Summary & Question-answers of The Chapter:3-The Desert with the concerned video

The Desert Summary in English

Many people hold the opinion that a desert is nothing more than an endless stretch of land. Furthermore, people have this impression of deserts that they are dry, thin, waterless, hot, and without shelter. So, people hold a negative opinion about deserts.

In contrast to general opinion, deserts are beautiful places on Earth. Furthermore, deserts are home to a variety of plants and animals. It is certainly a rare precious sight where desert bloom exists as rainfall takes place.

No difference exists between the desert and tropical land. Deserts are filled with hills or mountains but not necessarily a flat land.  An oasis is similar to a green island that one can find in the middle of the desert.

Deserts may consist of green plants and trees. Such plants and trees certainly provide comfort and shelter. Furthermore, deserts can also consist of springs.

A desert is a hot region but it also can be a cold region like Ladakh. Sand dimes are mounds comprising of a heap of sand that tend to move and shift endlessly at the time of strong winds.

Very few plants are able to survive on the shifting mounds of deserts. Living things that are desert-adapted are able to deal with the scarcity of water. Such animals are able to survive because they require less water for survival.

Camel is a desert animal that is known as the ship of the desert. This animal can survive without water for days. Camels drink plenty of water at one time.

Camels also sweat very little and can bear high body temperature. This is because; the bodies of camels are different from our bodies. We, unlike camels, have to sweat to keep our bodies cool and maintain the appropriate temperature.

Smaller desert animals hide in underground burrows. This allows them to escape the extreme desert temperature. Furthermore, these animals get water as per their requirement from plants and the moisture of meats.

Desert plants like cactus are able to store water, thanks to their thick stems. Such plants lack deep roots. Hence, they absorb rainwater because they are close to the surface.

Variation of temperature and dryness are distinct features of deserts. The moisture of the humid climate is missing in the desert.  Due to the lack of this blanket, desert lands heat up rapidly as well as cool off rapidly at night.

Desert is certainly a gift of nature to everyone. As such, its importance is the same as that of other gifts of nature like forest and ocean. Most noteworthy, one must not detest deserts but rather should consider them as a blessing of nature.

Comprehension Check (Page 16)

Question 1:
From the first paragraph
(i) pick out two phrases which describe the desert as most people believe it is;
(ii) Pick out two phrases which describe the desert as specialists see it.
Which do you think is an apt description, and why?
Answer:
(i) an endless stretch of sand; water less and without shelter.
(ii) a beautiful place; the home of a variety of people, animals and plants Description (ii) is apt. Human experience tells us so.

Comprehension Check (Page 19)

Question 1:
A camel can do without water for days together. What is the reason given in the text?
Answer:
The reason is that the camel sweats very little. It can therefore retain the water it drinks for a long period of time.

Question 2:
How do the smaller desert animals fulfill their need for water?
Answer:
The smaller desert animals spend the day in the underground burrows to escape the heat. Some of them eat other animals and get the water they need from the moisture in the meat. Others eat plants and get the water they need from plant juices.