Updated on 31/05/2026
Journey to the End of the Earth (Tishani Doshi)
Main Points of the chapter:
In this chapter, the writer describes her journey experience to the coldest, driest continent on Earth-Antarctica.
To reach there, the writer had to travel for over 100 hours using three modes of transport (car, aeroplane, and ship) and crossed 9 time zones, 6 checkpoints, 3 bodies of water, and 3 ecospheres.
This journey was a part of an educational expedition called ‘Students on Ice’.
She went there with a group of 52 members. They started their journey from Madras (Chennai).
The programme aimed at taking high school students to the ends of the earth to teach them the importance of understanding and preserving the global environment.
The programme was headed by a famous Canadian educator, Geoff Green.
People and Scientists visit Antarctica to know the earth’s present, past and future.
In Antarctica there are no regular nights and days as we experience. There is only silence everywhere.
About 650 million years ago, a giant southern supercontinent named Gondwana existed, which centered around present-day Antarctica. Later, the landmass broke apart, forming the continents and oceans we see today.
The author highlights Phytoplankton—microscopic, single-celled sea plants that nourish the entire Southern Ocean's food chain. She warns that any further damage to the Ozone Layer will harm these tiny plants and ruin the global climate system.
The rising temperature due to the Greenhouse Effect is clearly visible here.
Receding (melting) glaciers and collapsing ice shelves show how the danger of global sea-level rise is increasing day by day.
Antarctica is the best place on this planet to study the real impacts of global warming and climate change because of its simple ecosystem.
Very Short Type Q-Ans.
Q. 1 Who is the writer of the essay, ‘Journey to the end of the Earth’?
Ans. Tishani Doshi
Q. 2 Which journey does the writer describe in ‘Journey to the End of the Earth’?
Ans. Journey to Antarctica
Q. 3 From where did the writer’s journey start?
Ans. From Madras
Q. 4 For how many hours did the writer travel to reach Antarctica?
Ans. More than one hundred hours
Q. 5 Which creatures were wiped out sixty-five million years ago?
Ans. Dinosaurs
Q. 6 Why do people visit Antarctica?
Ans. To know the earth’s past and future
Q. 7 How long has there been civilization on this earth?
Ans. For 12000 years
Q. 8 What is the result of man’s progress?
Ans. Pollution
Q. 9 What is the reason for the rise in the earth’s temperature?
Ans. Greenhouse effect
Q. 10 What is the best place for studying the effect of global warming?
Ans. Antarctica
Q. 11 Who headed the programme ‘Students on Ice’?
Ans. Geoff Green
Q.12 On which programme was the writer working?
Ans. Students on Ice
Q. 13 What was the name of the giant super continent which existed six hundred and fifty million years ago?
Ans. Gondwana
Q. 14 Which two continents were once part of the same landmass?
Ans. India and Antarctica
Q. 15 How many years ago were the dinosaurs wiped out?
Ans. about 65 million years ago
Q. 16 How many students were part of the programme ‘Students on Ice’?
Ans. 52 members
Textual Questions
Q. 1 How do geological phenomena help us to know about the history of humankind?
Ans. Geological phenomena can help us to know where we have come from and where we are possibly heading.
Q. 2 How long was the writer’s journey to Antarctica?
Ans. Tishani Doshi started her journey from Madras. She had to cross nine time zones, six check-points, three bodies of water and three ecospheres. She travelled one hundred hours to reach Antarctica.
Q. 3 What information does the writer give about Gondwana?
Ans. About six hundred and fifty million years ago, Gondwana was the southern supercontinent. It centered roughly around present day Antarctica. Humans had not yet arrived on the global scene. The climate was much warmer. There was a huge variety of flora and fauna.
Q. 4 What is the best place to study the effect of global warming?
Ans. Antarctica is the best place to study the effect of global warming. Its receding glaciers and collapsing ice shelves tell us how real the threat of global warming is.
Q. 5 Why is the temperature of the earth rising?
Ans. The temperature of the earth is rising due to global warming.
Q. 6 What is the effect of man’s progress on the environment?
Ans. Human civilisation has been on this earth for just 12000 years. This is a very small period as compared to the life of this planet. Yet in this period man has progressed a lot. But this progress has led to environmental depletion and pollution.
Q. 7 What was the aim of the programme ‘Students on Ice’?
Ans. ‘Students on ice’ programme aims at taking high school students to the end of the world. The programme provides the school students an opportunity to get knowledge and experience of Antarctica and inspire them to understand the danger of global warming. This programme aimed at studying Antarctica in order to learn about the earth and its history.
