UNIT-XII

Animal World

Working with words.

1. Read the text and tick the best alternative to fill in the gaps.

a.     Persons who are related to you and who live after you, such as your child or grandchild are called …….

                  i. relatives ii. Descendants                        iii. siblings

b.     ‘…………...’ means to turn or spin around and around quickly.

                  i. Twirl                  ii. Fold             iii. Fetter

c.     ……….. are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains (glycans) attached to amino acid side-chains.

                  i. Glycoproteins    ii. Legumes                 iii. Meat products

d.     ………. are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are highly specific for sugar groups that are part of other molecules and so cause agglutination of particular cells.

i. Lactose              ii. Legumes                 iii. Lectins

e.     …. are abnormal tissue growths that most often look like small, flat bumps or tiny mushroom like stalks found in the phylum Cnidaria and the medusa.

i. Polyps                ii. Buds                        iii. Tulips

f.      …………. is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey.

i. Murder               ii. Homicide                iii. Predation

g.     ………. is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family.

i. Anemone                       ii. Ammonia                iii. Amoeba

h.     A/An …………… person is extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards.

i. arrogant             ii. Finicky                    iii. symbiotic

i.      …………. is a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage.

i. Shell                               ii. Nudibranch             iii. Jellyfish

j.      A …….is a free-swimming sexual form of a coelenterate such as a jellyfish, typically having an umbrella-shaped body with stinging tentacles around the edge.

i. medusa               ii. sea horse                 iii. sea slug

B.      Look up a dictionary and write the meanings of the following words then use them in your own sentences.

arthropod, gastropod, biomass, calcification, metamorphosis, sturgeon

arthropod:        an invertebrate animal such as an insect, spider or crab, that has its skeleton on the outside of its body and has joints on its legs

gastropod:                a mollusc such as a snail or slug, that moves on one large foot

biomass:                    the total quantity or mass (= weight) of plants and animals in a particular area or volume

calcification:             the process of becoming hard when calcium salts are added

metamorphosis:       metamorphosis (of something) (into something) (biology) the process in which an insect or an amphibian (such as a frog) changes from its young form to its adult form in two or more separate stages

sturgeon:                  a large sea and freshwater fish that lives in northern regions. Sturgeon are used for food and the eggs (called caviar) are also eaten.

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

1. What are the indicators of the fact that we are very self-conscious about ourselves these days?

·   The indicators of the fact that we are self-conscious about ourselves these days are self-realization, self-help, self-awareness, self-enlightenment, and self-development.

2. How have we celebrated the fact that we have our individual identity?

·    We have celebrated the fact that we are unique and have our own individual identity by giving ourselves names.

3. Are we, human beings, really unique? Why/Why not?

·   We have a tendency to believe that we are the only creatures entirely unique in nature. However, we human beings are not really unique as uniqueness is a characteristic shared by all living creatures, it cannot possibly be considered unique in any way. Both the phenomenon's individuality and its universality cannot coexist.

4. How do fish recognize each other?

·       Fish recognize each other based on smell or scent.

5. What is the function of individuality?

·       The function of individuality is to defend and protect itself against all others. Hence, selfness is for self-preservation.

6. What does the mix-up of two selves tell us about our identity?

·       The blending of two selves reveals our identity as a single organism.

7. What does the author illustrate with the tale of the nudibranch and the medusa?

·    Through the story of the nudibranch and the medusa, the author highlights the significance of cooperation that organisms need for their cohabitation and survival. In other words, all living things rely on one another to survive.

8. Why is the author disturbed by the thought of the creatures like the nudibranch and medusa?

·   The author is disturbed when he thinks of creatures such as the nudibranch and medusa because the creatures are extremely strange and something he has never heard of before. 

9. What does the writer mean by “they remind me of the whole earth at once?”

·   When the writer states ‘they remind me of the whole earth at once’, he indicates that relationships among creatures on the earth is bizarre and confusing that it is difficult to explain them. 

Writing

A.    Write an essay on “Independence vs. Interdependence” in about 250 words.

Interdependence and Independence

People often have two ideas of themselves in terms of their relationships with other people. The first is the independent self-concept, often known as independence, in which a person believes that he or she exists independently of other individuals. An individual's behavioral characteristics, interests, and attitudes are all included in their independent self-concept. The second perspective is the interdependent self-concept, also known as interdependence, in which a person has ties to or feels a sense of belonging to others. This essay examines the benefits of interdependence vs independence.

