Recreates any event
Better equipment and tools help in better understanding of events and situations
Recreation and simulation of events helps in study
Processes like carbon-dating help fix events in a timeline
Technology like CT scans help in the study of unearthed material
Remove fallacious beliefs

Does not give conclusive evidence

Recreated events may not be authentic in context as information gaps may exist
Science deals with hardcore facts; there maybe external factors in history that are as yet unknown
Science judges and draws conclusions based on facts as they exist today; at times they may not be accurate in historical perspective
Sometimes theories propagated may not be actual facts, for example, the theory that Tut was murdered
Not an accurate determinant for human behaviour and other sociological facts

Question - 12 : -
Traditions, rituals and funerary practices must be respected.

Answer - 12 : -

Should be respected

They are based on beliefs people held dear and they should be respected
Disrespect to Amun the god most popular in ancient Egypt probably led to the downfall of Amonhotep IV
People do not like these beliefs questioned
These beliefs often prove to be scientifically beneficial
We do not have the right to disrespect views of others

Question - 13 : -
Knowledge about the past is useful to complete our knowledge of the world we live in.

Answer - 13 : -

Useful

Helps one to draw conclusions from the past events
Makes one’s life richer by giving meaning to the books one reads, the cities one visits or the music one hears
Broadens one’s outlook by presenting to one an admixture of races, a mingling of cultures and a spectacular drama of the making of the modem world out of diverse forces
Enables one to grasp one’s relationship with one’s past
Preserves the traditional and cultural values of a nation, and serves as a beacon of light, guiding society in confronting various crises
A bridge connecting the past with the present and pointing the road to the future

Not useful

History is layered, tribes came and went, kings, priests, religions and ideologies came and went, what spot of geography remained eternal, unnecessarily causes a divide
Politicians appeal (selectively) to history, to rouse the rabble, inflaming people to violence, and naturally, the other
Side will retaliate, justifying their equally murderous actions with their version of history

Question - 14 : -
Read the following piece of information from The Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal.

Answer - 14 : -

Egyptian is now extinct: its history dates from before the third millennium B.C., preserved in many hieroglyphic inscriptions and papyrus manuscripts. Around the second century A.D., it developed into a language known as Coptic. Coptic may still have been used as late as the early nineteenth century and is still used as a religious language by Monophysite Christians in Egypt.

Question - 15 : -
What do you think are the reasons for the extinction of languages?

Answer - 15 : -

With increasing disuse, not because the peoples themselves, with their cultural traditions, have dwindled away, but because the language has been overwhelmed by a more dominant one.
A language needs a nation (in the broad sense of people conscious of a group identity) that sees it as ‘its own’failing this the language dies out
A language’s social status determines its life or death. If its speakers turn away more and more from using a language that is perceived as conferring real benefits in everyday life, it dies out
The introduction of a non-indigenous language that takes over all social functions
The disappearance of a population that speaks that language
Parents do not pass on a language to their children
Population dislocation or relocation due to events like war, famine, earthquakes
The emergence of a new world language
The emergence of supra linguistic functions like banking information in another language

Question - 16 : -
Do you think it is important to preserve languages?

Answer - 16 : -

Language diversity is essential to the human heritage. Each and every language embodies the unique cultural wisdom of a group of people. The loss of any language is thus a loss for all humanity. It is essential to preserve languages in order to preserve fundamental human rights, and for the protection of minority groups. Language is an important marker of identity. Even when speaking the same language, social groups differentiate themselves by their dialect or the way they talk.

So, language offers a way of stating a resistance to cultural homogenisation. A native language goes beyond differentiation. It represents a whole cultural history. The need to define one’s roots, especially in the face of what can look like foreign hegemony, is powerful. ‘Linguistic diversity’ is a benchmark of cultural diversity. The death of a language is symptomatic of cultural death: a way of life disappears with the death of a language. Language is a cultural resource, and must be transmitted to children.

Question - 17 : -
In what ways do you think we could help prevent the extinction of languages and dialects?

Answer - 17 : -

Although approximately 6,000 languages still exist, many are under threat. There is an imperative need for language documentation, new methods, new policy initiatives and safeguarding strategies to enhance the vitality of these languages. The cooperative efforts of language communities, language professionals, NGOs and governments will be indispensable in countering this threat.

There is a pressing need to build support for language communities in their efforts to establish meaningful new roles for their endangered languages. One important issue in preserving a language is how widely it is used in written form. Prerequisites for the written use of a language are orthography development, literature production, and the teaching of mother-tongue literacy.

Question - 18 : -
Given below are some interesting combinations of words. Explain why they have been used together.

Answer - 18 : -

ghostly dust devils – a dust devil is a whirlwind into which dust and debris gets caught up, making it visible and making it look like a ghost
desert sky – blank/lifeless sky
stunning artefacts – breathtakingly beautiful objects made by humans
funerary treasures – jewels or precious objects relating to or suitable for a burial or funeral
scientific detachment – methodical aloofness
dark-bellied clouds – dark, bulging clouds
casket grey – ash-coloured like a coffin
eternal brilliance – endless lustre/radiance
ritual resins – resins used in a system of rites
virtual body – figure of the body generated by the computer
The above descriptions are very vivid and make understanding/visualisation better.

Question - 19 : -
The constellation Orion is associated with the legend of Osiris, the god of the afterlife. Find out the astronomical
descriptions and legends associated with the following.

Answer - 19 : -

(i) Ursa Major (Saptarishi mandala) – This is also known as the Great Bear, because of its shape, recognised early on by Romans and Native Americans. In Hindu mythology each of the stars represents one of the Saptarshis or seven sages.

(ii) Polaris (Dhruva tara) – Also known as the North star or pole star, the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation. In ancient Hindu literature Polaris was given the name Dhruva or immovable, fixed in one place.

(iii) Pegasus (Winged horse) – A bright constellation in the northern sky. Pegasus was depicted as a white winged stallion, one of the children of the Greek god Poseidon.

(iv) Sirius (Dog star) – From the ancient greek term for glowing, one of the brightest stars in the Earth’s night sky.

This is presented as Orion’s dog, who hunts for the Greek god Zeus.

(v) Gemini (Mithuna) – One of the zodiac constellations. The Latin word Gemini translates to twins, representing the pair Castor and Pollux, sons of the Spartan Queen Leda. Similarly, Mithuna in Indian astrology stands for couple or union.

Question - 20 : -
Some of the leaves and flowers mentioned in the passage for adorning the dead are willow, olive, celery, lotus, cornflower. Which of these are common in our country?

Answer - 20 : -

The Indian willow, lotus, and cornflower are found in several places across the country.

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