1- The Dying Sun (Sir James Jeans)

1- How is it that a star seldom finds another star near it? Why is it a rare event for one star to come anywhere near to another? All the stars are constantly wandering about in space. The universe is so vast that a man cannot calculate its boundless distances & long vistas of time. All the stars travel in space almost all alone. There appears an average distance well over a million miles away from one and the other star. The writer says that each star is like a lonely ship on an empty ocean. Hence it is very seldom that a star finds another star near it. 2- What happened, when according to Sir James Jeans, a wandering star, wandering through space, came near the sun? What happened when a wandering star comes closer to the sun? According to Sir James Jeans some two thousands million years ago, a star came near our sun. Its gravitational force raised huge tides of matter on the surface of the sun. These tides were like those which moon raises in our oceans. But they were very different and stronger than the tidal waves we seen on the surface of the oceans. As the star came closer the gravitational pull increased and formed a mountain of waves on the suns surface. At last, this mountain broke into pieces due to the pull and gives birth to our solar system. Since that time these are wandering around the sun. 3- What are planets and how did they come into existence? Planets are the big solid masses in space, traveling on a set path called orbit. The writer believes that some two thousand years ago a rare event took place when a wandering star came near the sun, and this raised huge tides on the surface of the sun as the moon raises tide on oceans. These tides traveled over its surface in one direction & formed a mountain. As the star came nearer & nearer the sun this mountain would raise higher and higher. As the star came closer the tidal pull of the second star became so strong that the mountain was burst into pieces. These pieces began circulating round the sun and are called planets & stars, some of these are small & some are great. Our earth is also one of them. 4- Why is there no life on the stars? Why is life impossible anywhere else except the earth? As the writer has presented, we cannot find life anywhere else except our earth. It is because for the existence of life suitable physical conditions are necessary, which are presence of oxygen and water, and a moderate temperature at which water stays in its liquid state. But the empty space has a freezing temperature and all the matter is too hot that anything on it will burn. Therefore, life is not possible on any planet. 5- Write a note on the beginning of life on earth. How did the life start on our earth? According to Sir James Jeans when the sun threw off small and big pieces into space the solar system came into existence, the stars were too hot for life. As the time passes, the stars cooled down. Now mainly their warmth is due to the radiation of sun but they do not possess their own heat. With the passing of time earth gave birth to life but writer is not sure when, how and why this process took place but it is evident that life started in form of simple organisms. These organisms had ability to give birth to a superior generation before they die. In this way, this humble beginning of life turns into a stream of life, which is continued ever since. The writer thinks that generation by generation, the living organisms get more and more complex and finally human race was created, whose lives are largely centered in their feelings, hopes, ambitions, sense of beauty and religion. 6- Why is the universe, of which our earth is a part, is so frightening? Give as many reasons as you can. Why does James Jeans find the universe terrifying? Why do we feel fear by this vast universe? The author says that when we try to understand the nature and purpose of the universe we are frightened because of its boundless distances and long vistas of time. We are also frightened because of our loneliness and insignificance of our earth in space. The whole picture is also frightening for us when we think that our earth is the only place where life exists and we do not know about any other planet that may have our climate and conditions. For the most past of the empty space is either too hot or too cold that no life is possible in it. 7- What, in your opinion, should be the conditions necessary, for the kind of life we know to exist on other heavenly bodies? Do such conditions generally exist? What is meant by suitable physical conditions for life to exist on stars and planets? The author says that the accident which produces our planetary system is extremely rare. He says that at the most only one star in a hundred thousand has a planet round it at the right distance for life to be possible on it. Most part of the universe is empty space which is too cold for life to survive. Any thing in space will be frozen up. Similarly, the substance in space is too hot for life and everything on any planet will bum to ashes in no time. Therefore, life does not seem to exist anywhere in the whole universe. The kind of life we know is only possible on the earth because of its moderate temperature, water and oxygen the stars are too hot as they would melt the entire solid and boil all the liquid. In 1000,000 stars only one star has suitable conditions for life but in his views life is not the part of the planetary system. 8- What happened when the wandering star came nearer and nearer? When the star came nearer and nearer, the mountain would rise higher and higher which raised the tides on the surface of the sun. 9- What is the size of the most of stars in the Universe? How large are the stars in the space? Most of the stars in the universe are too huge that thousands of our earths can be packed inside each. A Few stars are smaller than the earth. 10- What is the number of stars in the Universe? How many stars are their and how they travels? Millions of stars are wandering through the space. As a rough idea, they are more than the total number of grains of sand on all the seashores of our earth. 11-. How vast is the universe? The vastness of the universe cannot be imagined even the distances among stars and planets are too great that they cannot be calculated. As the writer presented, if we take a scale model in which ships represent the stars, the average distance between them would be well over millions of miles. 12- What is the rare event, which created our solar system? Some two thousand million years ago, a big star, wandering blindly, came closer to the sun and