The interdependent self-concept places more emphasis on shared responsibilities than the independent self, which stresses personal responsibility independent of society as a whole. The dependence that exists among individuals in society for survival and mutual growth is the central principle of the interdependence self-concept. Interdependence fosters the belief that people are not alone in their endeavors for intellectual advancement. Additionally, individuals helped one another develop socially by offering assistance. By encouraging people to assume numerous responsibilities that contribute to the advancement and expansion of society, the interdependent self-concept also encourages responsibility sharing.

Interdependence fosters harmony among society's members, fosters the development of positive relationships, and helps people feel less anxiety and fear since it gives them the sense that they can assist others in need. It also offers assistance, which helps individuals feel better. Only in a society where people feel connected to one another and there is a high degree of interdependence can people support one another. Interdependence fosters close personal and professional relationships between people, which lack an independent self-concept. Interdependence promotes a feeling of collectivism by bringing to light the fact that each individual depends on the other for growth and development. It also teaches individuals how to integrate into and promote interdependence among society's members. On the other hand, those who choose independence over interdependence put the strong relationships that unite people at risk because they emphasize a person's internal qualities that set them apart from the other members of society.

Finally, it is advantageous for a person to be independent while achieving financial and other independence. However, as the interdependence self-concept tries to promote individuals' integration into relevant existing relationships and flourishing in this globalized society, being interdependent is more essential for everyone.

B.    Write a newspaper article highlighting the increasing individualism in modern Nepali                 society.

The Increasing Individualism in Modern Nepali Society

By Kumar Thapa

Individualism is defined variously by various people and is practiced in diverse ways. In a broader sense, individualism is just being self-centered in one's actions or emotions. Additionally, it is a viewpoint that upholds the freedom of individuals to pursue their own interests. Therefore, individualism is a perspective that ignores team culture and is, at its most extreme, openly anti-social.

It is said that more developed and urbanized societies are more individualistic. With the development of all fields, individualism is rapidly increasing in modern Nepali society. People in Nepal believe in individualism over collectivism for various reasons like socioeconomic development, education, the influence of others, etc. When democracy was restored, Nepal entered a period of development as it opened up the door to opportunities for education for all, prosperity, business, etc. As a result, people's socioeconomic status improved, and they gained independence and freedom. Furthermore, development work in transportation, industries, and other areas accelerated, leading to the concept of urbanization with the construction of city centers in various parts of Nepal and encouraging individualism. More significantly, when many educational institutions were established, people became educated and started having white collar jobs, resulting in the improvement of their economic conditions. In addition, Nepalese people began to migrate to other parts of the world for higher education, jobs, business, etc., who later brought foreign cultures that affected the local or domestic ones, which promoted individualism in Nepali society.

Individualism has many advantages. It teaches people to value their own worth. In addition, it allows people to become more independent, value and love themselves, embrace their uniqueness, and become happier in many different ways. However, it is not flawless. It ignores the value of others' feelings as it centers oneself. Individualistic people start out living alone or in a small family. For instance, people in Nepal used to live in a big or extended family, but with urbanization and modernization, they now prefer living in a small family. Individualism has become a popular choice among today's youth. Self-centeredness is gradually increasing among people in modern societies. This trend is undoubtedly going to become more widespread.

To conclude, individualism promotes a view of the self as self-directed and separate from others, prioritizing independence and uniqueness. Nepali society is embracing individualism with the development of socioeconomic conditions, especially after the restoration of democracy.

Grammar

Passive voice

    A.    Make passive sentences from the following information as in the example.

            Example: Toyota cars/Japan/make: Toyota cars are made in Japan.

a.     volleyball/every/country/play:

Volleyball is played in every country.

b.     spaghetti/boiling water/cook:

Spaghetti is cooked in boiling water.

c.     each lesson/an exercise/follow:

Each lesson is followed by an exercise.

d.     taxes/the price/include:

Taxes are included in the price.

e.     extensive information/the internet/find:

Extensive information is found in the internet.

f.      our order/the waiter/took:

Our order was taken by the waiter.

g.     the schedule/the participants/will distribute:

The schedule will be distributed to the participants.

h.     the police/footprint/found:

Footprint was found by the police.

i.      the children/the sandcastles/built:

The sandcastles were built by the children.

j.      the father/the window/not going to open:

      The window is not going to be opened by the father.

    B.    Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice using the correct form of verbs in the             brackets.

a.     Call the ambulance! Two boys have been injured in a motorbike accident.

b.     The clock has been used since the 17th century.

c.     I had to wait outside the classroom while the classroom was being cleaned.

d.     The problem is being discussed by the subject specialists at the moment.

e.     By the time I came back, the task had been finished.

f.      Women are said to be happier than men.

g.     Look! The house is being destroyed by fire.

h.     The other three reports will have been submitted by next month.

i.      Many people have been rescued from the floods by the security persons this year.

j.      The state of Florida was hit by a hurricane that did serious damage.