Q.8 What are Phytoplanktons? How does global warming affect them?
Ans. Phytoplanktons are microscopic single-celled floating plants in the Southern Ocean. They use solar energy to absorb carbon and synthesize organic compounds through photosynthesis. Any further depletion of the ozone layer will badly affect their activities, which in turn will disturb the entire Antarctic food chain.
Q.9 What does the author mean by "Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves"?
Ans. The author refers to microscopic organisms like phytoplanktons. If we protect these tiny plants from environmental damage, the larger ecosystems and the global food chain will automatically stay safe.
Long-Answer
Q. 1 Why did the writer visit Antarctica? What does she say about Gondwana?
Ans. In this essay, the writer describes her journey to Antarctica. Her journey started from Madras. She had to cross nine time zones, six check-points, three bodies of water and three ecospheres. She travelled one hundred hours to reach Antarctica. She was filled with wonder at Antarctica’s immensity and isolation. She also wondered at the fact that there was a time when India and Antarctica were part of the same landmass.
The writer said that Gondwana was a giant southern supercontinent about 650 million years ago. Its climate was much warmer and had a huge variety of flora and fauna. About sixty million years ago, the dinosaurs were wiped out, the age of mammals got under way, and the landmass separated into continents.
Q. 2 Why do people visit Antarctica? OR
How does Antarctica help us in understanding the past, present and future of the earth?
Ans. Antarctica is really the place to understand the earth’s present, past and future. It can tell us how there was a time when India and South America were part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. India got separated and jammed against the rest of Asia. This resulted in the formation of the Himalayas. In Antarctica there are no nights and days as we experience here. The study of Antarctica also tells us that it is the only place in the world that never had any human pollution. Thus Antarctica tells us the present state also. It can tell us the Earth’s past. Its receding glaciers and collapsing ice shelves can give us an indication of the future also. The best place where global warming can be studied is Antarctica. Thus, Antarctica is really the place to understand about the earth’s present, past and future.
Important Spellings
Antarctica
Expedition (अभियान / यात्रा)
Psychological (मानसिक या मनोवैज्ञानिक)
Phytoplankton (समुद्री सूक्ष्म पौधे)
Photosynthesis (प्रकाश-संश्लेषण)
Microscopic (अत्यंत सूक्ष्म)
Biodiversity (जैव-विविधता)
Ecosphere (पर्यावरण क्षेत्र)
Supercontinent (विशाल महाद्वीप)
Centred (केंद्रित)
Mammals (स्तनधारी जीव)
Glaciers (हिमनद / बर्फ की नदी)
Devastating (विनाशकारी)
Depletion (कमी या नुकसान)
Geological (भूवैज्ञानिक)
Phenomena (घटनाएँ)
Immensity (विशालता)
Isolation (एकान्त या अलगाव)
Gondwana (प्राचीन महाद्वीप का नाम)
Chronology (घटनाक्रम)
Word-Meanings
Expedition – A long journey for a special purpose (खोज यात्रा / अभियान)
Ecosphere – A zone where life exists in nature (पर्यावरण या जैवमंडल क्षेत्र)
Supercontinent – A huge single landmass made of many continents (विशाल प्राचीन भूभाग)
Flora and Fauna – Plants and animals of a particular area (वनस्पति और जीव-जंतु)
Wiped out – Completely destroyed or ended (पूरी तरह नष्ट हो जाना / विलुप्त होना)
Under way – Started or in progress (शुरू हो जाना)
Immensity – Huge size or vastness (विशालता)
Isolation – Being completely alone or separated (अकेलापन या अलगाव)
Glacier – A large mass of ice moving slowly (बर्फ की विशाल नदी / हिमनद)
Receding – Moving back or melting away (पीछे हटना या कम होना)
Collapsing – Falling down suddenly (टूटकर गिरना)
Depletion – Reduction or reduction in size/amount (कमी होना / क्षरण)
Microscopic – So small that it can only be seen with a microscope (अत्यंत बारीक या सूक्ष्म)
Synthesize – To make or produce something chemically (निर्माण करना / बनाना)
Sustained – Maintained for a long time (लगातार जारी रखना)
Forecast – To tell about the future in advance (भविष्यवाणी या अनुमान)
Prognosis – A statement about what will happen in the future (भविष्य की संभावना का आकलन)
Pristine – Pure and fresh, untouched by humans (पवित्र, साफ और अछूता)
Aura – A special feeling or atmosphere around a place (आभामंडल या वातावरण)
Desolation – Complete emptiness and loneliness (सूनापन या वीरानी)