NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 7 - The Adventure

1. Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.

Blow-by-blow account

De facto

Morale booster

Astute

Relegated to

Doctored accounts

Political acumen

Gave vent to

Ans: 

A blow-by-blow account means a detailed account. In the text, this expression is used when Prof. Gangadharpant tries to understand the consequence of the Battle of Panipat by reading the book on this topic.

De facto refers to the existence of something, whether with lawful authority or not. In the text, Peshwas is referred to as the de facto ruler because the Mughal regime in Delhi was kept alive by them.

A morale booster indicates anything that increases confidence or morale. In the text, this expression occurs when it is told that the Battle of Panipat was won by the Marathas due to which their morale increased and gave them the confidence to exert their supremacy all over the country.

Astute means practical hard-headed intelligence. This word is used in the text to show the intelligence of Peshwas for recognizing the importance of the technological age arising in Europe.

'Relegated to' refers to when someone is assigned to a lower position or rank. In the text, it is shown that after the Battle of Panipat, Dadasaheb who was a Maratha chieftain, was assigned to a lower position.

Doctored accounts mean manipulating the accounts. The expression in the text is used to convey that the Bakhars were providing the manipulated accounts of history and not the original historical facts.

Political acumen means political shrewdness with sharp insight. In the text, it is used to show how Madhavrao and Vishwasrao spread their influence all over the country with their shrewdness.

Give vent to means to express one’s ideas or feelings. In the text, Professor Gaitonde expresses his ideas on the Battle of Panipat in the public lecture.

Understanding the Text

Tick the statements that are true.

(i) The story is an account of real events.

(ii) The story hinges on a particular historical event.

(iii) Rajendra Deshpande was a historian.

(iv) The places mentioned in the story are all imaginary.

(v) The story tries to relate history to science.

Ans:

(i) False

(ii) True

(iii) False

(iv) False 

(v) True

Briefly explain the following statements from the text.

1. “You neither traveled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a different world.”

Ans: Rajendra says this to Professor Gaitonde. He makes a transition from one world to the other and then back again. He is able to experience different worlds, although one at a time, through a transition. He does not travel to the past or even to the future. He is in the present but experiences a different world. 

2. “You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic experience.”

Ans: Rajendra makes this statement to Professor Gaitonde in the text. Gangadhar has gone through a  weird experience. He experiences living in two worlds – the one where he lives now and the other where he spent two days. 

3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing around him.

Ans: Gangadhar compares two Indias that he saw. He knew about an India which saw the fall of the Peshwas and was under British slavery. Then he talks about India which he saw in two days. It was completely different. It was not a slave of the British. It was independent and had self-respect. He was comparing both these countries – the one he already knew and the one he was seeing around him. Both these countries had very different histories.

4. “The lack of determinism in quantum theory!”

Ans: Professor Gaitonde thinks about going to a big library in Bombay and looking through some history books to find out what has led to the present state of affairs. He has a long conversation with Rajendra Deshpande, on his return to Pune. He hopes to get some help from Rajendra to comprehend what happened.

5. “You need some interaction to cause a transition.”

Ans: The British Raj controlled Bombay. An Anglo Indian wearing a uniform checked the permits. The tiny Union Jack was painted on each of the blue carriages of GBMR. The Victoria terminus was very neat and clean. The staff mostly had Anglo Indians and Parsee and a few British officers.

Talking with the text

Discuss the following statements in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.

1. A single event may change the course of the history of a nation.

Ans: 

For- 

A single event may change the course of the history of a nation. For example, The Battle of Panipat is considered to be the turning point in the history of India. The Marathas lost it to the forces of Ahmed Shah Abdali. The history of India changed after this event. The foreign forces took over the country eventually. In the text, it is shown that in the beginning, Professor Gaitonde was preparing to give a speech on how history would have turned out if the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. This tells us how important an event could be in the history of a country. 

Against- 

The statement that “A single event may change the course of the history of a nation” is based on perspective only. It is a relative truth. We cannot just claim that anyone course of events is a reality because there could be alternative outcomes of a single event in history. Since there could be alternative outcomes, it is not fruitful to the debate over a single course. In the text, a different version of the Battle of Panipat has been revealed to Professor Gaitonde in which the Marathas won it. After that, the Marathas expand their influence all over the country and India never succumbs to the foreign forces. So it is not tenable to argue that a single course of events may change the course of history. There could be alternative outcomes following the event as well.

2. Reality is what is directly experienced through the senses.

Ans: 

For – 

For us, our different senses – a sense of touch, taste, sight, smell and hear, provide the base or facts about the world we are surrounded by. Every experience comes through these senses and serves as a source of knowledge to us. Only what is experienced by the senses is considered reality. Anything which is not revealed to the senses is unreal and does not exist.

Against – 

Reality is not always experienced by the senses. There are so many things that our senses cannot feel. Like atoms and molecules, but they are real and they do exist. Because we cannot sense them, we cannot accurately understand the behavior of these entities. In the text, Rajendra moots this point by telling about the discoveries made by the scientists about the behavior of atoms. A prediction can be made regarding the position of a bullet fired in a particular direction but the direction of an electron fired from a source cannot be predicted. This shows that there could be alternative realities existing as well and it is not just restricted to what is revealed to the senses.

