CBSE Class 10 English Chapter 9 The Book that Saved the Earth Question Answers (Important) from Footprints without Feet Book
Class 10 English The Book That Saved The Earth Question Answers – Looking for The Book That Saved The Earth question answers (NCERT solutions) for CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Book Chapter 9? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 10 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the board exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 9: The Book That Saved The Earth question answers now. The questions listed below are based on the latest CBSE exam pattern, wherein we have given NCERT solutions to the chapter’s extract based questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions.
Also, practising with different kinds of questions can help students learn new ways to solve problems that they may not have seen before. This can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter and better performance on exams.
Related:
- Class 10 The Book that saved the Earth Class 10 Summary, Explanation
- The Book that Saved the Earth Character Sketches
- The Book that saved the Earth MCQs
The Book that Saved the Earth NCERT Solutions
Q1-Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
A1-Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes in a very clever way. He used to present his ideas as a thing of less importance but this would help think tank in correcting his mistakes.
Q2- If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?
A2- If I would have been at Noodle’s place I would have handled the situation just like Noodle did. I would have suggested my master the right things but in a way that he may not feel being pointed out by a subordinate.
Q3-Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?
A3- Yes it is true to some extent that books are being replaced by the electronic media but we cannot do away with the books completely. It is so because books still serve the purpose of deriving information from them. It is so because still there are many things which are sometimes not available on the electronic media.
Q4- Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion?
A4- Books are man’s best companion because they not only provide us with information but also sometimes become a good source of entertainment.
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Class 10 English The Book That Saved The Earth Question Answers Lesson 9 – Extract Based Questions
Extract-based questions are of the multiple-choice variety, and students must select the correct option for each question by carefully reading the passage.
A. THINK-TANK: Mirror, mirror, in my hand. Who is the most fantastically intellectually gifted being in the land?
OFFSTAGE VOICE: (after a pause) You, sir.
THINK -TANK: (smacking mirror) Quicker. Answer quicker next time. I hate a slow mirror. (He admires himself in the mirror.) Ah, there I am. Are we Martians not a handsome race? So much more attractive than those ugly Earthlings with their tiny heads. Noodle, you keep on exercising your mind, and someday you’ll have a balloon brain just like mine.
NOODLE: Oh, I hope so, Mighty Think-Tank. I hope so.
THINK -TANK: Now, contact the space probe. I want to invade that primitive ball of mud called Earth before lunch.
NOODLE: It shall be done, sir. (He adjusts levers on the switchboard. Electronic buzzes and beeps are heard as the curtains open.) (CBSE QB, 2021)
1. Choose the option that lists the most appropriate meaning of think-tank from those given below.
A) A tank that helps you think deeper than an average person, if you use its contents regularly. B) Non-stop flow of ideas from a fixed source about one particular issue.
C) A pool of ideas and solutions to various problems via an individual, group or organization.
D) A method by way of which people think collectively to identify stray thoughts among them.
Ans. C) A pool of ideas and solutions to various problems via an individual, group or organization.
2. “Mirror, mirror, in my hand. Who is the most fantastically intellectually gifted being in the land?”
Choose the option that lists the genre having the original reference to the above lines.
A) Biography
B) Science-fiction
C) Mystery
D) Fairy tale
Ans. D) Fairy tale
3. Choose the option that correctly categorizes the phrase “(after a pause)” based on the dialogue given above.
A) aside
B) stage direction
C) narration
D) setting
Ans. B) stage direction
4. Choose the option that fits the example of an irony from the ones given below.
A) “Who is the most fantastically intellectually gifted being in the land?”
B) “I hate a slow mirror.”
C) “Noodle, you keep on exercising your mind, and someday you’ll have a balloon brain just like mine.
D) “I want to invade that primitive ball of mud called Earth before lunch.”
Ans. C) “Noodle, you keep on exercising your mind, and someday you’ll have a balloon brain just like mine.
5. Choose the option that includes the display of ‘smacking’ as used in the extract.
A) Option (1)
B) Option (2)
C) Option (3)
D) Option (4)
Ans. D) Option (4)
B. Iota : I can’t figure it out, Captain. (holding up a book) I’ve counted two thousand of these peculiar items.
This place must be some sort of storage barn. [CBSE 2014]
1) What could Iota not figure out?
