Play - A Visit To A Small Planet - English (Compulsory) For Class XI - Exercise 1-5

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A Visit To A Small Planet
Exercise 1-5

Exercise 1:

Work in pairs and scan the text to write the synonym of the following words contextually. Use them in sentences. After completing, share your work with your partner.

WORDS MEANING

S.NO.	Words	Meanings & Sentence
1.	Impromptu	Meaning: Unprepared  Sentence:   * She made an impromptu speech about honour and responsibilities.
2.	Lunatic	Meaning: A person who is mentally ill.  Sentence:   * Some lunatic rushed into the store and stole food items of worth 5000 rupees.
3.	Blazing	Meaning: Very hot OR Extremely hot  Sentence:  * Quite a few people were eating outside in the blazing sun.
4.	Giddy	Meaning: feeling silly, happy, and excited and showing this in your behaviour OR Faint OR Light headed OR Dizzy  Sentence:  * She was giddy with excitement. OR  * She felt giddy due to the loud sound of the music.
5.	Reconnoitring	Meaning: Surveying OR To obtain information about its geographical features or about the size and position of an army there.  Sentence:  *He was sent to Eritrea to reconnoiter the enemy position. OR  * They reconnoitred the beach some weeks before the landing.
6.	Disposition	Meaning: The particular type of character that a person naturally has. OR Temperament OR Nature  Sentence:  * She is of a nervous disposition.
7.	Primitive	Meaning: of belonging to, or seeming to come from an early time in the very ancient past.  Sentence:  * They built a primitive shelter out of tree trunk. OR  * He made a primitive boat out of some pieces of wood.
8.	Seethe	Meaning: to feel very angry but to be unable or unwilling to express it clearly.  Sentence:  * The rest of the class positively seethed with indignation when Julia won the award. OR  * He seethed at his brother's success.
9.	Unctuous	Meaning: excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily.  Sentence:  * He seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way. OR  * His impression of the president was unctuous and poorly done.
10.	Fidgets	Meaning: uneasiness or restlessness as shown by nervous movements.  Sentence:  * There were two new arrivals, fidgeting around, waiting to ask questions. OR  * During the interview, she was fidgeting nervously with her fingers.
11.	Sordid	Meaning:dirty and unpleasant.  Sentence:  * There are lots of really sordid apartments in the slam areas of the city.
12.	Resonant	Meaning: continuing to sound.  Sentence:  * He has deep resonant voice. OR  * The Murree valley was resonant with the sweet voices of birds in morning.

Exercise 2:

Read the statements and encircle the correct option
1. The play takes place in a small suburb in ______.
a. Maryland ✔
b. Washington
c. Virginia
d. Indiana

2. Spelding _____ flying object in space.
a. accepts
b. denies ✔
c. doubts
d. confirms

3. Spelding criticizes John for growing ______ .
a. cabbage
b. walnuts
c. corn
d. peanuts ✔
(Note: In Novel, Spelding Used word 'Peanut' But his daughter Ellen correct it by telling him that It is 'walnut'.)

4. Kreton appears to be in his _______.
a. twenties
b. thirties
c. forties ✔
d. fifties

5. The impression of Kreton on seeing the inside of the house was ____.
a. disgusted
b. delighted ✔
c. callous
d. sorrowful

6. The spaceship landed in Mrs. Spelding's _____.
a. rose garden ✔
b. petunia bed
c. greenhouse
d. vegetable garden

7. Kreton said that the earthmen were his _____.
a. hobby ✔
b. ruination
c. hope
d. models

8. Kreton mistakenly thought that he had come to earth in the ______.
a. 18^th century
b. 19^th century ✔
c. 20^th century
d. 21^st century

9. The first person who arrived to investigate the spaceship was _____.
a. Powers ✔
b. Laurent
c. President of the United States
d. neighbour

