The Book That Saved The Earth

By– Claire Bothe

A. About the Author

Claire Boiko is a children’s book author and playwright. Her works

include ‘Plays and Programs for Boys and Girls’, ‘The Cry Baby
Princess’, ‘Dramatized Parodies of Familiar Stories’ and ‘Children Plays
for Creative Actors.’

B. Theme of the Story

The play, “The Book That Saved the Earth,” is based on the theme that
half-fed knowledge is dangerous. It also tells how a book of old rhymes
saved the world from Martian invasion. The play is set in the 25th
century, but Historian turns on the hysteroscope and brings us back to
20th century Earth 5 centuries ago. The play begins with Think-Tank, a
great and mighty company comprised of people of Marks Central
Control, debating about what to do about humanity’s dwindling numbers
due control by humans themselves.
Think—Tank is the Commander—in—Chief and the rulers of Mars. He
is praised and flattered as the most intelligent and powerful creature in
the whole universe. But Think Tank gives ridiculous and fantastic
interpretations of books. He calls them sandwiches. His
misinterpretations of the rhymes of `Mother Goose’ belie all the tall
claims. He is nothing more than an ignorant and haughty despot who
relishes nothing but pure and simple, flattery and psychophancy. In the
end, Think—Tanks stops the invasion on Earth and orders the complete
evacuation of Mars.

C. Detailed Summary

1.Introduction: The play is set in the twenty-fifth century. But Historian

turns on the hysteroscopy back. He shows a very important historical
event that took place in the twentieth century. So all the actions in the
play and characters are set in the 20th

2. Martian Invasion: The play ‘The Book that Saved the Earth’ describes
a great historical event of 2040. It describes the Martian invasion on the
planet Earth, but an old book saved humanity from disaster.
Surprisingly, an old book of rhymes named ‘Mother Goose’ was enough
to save the event and it averted an invasion from Mars.

3. Great and Mightly Think—Tank:

Great and Mightly Think Tank was the Commander-in-Chief of Mars.
He acted like a dictator, enjoyed being praised and flattered by everyone
who was under him. He was called “the most powerful creature in the
whole universe”. He was feared and obeyed. No one dared to disagree or
argue with him. Disobedience of great and Mighty Think Tank was
unimaginable. He ordered apprentice Noodle to make him talk to their
manned space probe to the planet Earth. He looked into his magical
minor and felt satisfied.

4. Think Tank makes wild guesses about books:

Captain Omega hasn’t had any trouble arriving on Earth, and they are
now in a square place. Omega wants to know the exact location of their
shelter so that they can continue the mission in the morning. Iota can’t
tell them exactly, but she has a book. With no previous experience of
books in their language, the Martians can only make guesses about the
contents. Thinking-tank guesses a ridiculous definition for all of the
books. He identifies books as sandwiches.

5. Books as Sandwiches: Think-Tank identifies that those peculiar items

(books) are nothing but sandwiches which are the staple diet of the
Earthlings. He identifies the library as a store of hay. To confirm his
theory that those items (books) are actually sandwiches, he asks captain
Omega to eat one of them. At last, Oop bites down on a corner of the
book. He doesn’t find it delicious. Noodle intervenes and saves the
situation. He tells that he has noticed through films that the Earthlings
don’t eat those sandwiches. They are actually communication devices.
Think-Tank orders Omega to listen to them. Omega takes a book and
brings it close to his ears. But he hears nothing. Noodle again saves the
situation. He discloses that the Earthlings don’t listen to sandwiches
(books) but they open and watch them. Think-Tank gives his judgement.
He declares that those sandwiches are not for ear communication. They
are for eye communication. He orders captain Omega to observe a large
colourful sandwich (book) and tell what he has observed.

