INDIAN SCHOOL AL WADI AL KABIR

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH (2022-23)

QUESTION BANK-THE BOOK THAT SAVED THE EARTH- by Claire Boiko

Class: X Subject: ENGLISH

INTRODUCTION

The book that saved the earth summary is a play. The author of the play is Claire Bioko and is all
about the imaginary world. The characters of the play are Think Tank, Noodle, Oop, Omega, etc. are
the Martian living beings, and the time set of the play is the twentieth century. All the characters
reached a library on earth and misinterpret the books as sandwiches. Later they try to understand the
rhymes in the book. They felt that they are in danger and immediately left the earth. Hence, a mere
children’s rhymes book saved the earth from the Martian invasion. The play illustrates in detail how
the book saved the earth from the Martians invasion.

SUMMARY
The plot of the play is in the twentieth century. All the characters of the play are imaginary
characters and have weird names like the mighty Chief Think Tank, Noodle, Captain Omega,
Lieutenant Iota, Sergeant Oop, etc. The think tanks who think himself to be the most intelligent
amongst all the Martians to decide to go to earth with his team. He always thinks that because he
had a big head he is the most intelligent and always likes to be praised for that. They want to know
how people of the earth (they call them earthlings) lives. In the next scene, they all were present in a
library full of books. But all of them were unable to understand the place.

Then the mighty Think-Tank tries to show off his intelligence and tells his crew that the thing is a
sandwich. As the person of the earth eats a lot of so they must have stored them here. Then one of
the crew members Sergeant Oop even eats the corner of a book to confirm the views of Think-Tank.
But he did not like the taste, and they came to the conclusion that this may be something else other
than food. After some time, Noodle suggests Think-Tank that maybe it is used for communication
with ears. After some time, Noodle again suggests Think-Tank that maybe it is for eye
communication. All the crew members started opening and reading the book. It was a rhymes book
of name, Mother Goose. But they are unable to understand the book.

So looking at this Noodle asks the Think-Tank that the chemical department has given them the
vitamin pills to increase intelligence, and they all should take it and then read the sandwiches. As
Oop started reading the book of nursery rhymes they take the literal meaning of rhymes and feel
troubles. Think Tank called his Martians team and says that they have gathered some information
about earthlings, and they should be postponing the idea of invasion. Oop read the rhyme Humpty
dumpty, and they all saw the picture of Humpty who looked like Think Tank. Think Tank drew an
inference that the earthlings have identified him and will kill him soon. So, he asked his team to run
immediately from there and thus a dusted book of rhymes saved us from Martian invasion.

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I. Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. Noodle : (bowing) O Great and Mighty Think-Tank, most powerful and intelligent creature in
the whole universe, what are your orders?
Think-Tank : (peevishly) You left out part of my salutation, Apprentice Noodle. Go over the
whole thing again.
(a) Who is Noodle?
(b) What does the extract reveal about Think-Tank?
(c) Find a word from the extract which means ‘feeling or showing irritation’.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘powerful’?
Answer:
(a) Noodle is the apprentice to Think-Tank, the ruler of Mars.
(b) The extract reveals Think-Tank to be a vain and self-centered (egoistic) creature.
(c) ‘Peevishly’ from the extract means ‘feeling or showing invitation’.
(d) It opposite is ‘weak’.

2. Iota: I can’t figure it out, Captain. (holding up a book) I’ve counted two- thousands of these
peculiar items. This place must be some sort of storage barn.
(a) What could Iota not figure out?
(b) Where was Iota?
(c) Find the antonym of the word ‘ordinary’ in the extract.
(d) What part of speech is ‘peculiar’ as used in the extract?
Answer:
(a) Iota could not figure out what the books were because he had never seen a book before.
(b) Iota was at Centerville Public Library on Earth.
(c) The antonym of ordinary is peculiar.
(d) It is an adjective.

3. Think-Tank: It can’t be worth much, but go ahead. Give us your trifling bit of data.
(a) Whom was Think-Tank addressing?
(b) What was the data?
(c) Find the word in the extract which is a synonym of ‘insignificant’.
(d) What part of speech is ‘It’ as used in the extract?
Answer:
(a) Think-Tank was addressing his apprentice, Noodle.
(b) The data was that the earthlings did not eat those ‘sandwiches’. They used them for
communication.
(c) The synonym of ‘insignificant’ in the extract is ‘trifling’.
(d) ‘It’ is a pronoun.

4. Historian : (chuckling) And that’s how one dusty old book of nursery rhymes saved the world
from a Martian invasion.
(a) What was the name of the book?
(b) Why did the Historian chuckle?
(c) Which word in the extract is a synonym of ‘Conquer’?

