Skip to content

Read the following extract… (Class 12 English 2026, Q8b)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-12-english-2026-301-5-1-q8b-antarctic-experience-full-such-epiphanies

EnglishCBSE Class 12 · Board exam 2026, set 301/5/1 · 4 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 12 English 2026: question 8(b)

Set in the CBSE Class 12 board exam of 2026, paper 301/5/1, section C, question 8(b), for 4 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q8(b) · 4 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedJourney to the End of the Earth

Read the following extract and answer the questions:

My Antarctic experience was full of such epiphanies, but the best occurred just short of the Antarctic Circle at 65.55 degrees south. The Shokalskiy had managed to wedge herself into a thick white stretch of ice between the peninsula and Tadpole Island which was preventing us from going any further. The Captain decided we were going to turn around and head back north, but before we did, we were all instructed to climb down the gangplank and walk on the ocean. So there we were, all 52 of us, kitted out in Gore-Tex and glares, walking on a stark whiteness that seemed to spread out forever. Underneath our feet was a metre-thick ice pack, and underneath that, 180 metres of living, breathing salt water. In the periphery Crabeater seals were stretching and sunning themselves on ice floes much like stray dogs will do under the shade of a banyan tree. It was nothing short of a revelation: everything does indeed connect.
(Journey to the end of the Earth)

  1. (i)

    The author describes the moment near the Antarctic Circle as the best of epiphanies because _________.

    1 mark
  2. (ii)

    The author's experience of walking on the frozen ocean revealed ___________.

    1 mark
  3. (iii)

    Support with evidence from the given extract, the Captain's decision to walk on the ocean.

    1 mark
  4. (iv)

    Which of the following is not a plausible interpretation of the phrase 'living, breathing' used to describe the water beneath the ice?

    1. (A)It evokes a sense of continuous motion and vitality under the frozen surface.
    2. (B)The phrase highlights the contrast between static ice and the dynamic ocean life.
    3. (C)It implies that the ocean lies dormant and lifeless during the winter months.
    4. (D)The words convey the idea that nature remains active even in extreme conditions.
    1 mark

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 301/5/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

The last sentence of the extract gives the epiphany.

Hint 2

What was stopping the ship?

Hint 3

'Living, breathing' suggests the opposite of dormant.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

Verified: two independent solves agree and the official marking scheme matchesChecked 2026-11-01

  1. (i) It was a sudden realisation, a revelation that everything on Earth indeed connects.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) It revealed the vast whiteness that seemed to spread out forever, and that life goes on beneath the ice, so nature stays active even in extreme conditions.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) The ship was wedged in thick ice, so the Captain instructed everyone to climb down the gangplank and walk on the ocean before turning back north.

    1 mark

  4. (iv) (C) 'Living, breathing' shows vitality, not a dormant or lifeless ocean, so C is not plausible.

    1 mark

Answer: (i) sudden realisation that everything connects; (ii) vast expanse and active life beneath the ice; (iii) ship stuck, so all were told to walk on the ocean; (iv) C

Where the marks are

  • (i) revelation that everything connects (1 mark)
  • (ii) expanse/nature active (1 mark)
  • (iii) instruction to climb down and walk (1 mark)
  • (iv) C (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Want more questions like this?

Practise CBSE Class 12 English questions free, marked against the answer key, with hints when you are stuck.

Practise freeSend this to a friendAsk my parent to unlock
Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Journey to the End of the Earth, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2026 board paper, set 301/5/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error?Report it in one tapand a person will check it.