Revision RTC Questions for A Photograph by Shirley Toulson

 Answer the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow: 3X1=3 marks

1. And she the big girl - some twelve years or so.
    All three stood still to smile through their hair
    At the uncle with the camera. A sweet face,
    My mother's, that was before I was born.
    And the sea, which appears to have changed less,
    Washed their terribly transient feet.

    a) Who is the "big girl"?
    b) The poetic device used in the second line is?
         i) Assonance
         ii) Consonance
         iii) Refrain
         iv) Metaphor

    c) How are their feet transient?

    d) Who is the fourth person?

2. Some twenty - thirty - years later

    She'd laugh at the snapshot. "See Betty

    And Dolly," she'd say, "and look how they

    Dressed us for the beach." The sea holiday

    Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry

    With the laboured ease of loss.

     a) How old was the poet's mother?

     b) What did the poet's mother laugh at?

          i) The uncle for his funny pose

          ii) The daughter for her curiosity

         iii)  The dresses of the three girls

         iv) The memory of the beach holiday

      c) Fill in the blank.

          The word wry means _________

      d) The expression "Both wry with a laboured ease of loss" means

           i) People try to carry loss with dignity, maybe even humor,

              but the effort shows.

          ii) A subtle, perhaps ironic or resigned response to grief or sorrow.

          iii) Both i) and ii) are correct

          iv)  A feeling of regret, and anger at loss.

3. Now she's been dead nearly as many years

    As that girl lived. And of  this circumstance
    There is nothing to say at all.
    Its silence silences.

    a) Who does "that girl" refer to?

    b) Identify the best option that suggests the type of feeling these lines 

        evoke.

         i) Nostalgia and happiness

         ii) Peace and solace

         iii) Joy and remembrance

         iv) Loneliness and grief

      c) What poetic device is used in the last line?

      d) Why is there nothing to say about the death of the poet's mother?

          i) The poet is confused.

          ii) The poet is not in her senses.

          iii) The death of the mother has left a deep void in the poet's heart.

          iv) The poet did not have a good relationship with her mother.

Vignettes of the Celebration of Palm Sunday and Good Friday at the Church of the Epiphany, Civil Lines, Gurgaon

I eagerly looked forward to attending the Palm Sunday Service at the Church of the Epiphany when I was told that I would have to do a duty on the thirteenth for a Government entrance exam. It was only at the last moment that I learned that the exam had been postponed so I could attend the service. 

In his sermon, Pastor Prateek spoke at length about the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to the joyful welcome of the residents. He mentioned how this would be, at best, a disruptive moment that would herald tumultuous times in the days to come. It was also a joy to see Sunday school children dressed in their Sunday best, waving Palm Fronds in memory of an event that had taken place more than 2025 years ago.

The customary procession around the Church took place with great enthusiasm.

The Good Friday service was a more sombre moment and the preacher for the day was Dr. S.P. Singh, Ex-Principal of St. John's College, Agra. He led us through the nuances of the Crucifixion of Jesus and the significance of the event for us today.

Valves, Transistors, Integrated Circuit Chips, Artificial Intelligence, and Moore's Law, Are We Headed Towards A Tech Tsunami?

An interesting article on Medium, by Shubransh Rai titled, 'A Tech Tsunami Is Coming Very Soon...' caught my eye. It reminded me of an article I had written a few years back. When I wrote the article a few years ago on Blogspot, titled,  'Valves, Transistors, and Moore's Law – Have we reached Human Limits?' I was not trying to be prophetic, but then it appears that with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, we might indeed have reached human limits!

While I don't desire to be a doomsday prophet, I do have a few concerns regarding the challenges that Artificial Intelligence might offer to us 'Human Beings'. Move away valves, transistors, and integrated chips, we are talking about moving beyond the hardware. We are talking about processing mind-boggling amounts of data (pun intended) and churning out interpretations, analyses, predictions, and premises that go beyond the computational skills of a grand Chessmaster. 

Imagine pitting Artificial Intelligence against a Chessmaster, and having the game end in a few moves with the Grandchessmaster wearing a sheepish smile having lost a battle to a machine-based intelligence. Imagine being able to hack into the minds of your opponents, rivals, and enemies and outthinking them at their moves. Would you blame Artificial Intelligence for dealing with insider trading, doctoring the stock market, or even pre-empting a takeover? Talk about outsmarting the most 'intelligent' (pun and irony intended) creature on earth!

But all this computational ability is the result of having hardware capable of managing calculations and computations that go beyond the capabilities of valves, transistors, and integrated chips. In earlier times, we had floppy drives, CD-ROM disks, and hard disks that had limited capabilities for storing data, and our processors had limited capabilities. Today, we talk about data in terms of terabytes and teraflops. 

Cloud computing and quantum computing have taken the lead, and the amount of data being stored and analyzed goes beyond the human brain's capabilities. This is where things become interesting, and in that case even scary. The world has seen how intelligence has become the new means of survival of the fittest. Evolution of life forms takes eons but the evolution of AI and AI-based computing is moving at a breathtaking pace! We, cannot, ever, think of upskilling and adapting to the pace with which technology and data processing are evolving.

