CBSE Class 10 English Assignment - Virtually True. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice.

FICTION: VIRTUALLY TRUE

SUMMARY

The story is a science fiction and the story line is very difficult to believe but it is

virtually true or at least it may be true in near future.

The narrator of the story, a young child named Michael, comes across a news

item related to miraculous recovery of a boy, named Sebastian, to life from

the state of coma.

The narrator is puzzled as he believes that he has met Michael somewhere.

He recalls that he has met him while playing different ‘psycho drive games’,

he knows him to be a computer character so how can that computer

character ‘Michael’ be a real man.

The narrator also recalls that his computer ‘nutty’ dad had brought several

psycho-drive computer games a few months back and it was in those games

like- Wild west, Dragon quest, Jailbreak and War Zone that he had met this

boy requesting him to rescue him.

The narrator is also reminded of the fact that he could not rescue the boy in

different computer games as he was not allowed to control the games.

He again recalls that while he was attempting ‘War Zone’, he could rescue the

computer character named Sebastian the previous day.

The narrator finds everything mysterious about Sebastian and his recovery.

He tries to unfold the mystery by surfing the internet and finally his curiosity

is addressed.

The narrator comes to know that Sebastian is a real character and his

memory had got transported to the computer memory of his lap top on which

he was playing the same psycho-drive games when an accident took place

and when the narrator found the same games from a computer fair he came

across Sebastian Shultz- the computer character.

He realises that by cracking the last psycho-drive game War Zone, actually he

has been able to bring out Sebastian from the state of ‘coma’.

The mystery is unfolded for the narrator and he receives a mail from the real

Sebastian who thanks him for rescuing him and wishes to meet him.

EXTRACT BASED COMPREHENSION QUESTION EXERCISES

[A] “Sebastian Shultz, the boy I’d got to know so well recently, had apparently been in a

coma for all that time. I felt nervous and shivery. It didn’t make any sense at all.”

(a) How does the narrator know Sebastian?

(b) What had happened to him?

(c) What is the meaning of the word ‘shivery’?

Answers. (a) The narrator knows Sebastian as a computer character whom he has met

in different psycho-drive games.

(b) Sebastian Shultz had met an accident and had gone to the state of coma.

(c) frightened

[B] “‘Can we have one last try’ it said, ‘I think the helicopter was the right idea. There’s

got to be some kind of an accident… go into ‘Warzone’. If this doesn’t work I won’t

bother you again. Cheers, Seb.”

(a) What did Sebastian want to have a last try for?

(b) What is the ‘War zone’?

(c) What does Sebastian mean by- I won’t bother you again?

Answers.

(a) Sebastian wanted the narrator to have a last try in rescuing him by attempting the

psycho-drive game named ‘War Zone’.

(b) War zone is a psycho-drive computer game in which the target of the player is to

safely pass through the battle field.

(c) Sebastian means that he would not disturb the narrator for helping him in getting

him rescued any more if this attempt fails.

[C] “He jumped in, turned the ignition key and revved the engine. ‘Jump in’. I climbed

into the passenger seat and we were off.”

(a) Who are ‘we’ in these lines?

(b) Where are they off to?

(c) What is the meaning of the word- ‘revved’?

Answers.

(a) The narrator and Sebastian Shultz are ‘we’ in the lines.

(b) They are off to a grounded helicopter which is landed on the other side of the ‘war

zone’ in the computer game ‘War Zone’.

(c) to prepare/to start.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

Q.1. Why does Michael fail in his first three attempts in rescuing Sebastian?

Ans. Michael fails in his first three rescuing attempts as he is not allowed to play in all

these attempts. The entire happening is controlled by Sebastian himself but in the

fourth attempt Michael gets an opportunity to act and by doing so he helps out

Sebastian in rescuing his life.

Q.2.How does the communication take place between both of them?

Ans. The communication between both of them takes through printing tray. Mostly it’s

Sebastian who conveys message by using printing tray.

Q.3. What are the questions that trouble the narrator after he finally saves Sebastian?

Ans. The narrator is curious to know about two things-(i) How Sebastian’s memory gets

stored inside the computer and (ii) How he has been led to play the weird version of

the psycho-drive games with Sebastian.

Q.4. Why does the narrator term his father as ‘nutty’ about computers?

Ans. The narrator terms his father to be very nutty about computers because his father

has all the latest computer accessories as well as computers which can do a variety of

things. Also, he shows his keen interest in new gadgets and gizmos that are launched

in the market.

VALUE BASED QUESTION WITH ANSWER

Q. ‘Will power and determination bring success against all odds.’ Comment on the

statement in the context of whatever happens in the story ‘Virtually True’.

Answer. The story teaches us the lesson of ‘never giving up’ attitude in life. It shows us

how will power and determination help an individual in achieving whatever one

strives for.

In the story we find Michael working relentlessly to rescue Sebastian despite failing

in one effort after another. He finally succeeds in rescuing Sebastian and later on he

comes to know that by doing so he has actually saved a real human. In our life also

we can ensure success in any field and of any nature by remaining determined and

focussed. We need not to give up at any juncture of our endeavour. Real heroes are

born out real tests. Human civilization is also full of such examples.

ADDITIONAL SHORT ANSWER/VALUE BASED QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Q.1. What does the narrator come to know about Sebastian Shultz from the newspaper

and why is he so amazed about it?

Q.2. The narrator terms his father ‘nutty’ about computers. Why does he make such a

statement?

Q.3. Where does the narrator meet Sebastian Shultz at first?

Q.4. What is the request made by Sebastian to the narrator?

Q.5. Why does the narrator fail in rescuing Sebastian in first three psycho-drive games?

Q.6. How does the narrator help him in the last video game?

Q.7. How does Sebastian become part of psycho-drive games?

Q.8. How does the narrator get the psycho-drive games of Sebastian?

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

Q.1. “The computer games are causing a lot of harm to a child’s psychological, physical,

emotional and social life.” Express your views on the statement.

Q.2. ‘Life is full of surprises and miracles.’ Share your views on this. Do you think that

these add up to the charm of life?

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