Gujarat Board GSEB Class 11 English Textbook Solutions Writing Skills Summarising Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Summarising GSEB Std 11 English Grammar
Summarising:
What is summarising?
Summarising involves taking the main ideas from a piece of text and rewriting them in your own words. A summary is significantly shorter than the original text and tends to give an overview of a topic area.
Tips for summarising:
- Highlight the main ideas in the text you want to summarise (do not include any minor details)
- Combine these ideas together in your own words
- Correctly Interpret the original
- Do not include your own opinion or add extra information
- Use your own words and not those of the original author (unless using quotation marks)
- Remember to cite your source using a recognised referencing format
- Keep reminding your reader that you are summarizing the work of someone else:
The author goes on to say that …
The text further states that …
Question 1.
The environment should not be sacrificed in the name of development. This is especially so in forest reserve areas where logging is strictly prohibited. No one has the right to cut down the trees there, including licensed logging firms. All catchment area fall under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act, 1959. Any encroachment into these catchment areas will affect the quality and quantity of water.
As we know, deforestation causes irreversible ecological damage that will lead to soil pollution. It hastens soil erosion which in turn affects water quality. This will then result in higher cost of water treatment. Trees are therefore important for the protection of water catchment, carbon balance, evapotranspiration, photosynthesis and production of wood.
Answer:
Forest reserves protected by law, are strictly prohibited from logging. The trees protect the catchment areas and maintain the ecological balance. Any trees felled in the reserves will cause soil erosion and affect the quantity and quality of water, raising the cost of water treatment.
Question 2.
To see a tiger in the wild these days is becoming near impossible. They are becoming extinct. If once upon a time, tigers roamed freely in thousands in different parts of Asia, today they number only a few hundred.
One of the major reasons why the tiger is losing the battle to stay alive is because of the belief that the tiger is a valuable medicinal source.
People in Asia especially, believe that every single part of the tiger holds medicinal properties. For example, they believe that the eye of the tiger can improve our vision and their blood can make us strong. Because of this, the tiger is hunted.
Illegal hunters or poachers can fetch great sums of money for a single tiger and they are not afraid to risk their lives in search of the tigers in the wild. Although tigers are strong, fierce animals, they cannot challenge the might of the weapons used by the hunters which are too powerful and fast. Park rangers stand by unable to do much against the hunters. Moreover, there are too few rangers to patrol the large areas of land.
It would indeed be sad if one day, the only tiger we will ever see is the stuffed one in the museum. If we continue buying tiger products and keeping quiet about this whole issue, that day may come sooner than expected. I certainly hope not.
Answer:
Today, the tiger is becoming extinct because of many reasons. In many Asian countries, tigers are hunted because people believe that each part of the tiger has medicinal properties. Although fierce and strong, the tiger cannot challenge the poachers’ powerful weapons. Park rangers too are helpless against the hunters and cannot patrol the vast areas to protect the tigers.
Question 3.
Good morning, boys and girls. With the PMR examination looming around the corner, I know many of you are worried. Well, this morning, I would like to share with you some tips on how you can do better in your studies. The first thing you need to do is to plan your time.
Work out a timetable and fit in your studies as well as your other activities. Devote more time to subjects that you’re weak in. I’m not telling you that you cannot do anything except study. What is important is that you prioritize. Once that is done, you’ll be able to focus your time and energy where they are needed most.
Besides that, you need to decide on a study method that works for you. Some students prefer group study, while others like to work on their own. If your method of studying right now does not yield the kind of results that you want, it’s time you consider other methods.
Choose a place that is suitable for you to study. Do not prefer your room or would you rather sit in the library and do your revision? ideally, the place you choose should be free from distractions so that you can concentrate on the work at hand.
There really is no magic formula to do well. You need to revise regularly. Spend some time each day going through what was taught in school. This way, you will not have tons of revision to do as the exams draw near.
Well, boys and girls, I wish you all the best in the coming examination. Thank you.
Answer:
If you want to excel in your studies, you must first make a timetable for your studies and daily activities. Then, learn to prioritize these activities. Next, find a study method that works for you. You also need to choose a place that is conducive for studying. However, the most important thing is to do your revision regularly.