In this competition between Human intelligence and Artificial intelligence, the former has already abdicated its centuries hold on dominance in intelligence. Prescience, sentience, emotional quotient, and awareness are soon going to be areas in which Artificial intelligence is going to gain lead. AI is already replacing copywriters, financial analysts, designers, coders, architects, climate analysts, the list is endless.

Disruption is a keyword and in these chaotic times, the emergence of Artificial intelligence coupled with technology has made things rather difficult for all human beings. Industry 4.0 also called as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or 4IR is a disruptive phase driven by Artificial Intelligence, data analytics, and human-machine interaction, including the introduction of robots, bots, and virtual technology. The accelerated rate at which technology is replacing older technology, the rise of innovations, and the rapid diffusion of all of them have caused an abrupt change in societies all over the world. Those who can adapt to the new technology survive but those who are not able to do so will have to concede defeat. What this means in terms of economic, cultural, and social impacts can be imagined even as we see a large number of layoffs by large corporations all over the world.

Last but not least, I would like to quote from my article published a few years back and the link of which I have shared below:

Moore’s Law states that the number of transistors on an integrated board will double every two years (approximately 18 months). This in itself points towards the doubling of processing power, doubling of memory space, and of course computing power. My first computer had a hard disk with a memory of 760 megabytes and today we are talking about terabytes! It is frightening, isn’t it? The information surfeit is so great that we can’t handle it, this is because as human beings we have limitations in filtering the amount of information that we can process. The result is a generation exposed to stress resulting from the daunting task of filtering and processing a large amount of data, most of which is of no use! While no doubt it took us human beings millennia to evolve, for transistors however this is not the case. While the computing power of computers and hand-held devices is doubling every two years, we however are not able to keep pace with the computers and mobile phones. The advent of artificial intelligence and electronic intelligence is a possibility that may soon become a reality.

https://medium.com/quantum-information-review/a-tech-tsunami-is-coming-very-soon-36580de7f490

https://rodrickwrites.blogspot.com/2017/02/iot-and-education-implications-for.html

Collared Pratincole Spotted at the Chandu Budhera Canal Area

On a recent visit to the Chandu Budhera canal area on the 31st of March, 2025, I was able to spot a few Collared Pratincole birds at the Chandu Budhera Canal area in Gurugram bordering New Delhi. A distinct bird with an elegant necklace and a red bill, and a brown body plumage. On doing some research on the bird, I came to know that it is a winter visitor to India. The survival rate of these birds is very low since they live in can be very hot.

The population of this bird is on a decline mainly in Europe because of a reduction in the sizes of their habitats. These birds feed on insects which are becoming fewer in numbers due to developmental activities. Breeding is a major problem for these birds.

While in earlier years the species used to be spotted in the months of August to November, climate changes might have had an impact on the late arrival of these birds in the Northern Plains of India. It is safe to assume that Collared Pratincole birds might be more likely to visit the Northern plains of India during the Autumn season.

Collared Pratincole birds, are waders that are sparse winter/autumn visitors to India. They breed in Central Asia and migrate to warmer regions like those in Africa during cold winter months.

Photographing Bar-headed Geese-Tips and Tricks

Photographing Bar-headed Geese can be most rewarding, especially if you can get really close to them without distressing them. They are specially spooked by abrupt movements, flashy clothes and abrupt movements. Wearing camouflage clothes, muted colors and clothes that break the body shape can be of much help.

The months of February and March see Bar-headed Geese heading for the wetlands in and around Gurugram in Haryana, India. Some of the favorite wetlands and Biodiversity hotspots include the Chandu Budhera canal area bordering New Delhi, and the Basai Wetland. Bar-headed Geese home in for these places since they have been following ancient migratory routes.

The ideal time of the day to photograph Bar-headed geese is during the early morning hours. The Golden is usually between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. when the soft tones of the sun enhance the colors of the birds. Action shots of the birds capture the movements of the birds beautifully especially when they are taking off or landing.

Having a landscape context can highlight the birds making them standout of the background and foreground. Landscapes include waterscapes, green areas and in some cases derelict buildings, that can be found in abundance at the Chandu Budhera canal area.

Photographing and documenting the behavior of birds, including their interactions, and feeding behavior can make for interesting shots. Having a zoom lens or a telephoto lens 300 mm or more can be a boon because it allows you to photograph these birds from a comfortable distance without spooking them.

Ensuring a sharp focus, in my case focusing on the eyes gives you good results. Last, but not  least, you need to compose your photographs while taking the photographs. Practicing ethical wildlife photography norms make a big difference. As a wildlife photographer, you need to respect the privacy of these birds. I have come across a few wildlife photographers who throw objects at birds in order to make them take to the air so that they can take flying shots.

We often work as a team, my brother and me, moving around in synchronized movements, using hand signal so as to not frighten away the birds. I prefer riding a bike to these destinations as it is easier to park and can find its way in some of the toughest terrains.