Ans. Iota could not figure out what the books were because he had never seen a book before.
2) Where was Iota?
Ans. Iota was at Centerville Public Library on Earth.
3) Find the antonym of the word ‘ordinary’ in the extract.
Ans. The antonym of ordinary is peculiar.
4) What part of speech is ‘peculiar’ as used in the extract?
Ans. It is an adjective.
C. OOP: I haven’t a clue. I’ve been to seven galaxies, but I’ve never seen anything like this. Maybe they’re hats. (He opens a book and puts it on his head.) Say, maybe this is a haberdashery!
OMEGA: (bowing low) Perhaps the Great and Mighty Think-Tank will give us the benefit of his thoughts on the matter.
THINK-TANK: Elementary, my dear Omega. Hold one of the items up so that I may view it closely. (Omega holds a book in the palm of her hand.) Yes, yes, I understand now. Since Earth creatures are always eating, the place in which you find yourselves is undoubtedly a crude refreshment stand.
OMEGA: (to Iota and Oop) He says we’re in a refreshment stand.
OOP: Well, the Earthlings certainly have a strange diet. (CBSE QB, 2021)1. Why did Omega bow low before Think-Tank?
A) As a mark of respect and recognition of supremacy.
B) To flatter and appease the character.
C) As a sign of submission and understanding of his strength.
D) To curry favor and goodwill from the character.
Ans. A) As a mark of respect and recognition of supremacy.
2. Choose the option that associates the person to a haberdashery.
A) Jagdeep is a primary school teacher who teaches English.
B) Tanishq is a tailor who makes garments for men only.
C) Falguni is a chemist who manufactures her own medicine.
D) Asma is an engineer who works on designing space stations.
Ans. B) Tanishq is a tailor who makes garments for men only.
3. Choose the option that explains what Think-Tank meant by saying Elementary, my dear Omega.
A) “It’s simple general knowledge, Omega.”
B) “It’s something that a primary school person won’t understand, Omega.”
C) “It’s quite obviously deducible, Omega”
D) “It’s a little more than complicated, Omega.”
Ans. C) “It’s quite obviously deducible, Omega”
4. The quality of being crude has been allotted to the refreshment stand because
A) Earthlings have bad eating habits according to Think-Tank.
B) the temperature of the refreshment stand was too high.
C) the refreshment stands are responsible for poor health of the Earthlings.
D) it produces food that is unrefined and unprocessed in nature.
Ans. D) it produces food that is unrefined and unprocessed in nature.
5. Earth inhabitants are Earthlings and those from Mars are Martians, what are the inhabitants of Venus dressed as in most sci-fi stories?
A) Venusites
B) Venetians
C) Venings
D) Venusians
Ans. D) Venusians
D. THINK-TANK : Was it not delicious, Sergeant Oop?
OOP : (saluting) That is correct, sir. It was not delicious. I don’t know how the Earthlings can get those sandwiches down without water. They’re dry as Martian dust.
NOODLE : Sir, sir. Great and Mighty Think-Tank. I beg your pardon, but an insignificant bit of data floated into my mind about those sandwiches.
Think-Tank : It can’t be worth much, but go ahead. Give us your trifling bit of data.
1) Whom was Think-Tank addressing?
Ans. Think-Tank was addressing his apprentice, Noodle.
2) What was the data?
Ans. The data was that the earthlings did not eat those ‘sandwiches’. They used them for communication.
3) Find the word in the extract which is a synonym of ‘insignificant’.
Ans. The synonym of ‘insignificant’ in the extract is ‘trifling’.
4) What part of speech is ‘It’ as used in the extract?
Ans. ‘It’ is a pronoun.
E. NOODLE : Where shall we go, sir?
THINK-TANK : A hundred million miles away from Mars. Order the invasion fleet to evacuate the entire planet of Mars. We are heading for Alpha Centauri, a hundred million miles away. (Omega, Iota, and Oop run off right as Noodle helps Think-Tank off left and the curtain closes. Spotlight shines on Historian down right.)