6. Misinterpretation of Rhymes: Oop sees thousands of little lines and

dots alongside the pictures on them. Think-Tank feels that the Earthlings
are not as primitive as they have thought. He orders to find out the real
meaning of the code language. Clever Noodle manages the situation. He
suggests that their space people should be given vitamins to increase
their intelligence. Vitamins are brought and everyone pops the vitamins
into their mouth.

7. Rhymes of ‘Mistress Mary’: Think-Tank reads the rhyme that is

spoken aloud. He declares that ‘Mistress Mary’ refers to Earthlings and
their discovery of combining farming with mining. They are able to
grow metals such as silver, and they interpret the term ‘cockleshells’ as
explosive. The Earthlings can also grow high explosives.

8. Rhyme of ‘Hey Diddle Diddle!’: Then Iota reads the “Hey diddle!”
Think Tank finds this rhyme more alarming. The Earthlings have reacted
to a high level of civilisation. They have taught their domestic animal’s
music culture and space techniques. They may be launching an
interplanetary attack on million cows soon.
9. Rhyme of ‘Humpty Dumpty’: Opp shows Think-Tank a picture of
Humpty Dumpty. He looks like Think Tank. Think-Tank suddenly
screams. He declares that the Earthlings have seen him. They are after
him. They plan to capture Mars Central Central Control and him. He
orders Noodle to prepare a space capsule for him.

10. 0rders for Evacuation of Mars: “Think-Tank” orders the people on

Mars to leave the planet at once. He tells “Omega suddenly there is a
shocking news,” that they will go one hundred million miles from Mars.
He even orders the invasion fleet to evacuate the entire planet of Mars.

11. A Book of Nursery Rhymes Saves the World: Historian chuckles

that how one dusty old book of nursery rhymes ‘Mother Goose’ saves
the world from a Martian invasion. Historian also informs that the wise
and wonderful Noodle replaces great and mighty Think Tank. Friendly
relations are resumed between the Earthlings and Martians. The people
of Earth teach Martians the differences between sandwiches and books.
D. Main Points of the Story
1. The story is set in the twentieth century, five centuries ago.
2. Historiscope takes us back to 2040.
3. Great Mighty Think-Tank is the Commander-in-Chief and the ruler of
Mars.
4. Apprentice Noodle, Captain Omega, Lieutenant Iota and Sergeant
Oop are with him in Mars Central Control.
5. Think-Tank calls Martians a handsome race and they are more
attractive than the ugly Earthlings.
6. Think-Tank wants to invade that ‘primitive ball of mud’ known as
Earth before lunch.
7. Oop doesn’t recognize the objects in the scene. A few characters are
trying to guess at what they might be, with Oop (by default) guessing
that they’re hats.
8. Think-Tank closely examines those books. He holds one of them in
his hand.
9. Think-Tank calls it (a book) a sandwich. Sandwiches are the main
staple diet of the Earthlings.
10. To confirm his opinion, Think-Tank orders Captain Omega to eat an
item (a book), a sandwich.
11. At last, Oop tastes it and finds it not delicious.
12. In the surveyor films on Earthling, Noodle sees that sandwiches are
used as a communication device.
13. Think-Tank agrees and orders Omega to listen to them.
14. When captain Omega fails to hear anything, Noodle makes another
suggestion.
15. He reveals that the Earthlings don’t listen to the sandwiches (books)
and instead watch them.
16. Then, Think-Tank declares that those sandwiches are not for ear
communication. They are for eye-communication.
17. Omega picks a large volume ‘Mother Goose’ which contains
pictures of Earthlings.
18. When no one is able to know the meanings of the lines, dots and
pictures, Doodle suggests that space people should be given vitamins to
improve their intelligence.
19. All of them swallow vitamins down their mouth.
20. Omega interprets the rhyme of ‘Mistress Mary’ in its own way,
while Think-Tank does the same.
21. Think-Tank declares that the ‘Mistress Mary’ rhyme tells that
Earthlings have discovered how to combine agriculture and mining.
They can grow crops of rare metals. They can grow high explosives too.
22. Then Iota reads out the rhyme of ‘Hey diddle!”
23. Think-Tank interprets the rhyme saying that the Earthlings have
reached a high level of civilisation. Even dogs have a sense of humour.
They may be launching an interplanetary invasion.
24. Think-Tank orders to notify the invasion fleet that there will be no
invasion today.
25. Then the rhyme of ‘Humpty Dumpty had a great fall’ is read.
26. Think-Tank declares after looking at the pictures of Humpty-
Dumpty that the Earthlings have seen him. The words ‘Had a great fall’
mean that they plan to capture Mars Central Control and him.
27. He asks Noodle to prepare a space capsule for him to escape.
28. He orders the evacuation of Mars at once. They will go to a new
place a hundred million miles away from Mars-Alpha Centauri.
29. Historian tells how one dusty old book of nursery rhymes ‘Mother
Goose’, saved the world from a Martians invasion.
30. Great and Mighty Think-Tank was replaced by the wise and
wonderful man, Noodle.
31. The Earthlings taught the Martians the difference between
sandwiches and books.

