The Making of the Earth Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 10 English Chapter 7 The Making of the Earth Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from English Main Course Book
The Making of the Earth Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and Lesson explanation for Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Making of the Earth from English Main Course Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
PSEB Class 10 English Main Course Book Chapter 7 – The Making of the Earth
“The Making of the Earth” is an extract from Jawaharlal Nehru’s “Letters from a Father to His Daughter,” written in 1928. In this letter, Nehru explains how the solar system was formed, how Earth originated from the sun, and how the cooling process eventually made life possible. His simple language and clear analogies make complex scientific concepts easily understandable for young readers.
- The Making of the Earth Summary
- The Making of the Earth Summary in Hindi
- The Making of the Earth Theme
- The Making of the Earth Explanation
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The Making of the Earth Summary
“The Making of the Earth” is a scientific yet accessible explanation of how our planet came into existence. Nehru begins by introducing the concept of the solar system, describing it as a “happy family” with the sun as the father and the planets as children, with their satellites hanging on to them. He explains how to distinguish between stars and planets, stars twinkle because they are burning and produce their own light like our sun, while planets merely reflect sunlight and do not twinkle.
The narrative then describes Earth’s origin. Astronomers believe that long ago, the earth and all planets were part of the sun, which was a mass of flaming matter. Small bits broke away from the sun and shot out into space, but remained bound by gravitational force (which Nehru compares to a rope), causing them to orbit the sun. Earth was formed in this manner, and similarly, the moon broke away from Earth, possibly from the area now occupied by the Pacific Ocean.
Initially, Earth was extremely hot, covered in hot gases, making life impossible. Gradually, the surface began cooling while the interior remained hot (as evidenced by increasing temperatures in deep coal mines). The moon, being smaller, cooled even faster and is now known as the “cold moon.” As Earth cooled, water vapor in the atmosphere condensed and fell as tremendous rainfall. This water collected in the great hollows on Earth’s surface, forming the oceans and seas. Only after sufficient cooling did conditions become suitable for living things to exist on Earth’s surface and in the seas.
Summary of the Lesson The Making of the Earth in Hindi
“द मेकिंग ऑफ द अर्थ” में जवाहरलाल नेहरू अपनी बेटी इंदिरा को पृथ्वी की उत्पत्ति के बारे में सरल भाषा में समझाते हैं। वे सौर मंडल को एक “खुशहाल परिवार” बताते हैं जिसमें सूर्य पिता है और ग्रह उसकी संतान हैं। चंद्रमा पृथ्वी का उपग्रह है क्योंकि वह पृथ्वी से चिपका हुआ है।
नेहरू समझाते हैं कि तारे और ग्रहों में अंतर कैसे पहचाना जाए – तारे टिमटिमाते हैं क्योंकि वे स्वयं जलते हैं और प्रकाश उत्पन्न करते हैं, जबकि ग्रह केवल सूर्य के प्रकाश को परावर्तित करते हैं और नहीं टिमटिमाते।
खगोलशास्त्रियों के अनुसार, बहुत समय पहले पृथ्वी और सभी ग्रह सूर्य का हिस्सा थे। सूर्य से छोटे-छोटे टुकड़े अलग होकर अंतरिक्ष में निकल गए, लेकिन गुरुत्वाकर्षण बल (जिसे नेहरू रस्सी से तुलना करते हैं) के कारण वे सूर्य के चारों ओर घूमते रहे। इसी तरह पृथ्वी बनी, और फिर पृथ्वी से चंद्रमा अलग हुआ, संभवतः प्रशांत महासागर वाले क्षेत्र से।
प्रारंभ में पृथ्वी अत्यधिक गर्म थी और उस पर जीवन असंभव था। धीरे-धीरे पृथ्वी की सतह ठंडी होने लगी, हालांकि अंदरूनी भाग गर्म रहा। चंद्रमा छोटा होने के कारण और भी तेजी से ठंडा हुआ। जब पृथ्वी ठंडी हुई, तो वायुमंडल में मौजूद जल वाष्प संघनित होकर भारी बारिश के रूप में गिरा। यह पानी पृथ्वी के बड़े गड्ढों में भर गया और इस प्रकार महासागरों और समुद्रों का निर्माण हुआ। पर्याप्त ठंडा होने के बाद ही पृथ्वी पर जीवन संभव हो सका।
Theme of the Lesson The Making of the Earth
The lesson’s primary theme is making complex scientific concepts accessible. Nehru explains astronomical and geological ideas simply while maintaining accuracy, demonstrating how education can nurture curiosity and intellectual growth. He encourages wonder about the universe, teaching about deep time and gradual evolution over millions of years. While emphasizing Earth’s insignificance as “a speck of dust” in vast space, he highlights its unique significance as life’s home. The solar system metaphor as a “happy family” teaches interconnectedness and harmony in nature.
The Making of the Earth Lesson Explanation
Passage: You know that the earth goes round the sun and the moon goes round the earth. You know also perhaps that there are several other bodies which like the earth go round the sun. All these, including our earth, are called planets of the sun. The moon is called a satellite of the earth because it hangs on to it. The other planets have also got their satellites. The sun and the planets with their satellites form a happy family. This is called the solar system. Solar means belonging to the sun, and the sun being the father of all the planets, the whole group is called the Solar System.