Historian : (chuckling) And that’s how one dusty old book of nursery rhymes saved the world from a Martian invasion. As you all know, in the twenty-fifth century, five hundred years after all this happened, we Earthlings resumed contact with Mars, and we even became very friendly with the Martians. By that time, Great and Mighty Think-Tank had been replaced by a very clever Martian — the wise and wonderful Noodle! Oh, yes, we taught the Martians the difference between sandwiches and books. We taught them how to read, too, and we established a model library in their capital city of Marsopolis. But as you might expect, there is still one book that the Martians can never bring themselves to read. You’ve guessed it — Mother Goose! (She bows and exits right.)
1) What was the name of the book?
Ans. ‘Mother Goose’ was the name of the book.
2) Why did the Historian chuckle?
Ans. The historian chuckled at the idea that the misinterpretation of a book saved the Earth.
3) Which word in the extract is a synonym of ‘Conquer’?
Ans. ‘Invasion’ from the extract is the synonym of’ conquer’.
4) What part of speech is ‘And’ as used in the extract?
Ans. ‘And’ is a conjunction.
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Class 10 English The Book That Saved The Earth Short Question Answers (including questions from Previous Years Question Papers)
In this post we are also providing important short answer questions from the chapter The Book that Saved the Earth for CBSE Class 10 Boards in the coming session. These questions have been taken from previous years class 10 Board exams and the year is mentioned in the bracket along with the question.
Q1. How does Think-Tank explain the books to his probe crew?
Answer. Think-Tank explained to his team that the books were sandwiches. He even told his men to eat them. He then referred to them as communication devices, and later stated that they were intended for surveillance.
Q2. Why do the space probe crew take vitamins?
Answer. Think-Tank wanted the probe team to discover what was written in the books. As a result, the probe crew takes vitamins to boost their intelligence. After taking those vitamins, they were able to read the books.
Q3. Think-Tank thinks that Earthlings are after him. What is the reason? (CBSE 2015)
Answer. The Think-Tank crew read the rhyme about Humpty-fall Dumpty’s and showed the picture to Think-Tank. Think-Tank’s head looked like Humpty- Dumpty’s. Think-Tank concludes that Earthlings intended to invade Mars and capture him.
Q4. Mention any two striking qualities of Noodle.
Answer. The apprentice of Think-Tank, Noodle, emerges as an intriguing character in the story. He is courteous and intelligent. He humbly corrects his ruler’s errors by making indirect suggestions. He is also very wise and well-informed.
Q5. How did one old book of nursery rhymes save the Earth from a Martian invasion? (CBSE 2011)
Answer. The Martians completely misunderstand this book. The Martians believed that humans were planning an invasion of Mars. As a result, they canceled their invasion of Earth and returned. Think-Tank completely misinterprets the book. Phrases like shell, “silver,’ and ‘garden’ led him to believe that earthlings grew silver and weapons. He begins to believe that humans are technologically advanced.
Q6. The 20th century was referred to as the ‘Era of the Book’. Comment briefly.(CBSE QB,2021)
Answer. The twentieth century was dubbed the “Era of the Book” because there were books on everything from anteaters to Zulus at the time. Books taught them how, when, where, and why to do things. They drew, taught, punctuated, and even decorated.
Q7. Describe briefly how the Martians reach upon the correct application of the book.
Answer. Martians arrived at the library during the invasion of Earth. They’d never seen books before. They had no idea where they were or what the items in the various racks were. They initially mistook them for sandwiches and attempted to eat them. They then misinterpreted sandwiches as some sort of communication device. Later, they recognised them as eye communication rather than ear communication, and realized that they needed to take vitamins to understand all of these codes.
Q8. Where did Captain Omega reach with her team?
Answer. Captain Omega and her crew arrived on Earth. They were in the Centerville Public Library, surrounded by thousands of books. They mistook themselves for being in a storage facility.
Q9. Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
Answer. Noodle takes great care not to offend Think-Tank. He never disagrees with his opinion, but he never misses an opportunity to offer his suggestions, even if he does so hesitantly. He is always impressed by ThinkTank’s intelligence. He never puts himself into the conflicting ideas from his boss.
Q10. What saved the Earth? How?
