NCERT Solutions: An Alien Hand

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 - English (An Alien Hand )
(Chapter 10  - An Alien Hand )

Comprehension Check - 
Q1 : How does Tilloo manage to find his way to the 'forbidden passage'?
Answer :
Tilloo waited until his father took a short rest and quietly took his father's security card. He then slipped away while his mother was not watching and reached the metal door that led to the forbidden passage. Having seen his father use the card before, he inserted it into the slot in the same way. The door opened silently and revealed a well-lit passage. When another slot pushed out the card, Tilloo snatched it and walked along a gently rising path into the passage.

Q2 : What did Tilloo hope to see once he emerged from his underground home?
 Answer :
Tilloo hoped that, if it was daytime, he would see the sun; if it was night, he wanted to see the stars. He wanted to know what the surface above looked like and to see the sky for himself.

Q3 : Why did Tilloo's father advise him not to try to reach the surface of the planet?
Answer :
Tilloo's father warned him because the surface was not safe for ordinary people. The air there was too thin to breathe and the temperature was extremely low, so an unprotected person could suffocate or freeze. Only special equipment or protective technology would allow a person to survive on the surface.

Q4 : What changes had occurred, which forced people to live in underground homes?
Answer :
The sun had become hostile after a small but serious change. This upset the natural balance on the planet. First the birds disappeared, then the animals and later the fish. Because the surface conditions became dangerous, people used their advanced technology to build homes and live underground where they could control the environment and survive.

Q5 : Why was everyone in the Control Room greatly excited?
Answer :
The people in the Control Room were excited because their big screen showed a small dot appearing against a clear background. They thought it might be a spacecraft or some unknown object, so they felt it needed careful watching to find out what it was and where it was heading.

Q6 : Was the spacecraft manned or unmanned? How do you know it?
Answer :
The spacecraft was unmanned. Their instruments and reports showed no signs of living beings on board - only mechanical instruments - so the officials concluded it was an automated probe rather than a crewed ship.

Q7 : What did Number One and Number Two suggest should be done about the alien spacecraft?
Answer :
Number One suggested that they could destroy the spacecraft with missiles if it landed, because they lacked the means to make such crafts useless while they remained in space. He favoured taking action once the craft was on the ground.
Number Two argued for caution. He recommended passive observation and no interference because they did not know the senders' power or intentions. He warned that attacking or disabling the craft might expose their own existence and lead to unknown risks.
In short, Number One wanted a defensive, active response once possible; Number Two advised careful watching and non-interference to avoid revealing themselves or starting an unnecessary conflict.

Q8 : What do you think the mechanical hand was trying to do?
Answer :
The mechanical hand appeared to be trying to collect and examine soil from the planet's surface. It was likely a sampling arm or probe designed to dig or pick up earth so the spacecraft could study the surface conditions and materials.

Q9 : Tilloo pressed the red button and "the damage was done". What was the damage?
Answer :
When Tilloo pressed the red button, the mechanical hand stopped working. The action caused the hand to become disabled or to malfunction, so it could no longer dig, pick up samples, or operate as it had been doing.

Q10 : Where had the spacecraft come from?
 Answer :
The spacecraft had come from Earth.

Q11 : On which planet do Tilloo and his parents live?
Answer :
Tilloo and his parents live on Mars.

Discuss the following topics in groups: 
Q1: 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 like Tilloo would bring both difficulties and compensations. Possible difficulties include:

• Missing natural sunlight, which affects mood and sense of time.
• Little or no contact with plants, animals and open spaces.
• Limited privacy or freedom of movement if spaces are small.
• Dependence on technology for air, heat and food.

• Protection from a hostile surface environment (extreme cold, thin air or dangerous weather).
• Access to reliable, controlled living conditions and advanced technology.
• A close community and organised facilities that provide safety and services.

Q2 : What, if anything, might drive mankind to make their homes underground?
Answer :
Several reasons might force people to live underground, such as:

• Hostile surface conditions - very low temperatures, thin or toxic air, or harmful radiation.
• Environmental disasters - long-term changes that make the surface uninhabitable.
• War, pollution or other dangers that make underground shelters safer.

Q3 : 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 :
We do not have definite proof of life on other planets yet, but it is possible that simple forms of life exist elsewhere. If intelligent life exists, it might be very different from humans because:

• Their bodies would adapt to their planet's conditions (temperature, air, gravity, light).
• They might use different senses or methods of communication depending on their environment.
• Their technology, society and way of living could be unlike ours because it would develop under different circumstances.