Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1 Till as late as the 1960s, we believed that one of the major differences between us and the rest of the animal kingdom was our ability to make and use tools. But then, our egos suffered a devastating blow: in the jungles of Gombe in Africa, Jane Goodall observed a chimpanzee pluck and trim a stem of grass and insert it into a termite mound. The furious termites climbed up the stem only to be happily eaten up by the chimp. The chimp kept repeating the process. He had, in fact, fashioned his own fishing rod and gone fishing for termites. We were not alone! And that was not all. Chimps were also observed using rocks to bash open hard shells and fruits (which other monkeys also do), to throw them at their enemies and wave sticks around. Even worse, adolescent females, especially, were seen sharpening sticks with their
teeth and thrusting these like spears into hollows where bush-babies were hiding in fear and then checked the spear tips for blood! Chimps were also seen chewing up leaves and using these like sponges to suck up water from the waterholes to enable them to drink.
2 The gorillas and orangutans were not far behind. In 2005, a western lowland gorilla (a lady, this time) was observed picking up a stick and
using it to check the depth of a pool she wanted to cross. Then, she used it as a walking stick. Orangutans (as well as chimpanzees) have been observed using broad leaves as umbrellas during downpours - and orangutans that are accustomed to our company (never a good influence) imitate the way we wash clothes by the riverbank or use a saw to cut wood.
3 Elephants designed fly-whisks and backscratchers from branches, and used strips of chewed up bark to plug small waterholes (which they
had dug) to prevent the water from evaporating. Dada bulls would heave heavy logs or rocks at electric fences to short-circuit or simply destroy them.
4 Bottle-nosed dolphins have been known to cover their long noses with sponges or shells before combing the seabed for tid bits (There are many spiny creatures and sharp rocks that could otherwise injure them).
5 Crows are thought to be the smartest amongst birds and the new Caledonian crow is considered to be the Einstein among crows. Crows
have been known to do the dropping-of-pebbles-in-a-pitcher-of-water stunt, as described in Aesop’s Fables. The American alligator has been known to arrange twigs on its head -to lure nest-building birds to come and pick them up. When they do, well, lunch is served for the alligator!
6 For long, we have exploited the poor silkworm, boiling its cocoons alive to make one of the most exquisite clothing materials known so far. But the real pros in silk production are -hold your breath -spiders. What caterpillars of moths and butterflies do with their mouth parts
(like a magician releasing ribbons from his/her mouth), spiders do it from the lower part of their bodies. But, try as we may, we still haven’t cracked the code of how to synthesise spider silk, which can be used for everything from producing gun-sights and sutures to light bulletproof jackets and seat belts.
7 What if spiders sold their silk? Imagine walking into a silk emporium run by arachnids, you would be greeted by a sales-spider: charming,
young Ms./Mr. Hairy-legs, who would appraise you out of her/his eight or so eyes. ‘‘Welcome, welcome!’’ s/he would gush scanning you
top-down, rubbing its hairy legs together in delight. ‘‘We have some of the finest, softest cradle silk you would ever want for your happy
events. Wrapped up in it, your babies will be warm, safe and dry as they wait to hatch. It’s super-absorbent, too, and nappy rash will not
be a problem!
8 So yes, animals use tools but we needn’t worry. None of them have, as yet, discovered how to make fire. Though, our very own black kite will -with its goonda friends -spread a wildfire by dropping burning twigs in unburned areas so they can snap up even more fleeing insects and rodents. But yes, these so-called tools are primitive.
9 But then, do animals really need sophisticated tools to get what they want? Cheetahs accelerate faster than Ferraris, pit vipers have
heat-seeking sensors, eagles can locate a rabbit in a field from kilometers away, sharks smell a drop of blood in a whole ruddy ocean, bats use sonar, birds and bees see ultraviolet light, a falcon can dive at 320 kmph, snakes have a cocktail of venom that can bleed, paralyse or
liquefy you to death, spiders’ silk still has us in a tizzy, chameleons and octopuses wear invisibility cloaks, and, migratory birds have built
in navigation system -the list is endless!
10 We had the best brains and so were able to design miraculous tools. But look where we have ended up: we’ve gassed up the earth’s air,
poisoned the water and have stocked enough weaponry to destroy ourselves a million times over. So really, who is the monkey with the wrench?
1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer each of the questions given below by choosing the most appropriate option :
(a) Chimps making their own fishing rods is an indication that
(i) animals and man have similar interests.
(ii) monkeys also go fishing.
(iii) animals like to imitate man.
(iv) man is an animal who likes to fish.
(b) We know that chimps are intelligent because
(i) they try and ape man.
(ii) they use their brains to find solutions to problems.
(iii) they kill bush-babies.
(iv) they love to eat termites.
(c) Orangutans use big leaves during a downpour because
(i) they like big leaves when it starts to rain.
(ii) they do not like heavy rain.
(iii) they want to wet the leaves.
(iv) the leaves can keep the rain off their bodies.
(d) The black kite may start a fire because
(i) it is a fire bird.
(ii) it is hungry and looking for food.
(iii) it likes to watch fleeing animals.
(iv) it eats only cooked meat.
(e) Big male elephants throw logs at electric fences because
(i) they want to be free.
(ii) they are great throwers.
(iii) they enjoy the sparks thus caused.
(iv) they are very strong animals.
1.2 Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) Why are animals considered as intelligent as humans?
(b) What strategy do chimps use to open hard shells and fruits?
(c) What do elephants do to prevent water from evaporating?
(d) Give an example from the passage that proves the crow to be an intelligent bird.
(e) How does a black kite spread wildfire?
(f) How do chimps drink water from the waterholes?
1.3 Answer any three of the following questions in 25 – 30 words each:
(a) What caused a blow to man’s ego?
(b) What inference can you draw from the action of the female gorilla described in para 2?
(c) Why do dolphins cover their long noses with sponges or shells?
(d) To what end have humans used their superior intelligence?
1.4 Find words/phrases from the passage which are similar in meaning to each of the following :
(a) crude/old-fashioned (para 8)
(b) poison (para 9)
(c) wonderful (para 10)