Answer. The earth was saved from a Martian invasion by a dusty old book of nursery rhymes. The Martian could not decipher the meaning of nursery rhymes. Their misunderstanding made the situation amusing. They began to believe that the Earthlings possessed advanced technology and intended to invade Mars. They canceled their mission and even left Mars alone in order to escape to a distant planet.
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Class 10 The Book That Saved The Earth Long Answer Questions Lesson 9
Q1. ‘Pride has a fall’. Justify this statement giving relevant points from how Think-Tank reacted to the readings from Mother Goose.
Answer. Martians invaded Earth and made their way into a library. Their boss was Think-Tank. He was very proud of his wisdom, owing to his large balloon-like head. He considered himself to be the wisest person on Mars. Nobody could disobey him, or even dare to speak against him. He claimed to have a quick mind. He had no regard for anyone and dismissed other people’s opinions as trivial. He was also inconsistent.
He misinterpreted the rhymes in a complete verbal manner. Mar, the rhyme mistress, made him think about the discovery of the Earth. He was alarmed by the poem diddle-diddle, and he was so terrified by the poem Humpty-Dumpty that he decided to flee his kingdom and travel to Alpha Centauri. Thus his great wisdom was defeated and had a great fall.
Q2. Historians speak highly about books. How can books help in averting a catastrophic situation? Explain with reference to ‘The Book That Saved The Earth’.
Answer. The setting for The Historian is the twenty-fifth century. He is attempting to escape the twentieth century. He refers to it as the Era of the Book and speaks highly of books. Books, he believes, control all aspects of life. Books educate children. Books teach people how, when, where, and why to do things. They illustrate, educate, punctuate, and even decorate people’s lives. According to the Historian, only the books saved the Earth from Martian invasion, for the Martians had misunderstood the meaning of the poems and got frightened of them. So they rushed away from Earth, even evacuating Mars, and headed for Alpha Centauri.
Even in our day to day life, we get all our solutions from books whether-it is health related or anything else. So we can say that books help us in preventing a catastrophe.
Q3. Noodle hails Think-Tank as the most powerful and intelligent creature in the whole universe. Do you agree? Write your opinion of Think-Tank citing instances from the given text.
Answer. Noodle is Think-Tank’s trainee. He prostrated himself before him and praised his ruler as the most powerful and intelligent creature in the universe. Think-Tank, on the other hand, is not particularly intelligent. He completely misinterprets the nursery rhymes. For him, the words silver, “shells,’ and ‘garden’ indicate that earthlings grow metals in farms. He considers books to be sandwiches and desires that the crew consume them. When he hears the nursery rhyme ‘Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall,’ he becomes terrified and plans his escape from Mars. As a result, Think-Tank is nothing more than a showy and pompous fool.
Q4. Compare and contrast the characters of Noodle and Think-Tank. (CBSE 2012)
Answer. Noodle and Think-Tank have opposing personalities. Think-Tank likes to be called the ‘Great and the Mighty’. He gives orders and commands. He is the ruler of Mars, but he is illiterate.
He compares books to sandwiches. He is incorrect in every way. He demands that the crew follow his orders. He enjoys claiming other people’s ideas as his own. He is a coward who brags about his power.
Noodle, his apprentice, is extremely intelligent and wise. He gently corrects the ruler’s (Think- Tank’s) errors. He never claims ownership of his ideas. But he does so very gently to the ruler. Think-Tank designs them on his own.
Q5. How do the three nursery rhymes frighten Think-Tank in the play, ‘The Book That Saved the Earth’?
Answer. Contrary to popular belief, the rhyme ‘Mistress Mary’ leads Think-Tank to believe that Earthlings have discovered a way to combine agriculture and mining. He believes they can grow explosives. The rhyme ‘Hey diddle diddle’ leads him to believe that Earthlings have advanced to a high level of civilization: even their animals have musical culture and are familiar with space techniques.
He fears that the Earthlings are about to launch an interplanetary attack involving millions of cows. The rhyme is read by Oop. ‘Humpty Dumpty,’ he says, holding up a picture of Humpty Dumpty. Think-Tank concludes that it is his image, and that the Earthlings intend to invade Mars.
Q6. Attempt a character-sketch of Noodle highlighting the values projected by him.
