An Alien Hand

An Alien Hand – An Alien Hand Supplementary Reader

Question 1:
How does Tilloo manage to find his way to the ‘forbidden passage’?

Question 2:
What did Tilloo hope to see once he emerged from his underground home?

Question 3:
Why did Tilloo’s father advise him not to try to reach the surface of the planet?

Question 4:
What changes had occurred, which forced people to live in underground homes?

Answers:

1. One day Tilloo’s daddy was asleep. The boy picked up daddy’s I-card. Then he
walked towards the forbidden secret passage. The card helped him open the door
and enter the passage.
2. Tilloo hoped to see the sun or the stars after getting out of his underground home.
3. Tilloo’s father told him not to try to go to the surface of the planet because he
won’t be able to breathe in the thin air or withstand the low temperature there.
4. The changing heat of the sun created conditions that killed all animals and birds.
The air became thin and human beings could freeze to death.

Comprehension Check (Page-71)

Question 1:
Why was everyone in the Control Room greatly excited?

Question 2:
Was the spacecraft manned or unmanned? How do you know it?

Question 3:
What did Number One and Number Two suggest should be done about the alien
spacecraft?

Answers:
 1. Everyone in the Control Room was greatly excited because they had seen two
spacecrafts coming towards their planet.
2. The spacecraft that landed on the surface was unmanned. It contained only in-
struments. A mechanical hand tried to collect samples of soil.
3. The Number One was in charge of defence. He suggested that they should wait till
the craft landed on the surface. Then they could easily make it ineffective. Number
Two also suggested that they should wait and watch. It would be unwise to reveal
their existence by attacking the spacecraft.

Comprehension Check (Page-73)

Question 1:
What do you think the mechanical hand was trying to do?

Question 2:
Tilloo pressed the red button and “the damage was done”. What was the damage?

Question 3:
Where had the spacecraft come from?

Question 4:
On which planet do Tilloo and his parents live?

Answers:

1. The mechanical hand that emerged from the alien spacecraft, was trying to collect
samples of soil from the surface of Mars. The purpose was to study if there was
life on it.
2. Tilloo pressed the red button. It is dad who made it neutral again. But the damage
was done. The mechanical hand stopped working. It became inactive.
3. The spacecraft had come from the planet Earth. It was sent by NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, America).
4. Tilloo and his parents live on a planet with thin air, freezing cold and no animals
on surface.

Exercises (Page-73)

Discuss the following topics in groups.

Question 1:
If you had to live in a home like Tilloo’s , what parts of life would you find most difficult?
What compensations might there be?
Answer:
Living underground in artificial conditions without the light/warmth of the stars and the
sun, must be very troublesome and dull. The only compensation of such a home is
safety and security, controlled light and heat.

Question 2:
What, if anything, might drive mankind to make their homes underground?
Answer:
If the Sun grows cold, life on earth would be in danger of extinction. The temperature
will go below freezing point. People will be forced to live underground with assured
supply of oxygen, light and heat.

Question 3:
Do you think there is life on other planets? Can you guess what kind of people there
may be on them? In what ways are they likely to be different from us?
Answer:
Scientists are trying hard to find out if there is any form of life on planets around the sun.
So far they have sent spacecrafts to the moon and Mars, collected samples of soil and
taken snapshots. But they have not found definite proof of life on them.
The kind of people, if they exist at all on any other planet, would be quite different from
us. They must have adjusted themselves to strange and unfriendly environment there.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What do you know about the Viking Mission to Mars?
Answer:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administrator’s (NASA) Viking Mission to Mars
was composed of two spacecraft, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Viking 1 was launched, on 20
August 1975 and arrived at Mars on 19 June 1976. Viking 2 was launched on 9
September 1975. It entered Mar’s orbit on 7 August 1976 Both consisted of an orbiter
and a lander.

Question 2:
What were the primary objectives of the NASA Viking Mission to Mars?
Answer:
The primary objectives of the NASA Viking Mission to Mars were-
(i) To obtain images and samples of the Martian surface and soil,
(ii) To search for any possible signs of life there,
(iii) To search the presence of living microorganisms in the soil near the landing sites.

Question 3:
What do you know about ‘That way*?
Answer:
That way’ was an underground passage. Tilloo’s father went for work and returned from
there along that passage. The people were curious to know what lay at the end of that
forbidden route. Only select few persons were permitted to go that way. Tilloo’s father
was one of them.

Question 4:
What was the metal door’s function? How did it open?
Answer:
The metal door’s function was to bar the entry to the underground passage. Tilloo
slipped his father’s security ( magic ) card into a slot. The door opened noiselessfy.

Question 5:
Why was Tilloo escorted back home?
Answer:
Tilloo had slipped his father’s security card into the slot. It came out of another slot. The
invisible mechanical devices detected and photographed Tilloo. His picture was sent to
the Central Bureau. The security persons caught him and escorted him back home.

II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
How did Tilloo’s father manage the ugly situation when Tilloo was caught
impersonating?
Answer:
Tilloo was caught using his father’s security card. The security guards took Tilloo home.
His mother got enraged and started scolding him. Tilloo’s father came to his rescue. He
told Tilloo’s mother that Tilloo should be briefed properly and sensibly. Then he would
never repeat this grave offence. He warned Tilloo that an ordinary person could not
survive on the surface where he worked. The air was too thin to breathe there. One
would freeze to death due to quite low temperature.

Question 2:
How did Tilloo’s father manage to survive on the surface of the planet?
Answer:
Tilloo longed to know how his daddy managed to survive on the surface where he
worked. His daddy told him that he went there well equipped in a special suit. He took a
reservior of oxygen with him which enabled him to keep warm. His boots were also
specially designed. It eased his walking on the surface. Above all, he had sought
training to work and survive on the surface.