The Book that Saved the Earth

                                                                       INTRODUCTION—

 This play is set in the 25th century at the museum of Ancient History. A historian tells the students how the Earth had been invaded by Martians in the 21st century, but was saved by a book of nursery rhymes.

                                                                         SUMMARY—

This play is set in the twenty-fifth century at the museum of Ancient History. A historian tells the students how the Earth had been invaded by Martians in the twenty-first century, but was saved by a book of nursery rhymes.

The ruler of Mars, ‘Think-Tank’ was an arrogant fool. He planned to invade Earth. He confided his plan to Noodle and instructed him to gather information of where his crew was on the Earth. Noodle found out that they, i.e., Captain Omega, Lieutenant Iota and Sergeant Oop were in the Centerville Public Library. They were trying to identify the objects there, but as they had never seen books, could not identify them. Think-Tank thought that the books were a kind of crude refreshment—may be sandwiches. Iota and Omega were ordered to eat them.

Then Think-Tank guessed that it was a communication satellite. He ordered them to take vitamins to help them transcribe the code.

Omega managed to read some of the nursery rhymes like—’The Cat and the Fiddle’, ‘Mistress Mary’ and ‘Humpty-Dumpty’. Think-Tank interpreted the dreams in his own way and concluded that the earthlings were more powerful than them and that they were planning to attack them.

Think-Tank got scared and decided to migrate to Alpha Century, which was one hundred million miles away from Mars. Noodle who had become friendly with the people on the Earth, took over as the leader. In that way, a book of nursery rhymes was able to save the world.

     SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS ( 2 MARKS)

Q1.What does Noodle tell Think-Tank about the books?

Ans : Noodle tells Think-Tank that books are like sandwiches. They are means of communication. These sandwiches are not for ear communication but for eye communication. The Earthlings do not listen to the sandwiches. They open them and watch them. Noodle reads out the nursery rhymes to Think-Tank from Mother Goose.

Q2. How did one old book of nursery rhymes save the world from a Martian invasion?

Ans : The Martians under the leadership of Think-Tank decided to invade the Earth. They found an old book of nursery rhymes Mother Goose. Think-Tank interpreted the rhymes in his own way. He got frightened. He concluded that the people on the Earth were more powerful and advanced than he was. He called his crew members back. Hence, the old book of nursery rhymes saved the world from a Martian invasion.

Q3. How did Think-Tank interpret the rhymes of the book ‘Mother Goose’?

Ans : Think-Tank was an arrogant fool ruling the planet Mars. After taking the vitamins they were able to read the rhymes in the book Mother Goose. He interpreted the rhymes in his own way. He concluded that the people on the Earth were more powerful and more advanced than he was.

Q4. How did the people on the Earth help the Martian people?

Ans: After the departure of Think-Tank from the Mars, Noodle was elected as the ruler of the Mars. He was an intelligent and wonderful person. The earthlings resumed contact with the Martians. They became friends and taught the Martians how to read. The people on both the planets exchanged their views and values. They established a model library in the capital city of Marsopolis.

Q5.  What ‘high levels of civilisation’ have earthlings reached, according to Think-Tank?

Ans :According to Think-Tank, the people of the Earth had made advancement in all the fields of life. They had reached the ‘high levels of civilisation’. They had taught their domesticated animals musical culture and space techniques.

Q6. Which book saved the Earth from Martian invasion and how?

Ans: Mother Goose, a nursery rhymes book, saved the Earth from the Martian invasion. Think-Tank interpreted the rhymes in his own way. He got frightened and decided to vacate the planet.

Q7. Why did Think-Tank send his crew on the Earth?

Ans : Think-Tank intended to invade the Earth. He wanted to control the Earth and put it under his rulership. He was an arrogant ruler who was hungry for power. So he sent his crew on the Earth.

Q8.  Where was the crew on the Earth? What did they find there?

Ans : The crew led by captain Omega landed on the Earth with his team. They found themselves in the Centerville Public Library amidst thousands of books. They thought the books to be sandwiches.

Q9. Why did Think-Tank decide to call the crew back?

Ans : When Think-Tank listened the nursery rhymes read out by Noodle, he concluded that the people on the Earth were more powerful and advanced. He called his crew back and gave up the idea of invading the planet.

Q10. Why did Think-Tank decide to evacuate the Martian Planet?