Answer. Noodle is a member of the invasion team that arrived to invade Earth. Apprentice Noodle is his name. He serves as the liaison between Think-Tank and the invasion team. In every way, he is a carbon copy of Think-Tank. He is a very intelligent creature. He understands that Think-Tank, as commander-in-chief, must be obeyed. As a result, he continues to praise Think-Tank while also making sarcastic remarks. Only Noodles thinks practically and differently about the books that were thought to be sandwiches to eat. But Think-Tank claimed the concept as his own. But Noodle isn’t depressed at all. He is a devoted Think-Tank supporter.
Q7. Comment on the appropriateness of the title of the play ‘The Book that Saved the Earth’.
Answer. A good title should reflect a character’s theme, idea, or traits. It gives us a glimpse into the plot. It should be centered on one of the above. The story or the play should be woven around any one of them. In the play ‘The Book That Saved The Earth,’ a book of ‘Mother Goose’ nursery rhymes is responsible for stopping the Martian invasion on Earth. Mars’ ruler, Think-Tank, plans to invade Earth before lunch and sends Probe One to learn more about the Earthlings. They walk into a library but have no idea what the books are. They take vitamins, boost their intelligence, and then read ‘Mother Goose’ rhymes.
Think-Tank interprets the rhymes incorrectly, mistaking them for threats to him and Mars. Scared, he summons Probe One, abandons the plan to invade, and flees with his subjects to Alpha Centauri, a hundred million miles from Mars. As a result, the book ‘Mother Goose’ was responsible for preventing the Martian invasion of Earth. The title “The Book That Saved the Earth” is an apt title because it reflects the theme of the play.
Q8. What is Think-Tank’s opinion about the Earth?
Answer. Think-Tank referred to Earth as a ridiculous little planet and expressed his desire to place it under his generous rule. To him, the planet Earth was insignificant. He thought the Martians were the most attractive race. He referred to the people of Earth as Earthlings and made fun of their small heads.
Before lunch, he expressed his desire to invade the “primitive ball of mud” known as Earth. However, after misinterpreting the nursery rhyme book, he began to believe that the Earthlings had developed a more advanced civilization and were even planning an invasion of Mars.
Q9. If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you have handled Think-Tank’s mistakes?
Answer. Captain Think-Tank was a proud and powerful man. He enjoys being honored by other captains and dislikes having his mistakes corrected. Noodle avoids correcting his errors as well, but he does his work very nicely and gracefully. If I had been in Noodle’s shoes, I would have handled the situation the same way he did.
It is said that humility has the power to move mountains. I would correct Captain Think’s mistakes in the most humble, modest, and respectful manner so that he does not become annoyed or irritated as he does in the beginning when Noodle misses some part of his salutation but pacifies him with his modest manner.
Q10. Half-Baked knowledge is always dangerous. Rushing to conclusions without going deep into the details of things always leads to uninvited chaos and disasters. Explain the above-mentioned statements in the light of Think-Tank’s interpretations of the rhymes of the book ‘Mother Goose’.
Answer. Nothing is more dangerous than half-baked knowledge. The truth is more than meets the eye. And so is understanding. We must take a broad view of the situation. We must delve deeply into the details before making broad generalizations. Statements that are too broad are never good statements. Misinterpretation of things can sometimes lead to unavoidable disasters. Think-Tank represents how a half-baked mind could have resulted in an invasion of another planet.
Think-Tank excelled in misinterpreting and misrepresenting information. They couldn’t tell what books were when they saw them. He jumped from one conclusion to the next. He mistook them for sandwiches. He misapplied the phrase “had a great fall” to his own demise. He screamed and immediately ordered the evacuation of Mars. He had the impression that Mars was about to be invaded. He made the decision to flee in a space shuttle as soon as possible. He stated that they could travel 100 million miles away from Mars.
Also See:
Class 10 English Syllabus
Character Sketches of Class 10 English
CBSE Class 10 English Lesson Explanation, Summary
CBSE Class 10 English Question Answers (Important)
CBSE Class 10 English MCQs
Class 10 English Complete Study Guide
Class 10 English First Flight book Prose word meanings
Class 10 English First Flight Poems word meaning
Class 10 English Footprints without Feet word meanings
List of Poetic Devices in Class 10 Poems (Poem-wise)
10 Important Poetic Devices for Class 10