caused disturbance on suns surface due to its gravitational pull. 13- Why stars rarely come closer to each other? The universe is too vast. Stars are millions of miles away from each other. Hence, it is very rare that a star comes closer to another star. 14- What was the temperature of the stars, when they were thrown into the space? In the beginning these stars were too hot like fires but with the passage of time, they cooled down. Now they do not have their own heat but their warmth is due to the radiation of the sun. 15- How was the simple organisms changed into human race? The life started in form of simple organisms. The ability of these organisms was that they gave birth to a superior generation before they die. 16- From where the stars get their warmth now? In the beginning the stars, which torn out of the sun were too hot like fires but with the passage of time, they cooled down. Now they do not have their own heat but their warmth is due to the radiation which the sun pours down on them. 17- What is meant by suitable temperature belt? It means the narrow belt in space where the temperature is moderate. It is at such a distance from sun where there is neither freezing cold nor fire like hotness. 18- How much possibilities are there far the existence of moderate temperature belts in space? In view of the writer, there is almost zero percent possibility to have such belt in space where the temperature is moderate. Because either there is freezing cold or fire-like hotness. 19- Is there any possibility that life like our own exists on some other planet or star? In view of the lacking physical conditions for life to exist, i.e. oxygen, water and moderate temperature, it is believed that life like our own can not exist anywhere in the whole universe. 20- Define the stars and tell whether it is possible that life can exist any where near them? The stars may be defined as collection of fire scattered through space. As they are fire themselves, life is impossibility there; it will be burnt up instantly. 21- Why can life exist only on a narrow belt in space? Life can only exist in a temperature at which substances can exist in a liquid state. Neither too hot to burn up everything nor so cold as to freeze it. 22- What is the attitude of the writer to the aspiration of the human being? The writer is mildly satiric while speaking of the human aspirations. He mocks at the feelings, ambitions, sense of beauty, hopes and desires of man. He just stops short of saying that all these things stand nowhere in the making of this universe.

2- Using the Scientific Method (Darrel Barnard & Lon Edwards)

1- How has the scientific method helped us in our fight against disease? The use of scientific method has greatly helped us to fight against diseases. By using scientific method we have been able to improve our living conditions. It has helped us in removing diseases and also in preventing them. The condition of medical science, some two hundred years ago was very pathetic poor and rare. Seven out of eight new born babies died in their first year. Those who survived were suffered from small pox, measles, whooping cough and diphtheria before they could reach at the age of twelve years. The average age of the man was less than 30 years. Most of the disease like malaria, typhoid and cholera spread due to lack of sanitation and unhygienic water. Diseases were thought to be caused by evil spirits but the scientific method changed the whole picture. As the result of scientific development we can cure the most dangerous diseases. Today babies are born in hospitals where they get every kind of treatment. Now a person can expect to live to be almost seventy years. All these changes have been possible by the use of scientific method because it gives us the cause and cure of disease. 2- Write note on the better sanitary conditions available in our cities today and compare them with what they were like a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, sanitary conditions were too bad. Garbage of houses was thrown in streets. Sanitary water kept on gathering in streets. Waste of toilets was drained into wells from which people obtained drinking water. Due to such unhygienic water, scattered garbage & lack of sanitary system, fatal diseases spread wide over towns, but today the use of scientific method has changed the whole picture. Nowadays, paved roads are made and maintained in our cities which do not let the rainwater stand in streets. Proper sanitary system is maintained through sealed pipes. Sewerage system is developed through which wastewater is taken to disposal plants so that the epidemic conditions might be controlled. Public toilets are maintained and it is the responsibility of Municipal Corporation to keep the cleanliness in towns. Municipal Corporation collects garbage from all over the town and disposes it properly. In this way better sanitation facilities have also helped in prevention of diseases. 3- What are the sanitary conditions like in our villages today and how would you improve them? The sanitary conditions in our villages are too bad. Most of the streets are not paved. The houses are made of soil and men and animals live under the same roof. The dirty water flows in the streets and dirty pools also cause diseases. People get water from wells which are not covered. At the wells people wash their dirty clothes and take bath. The used water again falls, into the Wells thus polluting the water which is also used for drinking. The following measures can be taken for improvement. The house shout be reconstructed to have proper toilets and drainage system. The village drains should be made both sides of the street. These drains and streets should be cleaned regularly. The women should be taught about cleanliness of riot only their houses but also the streets. There should be regular spray on insecticides in the drains. All these measures will help us a lot in improving the sanitary condition of our villages. 4- How has the scientific method helped us in the production & preservation of food? The scientific method has been very useful in the production and preservation of food. In past the people did not eat many kinds of food at a time. They could have fresh vegetables and fruits only in the growing season. The people living in the areas where cold climate prevails had nothing to eat during winter months. Sea food was only available on sea coast. Different kinds of meat could not be preserved for a longer time. In short, quality, quantity and variety in food lacked in olden times but now scientific method has helped us to overcome these hindrances of our life. Now with the help of scientific technology, production of crops has increased. We can preserve vegetable fruits and meat by quick freezing method. In this way the food can be both nutritious and