E. Main Characters of the Story

1. Think Tank:
The Think-Tank may be an alien living on the red planet. He wears a
robe with lots of stars and circles that is big at noon, but tight at night.
He believes himself to be the smartest entity within the universe and
rules over Mars. As leader of a crew comprised of captain Omega,
Lieutenant Iota, and Sergeant Oop, he is intelligent and authoritative.
From Mars, he considers books as communication sandwiches. He
smacks his mirror because it delays in complimenting him. He boasts of
his intelligence and power, but evacuates his planet and escapes as soon
as he understands that the folks from Earth planned on taking control.

2. Noodle:
Noodle is the worker of Think-Tank. He is a smart and intelligent
animal, but though he makes the right decisions, he makes sure his boss
gets all the credit. This shows his modesty and humility. He is good at
handling tasks by himself. He uses logical reasoning to recognize that
the books are some means of communication. In the conclusion of the
play, he is a great leader and the people of Earth are in good relations
with the Martians. After 500 years from when Martians first arrived on
Earth, Noodle is the commander.

F. Read and Find out

(Page 63)

Question 1.
Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the book’?
 Answer:
There were books for everything, from anteaters to Zulus.
Books taught people what to do, how to do, when to do and why
to do. They explained, educated, directed and decorated. No
wonder that it was called the eta of books.

Question 2.
Who tried to invade the Earth in the twenty first century?
Answer:
Martians tried to invade the Earth in the twenty first century.

Page 65
Question 3.
What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the books found on Earth?
Answer:
Think-Tank first guesses them to be sandwiches. Then he calls them
communication devices. After that he thinks them to be some kind of
eye communication devices that have to be devices watched.

G.Think About It
(Page 74)
Question 1.
Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects
 his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
Answer:
Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank while correcting his mistakes
by presenting his own thoughts, but referring to them as being of no
particular importance. Whenever he had to say something contrary to
what Think-Tank said, he would do this. In this way he would correct
Think-Tank’s errors without making Think-Tank feel that he was
being corrected.

Question 2.
If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s
mistakes?
Answer:
If I were in his place, I would do the same. I would politely and gently
suggest the corrections.

Question 3.
Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we
do away with books altogether?
Answer:
Yes, these days online reading has replaced traditional books to a large
extent. Internet, facebook, twitter etc. have decreased interest in reading.
But, the truth is that books cannot be totally replaced. Books can never
go out of life although they may exist in a different form.

Question 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.
Answer:
A book is a man’s best companion because it is always there. It never
leaves us alone. It is there with us even when everyone else is gone.
Books ‘ guide us, instruct us, make us laugh, inform us, inspire us and
are always true to us. My favourite book is Peter Pan. It is a fairy tale. I
love the character of Peter. He lives in fantasies. He is a child who never
wants to grow up and he never does’ He enjoys thrills and adventures
and even takes the kids from Earth on a merry adventure. The book
inspires as it snows that one can remain a child at heart forever. The
sense of wonder, innocence, purity and joy and a ‘ capacity to dream can
stay in the human heart forever.

