NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Literature Reader Chapter 6 - Virtually True

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Answer the following questions briefly.

1.

(a) According to the newspaper, what had happened to Sebastian Shultz?

Ans: Sebastian Shultz, a 14-year-old boy, was badly injured in a motorway accident. He had gone into a coma and he was taking a lot of time to regain consciousness.

(b) ‘Dad’s nutty about computers.’ What evidence is there to support this statement?

Ans : The narrator’s father was most crazy for the computer for he bought a lot of such things at the Computer Fair. He bought a Pentium Processor, a Ram, 1.2 GB hard disk and 16 speed CD ROMs, with speakers, printer, modem and a scanner.

(c) In what way did the second game seem very real?

Ans: The second game was more thrilling called DRAGON QUEST. The narrator felt that he was really walking in the Dragon’s castle where they were being pursued by the dragon, the narrator felt it was like a real chase and even felt the dragon’s hot breath on his face.

(d) What was Michael’s theory about how Sebastian had entered the games?

Ans: Michael believed that Sebastian had been plugged into the computer when he banged his head in the accident, the computer had saved his memory on its own. These games were stolen from the hospital and Michael had purchased them in the Computer Fair.

(e) Why did the news of the ‘miracle recovery’ shock Michael?

Ans: Michael was surprised to read in the newspaper that Sebastian Shultz had awakened from a coma that doctors had feared might last forever. He was shocked to see Sebastian’s photo also. If Sebastian had been in a coma throughout, then how was it possible for him to play
computer games with Michael?

(f) Michael’s meeting with Sebastian had been a chance meeting. Where had it taken place and how?

Ans: Michael was playing a game called Wild West, and he was playing the Sheriff. There was an altercation with Black-eyed Jed and he was going to meet him out of the saloon. Before he could go, he saw another Sheriff, very different from the other computer images. Later he discovered it had been Sebastian Shultz.

(g) What kind of computers fascinated Michael and his dad? Why

Ans: Both Michael and his father were obsessed with the latest type of computers, complete with speakers and everything. They liked the latest gizmos that came in the market, especially the latest interactive psycho-drive games.

(h) Describe the first place where Michael was virtually transported?

Ans: While playing Wild west, Michael felt that he was not standing in the powerbase but was transported down the dusty track to the center of town. A Sheriff’s badge was pinned to his shirt and he entered a saloon where everyone glared at the narrator. There he had a fizzy drink and he was challenged by Black-Eyed Jed, the fastest gun in the world.

(i) What help did Sebastian Shultz ask Michael for? How did he convey the message?

Ans: Sebastian Shultz had sent a message through the printer saying that he is stuck and Michael should try to retrieve him. And that could be done through the game DRAGON QUEST.

(j) Why did Michael fail in rescuing Sebastian Shultz for the first time?

Ans: Michael had followed Sebastian through the chase and they ended up in the saloon. Then Sebastian dived out and both were sitting on horseback, chased by men on horseback. Sebastian told Michael to keep his head down but he himself was shot by a bullet and slumped back near him. Before Michael could do anything the game got over.

 (k) The second attempt to rescue Sebastian Shultz too was disastrous. Why?

Ans: The second time Michael was playing DRAGON QUEST and both he and Sebastian were knights trying to save a princess from the dragon’s castle. They both had barely got away when they were chased by the dragon himself. They passed secret passages, dungeons but the dragon obstructed their path and attacked Sebastian. Michael swung his sword but Sebastian was the target of the dragon’s fury, so before he could mediate further, the game was over.

(l) Narrate the incident that injured Sebastian.

Ans: It happened in WARZONE, where both Sebastian and Michael were trying to escape a city which was exploding with machine-guns and bombs. They jumped into a jeep and Michael managed to get into a helicopter but Sebastian couldn’t get out of the jeep. The jeep had clashed with a tank and Sebastian landed on the ground injured.

(m) How was Sebastian Shultz’s memory stored on Michael’s disk? How did Michael discover it?

Ans: When Sebastian had met with an accident, the computer had saved his memory as its own. Michael discovered later that the games disk had got stolen in the hospital and he had ended up buying those computer games.