Question 4.
A tertiary education is an investment for your future. It is giving three to five years of your life towards what you will eventually do with your life and for many of you, your journey begins right after O level. Therefore, you need to make this decision wisely. Here are some pointers to help you make informed decisions about the college you want to enrol in.
Before choosing a college, you should first know what you want to study. Check the list of online colleges and universities for those that offer what you want and select the ones that meet your requirement. You may also want to find out about the location of your campus.
Would you rather be close to home or do you want to be as far away and as independent as possible? It is also best to find out as much as you can about housing arrangements before you decide on an institution of higher learning to reduce any hassle later. Some colleges offer on-campus accommodation or will help you look for outside accommodation. Last but not least, make sure you have the finances to see you through your studies as college education can be expensive.
Answer:
There are a few things to consider before you enrol in a college. You first need to choose a course you are interested in and then choose a college that offers that course. You also need to consider the location of the college and make arrangements for accommodation. Finally, make sure you have the finances to complete your college education.
Question 5.
Dear Mum,
I’m having a great time here in Pangkor. My. friends and I have been spending our days swimming in the sea. The water is warm and inviting. In fact, we are enjoying ourselves so much that we would only get out of the water when the sunsets. We also enjoy water sports activities such as jet skiing and parasailing.
Yesterday, we took a boat to another island off the west coast to do some fishing. We didn’t catch any fish though, just some old shoes and plastic bottles! We also took a day tour around the island that offered us a glimpse of some historical sights that date back to the time of the Dutch rule.
The tour also included visits to some cottage industries such as a batik-making factory. The nights are the best for us. The streets come alive with little stalls selling all sorts of things and we really like strolling along the streets then.
We will be leaving the island tomorrow to continue our journey up north to Penang. I will write again soon to tell you about my adventures there. Bye.
Love,
Nicole.
Answer:
There are many things that one can do in Pangkor. Firstly, one can go swimming or enjoy water sports activities. The seas around are also great for fishing. Besides that, one can visit historical sites on the island. If one is interested in cottage industries, one can drop by the batik factory. Moreover, one can shop at the night bazaars.
Question 6.
Being overweight makes many of us unhappy. There may be many reasons for our weight problem. Weight problems often run in the family. It could be a case of us overeating to make ourselves feel better when we are sad, stressed or lonely.
The issue of weight loss is a tricky one. A lot of people are unhappy with their present weight, but most are not sure how to change it. You may want to look like the models or actors in magazines and on television but those goals might not be healthy or realistic for you.
Weight management is about long-term success. People who lose weight quickly by crash dieting or other extreme measures usually gain back all, if not more, of the pounds they lost because they have not permanently changed their habits. Therefore, the best weight management strategies are those that you can maintain for a lifetime.
This means that if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change much more than just what you eat. You have to change how and when you eat. Equally important, you have to start exercising or exercise more often. Most people who lose weight and keep it off do three things. First, they find out why they are overweight. Second, they follow a healthy eating plan. Third, they exercise regularly.
A new diet may help you lose weight for a little while. However, the weight often comes back unless you find new ways to deal with the problems that are leading to your weight gain. This may mean learning new ways to handle stress, finding ways to feel less lonely or talking with a counsellor about your feelings.
You should follow a healthy diet that you like and that you can follow. The diet should be low in fats and sugar but high in fibre. Your doctor or a nutritionist can give you advice on what kinds of food are healthy choices. Remember to watch portion sizes. A healthy portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards. A healthy portion of rice or pasta is about the size of your fist. Read the nutrition labels on food before you buy it. If you need help understanding the labels, ask your doctor or a nutritionist to explain them.
Most diets are designed to make you lose a great deal of weight in the beginning. This is to encourage you. In actual fact, what you lose is mostly water and muscle. The water comes right back when you eat salty or processed food again. Losing weight is an uphill task and also takes time. So try not to get discouraged. Your effort will be worth it.
The key is to keep trying to eat the right food. The following are a few suggestions to help you change your diet. Make small, slow changes. Then, it will be easier to make the changes a part of your everyday life. For every few days, write down what you eat and drink that day. Use this record to help you see if you need to eat more from any food group such as fruits, vegetables or low-fat dairy products.
