Letters From The Planet Aurigae II NCERT Solutions | Communicative English for Class 10 PDF Download

D.1.  Have you read novels or short stories about life on other planets ? What is this type of writing called ?
Read the following extract from a letter received by someone on Earth from another planet.
Planet Aurigae II
Dear Pen Pal, 
When I received your letter from the interstellar correspondence club, my first impulse was to ignore it. However, your description of Earth sounds exciting. I would like to live there for a while, and I have… 
1. What does the letter suggest about its writer? 
2. What do you think may happen between the writer and Pen Pal?
Ans: Yes, I have read the novel Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley. This type of writing is called ‘Science Fiction’.
1. The letter suggests that the writer is a living being of a planet other than the earth. This planet is in the galaxy. This living being does not know anything about the Earth, its inhabitants, etc.
2. I think that there may develop a ‘friendship’ between the writer and Pen Pal.

D.2. Now find out what happens, in this exciting Science Fiction story. The letter to Pen Pal continues…

* pronounced "Our-ee-guy”
1. What does “a hydrocarbon form of life” mean ?
2. What would a non-hydrocarbon form of life look like ?
3. Why cannot Skander hold ordinary paper {from Earth) ?
4. Why do you think Skander is in prison ? .
Ans: 
1. It means a form of life that is composed of water and carbons as life on the Earth is made of.
2. Since till date no non-hydrocarbon form of life is known to the human race, it can be imagined to be of any form. Some examples are given below :
(i) It may be a giant form or a tree-like body in which Mercury is flowing instead of blood.
(ii) It may be a giant-like shape having no eyes and no ears, living on Helium instead of Oxygen.
Both of these forms may or may not be radioactive but these should look like the modern-day robots.
Note: Students might have seen some Hollywood movies like Antz or The Planet of the Apes which f deal with such creatures.
3. He cannot hold ordinary paper (from the Earth) because it will burn at his contact, since his body temperature is 250 degrees Celsius.
4. Skander is in prison because he has committed some crime or any unlawful experiment. However, he doesn’t mention what exactly he has done.

D.3. 

1. What qualities of the Pen Pal can you gauge from this letter?
2. Why do you think that Skander has started this correspondence with Pen Pal?
3. What impression do you have of Skander ?
Ans:
1. From the first two letters we have so far learned that Skander is a scientist. He lives on the Planet Aurigae II. He is not a hydrocarbon form of life like us. He is in jail for performing forbidden experiments on his body. He communicates with other planets by intercepting letters from the interstellar correspondence club. He has a longer life expectancy than that of humans.
2. The Planet Aurigae II is inhabited. Its average temperature is more than 250 degrees Celsius. Its inhabitants live for a very long period. Also, they are very much advanced in science, technology, etc.
3. Skander had been amusing himself at intercepting communications between the planets in his galaxy. He developed systems for intercepting these communications and intercepted Pen Pal’s letter out of curiosity. The description of the Earth sounded exciting and he developed a liking to live on it for a while. So he started the correspondence with Pen Pal.
4. Skander is of a high mental calibre. He has a deep desire to know everything possible about other planets. His system for intercepting communications between the planets reveals this fact. His experimenting upon his own body means that he is curious to acquire every kind of knowledge even at a great risk to his body.

D.4.
Ans: Please do it on your own.

D.5.Ans: Please do it on your own.

D.6.
1. Why (D.4) do you think Pen Pal showed Skander’s photographic plate to a doctor at the hospital ?
2. In all the last four letters, Skander is insistent that Pen Pal sends a photograph of himself Why do you think Skander is so insistent ?
3. Why (D.5) do you think Pen Pal’s government warned him against continuing the correspondence ?
Ans:
1. Perhaps Pen Pal got suspicious of the uncommon photographic plate. So he showed it to a doctor at the hospital to know what it actually was.
2. Firstly, Skander, in my opinion, is so insistent because he, perhaps, needs a photograph of his friend. It is so because we are generally keen to keep the photographs of our friends.
Secondly, he may also be keen to have the photograph of a living being of the Earth which, for him and others on the Aurigae II, may be a novel and unique thing. Thirdly, he, being very inquisitive and being a scientist, may have a desire to know more about the human species.
3. Pen Pal’s government was afraid that if he continued the correspondence any longer, something dangerous might happen, eg some epidemic might come. Or because of ‘spying’, some other problem may come to the Earth from some other planet in the galaxy.