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(d) What part of speech is ‘And’ as used in the extract?
Answer:
(a) ‘Mother Goose’ was the name of the book.
(b) The historian chuckled at the idea that the misinterpretation of the book that saved the Earth.
(c) ‘Invasion’ from the extract is the synonym of ‘conquer’.
(d) ‘And’ is a conjunction.

II. III. Answer the following in30-40 words. (SHORT ANSWER TYPE Qs)

1. What does Noodle tell Think-Tank about the books?

Ans: Noodle tells Think-Tank that the book was not a sandwich, it was some device used for
communication. They are means of communication. These sandwiches are not for ear
communication but for eye communication. The Earthlings do not listen to the sandwiches. They
open them and watch them. Noodle reads out the nursery rhymes to Think- Tank from Mother
Goose.

2. How did one old book of nursery rhymes save the world from a Martian invasion?
Ans: The Martians under the leadership of Think-Tank decided to invade the Earth. They found
an old book of nursery rhymes ‘Mother Goose’. Think-Tank interpreted the rhymes in his own
way. He got frightened. He concluded that the people on the Earth were more powerful and
advanced than he was. He called his crew members back. Hence, the old book of nursery rhymes
saved the world from a Martian invasion.

3. What is Think-Tank’s opinion about the Earth?

Ans: Think-Tank was the mighty captain of Mars Space Control. He did not have good opinion
about the Earth and its people. He considered the Earth a ridiculous little planet. He thought that
it was an insignificant place where ugly earthlings, with their tiny heads dwell.

4. How did Think-Tank interpret the rhymes of the book ‘Mother Goose’?
Ans: Think-Tank was an arrogant fool ruling the planet Mars. After taking the vitamins they
were able to read the rhymes in the book Mother Goose. He interpreted the rhymes in his own
way. He concluded that the people on the Earth were more powerful and more advanced than he
was.

5. How did the people on the Earth help the Martian people?
Ans: After the departure of Think-Tank from the Mars, Noodle was elected as the ruler of the
Mars. He was an intelligent and smart person. The earthlings resumed contact with the Martians.
They became friends and taught the Martians how to read. The people on both the planets
exchanged their views and values. They established a model library in the capital city of
Marsopolis.

6. How does Think-Tank compare the Martians with the people on the Earth? What does
he call the Earth mockingly?
Answer: Think-Tank compares the Martians with the people on the Earth. He calls Martians
more handsome race than that of the people on the Earth. He calls the Earth ‘a ridiculous little
planet’ and ‘a primitive ball of mud’.
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7. What ‘high levels of civilisation’ have earthlings reached, according to Think-Tank?
Ans: According to Think-Tank, the people of the Earth have made advancement in all the fields
of life. They have reached the ‘high levels of civilisation’. They have taught their domesticated
animals musical culture and space techniques.

8. What was Oop’s opinion about the ‘sandwiches’ he had eaten?

Ans: Oop was ordered to eat a book in the library thought it to be a sandwich. He found it
absolutely tasteless and useless. He could not understand how such things could be eaten by the
earthlings without water. They were as dry as Martian dust.

9. What did Noodle suggest about the book?

Ans: Noodle was an intelligent person but he did not want to offend Think-Tank. He suggested
that the book was not a sandwich, it was some device used for communication. Later on, he
suggested that the team should eat vitamins to increase their intelligence so that they would read
them.

10. Which book saved the Earth from Martian invasion and how?
Answer: ‘Mother Goose’, a nursery rhymes book, saved the Earth from the Martian invasion.
Think-Tank interpreted the rhymes in his own way. He got frightened and decided to vacate the
planet.

11. Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the book’?
Ans: The twentieth century was called the ‘Era of the Book’ because there were books about
everything, from anteaters to Zulus. Books taught people how to and when to and where to and
why. Books illustrated, educated, punctuated and even decorated.

12. What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the books found on Earth?
Ans: The Think-Tank initially guesses that the books are sandwiches. Noodle corrects him and
says that he thinks that books are some sort of communication devices. Then he thinks that the
books are used for listening communication. Finally, he concludes that they are used for eye
communication.

13. Why did Think-Tank send his crew on the earth?

Ans. Think-Tank, the ruler of Mars regarded the Earth as a mass of mud, and Earthlings as ugly,
tiny-headed creatures. He planned to invade Earth and expand his domain. He sent Probe One to
Earth to get more information about the Earthlings.

14. How does Think-Tank describe the people on Earth? Why does he command Noodle to
contact the Space probe?
Ans. Think-Tank thought Earthlings were weak, ignorant, uncivilized persons and hence planned
to invade Earth. He sent his commander Noodle to make contact with the crew of the manned
space probe, now on Earth to seek more information about the Earth.