H.Talk About It
(Page 74)
Question 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?
Answer:
The words like ‘shell’ and ‘silver’ make Think-Tank think that
humans grew them in farms. Then, there js a line about ‘cow’ and ‘
‘moon’. Also, the picture of Humpty-Dumpu and the rhyme of‘great
fall’ make Think- ink think that humans were about to invade Mats.
Yes, I had a similar misunderstanding wirh a friend. But, I was
fortunate as I got to know the actual truth just in time. I did not
believe what 1 had heard earlier.

Question 2.
The aliens in the play speak English. Do you think this is their language?
What could be the language of i.e aliens?
Answer:
No, English was not their language. If it had been so, they would not
have misinterpreted the- nursery rhymes. They could be speaking some
Martian language.

I. Short Answer Type Questions

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. How did the children’s book transform his life?
Ans. Alpha Centauri was a hundred million miles away and so he had to
leave his family and go there. He went there because if he didn’t, it
wouldn’t have been safe for him.

2. Why did Think-Tank react in alarm to the third passage read?

Ans. Think-Tank got confused when he thought that the poem meant the
Trille could produce grains of gold and explosives, which were
dangerous for him.

3. What different guesses were made by the Martians about what books
are?
Ans. In the process of Martian invasion on earth, they landed in a
library. They took the books as sandwiches and tried to understand the
meaning of the code. And for that, they had to take vitamins given by
the chemical department. They thought it would increase their
intelligence.

4. What steps did the Crew take to decipher the code in the sandwich?
Ans. Martians reached the library in the process of invasion of earth.
They had never seen books before that. They did not understand where
they are and what are the things placed in different racks. Firstly they
thought that they were sandwiches and tried to eat them. Then they
misunderstood that sandwiches are used as some sort of communication
device. Later they took them as eye communication and not ear
communication, and understand that they had to take vitamins to
understand all these codes.

5. 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.

6. How did Think-Tank interpret the poem ‘The Cat and the Fiddle “.
Ans. The second rhyme was about the cat and the fiddle, wherein the
cow jumped over the moon, the dog laughed to see it and the dish ran
away with the spoon. Think-Tank misinterpreted it. He thought that
Earthlings had taught their domesticated animals’ musical culture and
Space Techniques. They might be launching an interplanetary attack on
millions of cows!

7. 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.

8. What do the historians speak about the books?

Ans. The historians tell that the twentieth century was called — The Era
of Books. They and motivate them when they are man’s best friends and
companions. They inspire disheartened. They give us pleasure and
knowledge.

9. 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.

10. Who was Omega? Why did he try to oat 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 him about his observation on it.

11. Why books referred to as a man’s best companion? Which book

saved the Earth from Martian invasion?
Ans. Hooks 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.’

12. 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.

Q13. What happens when the Historian turns on the hysteroscopy?

Ans. As the Historian turn on the hysteroscope, 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.

Q14. 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 has two moons. He bows down to receive
orders from his chief.

Q15. 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 insulting. 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.

Q16. 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 Mightly 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 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.
Q17. Describe Think-Tank and his role in the play.
Ans. The 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
realities and belie his claims of greatness.

Q18. 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.

Q19. 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.

Q20. Why does Noodle say that those sandwiches are actually
communication sandwiches? Does “Think-Tank’ confirm it?
Ans. Noodle claims that he has seen surveyor films of those sandwiches.
He noticed that the Earthlings didn’t eat them. They used them as some
sort of communication devices. Think-Tank actually confirms Noodle’s
findings. He orders them to listen to them.