3. The methods of inquiry of history, science, and philosophy are similar.

Ans:

For – 

In the text, we can see that the perspectives of History, Science, and Philosophy converge towards the same point of focus. In history, the course of past events is understood by the methods of observation, analysis, and rationalism. The methods involved in science are – observation, experimentation, and analysis. The most fundamental principle in science is Rationalism. Philosophy follows a methodology based on thorough criticism.

Philosophy includes examining everything like methodology and assumptions of science and other disciplines like history. In the text, we can see History, Philosophy, and Science converging as Professor Gaitonde experiences a completely different consequence of the Battle of Panipat where the Marathas come out as victorious, which is completely contradictory to the version given in History textbooks where the Marathas lose. Prof. Gaitonde failed to understand the rationality of all this. Later, Rajendra interceded and tried to explain this with the help of the catastrophic theory. This theory is used by scientists to understand the behavior of atoms. Here, we can see Science and History are converging. Philosophy follows the same viewpoint where reality is not absolute but relative. This shows that the methods of inquiry employed in History, Science, and Philosophy are rather similar.

Against – 

In the text, when Rajendra tries to explain Gaitonde's experience by using the Catastrophic theory, it convinces Gaitonde. However, it does not impress us enough. The phenomenon of the physical world could be explained using the Catastrophic theory but History is about the behavioral world, showing the behaviors of the people and society. Thus the method of inquiry varies individually. Philosophy has a speculative method of inquiry that even questions rationalism. The methods of Science and History do not converge with that of philosophy. They are not similar. This text “The Adventure” is basically trying to show the convergence of Science, History, and Philosophy. However, in reality, all of these disciplines employ different methods of inquiry according to the matter of the subject.

4. Why do you think Prof. Gaitonde decides never to preside over meetings again?

Ans:

Prof. Gaitonde experiences a completely different consequence of the Battle of Panipat where the Marathas emerge victoriously and then they extend their influence all over the country. His mind witnesses a different version of a historical event. However, he also experiences an event that does not conform to the conventions. The event is actually a lecture session on the outcome of the Battle of Panipat. Prof. Gaitonde observes that the President’s chair was vacant which was contrary to the conventions and he rushed to occupy the chair. He then starts to explain why there is a need for a President in a lecture session like this one. The public gets mad and starts throwing things at him. He has a horrible experience and thus decides not to preside over meetings again.

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter The Adventure - Free PDF Download

English literature and studies have seen changes for more than 1400 years. Therefore, studying this language requires an in-depth knowledge of the rich history associated with each age.

The Adventure NCERT solutions Class 11 speaks about the history of Marathas and Indian rebellion of 1857. This solution by NCERT is written in a simple language with questions focussing on the duality of the complexities of a human mind.

Moreover, these solutions are available in PDF format for the ease of students. You can easily download the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter The Adventure pdf for free with just a single pressing of the mouse button on the pdf link given below.

NCERT's explanation is written in a format to help a student secure good grades in their exam.

Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 7 The Adventure

The Adventure Class 11 NCERT solutions are prepared in a format that explains hidden meaning behind a character's action. The questions are easy to understand and are perfect for a CBSE student.

There are five questions in total with answers in the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Chapter The Adventure.

Question 1 in Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 7 The Adventure

Solution: Students are required to infer the meaning of terms like blow by blow account, de-facto, morale booster, astute, relegated to, political acumen and given vent to. The solution defines the terms relating to the events in the Chapter.

Question 2 in NCERT Solutions of Chapter The Adventure Class 11

Solution: This second question wants students to mark the statements true or false. 'The information like the story is based on real events', 'Rajendra Despande was a historian', and 'The places mentioned in the story are imaginary' is incorrect. While statements like the story hinges on a particular historical event and the story tries to relate history to science are correct or true.

Question 3 in The Adventure Class 11th NCERT Solutions

Solution: In the third question of The Adventure NCERT solutions Class 11, the young students are needed to explain the statements briefly.'You neither travelled to the past nor the future…' is said by  Rajendra to Prof. Gaitonde after he revealed his vision.  The next statement 'You have passed through a fantastic experience...' is also made by Rajendra when Gaitonde narrated his catastrophe story. 'Gangadhar Pant couldn't help comparing the country…', this statement is caused by an author who through professors' vision shows complexities of the human mind. The last two statements are also made by the author who envisions an independent India and the reason behind professor Gaitonde meeting Rajendra

Question 4 in NCERT Solution of The Adventure Class 11

Solution: The students in this question need to discuss the statement in groups of two pairs, taking an opposite point of view. The statement like a single event may change the course of the history of a nation portrays that if a person applies catastrophic theory in understanding history, then there may be alternative outcomes of an event.

The second statement reality is what experienced through senses is a point put forward by Rajendra; he tries to explain that reality is not what is directly revealed; instead, there can be an existence of alternative realities.

The third statement discusses the core message behind the Chapter that the three disciplines history, science and philosophy have to employ different methods of inquiry vis-à-vis the subject matter.

Question 5 in NCERT Solution of Class 11 English Chapter The Adventure

Solution: This last question in The Adventure NCERT solutions Class 11, asks students why professor Gaitonde decided never to preside over meetings again. Students have to explain that the harrowing outcome of the incident when Gaitionde tried to occupy a presidential chair led him to this decision.

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Students have to prepare well for their exam and referring to The Adventure NCERT solutions Class 11 will ease out the process.

Practising questions from these solutions will be helpful owing to the following points:

• Solutions are written in simple and easy to understand language for the comfort of students.

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