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15. What does Noodle suggest to Think-Tank about the books?
Ans. Noodle tells Think-Tank that the Earthlings did not listen to the sandwiches, they opened
and watched them. Think-Tank had thought that the books were sandwiches. He told hint that
they use these books as a device of communication.

16. Who was Omega? Why did he try to eat the book?
Ans. Omega was the captain of the space control Probe One, on Earth. Think-Tank asked him to
pick up the most colourful sandwich (book) and report to him about his observation on it.

17. Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion? Which book saved the Earth
from Martian invasion?
Ans. Books are our best friends and companions. They are never demanding but always giving
knowledge and pleasure. They give us company. The book that saved the Earth from Martian
invasion was ‘Mother Goose.’

18. Why did Think-Tank decide to evacuate Mars?

Ans. Think-Tank misinterpreted the rhymes and thought Earthlings were a threat to him as well
as to Mars. He got scared and called back Probe One, dropped the idea of invading and escaped
to Alpha Centauri, a hundred million miles away from Mars.

19. What happens when the Historian turns on the historiscope?

Ans. As the Historian turn on the historiscope, suddenly, the scene changes from the present
twenty-fifth century to many centuries ago in 2040. Spotlight on Historian goes out. Think-Tank
appears. He is seated on a raised box, arms folded. He has a huge, egg-shaped head. He wears a
long robe decorated with stars and circles. Apprentice Noodle stands beside him.

20. What does Noodle say in the praise of Think-Tank? Why does Think-Tank ask Noodle
to go over the whole thing again?
Ans. Noodle bows low before the Commander-in-Chief, Think-Tank. He calls Think-Tank
“Great and Mighty”. He was the most powerful and intelligent creature in the whole universe.
But Think-Tank stops Noodle abruptly. He had left out a part of his salutation. He asks him to
repeat it again from the very beginning. Noodle adds that Think-Tank is the newer ruler of Mars
and its two moons. He bows down to receive orders from his chief.

21. How does Think-Tank compare the Earth and Earthlings, with Mars and Martians?
Ans. Think-Tank’s comments on the Earth and the Earthlings are very sarcastic, ridiculous and
rude. He considers Martians a handsome race. They are much more attractive than those ugly
Earthlings with their tiny heads. He calls the Earth as a primitive ball of mud. He even threatens
to invade it.

22. Name the persons who are in the Mars Space Control.
Ans. There are five persons who are managing the Mars Space Control. First and the most
important of them all is great and Mighty Think-Tank. He is the Commander-in-Chief, and the
ruler of Mars and two moons. Noodle is an apprentice who is always praising Think-Tank but
also giving subtle suggestions very respectfully. Then, there is Captain Omega who is always

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opening and closing card catalogue drawers. Sergeant Oop is at right, opening and closing a
book. Lieutenant Iota is up left, counting books in a bookcase.

23. Describe Think-Tank and his role in the play.

Ans. Think-tank is the Commander-in-Chief and the ruler of Mars and its two moons. He is
considered as the most powerful and intelligent person in the universe. He himself thinks so. He
is proud of belonging to a handsome race of Martians. He is dominating, loves no arguments,
expects obedience and compliance. But all these claims fall short of reality and contradict his
claims of greatness.

24. What does Think-Tank, first of all, guess about the books? Why does he order to eat
them?
Ans. Think-Tank views a book closely. He declares that the item (book) is called a sandwich. He
tells them that sandwiches are the main staple diet of the people of the Earth. There are two
slices of bread and between them is some sort of filling. He asks Omega to eat a sandwich to
confirm his opinion.

25. Why do they hesitate to eat sandwiches (books)? Who is made to eat a sandwich in the
end?
Ans. Having declared books as sandwiches, Think-Tank asks Captain Omega to eat a sandwich
to confirm his opinion. When she hesitates, Think-Tank snubs her for doubting the Mighty
Think-Tank. Captain Omega orders poor lieutenant to eat that sandwich. Iota very cleverly
orders Sergeant Oop to eat the sandwich immediately. And he eats it for the glory of Mars. He
makes terrible faces after eating it. He doesn’t like it.

