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READING – 30 Marks

1. That large animals require luxuriant vegetation has been a general assumption which has passed from one work to another; but I do not hesitate to say that it is completely false, and that it has vitiated the reasoning of geologists on some points of great interest in the ancient history of the world. The prejudice has probably been derived from India, and the Indian islands, where troops of elephants, noble forests, and impenetrable jungles, are associated together in every one’s mind. If, however, we refer to any work of travels through the southern parts of Africa, we shall find allusions in almost every page either to the desert character of the country, or to the numbers of large animals inhabiting it. The same thing is rendered evident by the many engravings which have been published of various parts of the interior.

2. Dr. Andrew Smith, who has lately succeeded in passing the Tropic of Capricorn, informs me that, taking into consideration the whole of the southern part of Africa, there can be no doubt of its being a sterile country. On the southern coasts there are some fine forests, but with these exceptions, the traveler may pass for days together through open plains, covered by a poor and scanty vegetation. Now, if we look to the animals inhabiting these wide plains, we shall find their numbers extraordinarily great, and their bulk immense.

3. It may be supposed that although the species are numerous, the individuals of each kind are few. By the kindness of Dr. Smith, I am enabled to show that the case is very different. He informs me, that in lat. 24′, in one day’s march with the bullock-wagons, he saw, without wandering to any great distance on either side, between one hundred and one hundred and fifty rhinoceroses – the same day he saw several herds of giraffes, amounting together to nearly a hundred.

4. At the distance of a little more than one hour’s march from their place of encampment on the previous night, his party actually killed at one spot eight hippopotamuses, and saw many more. In this same river there were likewise crocodiles. Of course it was a case quite extraordinary, to see so many great

1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate option:

1. The author is primarily concerned with

B. contrasting ecological conditions in India and Africa

C. proving that large animals do not require much food

D. describing the size of animals in various parts of the world

2. According to the author, the „prejudice‟ (Para 1) has lead to

A. errors in the reasoning of biologists

B. false ideas about animals in Africa

C. incorrect assumptions on the part of geologists

D. doubt in the mind of the author

3. The flocks of migratory birds (Para 5) are mentioned to

A. describe an aspect of the fauna of South Africa

B. illustrate a possible source of food for large carnivores

C. contrast with the habits of the antelope

D. suggest the size of antelope herds

4. Darwin quotes Burchell‟s observations in order to

A. counter a popular misconception B. describe a region of great splendor C. prove a hypothesis D. illustrate a well-known phenomenon

1.2 Answer the following questions briefly:

1. What prejudice has vitiated the reasoning of geologists?

2. Why does Dr. Smith refer to Africa as a sterile country?

3. What is the „carnage‟ referred to by Dr. Smith?

4. What does Darwin‟s remark, „if there were sufficient data‟, indicate?

5. To account for the „surprising‟ number of animals in a „country producing so little food‟, what partial explanation does Darwin suggest?

6. What does the author conclude from Dr. Smith and Burchell‟s observations?

1.3 Pick out the words/phrases from the passage which are similar in meaning to the following:

a) Dense (Para 1)

b) Barren ((Para 2)

(1 x2 = 2)