The Book That Saved The Earth -Claire Boiko

     Footprints Without Feet - Supplementary Reader in English for Class 10Th. Lesson No. 10 - The Book That Saved the Earth - Claire Boiko....

   Footprints Without Feet - Supplementary Reader in English for Class 10Th.

Lesson No. 10 - The Book That Saved the Earth - Claire Boiko.

Glossary, Summary, And Questions, Answers.

Glossary -

1. Era - a particular period characterized or dominated by something.

2. Anteaters - mammals that eat ants or termites.

3. Zulus - refers to tribes in South Africa.

4. Tome - a book, especially a large book.

5. Historiscope - a bioscope that shows the history of something.

6. Robe - a long, loose piece of clothing.

7. Peevishly - easily annoyed by things.

8. Martians - a creature that comes from the planet Mars.

9. Lieutenant - an officer at a middle level in the army.

10. Barn-covered building for storing hay.

11. Haberdashery - a small article for sewing.

12. Earthling - a word used by aliens to refer to an inhabitant of the earth.

13. Dubiously -not sure or certain.

14. Haughtily - arrogant.

15. Twirl - to turn round and round quickly.

16. Mother Goose - a book based on the 1916 classic by Blanche Wright.

17. Decipher - to take out the meaning.

18. Levity - lack of seriousness. 

19. Fiddle - a dishonest action.

20. Desist - stop doing something.

21. Invasion fleet - an occasion when an army or country uses force to enter and take control of.

22. Evacuate - to move people from a dangerous place to somewhere safer.

23. Chuckling - to laugh quietly.

24. Easel - wooden frame to support a blackboard or a picture.

25. Apprentice - learner of a trade who has agreed to work for a certain time in return for being taught.

26. Riffling - quickly turning over the pages of a book.

27. Squiggles - illegible writing or markings.

28. Transcribe - write in full form from short-hand.

Summary -

Read And Find out - ( Page. No. 63 )

1. Why was the twentieth century called the.' Era of the Books'?

Ans - The twentieth century was called, the ' Era of the Books' because in those days, there were books about everything, from anteaters to Zulus. Books taught people how to, when to, and where to, and why to. They illustrated, educated, punctuated, and even decorated. Meaning, that with the help of the books, the people of the twentieth century led their lives.

2. Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century?

Ans - The Martians ( people or creatures from Mars) tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century.

Read And Find out - ( Page. No. 65 )

1. What guesses are made by ThinkTank about the books found on the earth?

Ans - Think- Tank made different guesses about the books, first he figured out books as sandwiches, which were the staple diet on the earth by earthlings, meaning the people of the earth. Then he thought books were certain devices for ear communication, but could hear anything from the books, so finally guessed that the books were for eye communication.

Think about it -

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

Ans - Thinktank was superior to him, so he was not in a position to correct the mistakes of Thinktank directly, because he would get hurt, but at the same time he wanted to correct his mistakes, so whenever he had to give any suggestion, he would give in a way that it had no importance. By doing so, he was maintaining the ego of Thinktank and at the same time correcting his mistakes. He was simply using the policy, " The Boss is always right" and get the work done in your favour.

2. If you were in Noodle's place, how would you handle Think Tank's mistakes?

Ans - If I were in Noodle's place, I would have handled the mistakes of Thinktank in the same manner because one can not correct the mistakes of a superior directly.

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

And - yes, I do believe that books are being rapidly replaced by electronic media, and for this, there are many reasons like very quick access, the need not to search for a long time, availability of a particular book we are looking for, higher costs of the books, availability of the books and so on. If we take the example of a youth, then it is for sure that he or she would look for a particular topic on electronic media.

But, it does not mean that the books will be completely replaced, they have their own value and quality. At the same time, it is also said that the concept we study from books has more retention time in our memory, as compared to electronic media. So, I can simply say that, though electronic gadgets are extensively used nowadays, still books will not be fully outdated, because in society especially adults one feels more reliant on books. So, in the future also, books will have their own place on the shelf, and they will unavoidable part of our lifestyle.