III. Answer the following in detail. (LONG ANSWER TYPE Qs)

1. ‘Pride has a fall’. Justify this statement giving relevant points from how Think-Tank
reacted to the readings from Mother Goose.
Ans. Martians invaded the earth and reached in a library. Think-Tank was their leader. He was
very proud of his wisdom, as he was having a big balloon like head. He thought that he was the
wisest person on Mars. Nobody could disobey him, or even dare to speak against him. He
claimed that he had a quick mind. He had no respect for anyone and regarded other views as
trifling. He was also fickle-minded.
He misinterpreted the rhymes in a complete verbal manner. The rhyme Mistress Mary made him
ponder over the discovery of the earth. Initially, he misinterprets that the earthlings have
discovered how to combine agricultural and mining and that they can grow explosives. From the
poem Hey-diddle-diddle he thought that Earthlings had taught their domesticated animals'
musical culture and Space Techniques and was more alarmed.
The poem Humpty-Dumpty, he thought the egg was him, and that, humans were planning to kill
him. Due to this, his opinion about earthlings changed. Now he considered them dangerous. he
was so frightened that he decided to leave his kingdom and run away to Alpha Centauri. Thus his
great wisdom was defeated and had a great fall.

2. Attempt a character-sketch of Noodle highlighting the values projected by him.

Ans. Noodle is one of the crew members of the invasion team that came to invade earth. He is
known as Apprentice Noodle. He is the co-coordinator between Think-Tank and the invasion
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team. He echoes Think-Tank in every manner. He is a very clever creature. He knows that
Think-Tank being commander-in-chief has to be obeyed. So he keeps on praising Think-Tank
and also passing sarcastic remarks. It is only Noodles who think practically and differently about
the books which were considered as sandwiches to eat. But Think-Tank took over the idea as his
own. But Noodle is not sad at all. He is a blind and true follower of Think-Tank.

3. The Historian speaks highly about books. How can books help you in preventing a
catastrophe?
Ans. The Historian is placed in the twenty-fifth century. She is trying to clear of the twentieth
century. She calls it as the Era of the Book and speaks highly about the books. According to her
books control all life. Books teach children. Books teach people how to and when to and where
to and why to. They illustrate, educate, punctuate and even decorate the life of the people.
According to 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 left the earth in
a hurry and even evacuated the Mars and headed over to 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.

4. How did one old book of nursery rhymes save the earth from a Martian invasion?
Or
How do the three nursery rhymes frighten Think-Tank?
Or
In what ways does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as a threat to the
Martians?
Ans. The old, dusty book of nursery rhymes was ‘Mother Goose’. Think-Tank wanted to invade
Earth. He had sent Probe One to get more information about the Earthlings. The crew enters a
library. There, after taking vitamins, they take out ‘Mother Goose’ and decipher the rhymes.
The rhymes are misinterpreted as threats by Think-Tank. After listening to the first rhyme,
‘Mistress Mary,’ he concluded that Earthlings had discovered how to combine agriculture and
mining. The second rhyme, ‘Hey Diddle, Diddle’, seemed to suggest to him that the Earthlings
might be launching an interplanetary attack with millions of cows. The third rhyme, ‘Humpty
Dumpty’ wherein Humpty had a great fall and its picture that resembled him threatened him and
his planet Mars. He got so scared that he dropped the idea of invading Earth, and escaped to
Alpha Centauri. Thus a book of nursery rhymes saved Earth from Martian invasion.

5. Justify the title of the play ‘The Book that Saved the Earth’.
Ans. A good title should reflect the theme, idea or the traits of a character. It should revolve
around any 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 nursery rhymes of ‘Mother Goose’ is
responsible for stopping the Martian invasion on Earth. Think-Tank, the ruler of Mars plans to
invade Earth before lunch and sends Probe One to get more information about the Earthlings.
They enter a library but can’t figure out what items books are. They take vitamins, increase their
intelligence then read the rhymes from ‘Mother Goose’. Think-Tank misinterprets the rhymes,
takes them as threats to him and Mars. Scared, he calls back Probe One, drops the idea of
invading and escapes with his subjects to Alpha Centauri, a hundred million miles away from
Mars.

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Thus, the book ‘Mother Goose’ was responsible for stopping the Martian invasion of Earth. The
title The Book That Saved the Earth’, reflects the theme of the play, so it is an apt (appropriate)
title.

6. What is the message or the lesson that `The Book That saved the Earth’ gives to the
readers? Elucidate it.
Or
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’.
Ans. There is nothing more dangerous than half-baked knowledge. We have to take a
comprehensive (complete) view of things. We have to go deep into the details before coming out
with sweeping generalisations. Sometimes misinterpretation of things leads to unavoidable
disasters. Think-Tank symbolises how the half-baked knowledge could have led to an invasion
on another planet.
Think-Tank excelled in misinterpreting and misrepresenting things. When they saw books they
could not identify what they were. He jumped to one conclusion after the other. He interpreted
them as sandwiches. He misinterpreted the words “had a great fall’ to his own downfall. He
screamed and at once ordered to evacuate the entire Mars immediately. He felt that Mars was
being invaded soon. He decided to escape without delay in a space shuttle. He told that they
could go a hundred million miles away from Mars.

