Textbook Solution: The Diary of a Space Traveller | Class 7 English Alive PDF Download

A. Read the Sentences and Answer These Questions.

Q1:  I had no idea if any of these speculations were correct, but I did know that Professor Shonku was a scientist.

a. Name the speaker.

Ans: The speaker is the narrator.

b. What speculations was the speaker talking about?

Ans: The speaker was talking about the speculations regarding Professor Shonku's disappearance, whether something had gone wrong during an experiment or if he was still alive.

Q2:  In a complex venture like this, every second matters.

a. Name the speaker.

Ans: The speaker is Professor Shonku.

b. What venture was the speaker talking about?

Ans: The speaker was talking about his rocket experiment.

c. What had happened to the venture?

Ans: The venture was delayed by three and a half hours because Prahlad had moved the arms of the clock while winding it, causing the rocket to rise and then fall back down with a loud thud.

Q3: When I climbed out of the rocket, I see a large number of giant ant-like people.

a. Name the speaker.

Ans: The speaker is Professor Shonku.

b. Who were the giant ant-like people?

Ans: The giant ant-like people were the inhabitants of planet Tafa.

c. Where had the speaker landed and with whom?

Ans: The speaker had landed on planet Tafa along with Prahlad and Newton (his cat).

B. Answer These Questions Briefly.

Q1: Where did Tarak Chatterjee find the notebook?

Ans: Tarak Chatterjee found the notebook at the centre of a crater where a meteorite had fallen in the Matharia district in the Sunderbans.

Q2: What did Professor Shonku think of Prahlad? Why did he still decide to take Prahlad to space?

Ans: Professor Shonku thought Prahlad was a fool, but useful, as sometimes slow and foolish people show more courage than clever ones. He decided to take Prahlad to space because Prahlad had previously saved the day by acting courageously during dangerous situations.

Q3: How did Prahlad save Professor Shonku and everyone else in the laboratory?

Ans: Prahlad saved everyone by coolly wiping off a spill of bicornic acid with a towel before it could react with paradoxite powder, which would have destroyed the laboratory.

Q4: What did Newton and Prahlad do on the spaceship?

Ans: On the spaceship, Newton initially was restless but later sat quietly, and Prahlad read the Ramayana and then started on the Mahabharata.

Q5: What did Mars look like?

Ans: Mars had soft terrain like rubber, with a red river resembling guava jelly, luminous stars, and planets in a black sky. The atmosphere was eerie, and the ground, stones, and rocks felt rubbery.

Q6: Why was the Professor worried about the robot?

Ans: The Professor was worried about the robot, Bidhushekhar, because he started making unexpected noises and movements, suggesting he might be acting beyond his programmed capabilities.

Q7: What strange creature did Professor Shonku see? Describe its appearance.

Ans: The strange creature was about four feet high, had legs and feet but fin-like arms, a big head with a single large green eye, and a wide, toothless mouth. Its body was covered in fish scales.

Q8: How did the Professor manage to stop Bidhushekhar from attacking the Martian army? Why did he do so?

Ans: The Professor stopped Bidhushekhar by pressing a switch on his shoulder which incapacitated him. He did so to prevent Bidhushekhar from possibly escalating the situation by tackling the entire Martian army alone.

Q9: Describe the planet Tafa and Professor Shonku's life over there.

Ans: Planet Tafa was primitive with no buildings or trees, and its inhabitants, resembling giant ants, lived by disappearing into holes. Professor Shonku's life there was peaceful, and he felt well looked after.

Q10: What was the Professor's only regret? Why did he regret so?

Ans: The Professor's only regret was that there was no way to send his diary back to Earth, packed with valuable information. He regretted this because the knowledge and experiences recorded could be lost.

C. Think And Answer These Questions.

Q1: Do you agree with Professor Shonku's statement that sometimes slow and foolish people show more courage than clever ones, as it takes them longer to work out the need or reason to feel scared? In what context did the Professor think this and whom was he referring to? Did he actually believe it about that person? Support your answer with references to the chapter.

Ans: Yes, there is some truth in Professor Shonku's observation. He thought this in the context of Prahlad, who despite being considered slow and foolish, acted courageously in critical situations, such as when he saved the laboratory from a dangerous chemical reaction. This suggests that the Professor did believe it about Prahlad, recognizing his unique value in high-risk scenarios.

Q2: What did Bidhushekhar do to the rocket at one point in time? Why do you think he would have done that?

Ans: Bidhushekhar unexpectedly activated the reverse motion of the rocket, causing everyone to lose balance. This action could have been a programmed emergency response to an unforeseen threat, possibly indicating his advanced design to protect the crew.

Q3: Did you notice that after a few entries, Professor Shonku stopped recording the dates in his diary? Why do you think he did that?

Ans: Professor Shonku likely stopped recording dates due to the disorienting nature of space travel, where the conventional tracking of time becomes irrelevant or challenging, especially as the environment and routine on different planets could have made it difficult to maintain a standard measure of time.