4. Why are the books referred to as a man's best companion? Which is your favorite book and why? Write a paragraph about that book.

Ans - For many centuries, books have always been an unavoidable part of one's life, because when we want to know something new, feel depressed, or just want to relax and entertain, we always consider books as a friend who is always ready to help us despite of the fact what you are, or who you are. So, as books have tremendous capacity to solve our problems, and satisfy our need or hunger for wisdom or knowledge, books are always available, so we can say that this squary entity always proved itself to be the best companion of a being.

Yes, since my childhood, I have been fond of reading books. ( Actually, during my childhood, there was no electronic media available, so I had to rely on it). But that passion is still continued, and I am such a great fan of books that, in the presence of my favorite book, I could sacrifice my thirst and hunger, even I don't need anything, I just want to reach the last page of the book as early as possible, so that I can discuss the moral or theme of the book among my parents or friends.

In my childhood, I read a book called," Mritunjay" written by Shivaji Sawant, actually, it is in the Marathi language, the mother tongue of the state of Maharashtra. It is about a great warrior, Karna', who was the eldest son of Kunti. The book was so fascinating that I completed the book in one sitting. Here I am quoting a paragraph from the book, but it is not exactly as written in the book, but I have translated it into English as per my understanding of the book.

Introduction- Karna is one of the most fascinating and complex characters in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. He is widely admired for his valor, generosity, and loyalty, but his life is also marked by tragedy and misfortune. In this essay, we will explore the life and legacy of Karna, including his birth, upbringing, education, and accomplishments as a warrior, king, donor, friend, and husband, as well as his final moments and his enduring impact on Indian culture.

Birth -Karna was born to Kunti, the wife of Pandu, who was unable to bear children due to a curse. Kunti had been given a boon by the sage Durvasa, which allowed her to invoke any god she desired to father her child. One day, she decided to test the boon and called upon the sun god, Surya. Surya granted her wish and Karna was born, with divine armor and earrings that made him invincible. However, as Kunti was unmarried at the time, she abandoned the child in a basket and left him in the sacred river the Ganga to be raised by a charioteer named Adhiratha and his wife Radha, who raised him as their own son, therefore he is also known as Radheya even though by birth he was Kauntey, that he was the biological son of Kunti, not Radha.

His divine armor and earrings - As a son of the sun god, he was born with golden armor and earrings on his body as a protective mask,( In Hindi, it is called " Kavanch and Kundal ) and it was believed that no weapon could penetrate through his golden armor meaning nobody could kill Karna. His golden armor and earrings always shone like rays of sunlight and were as bright as the sun, after all, he was the son of the sun god.

Talk about it -

1. In what ways does Think Tank misinterpret innocent nurseries as threats to the Martians? Can you think of any incidents where you misinterpret a word or an action? How did you resolve the misunderstanding?

Ans - In many ways, he misinterpreted innocent nurseries, he says people of the earth combined agriculture and mining, and they grow gold and silver in the fields, also he says that the earthlings taught animals musical culture, and even their dogs have a sense of humour, and moreover he adds that millions of cows from the earth are launching an attack on their planet.

2. The aliens in this play speak English. Do you think this is their language?

Ans - I don't think that the aliens speak the English language, because on the planet Earth, there are many languages spoken, even in Hindi, there is a proverb that every 20 miles the language gets changed. Different countries speak different languages. So, aliens must be speaking any other language than English. It could be another language, a code, or a sign. language.

At the same time, it is a belief that aliens ( Do they exist? Actually, till today, there is no authentic proof or evidence we have that they exist, only certain theories are there) are smarter, and well-developed than the natives of this planet. If their vehicle, or plane is different, their body pattern and shape is different and unique, then there is very little possibility that they speak English. They must be speaking any other language than English.

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