D.7. 
Dear Pen Pal,
The photograph arrived. As you sugest, your appearance startled me. You'll notice that I've enclosed a photograph of myself, as I promised I would. Chunky, metallic looking chap, am I not, very different I'll wager than you expected. The various races with whom we have communicated become very wary of us when they discover we are highly radioactive, and that literally we are a radioactive form of life.
As you know, I have occasionally mentioned that I had hoped of escaping not only the deadly imprisonment to which I am subjected, but also from my body - which cannot easily escape. Perhaps you'll be interested in hearing about how far this idea has developed. The process involves an exchange of personalities with someone else. For this, it is necessary to get an impress of both individuals - of their mind and of their thoughts as well as their bodies. Since this phase is purely mechanical, it is simply a matter of taking complete photographs.
The next step is to make sure the two photographs are exchanged, that is, that each party has somewhere near him a complete photograph of the other. The third and final stage occurs when I activate the sub-space energy flow between the two photographic plates. (It is already too late, Pen Pal. I have already set the energy in motion!) Soon there will be an exchange of personalities - I will live in your body and you in mine.
You will take with you a complete memory of your life on Earth, and I will take along memory of my life on Aurigae. As soon as I grow tired of Earth, I will exchange bodies in the same way with a member of some other race. Thirty years hence, I will be happy to reclaim my body, and you can then have whatever body I last happened to occupy. 
This should be a very happy arrangement for us both. You, with your short life expectancy, will have outlived all your contemporaries and will have had an interesting experience. I admit I expect to have the better of the exchange. By the time you reach this part of the letter it will be me reading it, not you. So long for now, Pen Pal. It's been nice having all those letters from you. I shall write to you from time to time to let you know how things are going with my tour. 
Skander
1. What exactly did Skander do ?
2. Why did he do this ?
3. Might this ever be really possible, at some stage in the future ?
4. Would there be advantages and/or disadvantages in doing so ?
5. Were there any clues in earlier letters that warned us of what Skander was planning to do ?
Ans:
1. Skander simply played a trick. He placed Pen Pal’s photograph near him and activated the sub-space energy flow between the two photographic plates. He now lived in Pen Pal’s body and the Pen Pal in his body with their memories intact.
2. Skander did this because he had been fascinated by the description of the Earth. Due to that he had developed a desire to live there for some time. Secondly, he wanted to escape from the prison and ‘tour the universe’.
3. This may be possible in the future. No one can predict what man can do with computer- aided knowledge in this age of science.
4. There would be both advantages and disadvantages in doing so. Advantages would be in the sense that man would get new knowledge and experiences by changing his body. Also, humanity would be benefited a lot if the mind of a great scientist on death bed is transferred
into a young man’s body with a weak and dull mind.
The disadvantages would be more horrible in the sense that an evil mind might be transferred into the body of a virtuous man. In that case, there would be an utter confusion and chaos. Unimagined difficulties and problems would arise as is being thought of these days in relation to human cloning. Consequently, there might be many disadvantages of various kinds in the atmosphere or environment etc.
5. Yes, there were ‘clues’, that warned us of what Skander was planning. These were :
(D.1) × ‘Earth ……. I would like to live there for a while ………. ’
(D.3) × ‘ ……… how I plan to visit Earth ………… ’
(D.3, D.4, D.5, D.6) × Skander asks Pen Pal to send a photograph of himself.
(D.3) × ‘ It would be pleasant to leave my body behind and tour the universe.’

D.8. 

1. Who has written the letter? (Original Pen Pal? original Skander? "New Pen Pal")?
2. Which planet does he live on?
3. Answer the following questions by choosing the correct option.
(i) Pick the option that matches the meaning of the word ‘serve’ as in the sentence – “I have thirty more years to serve.”
A. The punishment served as a warning to other criminals.
B. He has served his complete term of punishment.
C. Federer served out the second set at 5-4.
D. Only pure vegetarian food is served in this restaurant.
(ii) Skander writes, “...charges were laid against me”. This means that he was_______________.
A. told to pay compensation
B. put in a prison
C. caught in a conspiracy
D. accused of a crime
(iii) Choose the option that best describes Pen Pal’s personality.
(1) helpul
(2) adventurous
(3) intelligent
(4) friendly
A. (1) and (2)
B. (2) and (4)
C. (3) and (4)
D. (2) and (3)
(iv) Which of the following statements sums up the theme of the lesson?
A. Life comes full circle.
B. Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
C. He who digs a pit for others will fall into it.
D. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
4. The exchange of letters amongst Skander and Pen Pal was a battle of wits. Illustrate with evidence from the text. 
5. Imagine that five years have passed since the last letter. Skander and Pen Pal are both still alive. Write another letter from Skander to Pen Pal, outlining what has happened in the intervening years. What is your present situation? What are your thoughts? What are your plans for the immediate future? (NB. Decide: Are you the "original Skander" or the "New Skander""?)
Ans: 
1. Original Pen Pal (now in the body of the original Skander). The reasons for this are :
(a) Original Pen Pal is now enjoying a disease-free life. The original Skander has now realized that man on the Earth suffers heart attacks and paralysis.
(b) It is clear from the last line of the body of the final letter that its writer is becoming ‘accustomed’ with a new name ‘Skander’ as signed in the letter. It means the writer’s old name is Pen Pal.
2. Aurigae
3. 
(i) B. He has served his complete term of punishment.
(ii) D. accused of a crime
(iii) D. (2) and (3)
(iv) C. He who digs a pit for others will fall into it.
4. The exchange of letters between Skander and Pen Pal indeed appears to be a battle of wits, evident from several instances in the text: 

