Question

8. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
BIRTH OF A PEARL
1. The birth of a pearl is truly a miraculous event. Unlike gemstones or precious metals that
must be mined from the earth, pearls are grown by live oysters far below the surface of the
sea. Gemstones must be cut and polished to bring out their beauty. But pearls need no such
treatment to reveal their loveliness. They are born from oysters complete with a shimmering
iridescence, lustre and soft inner glow unlike any other gem on earth.
2. A natural pearl begins its life as a foreign object, such as a parasite or piece of shell which
accidentally lodges itself in an oyster's soft inner body from where it cannot be expelled. To
ease this irritant, the oyster's body takes defensive action. The oyster begins to secrete a smooth,
hard crystalline substance around the irritant in order to protect itself. This substance is called
'nacre. As long as the irritant remains within its body, the oyster will continue to secrete nacre
around it, layer upon layer. Over time, the irritant will be completely encased by the silky
crystalline coatings. And the result, ultimately, is the lovely and lustrous gem called a pearl.
3. How something so wondrous emerges from an oyster's way of protecting itself is one of nature's
loveliest surprises. For the nacre is not just a soothing substance. It is composed of microscopic
crystals of calcium carbonate, aligned perfectly with one another, so that light passing along
the axis of one crystal reflected and refracted by another to produce a rainbow of light and
colour.
4. Cultured pearls share the same properties as natural pearls. Oysters form cultured pearls in an
almost identical fashion. The only difference is a person carefully implants the irritant in the
oyster, rather than leaving it to chance. We then step aside and let nature create its miracle.
5. Earlier, pearl cultivation depended entirely on wild oysters. But modern pearl cultivation has
become more selective.
6. In a process referred to as 'nucleation,' also called 'grafting' or 'seeding,' highly skilled
technicians carefully open live pearl oysters, and with surgical precision make an incision in
the oyster's body. Then, they place a tiny piece of 'mantle tissue' from another oyster into a
relatively safe location. After this, they place a small round piece of shell, or 'nucleus,' beside
the inserted mantle tissue. The cells from the mantle tissue develop around the nucleus forming
a sac, that closes and starts to secrete nacre, the crystalline substance that forms the pearl.
7. The nucleated oysters are then returned to the sea where, in sheltered bays rich in nutrients,
they feed and grow, depositing layer after layer of lustrous nacre around the nuclei implanted
within them.
Source: www.lesterandbrown.com
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Worksheet English -8​

Answer 1

ans2 the process where highly skilled technicians carefully open live pearl oysters and with surgical precision make an incision in the oyster's body is known as nucleation.

Grafting and Seeding are the other two names of this process.

Explanation:

I didn't understand Q1. I tried to answer Q2. Hope this helps you :-)