7. What does Historian say about the importance of books in the twentieth century? Why
does he point out that particular dusty old rhymes saved the world from a Martian
invasion?
Ans. Historian terms the twentieth century as the Era of the Book. It was the period when all
kinds of books were published. There were books almost on all subjects. And each subject had
many books. One could find books from anteaters to Zulus. Books taught people how to, and
when to, and where to, and why to. They illustrated, punctuated, and even decorated. But the
strangest thing a book ever did was to save the Earth. The invasion never really happened. A
single book-`Mother Goose’ saved the Earth. Just one dusty old book of nursery rhymes changed
the very course of the world. It happened in 2040. The invasion on the Earth was saved because
the Martian Commander-in-Chief misinterpreted the rhyme “Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.”
He misinterpreted that the Earthlings wanted to capture Mars Central Control and him. He
ordered the invasion fleet to evacuate the entire planet of Mars. He prepared to escape at once in
a space capsule.

8. Draw a pen-portrait of Great and Mighty Think-Tank. Was he really the most powerful
and intelligent person in the universe?
Ans. Great and Mighty Think-Tank has been presented as the most powerful and the most
intelligent creature in the whole universe. At least, Noodle and other associates think so.
Powerful, of course, he was. After all, he was the Commander-in-Chief and the ruler of Mars and
her two moons. He was feared, pampered, flattered and obeyed. No one could afford to disagree
with him. Disobeying him was totally out of question. Only Noodle, through his diplomatic and
humble pleadings, could request him to give some suggestions.

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It is rather difficult to think that Think Tank was the most intelligent creature in the whole
universe. He was vain and haughty. His shallowness was quite apparent. He didn’t have the
capacity to go deep into things. Nor did he accept his criticism. His views about books were
totally ridiculous. To him, books were really sandwiches, the staple diet of the Earthlings.
The Great and Mighty Think-Tank excelled in misinterpreting things, particularly the rhymes of
‘Mother Goose’. His half-baked knowledge made him interpret the nursery rhyme “Humpty
Dumpty had a fall” as the plan of the Earthlings to capture Mars Central Control and him. He
immediately ordered to send the invasion fleet to evacuate the entire planet of Mars. He prepared
himself to escape in a space-shuttle at once.

9. What ridiculous guesses did Great and Mighty Think-Tank make about the books found
on the earth? How did Noodle manage to suggest something without offending him?
Ans. Think-Tank makes ridiculous and fantastic guesses about books that are found on the planet
Earth. Using his unusual fertile brain, he makes a wild guess that books are actually sandwiches,
the staple diet of the Earthlings. To confirm his opinion, he asks the captain Omega to eat a
book. When Oop doesn’t find it delicious, Noodle using his skills declares that the Earthlings
don’t eat them. But they use them as some sort of communication device. Think-Tank shows his
agreement and asks Omega to listen to them. Omega takes two books from the case, holds them
to his ears, listening intently. When nothing heard, Noodle again handles the situation. He
declares that the earthlings don’t listen to the sandwiches; they watched them. Think-Tank agrees
and declares that the sandwiches are not for ear-communication but for eye-communication.
Noodle suggests giving vitamins to the space people to increase their intelligence to unfold the
code language of the books (sandwiches). Thus, Noodle very cleverly keeps the Commander-in-
Chief in good humour. He has to be obeyed. But he knows how to handle his all-powerful, but
arrogant chief.

10. Give a character sketch of Noodle highlighting his diplomatic handling of Think-Tank
and even suggesting things without offending his mighty chief.
Ans. Noodle has to deal with difficult situations and maintain a very delicate balance as he is the
Apprentice to Think-Tank. he succeeds up to some extent in his mission. Think-tank is the
Commander-in-Chief and the ruler of Mars. Naturally, nobody can argue with him. It is difficult
to disagree with him. And it is impossible to disobey him. Noodle knows the real worth of
Think- Tank but still, he tries to keep him in good humour. Think-Tank is called the most
intelligent and powerful person in the whole universe. But Needle is a clever manipulator of
things. He uses his convincing skills and humility to appeal to the arrogant but all-powerful
Commander-in-Chief.
Regarding the books, he very subtly but humbly goes on making new suggestions. Think-Tank is
made to accept them. Noodle is gifted with a rare understanding of men and situations. Historian
tells that the wise and wonderful Noodle replaces Great and Mighty Think Tank in the end. It is
the victory of rationality and good sense over arrogance and foolishness.