1. Skander's Initial Deception: Skander's initial letter indicates a subtle deception. He portrays himself as a curious scientist interested in Earth and its inhabitants. However, it becomes clear later that he has ulterior motives, such as escaping his imprisonment and planning to exchange bodies with Pen Pal.
2. Pen Pal's Caution and Curiosity: Pen Pal initially expresses hesitation and confusion in response to Skander's letters. He asks probing questions and expresses concern about the nature of their correspondence. This demonstrates his cautious approach and his attempt to understand Skander's intentions.
3. Skander's Manipulation: Skander strategically manipulates Pen Pal's curiosity and eagerness. He gradually reveals his true intentions, carefully crafting his letters to maintain Pen Pal's interest while concealing his plans until he deems it necessary to reveal them.
4. Pen Pal's Revelation and Response: When Pen Pal receives the photograph of Skander and learns about his true intentions, he realizes the gravity of the situation. Despite his shock, he responds with a mix of incredulity and concern, indicating his own intelligence and ability to navigate the situation.
5. Skander's Final Revelation: Skander's last letter reveals the extent of his manipulation and his ultimate triumph in the battle of wits. He discloses his deception, highlighting how he exploited Pen Pal's eagerness and curiosity to further his own agenda. Skander's revelation serves as the culmination of the battle, showcasing his cunning and intellect.

5. We are giving here two letters. First is written by new Skander and second by original Skander.
(i) Dear Pen Pal
You will be amazed to receive my letter after five years. Well, there has not happened anything special in the intervening period. Life has been going on as usual. I enjoyed, at first, my coming over to Aurigae II. But it was not for long.
As regards my present situation, I am still in jail. I have tried my level best to correspond with other planets. But I have not yet got the knowledge of how to do it. Doing experiments without the mental capability and knowledge is as useless as trying to swim without knowing how to.
At present, I have neither any plan nor any new thoughts. In fact, life has become a hell in jail. I am in your body but my mind and thoughts are of an Earth’s man. So there is no compatibility between them. I am not confident of doing any successful experiments without the knowledge equal to that of yours. Thus I am really trapped for ever in your body. I can’t transfer myself because I have no knowledge of it. However, all facilities about equipments and laboratories exist here. You played a trick but didn’t think what would happen. Now it has happened. We both are to suffer long.
Skander
(ii) Dear Skander
I hope you recollect something about me that happened five years before.
You may be startled to know that I am in a very bad condition. While I was there on Aurigae, the Earth sounded exciting. But it is not now. At first, everything looked fascinating. But soon I found that my mind was not compatible with the body. There, then, started a series of troubles. I suffered the weaknesses of the body. Some time there was an acute pain in it due to some injury.
Really my thoughts have remained imprisoned for ever. I have, you know, a very active mind. But it can’t do anything for me. It is because I have no equipment and no facilities of laboratories here. So my future plans are nothing. If there is anything here, it is the tale of suffering and suffering. In this way, my future is bleak. How I regret my curiosity to tour the world ! I am waiting only to die because I just struggle to live here. Really, the earth is a strange place and human body another strange thing.
Pen Palt

D.9. Writing a science fiction story: Do you think life exists on other planets? 
If there is life on other planets, what would these aliens look like? Draw your idea of an alien in the box below.

Ans: Students to write their own stories on their own keeping the points given above in mind. Some more information given below may help them in this project work.

• The setting may or can be of the earth, the sky or wilderness suiting the occasion.
• Characters can both be humans and aliens.
• The plot can be about a visit of the alien to the earth as it happens in Hindi film KOI MIL GAYA. Or it can be the one given in the film KRISH. Or it is PK.
• Students can draw both audio and video help from these pictures.