Word Meanings
goes round: moves in a circular path around, orbits
several other bodies: many other heavenly objects
planets: heavenly bodies that rotate around the sun
satellite: a natural body that orbits a planet
hangs on to: stays attached to, revolves around
solar: relating to or belonging to the sun
father: the source or origin, the central figure
Explanation: Nehru begins with simple, known facts to build understanding. The earth orbits the sun, and the moon orbits the earth. There are other heavenly bodies similar to earth that also orbit the sun – these are called planets. The moon is described as a satellite because it revolves around the earth. Other planets also have their own satellites. Together, the sun, planets, and their satellites create a unified group that Nehru affectionately calls a “happy family” – the solar system. The word “solar” means belonging to the sun, and since the sun is the central figure (like a father), the entire group is named after it.
Passage: At night you see thousands of stars in the sky. Only a few of these are the planets and these are really not called stars at all. Can you distinguish between a planet and a star? The planets are really quite tiny, like our earth, compared to the stars but they look bigger in the sky because they are much nearer to us. Just as the moon which is, in reality quite a baby, looks so big because it is quite near to us. But the real way to distinguish the stars from the planets is to see if they twinkle or not. Stars twinkle, planets do not.
Word Meanings
thousands: a very large number
distinguish between: tell the difference between, identify separately
quite tiny: very small
compared to: when measured against
in reality: actually, in truth
quite a baby: very small in size
twinkle: shine with a flickering light, sparkle
Explanation: When we look at the night sky, we see countless points of light, but only a small number are actually planets. Planets are fundamentally different from stars. Though planets are very small compared to stars, they appear larger in our sky because they’re much closer to us – just like the moon appears large despite being relatively small. Nehru reveals the practical test for identifying stars versus planets: stars twinkle with a flickering light, while planets shine with a steady light. This is the most reliable way to tell them apart.
Passage: That is because the planets only shine because they get the light of our sun. It is only the sunshine on the planets or the moon that we see. The real stars are like our sun. They shine of themselves because they are very hot and burning. In reality our sun itself is a star, only it looks bigger as it is nearer and we see it as a great ball of fire.
Word Meanings
only shine because: shine solely due to
get the light: receive illumination
shine of themselves: produce their own light
burning: undergoing combustion, radiating heat
great ball of fire: large sphere of burning gases
Explanation: Planets don’t produce their own light – they shine only because they reflect sunlight. When we see a planet or the moon glowing in the sky, we’re actually seeing the sun’s light bouncing off their surfaces. This explains why planets don’t twinkle – they’re merely reflecting steady sunlight. Stars, unlike planets, generate their own light because they are extremely hot and burning. Our sun is actually a star too – it only appears larger than other stars because it is much closer to us. We see it as an enormous sphere of fire.
Passage: So that our earth belongs to the family of the sun – the solar system. We think the earth is very big and it is big compared to our tiny selves. It takes weeks and months to go from one part of it to another even in a fast train or steamer. But although it seems so big to us it is just like a speck of dust hanging in the air. The sun is millions of miles away and the other stars are even farther away.
Word Meanings
belongs to: is a member of, is part of
compared to: when measured against
tiny selves: our small bodies
fast train or steamer: quick railway or ship
speck of dust: tiny particle, minute fragment
hanging in the air: suspended in space
millions of miles: an enormous distance
even farther away: at an even greater distance
Explanation: The earth is a member of the sun’s family, the solar system. From our human perspective, Earth seems enormous because we are so small, and it takes weeks or months to travel across it even with fast transportation. However, despite appearing so large to us, in the vastness of space, Earth is merely like a tiny speck of dust floating in the air. To emphasize the scale of space, Nehru points out that the sun is millions of miles from Earth, and other stars are at even more incredible distances.
Passage: Astronomers, those people who study the stars, tell us that long-long ago the earth and all the planets were part of the sun. The sun was then as it is now a mass of flaming matter, terribly hot. Somehow little bits of the sun got loose and they shot out into the air. But they could not wholly get rid of their father, the sun. It was as if a rope was tied to them and they kept whirling round the sun. This strange force, which I have compared to a rope, is something which attracts little things to great. It is the force which makes things fall by their weight. The earth being the biggest thing near us, attracts everything we have.
Word Meanings
astronomers: scientists who study celestial bodies
long-long ago: in the very distant past
mass of flaming matter: large amount of burning material
terribly hot: extremely high temperature
got loose: broke free, separated
shot out: flew outward rapidly
wholly get rid of: completely escape from
whirling round: spinning around, rotating
strange force: mysterious power (gravity)
attracts: pulls toward, draws closer
fall by their weight: drop due to gravity
Explanation: Scientists called astronomers who study stars have discovered that in the ancient past, Earth and all planets were actually part of the sun itself. The sun has always been an enormous ball of burning material with extreme heat. At some point, small pieces of the sun broke away and flew rapidly outward into space. However, these pieces couldn’t completely escape the sun’s influence – as if connected by an invisible rope, they kept rotating around the sun. Nehru explains this “rope” is actually gravity, a force that pulls smaller objects toward larger ones. This is the same force that makes things fall to Earth. Since Earth is the largest object near us, it attracts everything on its surface.
