The Book That Saved The Earth

Textual Solutions for Class 10 English 

Chapter 9 – The Book That Saved The Earth

The Book That Saved The Earth" by Claire Boiko is a funny story about a book called "Mother Goose." The story is set in the 20th century and shows how a Martian named Think-Tank and his crew tried to attack Earth. When they got to an Earth library, they didn't know what books were for. At first, Think-Tank thought books were sandwiches. Later, with help from his assistant Noodle, they realized books are for communication. They read "Mother Goose," a book of nursery rhymes. Think-Tank got scared by lines like "a cow jumped over the moon" and "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall." He thought Earth people were very advanced and could invade Mars with cows. Terrified, Think-Tank ordered his crew to return to Mars and fled to a distant star. The story teaches that we should understand things properly and not just go by first impressions.

 Read and Find Out (Page No. 63)

1. Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the Book’?

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 are illustrated, punctuated and even decorated.

2. Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century?

Martians tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century.

Read and Find Out (Page No. 65)

1. What guesses are made by Think–Tank about the books found on earth?

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 ear communication. Finally, he concludes that they are used for eye communication.

Think About It

1. Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?

Noodle tries not to upset Think-Tank while correcting his mistakes. Whenever Noodle thinks Think-Tank is wrong, he first praises Think-Tank and then gently shares his own ideas, saying they are just small thoughts in his head. This way, Noodle helps Think-Tank understand what is right without making him feel bad.

2. If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?

If I were in Noodle’s place, I would try to politely correct Think-Tank’s mistakes and suggest corrections.

3. Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?

Yes, electronic media is replacing books with digitization. We now have e-books and online classes, so we don't always need paper books.

No, I don't think we can completely get rid of books. Even though electronic media is popular, books are still important. Many people love reading physical books. The feeling of holding a book and turning its pages is a special experience that e-books can't replace.

4. Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion? Which is your favourite book and why? Write a paragraph about that book.

Books are called a person's best friend because they guide us, teach us, make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, and help us become better. Books never leave us. They give us knowledge and wisdom. We can learn from them, enjoy them, and get inspired by them.

(Students can write the name of their favourite book and explain what they like about the book.)

Talk About It

1. In what ways does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as threats to the Martians? Can you think of any incidents where you misinterpreted a word or an action? How did you resolve the misunderstanding?

Think-Tank misinterprets innocent nursery rhymes as threats to the Martians.

Omega reads the lines from the rhyme:

“Mistress Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?

With cockle shells and silver bells

And pretty maids all in a row”

Listening to the above lines, Think-Tank thinks that people on Earth are so advanced that they can actually grow crops of rare metals and high explosives. Iota reads another rhyme from the book:

“Hey diddle diddle! The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon,

The little dog laughed to see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.”

Listening to the above lines, Think-Tank thinks that Earthlings have taught their domesticated animals musical culture and space techniques. Even their dogs have a sense of humour.

Oop reads lines from another rhyme:

“Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...”

Listening to this, Think-Tank gets frightened because the picture of the Humpty-Dumpty resembles Think-Tank’s mighty balloon brain. He thinks that the Earthlings have seen him and are after him. He infers that the people on Earth are planning to capture Mars Central Control and him.

(Students can include any incident when they misinterpreted a word or an action and explain how they resolved the misunderstanding.)

2. The aliens in this play speak English. Do you think this is their language? What could be the language of the aliens?

No, I don’t think that English is their language because they are not able to understand what is written in the book Mother Goose. They think the words are codes written in little lines and squiggles and dots. As these aliens are Martians, they might have a Martian language.