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Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment Complete Guide (NEB New Syllabus) | Notes, Exercise Solutions | Language Development
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Welcome to your premier destination for the Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment academic syllabus. This complete online textbook companion offers fully resolved answers to all end-of-chapter questions and professional writing exercises.

Through this comprehensive resource on Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment, you will discover deeper meanings of environmental activism, learn how to draft book reviews and speeches, and practice English grammar regarding reported (indirect) speech.

To acquire more context on environmental conservation and activism, you can explore the story of Julia Butterfly Hill online.

Access our general index for additional chapters here: Class 12 English Notes.

Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment study notes

1. Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment: Working with Words

A. The words/phrases in the box are from the text. Check their meanings in a dictionary and use these words to complete the given sentences.
a. Logging is one of the main reasons behind the rapid deforestation in the world.
b. That’s one example of how the pandemic should be a wake-up call.
c. Propane is a gas used as a fuel for cooking and heating.
d. Emergency teams are still clearing the debris from the plane crash.
e. What a transformation! You look great.
f. My father made a New Year resolution to give up smoking.
g. He has worked in the Army for two years. He hates that two-year stint.
h. Emissions from the factory are widely suspected of having a/an detrimental effect on health.
i. My father is an occasional smoker. He doesn’t smoke often.
j. Redwood is a very tall type of tree that grows especially in California and Oregon.
B. Choose one word from each box to make sensible compound words.
Box 1 Box 2 Compound Word
RattlesnakeRattlesnake
SunflowerSunflower
TouchdownTouchdown
MoonlightMoonlight
DaydreamDaydream
FireworksFireworks
WatermelonWatermelon
BasketballBasketball
PassportPassport
WashclothWashcloth
WeathermanWeatherman
GrandmotherGrandmother
CrosswalkCrosswalk
C. Match the following words/phrases related to ecology with their meanings.
Sustainability: to keep in existence; maintain. To supply with necessities or nourishment.
Tree line: the height on a mountain above which the climate is too cold for trees to grow.
Precipitation: water that returns to the earth as rain, hail, sleet, or snow.
Tropical Zone: the region between latitudes 23.5 degrees S and 23.5 degrees N.
Kyoto Protocol: an agreement between countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It was established in Japan in 1997 but didn’t become international law until 2004.
Pollutants: substances that destroy the purity of air, water, or land.
Geosphere: the soils, sediments, and rock layers of the Earth’s crust, both continental and beneath the ocean floors.
Deciduous: a plant that sheds all or nearly all its leaves each year.
Ephemeral: an organism that has a short life cycle.
Trash: items that are discarded.

2. Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment: Comprehension Solutions

A. Choose the best answer.
a. The author of the text above has the opinion that Julia Hill made her pastime in a tree for two years more.
b. The sentence ‘Julia had occasional visitors’ indicates she had a few visitors now and then.
c. The logging company managed 24 hour security service around the tree to discourage her from her campaign.
d. Ms. Hill began to respond to the loggers with songs and conventional conversations because she had unconditional love for all nature’s creations.
e. Julia Hill climbed down the tree after 738 days when her demands were about to be fulfilled.
B. Answer the following questions.
a. Who was Julia Butterfly Hill? How did Hill’s campaign gain popularity?
Julia Butterfly Hill was an environmental activist who lived in a 200-ft-tall ancient redwood tree for more than two years to draw global attention to the continued, destructive clearcutting of California’s remaining redwood forests. Her campaign gained widespread popularity when she started to have occasional visitors and media interviews from high up in the tree.
b. What made Hill start her mega campaign to save redwood trees?
When she initially arrived in the redwood forest, she was deeply gripped by the spiritual essence of the ancient forest. She dropped to her knees and began to sob seeing the brutal clearcutting of the majestic redwood trees. She sat and cried for a long time and finally, with strong resolve, decided to start her mega campaign to save the remaining redwood trees from destruction.
c. What kinds of amenities were there to support Hill’s life in the tree?
Hill had very basic amenities: a sleeping bag, a solar-powered cell phone for conducting media interviews, and a single-burner propane stove to cook simple meals and heat water to support her life in the tree. She survived on absolute necessities, with no luxuries whatsoever.
d. Did Hill’s value of life change after her car accident? How?
Yes, Hill’s core value of life changed drastically after a severe car accident. She said the terrifying experience was a critical wake-up call. Before the accident, her main focus had been her career and work, but later on, she became clear that a person’s true value is not found in their stock portfolios and bank accounts, but rather in the positive legacies they leave behind for the earth.
e. Deforestation causes natural calamities. What evidence do you have in the text to prove this?
It’s a proven fact that deforestation causes severe natural calamities. In the text, we can see clear evidence: the aggressive cutting of redwoods completely destabilized the hillside terrain, which eventually caused a massive mudslide. This mudslide carried heavy trees, stumps, and debris from that hillside down into the local town below, tragically leaving seven innocent families without homes.
f. How did the logging company try to discourage Hill in the early days of her sit-in?
The logging company aggressively tried to discourage Hill in the early days of her sit-in by hiring hostile 24-hour security guards to harass her and to forcefully ensure her support team couldn’t deliver her vital supplies. She was intensely menaced with a helicopter hovering at a dangerously close range. A neighboring tree was deliberately felled, hitting Luna’s (her tree’s) outer branches and nearly causing Hill to fall to her death. Furthermore, she was verbally abused, threatened with extreme violence, kept awake with blinding floodlights, and deafening bugles and air horns were blown at her through the night.
g. How were the vagaries of nature unwelcoming to Hill?
The hostile logging company wasn’t her only problem. The wild vagaries of nature were also extremely unwelcoming. One of her scariest times was a brutal 16-hour, 70-mph windstorm that viciously shredded the protective tarps that surrounded her, and even ripped huge branches right off the tree. Additionally, when lightning struck terrifyingly nearby during an electrical storm, the static caused her hair to stand straight up in fear.
h. What is the purpose of the author to write a review on Hill’s book? Do you think the author stands for ecological sustainability? Give reasons.
The primary purpose of the author writing a review on Hill’s book is to bring a bright spotlight to the critical global issue of deforestation. He wants people to deeply learn about deforestation and its devastating ill effects through his review, and make people realize what an individual person can bravely do to prevent this destruction. Yes, I strongly think the author stands for ecological sustainability because his tone is highly supportive of Hill’s mission and he emphasizes the destructive nature of the logging companies.

3. Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment: Writing Tasks & Essays

A. Write a review of a book/film which you have read/watched recently.

Book Review: The Time Machine

1. Title of the Book: The Time Machine

2. Author of the Book: H.G. Wells

3. Country: United Kingdom

4. Language: English

5. First originally published by: William Heinemann, London in 1895.

6. Genre: Science Fiction Novel

7. Cost of the Book: Rs. 300

8. Name of the Publisher: Dover Publications

9. Edition and year of Copyright: April 3, 1995

10. No. of pages: 80

11. Writing style: Narrative

12. Characters: The Narrator-Hillyer, Eloi, Morlocks, Weena


13. Plot: The story follows a Victorian scientist, who boldly claims that he has invented a device that enables him to travel seamlessly through time, and has visited the distant future, arriving in the year 802,701 in what had once been London. The narrator recounts the Traveler’s lecture to his weekly dinner guests that time is simply the fourth dimension and demonstrates a tabletop model machine for travelling through it. He reveals that he has built a full-sized machine capable of carrying a person through time and returns at dinner the following week to recount a remarkable tale, becoming the new focal narrator.


14. Summary: A group of skeptical men, including the narrator, is listening to the Time Traveler discussing his radical theory that time is the fourth dimension. The Time Traveler produces a miniature time machine and makes it disappear into thin air. The next week, the guests return, to find their host stumble in, looking disheveled, bloody, and tired. They sit down after dinner, and the Time Traveler begins his harrowing story of the future earth.


15. My Impressions: The time traveler’s machine is described in such sketchy terms that it can scarcely be believed as an instrument of hard science, and the time traveler’s account of the future is similarly sketchy and bizarre. The very nature of time travel means that he’s away for only a short period of relative time, and the only physical “proof” of his travels is a crunched up flower. Given that the narrative is told in a twice-removed manner, the reader can’t help but wonder whether any of the novel is true at all within its own universe. Did the time traveler truly engage in such chronological shenanigans, and did he experience what he claims? Or is he simply using an imagined future to provide a stark sociological warning about the current state of class division in society? The reality is that neither the truth nor the journey entirely matters: it’s only the thematic outcome and the philosophical warning that stick with the reader.

B. Your school is going to organize a speech competition on coming Friday. The subject of the speech is “Let’s save the trees and protect our environment.” Draft a speech using the given prompts.

(Here is a speech drafted by Diwakar:)

Let’s Save the Trees and Protect Our Environment

Good morning respected teachers, judges, and my dear friends. Thank you for giving me the wonderful opportunity to speak on such a critically important topic: “Let’s Save the Trees and Protect Our Environment.”

When one thinks of the most important element required to survive, the answer that always comes to our mind is oxygen and air. Air is fundamentally important for all living beings, be it animals or humans. The trees, which currently occupy around 30% of the earth’s surface, provide us with this life-giving air.

The trees of our green planet act exactly as the lungs do in our body; they actively purify the air we breathe. It is purely due to the existence of trees that we can inhale fresh air. As trees inhale toxic carbon dioxide and exhale pure oxygen, they serve as the ultimate life source of all living beings. The more trees the planet has, the fresher and purer the air we breathe.