Q21. Why does Think-Tank declare that these sandwiches are not for ear
communication but for eye communication?
Ans. They don’t hear any sound coming from the sandwiches. Noodle
says that a cloudy piece of information is twirling around in his head.
Think-Tank asks to twirl it out. Noodle clarifies that the Earthlings don’t
listen to the sandwiches but open and watches them. Think-Tank finds it
correct and declares that those sandwiches are not for ear-
communication but they are for eye communication.

Q22. Why does Noodle recommend giving space people vitamins? What
does Think-Tank say in this regard?
 Or
Are they able to describe the code of the books (sandwiches)? Why does
Think-Tank order giving vitamins to them?
Ans. They pick up a very large volume of `Mother Goose’. Think-Tanks
asks them to decode them. They fail to decode little lines, squabbles and
dots along with pictures in the book. Think-Tank says that perhaps the
Earthlings are not as primitive as they have thought. He asks their
chemical department to give vitamins to space people to increase their
intelligence. They will be able to unfold the meaning of the code
successfully.

Q23. How does Think-Tank interpret the rhyme: “Mistress Mary….?”

Why does he say that it is no time for laxity?
Ans. As is his habit of misjudging, Think-Tank misinterprets the rhyme
on Mistress Mary. He chides Oop for laughing. He says that he should
realise the seriousness of the discovery. The Earthlings have discovered
how to combine agriculture and mining. They can actually grow crops of
silver and other metals. And for cockle shells, Think-Tank interprets
them as high explosives. They can grow even explosives. He asks
Noodle to contact their invasion fleet.
Q24. How did Think-Tank interpret the `Humpty-Dumpty’ rhyme as a
threat to the Martians?
Ans. Although called the most intelligent man in the universe, Think-
Tank’s knowledge was skin-deep. He was an expert in misinterpreting
things without going into the depth of the words. The rhyme, “Humpty
Dumpty had a great fall” makes Think-Tank scream. He misinterprets
the words “Had a great fall” meaning that the Earthlings plan to capture
Mars Central Control and him. He orders them to prepare a space
capsule for him to escape.

Q25. Why does Think-Tank order the invasion fleet to evacuate the
entire planet of Mars? Where are they heading for?
Ans. Misinterpreting the words “Had a great fall” of ‘Humpty Dumpty’
rhyme, Think-Tank declares that the Earthlings want to capture Mars
Central Control and him. He orders space people to leave Earth at once
without leaving any traces of their visit. They will be heading for Alpha
Centauri, a hundred million miles away from Mars.

Q26. How did a dusty old book of nursery rhymes save the world from a
Martians invasion?
Or
In what way does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as
a threat to the Martians?
Ans. Think-Tank was about to give orders for the invasion of the Earth.
But a dusty old book of nursery rhymes saved the world from a Martians
invasion. Think-Tank misinterpreted the words “had a great fall” to his
own downfall. He interpreted that his downfall was imminent as the
Earthlings wanted to capture Mars Central Control and him. It is an
invasion on Mars. He orders the invasion fleet to evacuate the entire
planet of Mars. He must escape without delay in a space capsule.

Q27. What happened when great and mighty Think-Tank was replaced
by a clever Martians, Noodle?
Ans. Great and Mighty Think-Tank was replaced by a clever Martians.
He was a wise and wonderful Noodle! The Earthlings resumed contact
with the Martians and became very friendly. Noodle taught Martians the
difference between sandwiches and books. They also taught them how to
read. But they could never read one book and that was ‘Mother Goose’.

Q.28. What is the time and place of the story at the beginning?

Ans. This is a science fantasy. This imaginary story is set in the twenty-
fifth century. The place is the Museum of Ancient History. Department
of the Twentieth Century. There is a historian sitting at a table. There is
a movie projector on the table.

Q.29. What strange thing about a book does the historian tell the
audience?
Ans. The historian tells her audience that once a book saved the earth.
She narrates a real story from the twenty-first century. She tells how the
Martians (people from the planet Mars) invaded the earth in 2040 and a
book of nursery rhymes saved the Earth from their attack.

