Class 10 English Chapter 9 Previous Year Questions - The Book that saved the Earth

Ans: Think-Tank likes to be called ‘Great and the Mighty’. He orders and commands his apprentices arrogantly. He is the ruler of Mars, but has no intelligence of any kind. He thinks that the books found on Earth are ‘sandwiches’. He is wrong about everything. He demands that the crew obey him. He likes to present others’ ideas as his own. 
He is a coward who simply boasts about his power. Noodle, his apprentice, on the other hand is very clever and wise. He corrects the mistakes of his ruler, ‘Think-Tank’ very gently, without the latter even noticing it. He never takes credit for his ideas and offers them to the ruler very wisely. Though the most intelligent of all, he never blows his own trumpet and follows his ruler like an obedient subordinate.

Ans: The crew of the space probe landed in a public library and faced the difficulty of not understanding what books were. They were unfamiliar with books and thought the library to be some kind of storage barn.

Ans: Think-Tank is proud of his handsome Martian race. This is evident from his narcissistic behavior, self-praise, and boastful habits. He mocks the Earthlings and calls Earth an "insignificant place" and a "primitive ball of mud."

Ans: In the story, 'The Book that Saved the Earth,' the Martians' limited and false knowledge about Earth and Earthlings led to confusion and disaster. Think-Tank, with his little knowledge, jumped to conclusions about books, mistaking them for sandwiches and communication devices. This misunderstanding caused fear and misinterpretation of nursery rhymes, ultimately leading to the Martians' decision to abort the mission and evacuate Mars.

Ans: The book of nursery rhymes, 'Mother Goose,' saved the Earth from the Martian invasion by creating fear and misunderstanding among the Martians. They misinterpreted the nursery rhymes as records of interplanetary attacks on Mars and became terrified of the humans. This led them to abort the mission and call their troops back, thus preventing the invasion.

Ans: Noodle tells Think-Tank that Earthlings do not eat books but use them as a device for communication. He also mentions that humans open books and watch them.

Ans: On listening to the nursery rhyme 'Hey, diddle, diddle', Think-Tank infers that Earthlings have reached a high level of civilization. He believes that humans have taught their pets musical culture and space techniques, and even their dogs have a sense of humor. Think-Tank thinks that the humans are planning to launch an interplanetary attack of millions of cows.

Ans: The play emphasizes the importance of healthy cross-cultural communication to prevent confusion and conflict arising from misunderstanding cultural differences. It is necessary to learn each other's language, religion, traditions, and behavior to establish effective cultural communication. This will help reduce tension and promote peace and harmony among different races and communities.

Ans: The book, 'Mother Goose,' changed Think-Tank's opinion about Earthlings. As the ignorant Martians read the nursery rhymes, they misinterpreted their meaning and felt that humans were mightier than what they had thought them to be. This terrified Think-Tank, as he believed the humans were after his life, leading him to abort the mission of invading Earth.