However, modern man’s arrogant attempt to outlive and conquer nature is costing us an unfortunate, deadly price. This aggressive drive for rapid civilization and industrial modernization is harming the environment, and therefore the planet, to a nearly irreversible extent. When man violates nature, the planet suffers deeply, and we inevitably have to bear the harmful consequences. Let’s understand how.

The road to modern civilization is more often paved through the destruction of natural resources. Man increasingly views trees as mere roadblocks in modernization; they see forests as things that simply get in the way of building more concrete buildings and asphalt roads. So they turn to mass deforestation, which is the ruthless act of cutting down trees. When trees are cut, they selfishly build more homes and corporate offices on the barren land.

Deforestation directly leads to many unnatural disasters that critically disrupt the fragile balance of nature. Due to deforestation, air pollution increases drastically, and global warming rises at alarming rates. Innocent animals lose their home and shelter, and the quality of the soil where deforestation is practiced deteriorates rapidly due to the untimely removal of tree roots, leading to severe soil erosion and fatal landslides.

As the human population is only increasing, it is absolutely imperative to have more trees so that the next generation lives breathing fresh air rather than smog. If deforestation continues unchecked, the planet will simply not be able to inhabit future generations because of the catastrophic ecological imbalance it experiences.

The absolute best way to solve this looming problem is by completely avoiding deforestation and aggressively moving towards afforestation—that is, planting more trees. We should all actively strive to save our home, which is this beautiful planet. Even planting one single tree can save so many lives over its lifespan.

It is high time that we wake up, take direct action, and protect the environment which nourishes all living and breathing creatures. When we save trees, we save lives and inevitably save the entire planet. “Saving trees and protecting the environment” is the motto we should all live by daily. Let’s leave behind a lush, green planet for the next generation. Please spread the word and take immediate action to save trees, for in that way, we can genuinely protect our environment.

Thank you all for your patient hearing!

4. Class 12 English Unit 9 Ecology and Environment: Grammar (Reported Speech)

B. Someone says something to you which contradicts what they told you earlier. Match the beginnings of the conversations with the correct endings.
a. I’m going to Pokhara on holiday.
→ You said you were going on business.
b. He’s a lawyer.
→ You told me he was a teacher.
c. She’s had a baby girl.
→ You said she’d had a boy.
d. I haven’t seen Binesh for ages.
→ You told me you’d seen him the previous week.
e. I love these new boots.
→ You said you hated them.
f. I only cheated in one exam.
→ You admitted you cheated in all your exams.
g. She doesn’t speak Hindi or Chinese.
→ You told me she was fluent in both.
h. He works in Kathmandu.
→ You told me his office was in Biratnagar.
C. Rewrite the following sentences with the sentence beginnings given below.
a. The principal said, “You can phone from my office, Rita.”
→ The principal said that she could phone from his office.
b. “You must not neglect your duty,” said the teacher to the student.
→ The teacher told the student that he/she must not neglect his/her duty.
c. The student said, “Sir, please, grant me a leave for two days.”
→ The student requested to grant him leave for two days.
d. I said to her, “Go to school or you will be fined.”
→ She was told to go to school or she would be fined.
e. The headmaster said, “Don’t make any noise, boys.”
→ The headmaster asked the boys not to make any noise.
f. “Work hard if you want to rise in life,” said the old man.
→ The old man suggested working hard if they wanted to rise in life.
g. He said, “Goodbye, my friends!”
→ He bade goodbye to his friends. (More natural: He said goodbye to his friends.)
h. She said to me, “Have a pleasant journey ahead.”
→ She wished me to have a pleasant journey ahead. / She told me to have a pleasant journey ahead.
i. “Don’t give me the book, please,” Sharmila said.
→ Sharmila pleaded not to give her the book.
j. “Where have you been these days?” she spoke on the telephone.
→ She asked on the telephone where I had been those days.
k. The teacher said, “Have you submitted your assignments, students?”
→ The teacher asked the students if they had submitted their assignments.
D. These are the exact words Dinesh said to you yesterday.

“I’ve just got engaged! We’re getting married next month. We’re going to Pokhara for our honeymoon. It’s all going to be very expensive. Luckily, my friend is a photographer so he’ll take the photos for us. We’ll be having the reception in my parents’ back garden. My mum is baking the cake for us and my sister’s band is playing free for us. I hope you’ll come to the wedding.”

Now, you’re telling your friend what Dinesh told you. Complete the text.

He said he (1) had just got engaged. He told me that (2) they were getting married next month. He told me (3) they were going to Pokhara for their honeymoon. He mentioned that it (4) was all going to be very expensive. He said that his friend (5) was a photographer and he (6) would take the photos for them. He mentioned that they (7) would be having the reception in his parents’ garden. He admitted that (8) his mum was baking the cake for them. He said his sister’s band (9) was playing free for them. He said he (10) hoped I’d come to the wedding.

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