Ans : Think-Tank was so frightened after the wrong interpretation of the rhymes book that he not only called the crew back but decided to leave the Martian planet too. He concluded that the people on the Earth were more powerful and advanced. He thought that they might attack his planet and kill him. So, he decided to leave the Martian planet forever and shift to some far away galaxy.

8-MARK QUESTIONS

Q11. Compare the contrast the characters of Think-Tank and Noodles. What values are reflected from their characters? Which value makes Noodles better than Think‑ Tank?

Ans : Think-Tank and Noodles are the two main characters in the play. Think-Tank is an arrogant fool ruling the planet. He is very strict and cannot hear anything against himself. He thinks that he is the most intelligent and powerful person in the universe. He is an arrogant and stupid person. He has little knowledge about the things.

Noodles, on the other hand, is an intelligent and sensible character. He knows how to tackle Think-Tank intelligently. He corrects him tactfully without offending him. Noodles has some good values in his character that make him better than arrogant Think-Tank.

Q12. Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?

Ans : This is a fiction which is anticipated. Time has gone five centuries ahead and the twentieth century’s period is being taken as history. The place is Mars and the Martians are speaking about the life on the Earth. In this very funny and interesting play, the character of captain Think-Tank has been depicted as a dictator or almighty who thinks himself to be on the top. He never spares his subordinates and mentions their mistakes immediately.

Every time Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank, he corrects his mistakes also. There are many instances to highlight the same. When the team of Martians on the Earth is oblivious about the object ‘Books’, captain Think-Tank claims that the books are sandwiches. At this Noodle corrects Think-Tank with utter humility by mentioning that they were not sandwiches but a means of communication. Later also, he mentions the fact that the Martians on the Earth will attain extra intelligence if they eat the vitamins provided by the chemical department but Noodle modestly corrects him and gives him the right information.

At one place when Think-Tank declares that he is never wrong and tells them to eat the sandwiches, with all humility and humbleness, Noodle tells him that sandwiches are some sort of communication device. Thus, with subtle modesty and utter humility, Noodle corrects captain Think-Tank, though he avoided his best to do the same.

Q13. Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?

Ans : This is an era of machines. Machines have occupied almost all fields of life. Yes, books are also being replaced by electronic media to some extent. Mobile phones, computers and TVs are slowly eating away books. Not only children but even adults prefer electronic media. With the world developing at such a rapid rate, the use of electronic media has become indispensable and the young generation finds more fantasy in playing games than reading books. Also the concept of electronic books (Books on Computer) makes matter easier for adults and professionals. Books cannot be done away with. Our rich cultural heritage lies in these books that can be preserved for generations to come. Books are a treasure of history and one can learn a lot by inculcating the habit of reading.

Thus, books can never be done away with totally, though electronic media has replaced the traditional books to some extent.

Q14. Why are books referred to as man’s best companion? Which is your favourite book and why? Write a paragraph about that book.

Ans : It is said that books are the treasure of knowledge and information. The experiences of great scholars are transferred to us through books. Reading is not only a pleasant hobby but an excellent diversion. Our leisure is utilised and we don’t fall into bad company or habit. Books provide us with intellectual feast of knowledge and improve quality of our mind. Thus, books are the best companion of man.

I have read many books and I have liked them too. But my favourite book is ‘Angels and Demons’. It is written by Dan Brown and was the first in the series of four bestsellers, including ‘The Da Vinci Code’. The plot is based on an anti‑matter bomb ticking in the core of Vatican City amidst the elections for the Pope. It is a perfect blend of history and modern science. The research involved with the book is stupendous. The scene where the Camerlango stands upon the roof of the church is etched in my memory forever. It is a must-read masterpiece and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Q15. 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?

Ans : Think-Tank misinterprets innocent nursery rhymes as threats to the Martians. He interprets the rhymes in a complete verbal manner without understanding their contextual meanings. The rhyme mistress Mary makes him ponder over the discovery of the Earth. He understood that silver crops and high explosives could be grown on the Earth. When he listens to the rhyme “Hey diddle, diddle” ....... he is alarmed and is surprised to find that the earthlings are more civilised. He concluded that they had mastered space technique and were planning interplanetary attack. He screamed when he heard “Humpty Dumpty had a great fall”........ He interprets, “Had a great fall to the fall of Mars.” He was so scared that he changed his plan to capture the Earth planet.

[The remaining part of the answer may differ from student to student as it is based on personal experience.]

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Empowerment Rules the World