding speeches are not appreciated in modern times.