If you have a medical problem that requires a special diet, make sure you ask for help from your family doctor or a nutritionist. It is not advisable to do it on our own.
Answer:
Losing weight should be about long-term success. Those who lose weight quickly by crash dieting usually gain back all, if not more, of the weight they lost because they have not permanently changed’ their habits. The best weight management strategies can be maintained for a lifetime.
This means changing how and when you eat. You also need to start exercising. Doing these three things will help find out why you are overweight, follow a healthy eating plan and exercise regularly. Find new ways to deal with weight gain by learning new ways to handle stress and talking with a counsellor if you need to. Follow a healthy diet that is low in fat and sugar but high in fiber. Losing weight is not easy but the effort is worth it.
Textbook Activity Pg No. 96
Read the text below and summarise it: Green Sahara-The Great Desert Where Hippos Once Wallowed
The Sahara sets a standard for dry land. It’s the world’s largest desert. Relative humidity can drop into the low single digits. There are places where it rains only about once a century. There are people who reach the end of their lives without ever seeing water come from the sky.
Yet beneath the Sahara are vast aquifers of freshwater, enough liquid to a small sea. It is fossil water, a treasure laid down in prehistoric times, some of it possibly a million years old. Just 6,000-years-ago, .the Sahara was a much different place.
It was green. Prehistoric rock art in the Sahara shows something surprising: hippopotamuses, which need year-round water. “We don’t have much evidence of a tropical paradise out there, but we had something perfectly liveable”, says Jennifer Smith, a geologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
The Green Sahara was the product of the migration of the paleo-monsoon. In the same way that ice ages come and go, so too do monsoons migrate north and south. The dynamics of earth’s motion are responsible. The tilt of the earth’s axis varies in a regular cycle – sometimes the planet is more tilted towards the sun, sometimes less so. The axis also wobbles like a spinning top. The date of the earth’s perihelion – its closest approach to the sun-varies in cycle as well.
At times when the Northern Hemisphere tilts sharply towards the sun and the planet makes its closest approach, the increased blast of sunlight during the north’s summer months can cause the African monsoon (which currently occurs between the Equator and roughly 17° N latitude) to shift to the north as it did 10,000-years-ago, inundating North Africa. Around 5,000 years ago the monsoon shifted dramatically southward again.
The prehistoric inhabitants of the Sahara discovered that their relatively green surroundings were undergoing something worse than a drought (and perhaps they migrated towards the Nile Valley, where Egyptian culture began to flourish at around the same time.)
“We’re learning, and only in recent years, that some climate changes in the past have been as rapid as anything underway today,” says Robert Giegengack, a University of Pennsylvania geologist.
As the land dried out and vegetation decreased, the soil lost its ability to hold water when it did rain. Fewer clouds formed from evaporation. When it rained, the water washed away and evaporated quickly. There was a kind of runaway drying effect. By 4,000-years-ago the Sahara had become what it is today.
No one knows how human-driven climate change may alter the Sahara in the future. It’s something scientists can ponder while sipping bottled fossil water pumped from underground. “It’s the best water in Egypt,” Giegengack said-clean, refreshing mineral water. If you want to drink something good, try the ancient buried treasure of the Sahara.
Joel Achenbach
Staff Writer, Washington Post
Answer:
Sahara is the world’s largest desert. Yet beneath its surface could be found vast aquifers of freshwater. The basis of the huge ‘buried treasure’ of water was laid down in prehistoric times. The water found is clean and refreshing. 6000-years- ago, Sahara was quite a different place. It was full of greenery and water. Prehistoric rock-art of Sahara indicates the presence of hippopotamuses which need water round the year.
Migration of Paleo-monsoon to the Sahara region led to its wet and, rainy climatic conditions. Later, around 5000-years-ago, the monsoon shifted towards south, leaving Sahara in a state of drought. This led the inhabitants to migrate to the Nile Valley. The shift in the earth’s axis and decreased precipitation left the place dried out. Consequently, the soil lost its ability to hold water and vegetation decreased. For the past 4000 years, Sahara has remained the same.