Q1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: The titanic, in its watery grave, is a great museum of human history and is at risk of being lost forever because of curious voyagers and treasure hunters, fears Bob Ballard, who first discovered the remains of the iconic ship in 1985. Famous for discovering the great ship. Ballard is a former US Navy Officer and a professor of oceanography. 2. Titanic is a museum of human history without door and guard. I am deeply concerned about not only the Titanic but all the ancient history that is now at risk. If we cannot save this iconic ship, then there is very little hope we can save ancient ships. The world should realize that you don't have to go down and take everything and you do not have to do a treasure hunt. This is a common heritage of all of us and if we really want to take steps to preserve human history in the ocean, we need to start with Titanic, Ballard said in a telephonic interview from London. 3. Ballard, as part of a tie-up, is presenting a documentary called "Save the Titanic" on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the great ship - April 15, 1912. The ship and her fate continue to fascinate, largely because of the horror that took place that night, with 1,522 passengers and crew losing their lives. 4. Ballard says that despite being on the ocean floor for 100 years, the ship is full of human footprints "You will find
pairs of shoes everywhere. The sea and the life below has claimed everything but they do not know what to do with shoes so you wilL find a pair of mother's shoes next to her little daughter and that's their gravestone. At her wreckage, we almost felt that we were surrounded by the lifeboat of all the people that were in the water at that spot"
5. Ballard says that the fate of Titanic continues to fascinate so many years after it sank because it is "irony personified in history. The story has all the ingredients to make it timelessly fascinating. You have this revolutionary ship that's unsinkable and carrying a cross section of people in society. And then it goes and hits an iceberg and sinks on its maiden journey. It's an irony personified in history 6. Talking about his discovery, which came after great research and 75 years later, Ballard, says it was a somber moment went the first spotted the boiler o the Titanic. "In the 90s, advanced technology gave us double diving capabilities in the Atlantic Ocean. I knew that the Titanic was sitting at almost 12,000 feet. What led me to her discovery was a simple technique that I followed. We decided to look for the debris trail instead of the ship". 7. Ballard says the ship, if preserved well and not subjected to constant submarine journeys, will last for a long time on the Atlantic floor. The deep sea, because of its darkness, its cold temperatures and its great pressure, creates a high state of preservation. With A little caution, we can protect the Titanic for future generations to visit. 8. Ballard has also connected to the people of Belfast, who refused to talk about the tragedy "The ship's construction took place at Belfast. After the tragedy, families of the workers refused to talk about it because of the shame and
sadness in the loss of life involved 1.1 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the best of the given choices:-1 x 4= 4
(a) The Titanic sank on (1) its
100th anniversary (ii) 15th April 1912
( an iconic voyage in 1985
(iv) leaving the port of Belfast
(b) The Titanic continues to attract attention because
it is irony personified in history
(1) its advanced technology gave double diving technologies
() it is a treasure hunt (iv) it is a common need
(c) Ballard's documentary on the Titanic is titled
() a museum of human history (ii)the titanic
(i) save the Titanic (iv) 75 years later
(d) Bob Ballard is a
(0) Former US Navy Officer (i) A professor of oceanography
() Bath (i) and () (iv) None of the above
1.2 Answer the following question briefly: (a) What happened on April 15,1912?
(b) Who is Bob Ballard and what did he discover? (c) Why does Bob Ballard call it a museum of human history? (d) Why did the people of Belfast refuse to talk about Titanic? (e) What did Ballard do as part of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic? (f) Explain it is irony personified."
1.3 Find the words from the passage which mean the same as (a) first of its kind
(b) very solemn or serious
Answers
Explanation:
1.1
(a) 15 April 1912
(b) It is irony personified in history
(c) Save the Titanic
(d) Both (i) and (ii)
1.2
(a) On April 15, 1912 the Titanic ship, on its maiden journey, hit an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean.
(b) Ballard presented a documentary called “Save the Titanic” as part of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic.
(c) Ballard saw the ship full human footprints. He saw pairs of shoes everywhere in the ship and lifeboats around it.
(d) After the sinking of the ship, the people of Belfast refused to talk about the tragedy because of the shame and sadness.
The answers are as follows:
Question 1.1
a. ii) 15th April 1912.
b. i) It is irony personified in history.
c. i) Save the Titanic.
d. iii) Both (i) and (ii)
Question 1.2
a. On April 15, 1912, the iconic ship Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean after it hit an iceberg on its maiden journey.
b. Bob Ballard is a former US Navy Officer and a professor of Oceanography.
He discovered the iconic Titanic ship in 1985.
c. Bob Ballard considers Titanic a museum of human history because it contains the treasures of the past. It is the witness of a terrible incident that happened on the Atlantic Ocean. It still has a few remains like shoes and footprints of the humans who boarded the ship.
d. The workers of Belfast were responsible for the construction of the Titanic. After the tragedy, they refused to talk about it because of shame and sadness over the loss of lives involved in the accident.
e. Ballard presented a documentary named 'Save the Titanic' on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
f. Irony refers to a contradictory situation. Titanic was called the Dream Ship which, could never sink. However, it sank on its first journey. It is an irony, which has been personified. This irony has been given an almost emotional, personal value and characteristics.
Question 1.3
a. Iconic
b. caution