The Summit Within

AP/ NCERT Class 8  Honeydew Textbook  Solution, Textual Notes 

Prose - 5 The Summit Within

Choose the right item. 

1. Standing on Everest, the writer was 

(i) overjoyed. ✔

(ii) very sad. 

(iii) jubilant and sad. 

He was overjoyed because he had reached the highest point in the world, but he was sad because he had had to descend to reach the real world. 

2. The emotion that gripped him was one of 

(i) victory over hurdles. 

(ii) humility and a sense of smallness. ✔

(iii) greatness and self importance. 

(iv) joy of discovery. 

3. Mark the item(s) not relevant. 

 “The summit of the mind” refers to 

(i) great intellectual achievements. ✔

(ii) the process of maturing mentally and spiritually. 

(iii) overcoming personal ambition for common welfare. ✔

(iv) living in the world of thought and imagination. 

(v) the triumph of mind over worldly pleasures for a noble cause. ✔

(vi) a fuller knowledge of oneself. 

Working with Text 

1. Answer the following. 

(i) What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb? 

Endurance, persistence, and willpower are three attributes that aided the author's ascent. 

(ii) Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable? 

Adventure is risky but fun. Despite challenges, people enjoy overcoming them. Everest, the highest mountain, is often climbed. Reaching the top brings joy and a sense of accomplishment. It's not just a physical achievement but also emotional and spiritual. Climbing is like winning a war, making it a fulfilling experience.

(iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible? 

Everest, a tall and tough mountain, fascinated him with its beauty, solitude, and challenges. Climbing it demands lots of energy, facing rocks and ice. The journey is tough, risking life, but once at the top, there's joy and a victorious feeling. These make it hard for him to say no.

(iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for fame alone. What does one do it for, really? 

Climbing a mountain needs strength and determination. For climbers, showing these skills is exciting. It's not just physical; it's also about feelings and spirit. Overcoming challenges brings joy and satisfaction, not just for glory, but for the deep desire to achieve, a feeling of victory, and the love of adventure.

(v) “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines an emotion mentioned in the first paragraph. Which is the emotion? 

This awareness describes the emotion of humility. 

(vi) What were the “symbols of reverence” left by members of the team on Everest? 

On Everest, the author left Guru Nanak's picture, Rawat left Goddess Durga's picture, and Phu Dorji left Buddha's relic. Besides these, there was also a cross buried by Edmund Hillary.

(vii) What, according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him? 

Climbing Everest taught the author to confront life challenges. He learned that overcoming inner challenges is as vital as climbing the mountain. He thought inner summits might be taller than Everest.

2. Write a sentence against each of the following statements. Your sentence should explain the statement. You can pick out sentences from the text and rewrite them. The first one has been done for you. 

(i) The experience changes you completely. One who has been to the mountains is never the same again. 

(ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. _______________.

(iii) Mountains are nature at its best ___________.

(iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying __________. 

(v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience ________.

(ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. The display of perseverance, resilience, and willpower in the face of enormous adversity is delightful. 

(iii) Mountains are nature at its best. The mountains' grandeur and majesty present a huge challenge to climbers and serve as a method of communication with God. 

(iv) The going was difficult but the after-effects were satisfying. Climbing the mountains was arduous, but reaching the summit provides a sense of accomplishment and contentment. 

(v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience. The physical act of ascending to the summit of a mountain is akin to the spiritual and immensely fulfilling experience of climbing the mountain within yourself, and any climb will undoubtedly transform you, giving you a sense of being in touch with God.

Working with Language

1. Fill in the blanks in the following dialogues choosing suitable phrases from those given in the brackets.

(at hand        at once        at all        at low ebb        at first eight)

(i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal at once and submit your explanation. Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first? 

(ii) Arun: Are you unwell? 

Ila: No, not at all. Why do you ask? 

Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor. 

(iii) Mary: Almost every Indian film has an episode of love at first sight.

David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries? 

(iv) Asif: You look depressed. Why are your spirits at such a low ebb today? (Use such in the phrase) Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I have never heard before. 

(v) Shieba: Your big moment is close at hand. 

Jyoti: How should I welcome it? 

Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy.

2. Write the noun forms of the following words adding -ance or -ence to each. 

(i) endure: endurance 

(ii) persist: persistence 

(iii) signify: significance 

(iv) confide: confidence 

(v) maintain: maintenance 

(vi) abhor: abhorrence

3. (i) Match words under A with their meanings under B.

A	B
Remote	Difficult to overcome
Means	Most prominent
Dominant	Be overcome/ overpowered
Formidable	Methods
Overwhelmed	Far away from

Answer

A	B
Remote	Far away from
Means	Methods
Dominant	Most prominent
Formidable	Difficult to overcome
Overwhelmed	Be overcome/ overpowered

(ii) Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with appropriate words from under A. 

(a) There were ________ obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely. 

(b) We have no _______ of finding out what happened there. 

(c) Why he lives in a house from any town or village is more than I can tell.

(d) _______ by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice. 

(e) The old castle stands in a position above the sleepy town.

(ii) 

(a) formidable  

(b) Means

(c) Remote

(d) Overwhelmed

(e) Dominant