Chapter 2.2 A True Story of Sea Turtles Solutions

Maharashtra State Board Class 9 English Kumarbharati Solutions Chapter 2.2 A True Story of Sea Turtles

English Kumarbharati 9th Solutions Chapter 2.2 A True Story of Sea Turtles Textbook Questions and Answers

Warming up

It is our world, too!

1. Observe the following photographs. What is common among all these animals? They are all endangered species. They are likely to die out completely, one of the reasons being human activity in their habitat. If these animals could think and speak like humans, what would they say?

Form groups of 5 – 8. Prepare short autobiographical speeches for each of these animals (10 – 15 lines). Use the following points:

(b) Monkey:
(Points: proper name rhesus macaque – herbivorous – eats fruits, seeds, roots,. bark, cereals, etc. – found mostly in Asia – friendly and comes close to human habitations – in demand for research programmes because close to humans in behaviour – intelligent – fear of diseases being spread through these animals – important part of ecosystem.)

(c) Indian wild dog or the Dhole:
Hi there! You may wonder who I am, for I am not as popular as some of the other animals. I am called ‘dhole’, or the red wolf, or the Indian wild dog. I live only in Asia, in the mountainous regions, generally in the forested areas.

I am a very social animal and live together with my whole family. I am reddish in colour, and my home is a ‘den’. I am carnivorous, and mostly hunt during the day. My food is deer, monkeys, buffaloes, etc. I compete with tigers and leopards for food. I am endangered today because of the loss of the habitat in which I live and lack of food.

There is severe competition from other species too. I am also hunted for fun by humans. Unfortunately, many diseases have been transferred to me from domestic dogs, and many of my family members are dying due to these diseases. Today, there are less than 2,500 of us adults left. I ask you for your help in my conservation. Thank you.

(d) Whale:
(Points: marine animal – mammal – largest animal on earth – extinction due to overfishing, pollution, etc. – help regulate the flow of food – ensure that certain species do not overpopulate the ocean and threaten others.)

2. Hold a classroom discussion on the following topics and later on, expand the themes on your own. (10 – 15 lines)

(b) Should we conserve only the most beautiful and most useful things in nature?
(Points: what is beautiful to one may be dangerous to others – example: leopards seem beautiful to city dwellers but are dangerous to villagers – many animals like pollinating insects, bees, slugs – not beautiful but useful – nothing useless – every animal and plant contributes to the ecosystem in some way or the other – nothing should be allowed to become extinct.)

(c) What is ‘beautiful’ or ‘useful’? Who has the right to decide that?
(Points: no one is judge of what is useful and what is beautiful – no one has the right to decide that – beauty lies in the eyes of beholder – what is beautiful to one may be dangerous to others – we: must live in such a way so as to conserve as much flora and fauna as possible.)

English Workshop:

1. Form groups. Discuss the first two paragraphs. Try to present their content in the form of a series of conversations among the (a) volunteers (b) the volunteers and the villagers.

b. Conversation between the volunteers and the villagers:
Answer:

2. Prepare a short note on sea turtles with the help of the information given in the passage.

The eggs hatch after a period of 40-50 days, using natural heat. Innumerable dangers await the eggs on the land and the hatchlings in the deep sea, and they have to face them all on their own. Their survival rate is therefore very low. Turtles perform an important function – they keep the sea clean. Thus they occupy an important place in marine ecology.

3. Prepare a poster to illustrate how the turtle eggs were/are protected. Include the following in the poster.