Passage: In this way our earth also shot out from the sun. It must have been very hot, with terrible hot gases and air all around it, but as it was very much smaller than the sun, it started to cool. The sun also is getting less hot but it will take millions of years to cool down. The earth took much less time to cool. When it was hot, of course, nothing could live on it – no man or animal or plant or tree. Everything would have been burnt up then.
Word Meanings
shot out from: flew away from, separated from
terrible hot gases: extremely heated vapors
started to cool: began to lose heat
getting less hot: gradually cooling down
of course: naturally, obviously
burnt up: destroyed by heat, incinerated
Explanation: Our Earth was formed in the same way – it broke away from the sun and flew into space. Initially, Earth was extremely hot, surrounded by burning gases and hot air. However, because Earth was much smaller than the sun, it began cooling down relatively quickly. The sun is also cooling, but this process will take millions of years due to its massive size. Earth cooled much faster. During this hot phase, no life could exist on Earth – no humans, animals, plants, or trees could survive because everything would have been burned up by the intense heat.
Passage: Just as a bit of the sun shot out and became the earth, so also a bit of the earth shot out and became the moon. Many people think that the moon came out of the great hollow which is now the Pacific Ocean, between America and Japan.
Word Meanings
just as: in the same way that
a bit of: a piece of, a portion of
shot out: broke away and flew out
great hollow: large depression, enormous cavity
came out of: originated from, was formed from
Explanation: The moon formed through the same process that created Earth – just as a piece of the sun broke away to become Earth, a piece of Earth broke away to become the moon. Nehru mentions an interesting theory that many scientists believed at the time: the moon may have come from the location where the Pacific Ocean now exists, that vast body of water between America and Japan. This hollow in the Earth might be where the moon separated from our planet.
Passage: So the earth started to cool. It took a long time over it. Gradually the surface of the earth became cooler although the interior remained very hot. Even now if you go down a coal mine it becomes hotter and hotter as you go down. Probably if you could go down deep enough inside the earth you would find it red hot. The moon also started to cool and because it was much smaller than even the earth it cooled more quickly than the earth. It looks delightfully cool, does it not? It is called the “cold moon”. Perhaps it is full of glaciers and ice fields.
Word Meanings
took a long time over it: required many years for the process
gradually: slowly, little by little
surface: outer layer, top part
interior: inner part, inside
coal mine: underground tunnel for extracting coal
deep enough: sufficiently far down
red hot: glowing with intense heat
delightfully cool: pleasantly cold
glaciers: massive ice formations
ice fields: large areas covered with ice
Explanation: Earth’s cooling was a slow, gradual process that took a very long time. The surface cooled first while the inside remained extremely hot. Even today, evidence of this internal heat exists – if you descend into a coal mine, the temperature increases as you go deeper. If we could travel far enough into Earth’s center, we would find it still glowing red with heat. The moon also began cooling, and because it was even smaller than Earth, it cooled much more rapidly. Today it appears beautifully cool and is called the “cold moon.” Nehru suggests it might be covered with glaciers and vast fields of ice.
Passage: When the earth cooled all the water vapour in the air condensed into water and probably came down as rain. It must have rained a tremendous lot then. All this water filled the great hollows in the earth and so the great oceans and seas were formed.
Word Meanings
water vapour: water in gas form, steam
condensed into: changed from gas to liquid form
came down as: fell in the form of
tremendous lot: enormous amount
great hollows: large depressions, deep cavities
filled: occupied completely
oceans and seas: large bodies of water
Explanation: As Earth’s surface cooled, an important transformation occurred. The water vapor (steam) that had been suspended in the hot atmosphere began to condense – it changed from gas into liquid water. This water fell as rain, and it must have rained tremendously, perhaps for thousands of years. All this rainwater collected in the large depressions and hollows on Earth’s surface. These filled-up hollows became the great oceans and seas that cover much of our planet today.
Passage: As the earth became cooler and the oceans also became cooler, it became possible for living things to exist on the earth’s surface or in the sea.
Word Meanings
became cooler: decreased in temperature
became possible: was able to happen
living things: organisms, life forms
exist: survive, live
earth’s surface: the outer layer of the planet
Explanation: This final passage marks the critical turning point in Earth’s history. As both the land and the oceans gradually cooled down to suitable temperatures, conditions finally became right for life to begin. For the first time, living organisms could exist and survive either on Earth’s surface or in the seas. This cooling created the environment necessary for life as we know it, setting the stage for the eventual development of plants, animals, and ultimately human beings. The ellipsis at the end suggests this is just the beginning of a much longer story of life on Earth.
Conclusion
This post on PSEB Class 10 lesson “The Making of the Earth” from English Main coursebook gives the summary, word meanings and explanation. This post helps students get a better understanding of the lesson.