English Language & Literature — CBSE Class 10 board question

Sifting through the sands of time 1. [Sand contains] skeletons of marine animals, even tiny diamonds. Sand provides a mineral treasure-changing processes. 2. Sand : as children we play on it and as adults we relax on it. It is something we complain about when it gets in our food, and praise [it at the beach. If we were to examine a handful of sand,] we would discover an account of a geological past and a history of marine life that goes back thousands and, in some cases, millions of years. 3. Sand covers not just sea-shores, but also ocean beds, deserts and mountains. It is one of the most common substances on Earth. And it is a major element in man-made items too — concrete is largely sand, while glass is made of little else. 4. What exactly is sand? Well, it is larger than fine dust and smaller than shingle. Depending on its age and origin, a particular sand can consist of tiny pebbles or porous granules. Its grain may have the shape of stars or spirals, their edges jagged or smooth. They have come from the erosion of rocks, or from the skeletons of marine organisms which accumulate on the bottom of the oceans, or even from volcanic eruptions. 5. [In different locations, the composition of sand varies.] Grains may be derived from nearby coral outcrops, from crystalline quartz rocks or from gypsum. On Pacific islands jet black sands form from volcanic minerals. 6. Usually, the older the granules, the finer they are and the smoother the edges. The fine, white beaches, for instance, are recycled from sandstone several hundred million years old. Perhaps they will be stone once more, in another few hundred million. 7. Sand is an irreplaceable industrial ingredient whose uses are legion : but it has one vital function you might never even notice. Sand does a better job of protecting our shores than the most advanced coastal technology.