CBSE Class 10 English The Book That Saved The Earth Worksheet

 

 

This drama is set in 25th century. A historian in the museum is telling the story about 20th century; the century of the books. She tells how a book saved the earth from Martian invasion in 2040. The invaders from Mars consider themselves too intelligent for the earthlings. They think they are superior race than the inhabitants of the earth. There is a megalomaniac commander who commands the team of the invader. Various members from the invaders’ team enter a library. They are unable to identify what a book is. They make several wild guesses, and finally arrive at the conclusion that it must be a communication device for the earthlings. They try to decode what is written in the book. The book is full of nursery rhymes. Their encoding tells them that earthlings must have been on a mission to attack the Mars. Fearing that, they immediately leave the earth and fly away to the distant Alpha Centauri.

 

Extract 1
OMEGA: It shall be done, Sir. Remove vitamins. (Crew takes vitamins from boxes on their belts.) Present vitamins. (They hold vitamins out in front of them, stiffly.) Swallow vitamins. (They pop the vitamins into their mouths and gulp simultaneously. They open their eyes wide, their heads shake, and they put their hands to their foreheads.)
THINK-TANK: Excellent. Now, decipher that code.
ALL: It shall be done, Sir. (They frown over the book, turning pages.)
OMEGA: (brightly) Aha!
IOTA: (brightly)
Oho! OOP: (bursting into laughter) Ha, ha, ha.
THINK-TANK: What does it say? Tell me this instant. Transcribe, Omega. (The Book that Saved the Earth)

Question. Select the option that correctly captures the usage of the word ‘present’ from line 1 of the extract.
A. Oops received a nice present from Think Tank.
B. Iota needs to present his opinion firmly.
C. Omega must focus on the present and leave the past behind.
D. Oops didn’t know anyone even though a crowd was present.
Answer. B

Question.  Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text frown: smile:: gloomily: ______________
Answer. frown: smile: gloomily: brightly

Question.  Select the option that displays the reason why all crew members were asked to have vitamins. In order to –
A. boost their physical energies.
B. adapt to their circumstances.
C. quickly turn all the pages.
D. accomplish a specific task.
Answer. D

Question.  According to the extract, what did THINK-TANK most likely want OMEGA to do when he said ‘Transcribe…’?
1. read aloud
2. translate
3. make notes
4. interpret
5. record reactions Select the correct option.
A. 1 & 3
B. 2 & 4
C. Only 3
D. 1, 4 and 5
Answer. B

Question.  The playwright places certain words and sentences in brackets in the given extract. List any ways these benefit both the director and actors.
Answer. • Help actors and director gain clarity about the emotions and gestures required while performing / directing
• Helps with understanding stage setting and movements (Or any other suitable explanation) 

 

Extract 2. Noodle : (bowing) O Great and Mighty Think-Tank, most powerful and intelligent creature in the whole universe, what are your orders?
Think-Tank : (peevishly) You left out part of my salutation, Apprentice Noodle. Go over the whole thing again.

Question.  Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text Mighty: powerful:: intelligent: ______________
Answer. wise

Question.  Select the sentence in which the word ‘over’ is used in the similar manner in the extract.
a) Over a period of three centuries, very little changed in the pattern of life for the poorest people.
b) There were over 100 people at the lecture.
c) A small boat came over the lake and approached our cottage.
d) With an umbrella over my head, I was able to protect myself from the midday sun.
Answer. C

Question.  What does the extract reveal about Think-Tank?
Answer. The extract reveals Think-Tank to be a vain and egoistic creature.

Question.  Find a word from the extract which means ‘feeling or showing nutation’.
Answer. ‘Peevishly’ from the extract means ‘feeling or showing invitation’.

Question. What is the opposite of ‘powerful’?

Answer. C

 

3. Iota : I can’t figure it out, Captain. (holding up a book) I’ve counted two thousand of these peculiar items. This place must be some sort of storage barn.

Question. What could be not figured out?
Answer. Iota could not figure out what the book were because he had never seen a book before.

Question.  Complete the analogy by selecting the suitable word from the text peculiar: adjective:: of: ______________ 
Answer. preposition

Question. Choose the option that displays ‘storage’.

a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
Answer. C

Question.  What part of speech is ‘peculiar’ as used in the extract?
Answer. It is an adjective.

Question.  : ‘I can’t figure it out’ who is ‘I’ here?
a) Iota
b) Earthling
c) Noodle
d) Think-Tank
Answer. A

 

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question.  What difficulty does the crew of the space probe face on Earth?
Answer. The space probe lands in a public library. The crew is shocked because the place looked very strange as they had no idea of books. They think the library to be some kind of storage barn.

Question.  How does Think-Tank explain the books to his probe crew?
Answer. Think-Tank told his crew that the books were sandwiches. He even ordered his crew to eat them. Then, he called them communication devices and later he said that they were meant for watching.

Question.  Why does the space probe crew take vitamins?
Answer. Think-Tank wanted the probe crew to find out what was in the books. So, the probe crew takes vitamins to increase their intelligence. They are able to read the books after taking those vitamins.

Question. Think-Tank thinks that Earthlings are after him. What is the reason?
Answer. The crew of Think-Tank read about Humpty-Dumpty‘s fall in the rhyme and showed the picture to Think-Tank. Think-Tank‘s head resembled that of Humpty-Dumpty. This makes Think-Tank feel that earthlings were planning to invade Mars and capture him.