Q30. The story takes place in the twenty-fifth century. How does the
historian take her audience back to the twenty-first century?
Ans. The historian shows the audience the happenings that actually took
place. Them: base been recorded in a film She turns on the projector. On
the projector, the audience sees what actually happened in the twenty-
first century.
Q.31. Who is shown when the projector starts?
Ans. The projector shows the Mas Space Control room. We see Think-
Tank who is the Commander-in-Chief. He has a huge, egg-shaped head.
He wears a long robe decorated with stars and circles. His deputy,
Noodle stands beside him at a switchboard.
Q.32.What is the purpose of the manned spacecraft sent to the earth by
Think-Tank?
Ans. Think – Tank has already sent a manned spacecraft to the earth.
Their purpose is to collect information about the earth’s defence system
and send it back to the other spacecraft from Mars who are ready to
attack the earth before lunch.

Q.33. Who are in a library on the earth? What are they doing there?
Ans. Captain Omega and his deputies are in a library. They came here in
order to gather secrets of the earth defence. They have landed in a
library. They have seen the books and the library for the first time.

Q.34. What is Think-Tank’s first guess about the books?

Ans. With the help of his remote camera, Think-Tank looks at the
‘books’. He calls them ‘eatables’ and they are in a refreshment stand. He
says that they are ‘sandwiches’. They are the main food of Earth diet.

Q.35. What is Think-Tank’s second guess about books?

Ans. Think-Tank’s second guess about books is that they are
communication devices. He orders Omega to listen to them (books). He
puts a book to his ears and tries hard to listen. Think-Tank asks Omega
if he can listen to something from them. Omega replies that they may
not be on the correct frequency.
Q.36. What order does Think-Tank give Noodle for escaping from
Mars?
Ans. Think-Tank orders Noodle to prepare a space capsule for him. He
must escape without delay. The Earthlings are coming to capture
Martians. Noodle asks Think-Tank where they shall go. Think-Tank
replies they will go to the planet Alpha-Centauri, a hundred million
miles away.

Q.37. When was the contact resumed with Mars? What did the
Earthlings teach the Martians?
Ans. In the twenty-fifth century, they resumed contact with Mars. They
became friends. Think-Tank was replaced by Noodle. They taught the
Martians the difference between books and sandwiches. They
established a model library on Mars.

J. Long Answer Type Questions

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

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 boss. 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 Mar made him ponder over the discovery of the earth. From the
poem diddle-diddle he was more alarmed and from the poem Humpty-
Dumpty, 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 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. Historians speak highly about books. How can books help you in
preventing a catastrophe?
Ans. The Historian is placed in the twenty-fifth century. He is trying to
clear of the twentieth century. He calls it as the Era of the Book and
speaks highly about the books, According to him 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 days 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 on 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.
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.

Q6. 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. Truth
is not skin-deep. And so is knowledge. We have to take a comprehensive
view of things. We have to go deep into the details before coming out
with sweeping generalisations. Sweeping statements are never good
statements. Sometimes misinterpretation of things leads to unavoidable
disasters. Think-Tank symbolises how a half-baked the mind 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.

Q7. 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.

Q8. 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.
It is rather difficult to digest 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 digest his criticism. His views about books were
totally ridiculous. To him, books were really sandwiches, the staple diet
of the Earthlings.
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.

Q9.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
negotiating 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, H 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.

Q6. 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 walk on a tight rope. He has to maintain a very
delicate balance. And he succeeds up to some extent in his mission. The
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 disarm an 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. The needle is gifted
with a rare understanding of men and situations. Historian tells that the
wise and wonderful Needle replaces Great and Mighty Think Tank in
the end. It is the victory of sanity and good sense over arrogance and
insanity.

