Discuss the following in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.
1. Scientific intervention is necessary to unearth buried mysteries.
2. Advanced technology gives us conclusive evidence of past events.
3. Traditions, rituals and funerary practices must be respected.
4. Knowledge about the past is useful to complete our knowledge of the world we live in.
1. In the motion:
As king Tut died in small age so various mystery was buried along him in his tomb. His tomb was made with gold and all luxuries were there. So people were speculating about him. So scientific intervention helped to clear the unclear mystery behind the death of king Tut. So scientific intervention is necessary to unearth buried mysteries.
Against the motion:
Scientists should use their science for making resources for the country and people and to make everyone’s life easy. They should not touch the cultural values and emotional values of the people and they should let all the mysteries and past buried with them. By finding, researching about the past is just the wastage of time and money so they should use their science for the people not to hurt sentiments of people.
2. In the motion:
Advanced technologies gives the clear view of past and its mysteries. It helps to give conclusion to any mystery. As in case of king Tut, the advanced technology like CT scans and X-ray machines helped them to make Tut’s clear images of his body and 3D face images. And concluded that nothing suspicious had happened with king Tut.
Against the motion:
I completely disagrees with the advanced in technologies gives conclusive result and evidence. It is not true in all the cases it gives true and real evidence however, evidence can be made fake and it would be unfair with sentiments of people to touch the history of anyone. The test can describe the time period of anyone’s death but not the exact reason of his death.
3. In the motion:
This world is full of tradition, rituals and funerary practices. So it should be respected by everyone to anyone’s history. In some cultures the dead bodies
are buried in the earth as it is believed that by doing so the person who have died will get the peace so we should not touch their rituals and cultures. And in this case Tut’s body was chiseled out and all these process hurts the tradition, rituals, and funerary practices.
Against the motion:
As time passed and development took place. And all the mystery related to past must be carried out in front of us so that all the speculations would be cleared to everyone. By doing so all the superstitions and mysteries can be brought in front of us. And we can know the how people used to live in that period of time and it will increase the knowledge.
4. In the motion:
We live in the world where modernization and development took place. And as time passes we get to know about the past mistakes and incidents and it helps for better understanding and more development. By knowing about our ancestors we get to know about their lifestyle and cultures of that time and it passes to us and to the future generation.
Against the motion:
We are in the era where development is more necessary and these rituals, cultures and past will not help us to survive in today’s competitive and struggling time. The knowledge about the past can give only some information but not the progress.
(i) List the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as “wacky”.
(ii) What were the results of the CT scan?
(iii) List the advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis.
(iv) Explain the statement, “King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned — in death, as in life...”
What do you think are the reasons for the extinction of languages?
Give reasons for the following.
(i) King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
(ii) Howard Carter’s investigation was resented.
(iii) Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the king’s remains.
(iv) Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures.
(v) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun.
In what ways do you think we could help prevent the extinction of languages and dialects?
Do you think it is important to preserve languages?
The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
(i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.
(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui.
Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Comment on the attitude shown by Taplow towards Crocker-Harris.
List the steps taken by the captain
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.
Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
(i) What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’?
(ii) Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and what is the nature of his contribution to art?
What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Does Frank seem to encourage Taplow’s comments on Crocker-Harris?
Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.
“The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within.”
Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
(i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.
(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui.
How does the story suggest that optimism helps to endure “the direst stress”?
We have come across words like ‘gale’ and ‘storm’ in the account. Here are two more words for ‘storm’: typhoon, cyclone. How many words does your language have for ‘storm’?
Does Frank seem to encourage Taplow’s comments on Crocker-Harris?
List the steps taken by the captain
(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began.
(ii) to check the flooding of the water in the ship.
Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
‘Catamaran’ is a kind of a boat. Do you know which Indian language this word is derived from? Check the dictionary.
Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?