10. Kreton said people on his planet did not ______.
a. did not fight
b. did not speak
c. did not die ✔
d. did not love

11. Kreton's space ship was of shape _____.
a. elliptical ✔
b. oval
c. circular
d. triangular

12. John could not use the telephone because _____.
a. Kreton had cut communication
b. Spelding did not have any
c. Powers declared martial law ✔
d. Spelding wouldn't give him permission

13. General Powers was thinking about _____.
a. his promotion ✔
b. security of the country
c. arrest of Kreton
d. murder of the visitor

14. According to Kreton, civilization is just ____.
a. at the ending
b. at the beginning ✔
c. full bloom
d. creeping

15. The elements of science fiction in this passage are most pronounced in ____.
a. Kreton's supernatural abilities
b. reactions to Kreton
c. Kreton belongs to another breed of human ✔
d. hobbies of Kreton

16. Kreton placed an invisible wall around his spaceship because _____.
a. the army told him to.
b. the army was going to take it apart. ✔
c. the earth's atmosphere was damaging it.
d. his own people had suggested it.

17. Powers accused Kreton of coming to earth ______.
a. 100 years too soon
b. to spread a mysterious disease
c. to discover some natural resources
d. to reconnoitre before an invasion ✔

18. Kreton said John's thoughts about Ellen were ______.
a. black
b. red
c. purple ✔
d. yellow

19. Kreton considers human civilization _____.
a. modern
b. primitive ✔
c. conservative
d. rational

20. Kreton intends to take charge of ______.
a. rose garden
b. Spelding's house
c. USA
d. world ✔

Exercise 3:

Work in pairs. Skim through the text. First, write the name of respective character who said the following dialogues in Column B, and write the context of the dialogues in which character had said that particular dialogue in Column C. First one has been done as an example. After completing, share your work with your partner.

Column A (Dialogue)	Column B (character)	Column C In the Context of
Fair enough. All right, I'll stay on for a while.	Kreton	This statement or dialogue is said to Spelding when Spelding instructed him to stay because of General Power's interview.
He has no get-up-and-go.	Spelding	This statement or dialogue is said to Ellen. Her father Spelding criticizes her Fiance John who is lazy.
I am a hobbyist. I love to gad about.	Kreton	This dialogue is said to Powers by Kreton in order to inform him his reason of visiting the Earth.
But I prefer the ones made of metal, the ones you used to wear, you know: with the feathers on top.	Kreton	This dialogue is said to Powers by Kreton. Kreton tells him about the costumes he wants to wear.
Poor fragile butterflies, such brief little moments in the sun...	Kreton	The dialogue is said to Powers by Kreton, when he asks Kreton about the place from where he comes.
I like his whiskers. They're so very... comforting.	Mrs. Spelding	This statement is said to Spelding when they were discussing about the alien and its physical appearance.

Exercise 4:

Work individually and make a list of the elements of science fiction you find in the play. After you have done, compare your list with your class fellows.
Ans: List Of Elements:
1. Setting:
Setting of the play is America, which is perfect for science fiction.

2. Plot:
The plot of the play revolves around the Kreton (an alien) and his spaceship (a technological machine).

3. Characters:
(Kreton, Spaceship)

4. Other Elements:

• Kreton uses his scientific powers to land on the Earth.
• He uses his technological powers to make an invisible wall around the saucer.
• His scientific powers to stun the people.
• The play also start with the broadcasting telling about the science and it's importance.

Exercise 5:

Work in pairs and arrange the scrambled events in the order of their occurrence in the play by giving the number. After you have completed, share your work with your partner.

NO.	Events	Order
1.	Kreton arrives on the earth.	03
2.	General Powers comes with his Aide.	04
3.	Kreton reads the mind of General Powers.	07
4.	General Powers orders to grab Kreton.	10
5.	John spots a spaceship.	02
6.	Kreton announces to take over the world.	09
7.	Spelding makes a broadcast and denies any spaceship landing on earth.	01
8.	Aide stops Spelding from making a call.	05
9.	Kreton reads the minds of John and Ellen.	08
10.	General Powers and Kreton have a conversation in the study.	06