Q.7. What does the historian tell the audience about the twentieth
century and Mars?
Ans. This imaginary story is set in the twenty-fifth century. The place is
the Museum of Ancient History, Department of the Twentieth Century.
A historian sitting at a table. There is a movie projector on the table. She
is giving a talk to the audience about the twentieth century. She tells the
audience that the twentieth century was often called the Era of the Book.
In those days there were books about everything. They taught the people
everything. But the strangest thing was that a book saved the Earth. She
narrates a real story from the twenty-first century. She tells how the
Martians (people from the planet Mars) invaded the Earth in 2040 and a
book of nursery rhymes saved the Earth from their attack.
Q.8. who is Think-Tank? Why has he sent a manned spacecraft to Earth?
Ans. Think-Tank is the Commander-in-Chief of the Mars Space Control
Room. He has a huge, egg-shaped head. He wears a long robe decorated
with stars and circles. His deputy, Noodle stands beside him at a
switchboard. Think-Tank has already sent a manned spacecraft to the
Earth. Their purpose is to collect information about the earth’s defence
system and send it back to the other spacecraft from Mars who are ready
to attack the earth before lunch. The incident described in the story is
about the Martian invasion of 2040. In fact, the invasion never took
place. A single book stopped it. It was a book of nursery rhymes. Then
the historian shows the audience the happenings that actually took place.
These have been recorded in a film. She turns on the projector. It shows
the Mars Space Control room. We see Think-Tank who is the
commander-in-chief.

Q9. What happens when the Martians land in a library on the earth?
What guess does Think-Tank make about books?
Ans. The Martians land in a library. They have seen the books and the
library for the first time. Think-Tank talks to Captain Omega who tells
him that they have arrived on Earth without incident. As they have never
seen a library before, they are not sure where they are. However, Lt. Iola
tells Think-Tank that there are about two thousand peculiar items
(books). She thinks that the place must be some storage barn. Sergeant
Oop calls them ‘hats’. Omega asks for Think-Tank’s advice. Through
his remote camera, Think-Tank looks at the ‘books’. He says that what
they have in their hands are ‘sandwiches’. They are the main food of
Earth diet. Think-Tank orders Omega to eat it (book) to confirm. Omega
asks Lt. Iota to eat it. Iota orders Sergeant Oop to cat it. Oop bites a
corner of the book. He pretends to chew and swallow and tells Think-
Tank that it is delicious.

Q.10. Why does Think-Tank decide not to invade the earth?

Ans. Omega looks at the books and tells Think-Tank that they have
pictures of Earthlings. They have some sort of code, lines and dots with
pictures. He asks him to study the pictures and decipher the code in
them. The book that Omega is looking at is a nursery rhyme book and
reads it. Think-Tank wonders how the Earthlings have combined
agriculture and mining. They also grow explosives. He feels that the
people of the earth are very intelligent and brave. Noodle says that the
invasion spacecraft are ready to attack the earth. But Think-Tank asks
Noodle to tell the invasion fleet to hold. New information has come to
him. Think-Tank asks Iota to transcribe the information. He thinks that
the Earthlings have reached a higher level of civilisation. They have
taught their domesticated animal’s music and space techniques. So he
decides not to invade the earth.
Q.11. Why does Think-Tank decide to run away from Mars? What does
the historian say after she has narrated the incident?
Ans. Oop reads the nursery rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty … again’. He
shows the picture of Humpty Dumpty also. The picture resembles
Think-Tank. He is scared. He says that the Earthlings have seen him.
They are planning to capture Mars Central Control and him. He decides
to run away from Mars. He orders Noodle to prepare a space capsule for
him. He must escape without delay. Noodle asks Think-Tank where they
shall go. Think-Tank replies they will go to the planet Alpha-Centauri, a
hundred million miles away. After narrating the incident to his audience,
the historian says that one old book of nursery rhymes saved the earth
from a Martian invasion. Then in the twenty-fifth century, they resumed
contact with Mars. They became friends. They taught the Martians the
difference between books and sandwiches. They established a model
library on Mars.