CURIOUS BEINGS, Edward H Hoch
WORD MEANING:
1. Settled – stayed
2. Crowds
– people, mob
3. Clutching
– holding
4. Race –
category
5. Creatures
– animals
6. Horror
– great fear
7. Distant
– far
8. Slid –
moved gently
9. Barred
– separated
10. Breed –
category
11. Chattered
– talking continuously
12. Crew –
team
13. Worth –
valid, valuable
14. Jagged
– rough surface
15. Seeking
– finding
16. Embrace
– holding tighly
17. Hurried
– quick
A.3 ANSWER THE
FOLLOWING QUESTION.
a. What time is referred to in the phrase, some
two months and three planets later? Can you guess the setting of the story
from this phrase? Where do you think Kaan in situated?
The time has a reference point belonging to the creature of Kaan, living in another planet far away.
This story is a science-fiction, that happened in Chicago area.
Kaan is a planet far from the Earth and it takes around two months and three planets to reach there.
b. What kind of zoo is the little one
talking about? How did the little one describe the people of the Earth?
The little ones are talking about the people of Earth,
whom they had come to see. The people of Earth wear garments over skins and
they walk on two legs.
A.4 READING THE
TEXT:
Why were the children always good in the
month of August?
In the month of August, especially on 23 the great
silver spaceship carrying Professor Hugo’s Interplanetary Zoo settled down on
Earth. It came with lot of wonderment.
Why did the professor dress up like a
clown?
The professor dressed up like a clown to attract the
people to his zoo.
What does other worlds refer to?
Other worlds refer to the existence of the creatures
in other planets apart from the Earth. Venus, Mars, Kaan and many more distant
planets are the example of this.
Why did these creatures scurry away?
After visiting the Earth, the horse-spiders reached their
home planet, Kaan. So they scurried away in different directions, seeking their
homes among the rocks.
What do you understand by the term
commocs?
Commocs is the currency used by the creatures of Kaan.
Find out at least three aliens and
mention the sources in which they have appeared.
Three legged creatures from Venus; tall and thin men
from Mars and horse-spider came from the jagged rocks of Kaan.
Ex. A.6 Complete the given graphic
organiser. (Page: 06)
a.
b.
Ex. A.7 Choose the correct options. (Page:
07)
Some two months and three planets later,
the silver ship of Professor Hugo settled at last onto the familiar jagged
rocks of Kaan, and the queer horse-spider creatures filed quickly out of their
cages. Professor Hugo was there to say a few parting words and then they scurried
away in a hundred different directions, seeking their homes among the rocks.
In one, the she-creature was happy to
see the return of her mate and offspring. She babbled a greeting in the strange
tongue and hurried to embrace them. “It was a long time you were gone. Was it
good?”
a. She
babbled a greeting in the strange tongue… It indicates that the
she-creature was.
iii. enthusiastic and excited.
b. Select the appropriate response for 1
and 2.
1. The spaceship landed on Kaan
after visiting three planets.
2. Professor Hugo shared a few words
before he bid the creatures goodbye.
iv.
1 precedes 2.
c. …
the queer horse-spider creatures filed quickly out of their cages. This
indicates that they moved in
i. a scattered and disorganized way.
d. Choose
the option in which the word embrace is used in the same way as in the
extract.
iv. My mother ran to embrace me at
the airport when she saw me after a year.
e. The horse-spider creatures were in
cages on the spaceship in order to
i. make everyone feel safe from each other.
Ex. A.8 (Page: 08)
a. Pick
the option which tells us that the creatures from Kaan enjoyed the zoo.
iii. The creatures felt that the visit to Earth was
quite worth their money.
b.
Choose the antonym of the word chattered.
ii. articulated
c. The story is based on the main idea of
i. planetary exploration.
A.9 ANSWER THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
a. What did you find most interesting about
the horse-spider creatures? Give reasons for your answer.
Horse-spider was brought from a million miles of
space, Kaan. They were strange creatures that looked like horses but can move
like spiders.
b. Professor Hugo requested his audience to
tell their friends in other cities about his interplanetary zoo. Do you think
this was the best way to publicise his event? Why/Why not?
Yes, this was one of the best ways to publicise his
event. Everyone liked and was fascinated by the horse-spider. Being satisfied,
they could easily convince their friends visiting the zoo.
c. Why were the people on Earth fascinated
by the horse-spider creatures?
Horse-spiders were brought from a million miles of
space, Kaan. They were strange creatures that looked like horses but ran up the
walls of their cages like spiders. So people on Earth were fascinated by them.
d. The little horse-spider creature was
fascinated by Earth. Give evidence from the story to prove this statement.
The little horse-spiders themselves said, “On the place
called Earth it was the best. The creatures there wear garments over skins, and
they walk on two legs.” This statement is the prove, they were fascinated by
Earth.
A10. ANSWER IN
DETAIL:
a. The story displays many qualities of
Professor Hugo. Read the story once again and complete the graphic organizer
given below.
b. Now, using the details you have filled in the graphic organizer, write a character sketch of Professor Hugo.
Professor Hugo is adventurous, daring, entertainer,
charming, knowledgeable.
Visiting many places on Earth and beyond. He brings
different kinds of species from around the universe and exposes them before
people of different planets. He encourages everyone to see, study and listen to
them.
c. Both humans and the creatures of Kaan say
that they had seen the very best zoo. Analyse this statement with reference to
the story?
Both humans and the creatures of Kaan had seen the very best zoo. The creatures of Kaan, Horse-spiders were strange, that looked like horses but can move like spiders. On the other hand the horse-spiders saw the people of Earth as, the creatures who wear garments over skins, and they walk on two legs. They all were fascinated seeing the others.
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