English
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary EducationHSC Science Class 12

What did Edmund Hillary do to escape the large overhanging ice cornices?

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Question

What did Edmund Hillary do to escape the large overhanging ice cornices?

Short/Brief Note
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Solution

In a number of places, the overhanging ice cornices were very large. In order to escape them, Hillary cut a line of steps down to where the snow met the rocks on the west.

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Prose (Class 12th)
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Chapter 4.1: The Summit - Exercise [Page 116]

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Samacheer Kalvi English Class 12 TN Board
Chapter 4.1 The Summit
Exercise | Q 2. c) | Page 116

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Para 1

We started up our cooker and
drank large quantities of lemon juice and
sugar, and followed this with our last tin of
sardines on biscuits. I dragged our oxygen
sets into the tent, cleaned the ice off them,
and then rechecked and tested them.

Para 2

I had removed my boots, which
had become wet the day before, and they
were now frozen solid. So I cooked them
over the fierce flame of the Primus and
managed to soften them up. Over our
down clothing, we donned our windproof
and onto our hands, we pulled three pairs
of gloves – silk, woollen, and windproof.

Para 3

At 6.30 a.m. we crawled out of that
tent into the snow, hoisted our 30 lb. of
oxygen gear on to our backs, connected
up our masks and turned on the valves to
bring life-giving oxygen into our lungs. A
few good deep breaths and we were ready
to go. Still a little worried about my cold
feet, I asked Tenzing to move off.

How did Hillary and Tenzing prepare themselves before they set off to the summit? (Para 1, 2, and 3)


Para 4

Tenzing kicked steps in a long
traverse back towards the ridge, and we
reached its crest where it forms a great
snow bump at about 28000 feet. From
here the ridge narrowed to a knife-edge
and, as my feet were now warm, I took
over the lead.

Para 5

The soft snow made a route on top
of the ridge both difficult and dangerous,
which sometimes held my weight but often
gave way suddenly. After several hundred
feet, we came to a tiny hollow and found
there the two oxygen bottles left on the
an earlier attempt by Evans and Bourdillon.
I scraped the ice off the gauges and was
relieved to find that they still contained
several hundred liters of oxygen-enough
to get us down to the South Col if used sparingly

Para 6

I continued making the trail on up
the ridge, leading up for the last 400 feet
to the southern summit. The snow on this
the face was dangerous, but we persisted in
our efforts to beat a trail up it.
We made frequent changes of
lead. As I was stamping a trail in the deep
snow, a section around me gave way and

Para 7

I slipped back through three or four of
my steps. I discussed with Tenzing the
the advisability of going on, and he, although
admitting that he felt unhappy about the
snow conditions, and finished with his
the familiar phrase “Just as you wish”.

Para 8

I decided to go on, and we finally
reached firmer snow higher up, and then
chipped steps up the last steep slopes and
crampon onto the South Peak. It was now 9 a.m.

Give an account of the journey to the South Col from 28,000 feet. (Para 4 to 8)


Para 18

My first feelings were of relief–
relief that there were no more steps to
cut, no more ridges to traverse, and no
more humps to tantalize us with hopes
of success. I looked at Tenzing. In spite of
the balaclava helmet, goggles, and oxygen
mask – all encrusted with long icicles–that
concealed his face, there was no disguising
his grin of delight as he looked all around
him. We shook hands, and then Tenzing
threw his arm around my shoulders and
we thumped each other on the back until
we were almost breathless. It was 11.30
a.m. The ridge had taken us two and a
half hours, but it seemed like a lifetime
To the east was our giant

Describe the feelings of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing as they reached the top of the Summit. (Para 18)


Para 19

neighbour Makalu, unexplored and
unclimbed. Far away across the clouds,
the great bulk of Kanchenjunga loomed
on the horizon. To the west, we could
see the great unexplored ranges of Nepal
stretching off into the distance.

Para 20

The most important photograph,
I felt, was a shot down the North Ridge,
showing the North Col and the old route
which had been made famous by the
struggles of those great climbers of the
1920’s and 1930’s. After ten minutes,
I realized that I was becoming rather
clumsy-fingered and slow-moving. So I
quickly replaced my oxygen set

Describe the view from the top. What was the most important photograph? (Para 19 and 20)


Solve the clues given below and complete the cross word

Across Down
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6.You can sit on this and relax by yourself 3. You can sit on this with two other people comfortably
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8. You can put all your clothes in here

 

 

9. You can look into this to see yourself

 

10. You can sit on this, it has 3 legs.


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