Class 8 English – Poem 2: Geography Lesson (Zulfikar Ghose)
Keep the original poem intact • Simple, exam-ready explanations • One-page colorful layout
Original Poem
When the jet sprang into the sky,
it was clear why the city
had developed the way it had,
seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.
There seemed an inevitability
about what on ground had looked haphazard,
unplanned and without style
When the jet sprang into the sky.
When the jet reached ten thousand feet,
it was clear why the country
had cities where the rivers ran
and why the valleys were populated.
The logic of geography —
that land and water attracted man —
was clearly delineated
When the jet reached ten thousand feet.
When the jet rose six miles high,
it was clear the earth was round
and that it had more sea than land.
But it was difficult to understand
that the men on the earth found
causes to hate each other, to build
walls across cities and to kill.
From that height, it was not clear why.
— ZULFIKAR GHOSE
Stanza-wise Explanation (Easy English + हिंदी)
Stanza 1 (Jet just takes off)
EN: From above, the city looks neat like a measured map (scaled “six inches to the mile”). What seemed messy on the ground now appears logical and inevitable.
HI: ऊपर से शहर नक्शे जैसा सुथरा दिखता है (छह इंच प्रति मील के पैमाने पर)। जो नीचे से अस्त-व्यस्त लगता था, वह अब स्वाभाविक और तर्कसंगत लगता है।
Stanza 2 (At ten thousand feet)
EN: We understand why cities grew near rivers and why valleys have people—the basic “logic of geography”: land + water attract settlement.
HI: समझ आता है कि शहर नदियों के पास क्यों बसे और घाटियों में आबादी क्यों है—यह “भूगोल का तर्क” है: जमीन और पानी मनुष्यों को बसने को आकर्षित करते हैं।
Stanza 3 (At six miles high)
EN: From this height, the earth’s roundness and the dominance of seas are clear. But human hatred, divisions (walls), and killing are still not understandable.
HI: यहाँ से पृथ्वी गोल और समुद्र भूमि से अधिक दिखता है। पर मनुष्यों की नफरत, शहरों में दीवारें खड़ी करना और एक-दूसरे को मारना समझ में नहीं आता।
NCERT Questions & Answers
1) Find three or four phrases (stanzas 1 & 2) likely to occur in a geography lesson.
Answer: “scaled six inches to the mile”, “cities where the rivers ran”, “valleys were populated”, “the logic of geography — that land and water attracted man”.
2) Seen from an aeroplane, the city appears — mark the right answer.
(i) as haphazard as on ground.
(ii) as neat as a map. ✅
(iii) as developed as necessary.
3) Which statements show “the logic of geography”?
Correct: (i) There are cities where there are rivers. ✅
(iii) It is easy to understand why valleys are populated. ✅
(v) The earth is round, and it has more sea than land. ✅
Statements (ii) and (iv) are about appearance and human behaviour, not geographic logic.
4) Mention two things that are (i) clear from the height; (ii) not clear from the height.
(i) Clear: (a) City’s planned pattern like a map; (b) Earth is round and has more sea than land / cities near rivers & populated valleys.
(ii) Not clear: (a) Why humans hate one another; (b) Why they build walls across cities and kill.
Hard Spellings • Meanings (EN → HI)
| Word/Phrase | Meaning (English) | हिंदी अर्थ |
|---|---|---|
| sprang (into the sky) | leapt; rose suddenly | अचानक उछलकर ऊपर उठा |
| scaled six inches to the mile | map scale ratio for distance | नक्शे का पैमाना (दूरी अनुपात) |
| inevitability | something bound to happen | अनिवार्यता/अपरिहार्यता |
| haphazard | random; without plan | अव्यवस्थित/बेतरतीब |
| unplanned | not designed or planned | अयोजित/बिना योजना |
| ten thousand feet | aircraft altitude | विमान की ऊँचाई (10,000 फीट) |
| valleys | low areas between hills | घाटियाँ |
| populated | inhabited; lived in | आबाद/बसा हुआ |
| logic of geography | natural reasons for settlement | भूगोल का तर्क (बसावट के कारण) |
| delineated | clearly shown or outlined | स्पष्ट रूप से चित्रित/उद्घाटित |
| attracted | drew; pulled towards | आकर्षित किया |
| six miles high | very high altitude (~9.6 km) | काफी ऊँचाई (~9.6 किमी) |
| round (earth) | spherical in shape | गोल/गोलाकार |
| proportion | balanced relation of parts | अनुपात/संतुलन |
| geometric design | regular shapes/patterns | ज्यामितीय पैटर्न/आकृति |
| in the thick of it | in the middle of the bustle | भीड़/हलचल के बीच |
| walls across cities | barriers/divisions | शहरों के बीच दीवारें/विभाजन |
| to kill | to cause death | मार डालना/हत्या करना |
Tip: Use these words in your own sentences while revising the poem.
Geography Lesson Zulfikar Ghose Class 8 English Stanza-wise NCERT Solutions