(Page 63)
Question 1.
Why was the twentieth century
called the ‘Era of the book’?
There were books for everything, from anteaters to Zulus. Books taught
people what to do, how to do, when to do and why to do. They explained,
educated, directed and decorated. No wonder that it was called the eta of
books.
Question 2.
Who tried to invade the Earth
in the twenty first century?
Martians tried to invade the Earth in the twenty first century.
Page 65
Question 3.
What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the books found on Earth?
Think-Tank first guesses them
to be sandwiches. Then he calls them communication devices. After that he
thinks them to be some kind of eye communication devices that have to be
devices watched.
Think About It
(Page 74)
Question 1.
Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his
mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
Noodle avoids offending
Think-Tank while correcting his mistakes by presenting his own thoughts, but
referring to them as being of no particular importance. Whenever he had to say
something contrary to what Think-Tank said, he would do this. In this way he
would correct Think-Tank’s errors without making Think-Tank feel that he was
being corrected.
Question 2.
If you were in Noodle’s
place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?
If I were in his place, I would
do the same. I would politely and gently suggest the corrections.
Question 3.
Do you think books are being
replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?
Yes, these days online reading
has replaced traditional books to a large extent. Internet, facebook, twitter
etc. have decreased interest in reading. But, the truth is that books cannot
be totally replaced. Books can never go out of life although they may exist in
a different form.
Question 4.
Why are books referred to as
a man’s best companion? Which is your favourite book and why? Write a
paragraph about that book.
A book is a man’s best companion because it is always there. It never leaves
us alone. It is there with us even when everyone else is gone. Books ‘ guide
us, instruct us, make us laugh, inform us, inspire us and are always true to
us. My favourite book is Peter Pan. It is a fairy tale. I love the character
of Peter. He lives in fantasies. He is a child who never wants to grow up and
he never does’ He enjoys thrills and adventures and even takes the kids from
Earth on a merry adventure. The book inspires as it snows that one can remain
a child at heart forever. The sense of wonder, innocence, purity and joy and a
‘ capacity to dream can stay in the human heart forever.
Talk About It
(Page 74)
Question 1.
In what ways does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as threats
to the Martians? Can you think of any incidents where you misinterpreted a
word or an action? How did you resolve the misunderstanding?
The words like ‘shell’ and
‘silver’ make Think-Tank think that humans grew them in farms. Then, there js
a line about ‘cow’ and ‘ ‘moon’. Also, the picture of Humpty-Dumpu and the
rhyme of‘great fall’ make Think- ink think that humans were about to invade
Mats. Yes, I had a similar misunderstanding wirh a friend. But, I was
fortunate as I got to know the actual truth just in time. I did not believe
what 1 had heard earlier.
Question 2.
The aliens in the play speak
English. Do you think this is their language? What could be the language of
i.e aliens?
No, English was not their language. If it had been so, they would not have
misinterpreted the- nursery rhymes. They could be speaking some Martian
language.