Question.  What difficulty do the crew of the space probe face on Earth?
Answer. The space probe lands in a public library. The crew is shocked because the place looked very strange as they had no idea of books. They think the library to be some kind of storage barn.

Question.  How does Think-Tank explain the books to his probe crew?
Answer. Think-Tank told his crew that the books were sandwiches. He even ordered his crew to eat them. Then, he called them communication devices and later he said that they were meant for watching.

Question.  Why do the space probe crew take vitamins?
Answer. Think-Tank wanted the probe crew to find out what was in the books. So, the probe crew take vitamins to increase their intelligence. They are able to read the books after taking those vitamins.

Question. What is Think-Tank’s interpretation of words like ‘shells’, ‘silver bells’ and ‘garden’ from the nursery rhyme? What is its impact?
Answer. Think-Tank interprets the given words to mean that the earthlings grew shells and silver in their gardens. This caused him to withhold their planned invasion of Earth as he felt that Earth was more advanced than Mars.

Question. Think-Tank thinks that Earthlings are after him. What is the reason?
Answer. Think-Tank crew read about Humpty-Dumpty’s fall in the rhyme and showed the picture to Think-Tank. Think-Tank’s head resembled that of Humpty-Dumpty. This makes Think-Tank feel that earthlings were planning to invade Mars and capture him.

Question.  Mention any two striking qualities of Noodle.
Answer. The apprentice of Think-Tank, Noodle, comes out as an interesting figure in the story. He is very polite and smart. He corrects the mistakes of his ruler very humbly by giving indirect suggestions. Also, he is very wise and well informed.

 

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS 

Question.  How did one old book of nursery rhymes save the Earth from a Martian invasion?
Answer. The invaders from Mars considered themselves too intelligent for the earthlings. They thought they were a superior race than the inhabitants of the earth. As ordered by Think-Tank, the Commander-in- Chief and ruler of Mars who was praised and flattered as the most intelligent and powerful creature in the whole universe, various members from the invaders’ team entered a library. They were unable to identify what a book is. They made several wild guesses. Think-Tank gave ridiculous and fantastic interpretations of books.
He called them sandwiches and finally arrived at the conclusion that it must be a communication device for the earthlings. They tried to decode what was written in the book. The book was full of nursery rhymes. This book was totally misunderstood by the MartiAnswer. Think-Tank misunderstood the Phrases like ‘shell’ ‘silver’ and ‘garden’. They gave him a false idea that earthlings grew silver and weapons. He started thinking that earthlings were very advanced technologically. The crew of Think-Tank read about Humpty-Dumpty‘s fall in the rhyme and showed the picture to Think-Tank. Think-Tank‘s head resembled that of Humpty Dumpty. This made Think-Tank feels that earthlings were planning to invade Mars and capture him. So, he ordered them to cancel the invasion and they cancelled their invasion of Earth and went back. Thus one old book of nursery rhymes saved the Earth from a Martian invasion.

Question. The play, The Book That Saved the Earth’ conveys the message that misunderstanding of cultural differences between various races can cause confusion and conflict. Based on your reading of the play, write how such confusion and conflicts can be checked so that peace and harmony is maintained.
Answer. The confusion in the mind of Think-Tank occurred due to the literal interpretation of the nursery rhymes in the book-‘Mother Goose’. To ensure that conflicts are checked so that peace and harmony are maintained, cultural differences should be sorted out by initially sending mature and wise people from one culture to the other to establish contact before deciding to wage war. Think-Tank had sent an initial probe, but the crew members of the probe were not sufficiently intelligent or mature to understand Earth’s culture. That is why they literally interpreted the nursery rhymes and caused misunderstanding in the mind of Think-Tank.

Question. Compare and contrast the characters of Noodle and Think-Tank.
Answer. Noodle and Think-Tank have contrasting characters. Think-Tank likes to be called the ‘Great and the Mighty’. He orders and commands. He is the ruler of Mars, but has no intelligence. He thinks books to be sandwiches. He is wrong about everything. He demands that the crew obey him. He likes to pass on other’s idea as his own. He is a coward who simply boasts about his power. Noodle, his apprentice, is very clever and wise. He corrects the mistakes of the ruler (Think-Tank) very gently. He never takes credit for his ideas. But he offers them to the ruler very gently. Think-Tank makes them as his own.

 

 

1. The Earthlings have reached a high level of civilization. Didn’t you hear? They have taught their domesticated animals musical culture and space techniques. Even their dogs have a sense of humour. Why, at this very moment, they may be launching an interplanetary attack on millions of cows! Notify the invasion fleet. No invasion today, Oop, transcribe the next code.

 

(a) Who is the speaker?

(b) What could have been the recent strategy of the Earthlings?

(c) What was the second rhyme about?

(d) How did Think-Tank interpret it?

 

 

(a) Who is the speaker here? Which is the little planet he is referring to?

(b) What does he intend to do?

(c) Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century?

(d) Who is Think-Tank?

 

 

(a) Who is the speaker here?

(b) Where isshe and what is she referring to an as peculiar item?

(c) What is a barn?

(d) Why have Iota, Oop and Omega come to the earth?

 

 

1. Why did Think-Tank react in alarm when the first rhyme was read?

2. What different guesses were made by the Martians about what books are?

3. Why did Think-Tank send his crew on the earth?

4. What does Noodle suggest to Think-Tank about the books?

5. Why did Think-Tank decide to evacuate the Mars?

 

 

1.In what ways does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as a threat to the Martians?

2. Attempt a character-sketch of Noodle highlighting the values projected by him.