NCERT MCQ Solutions for Class 10 English Supplementary Chapter 9 The Book That Saved the Earth

The play is set in the twenty-fifth century in the Museum of Ancient History on Earth. This futuristic setting allows the story to look back at the twentieth century and the events that saved Earth from a Martian invasion.

Think-Tank is the Great and Mighty ruler of Mars, portrayed as the most powerful and intelligent being, but is comically vain and prone to errors throughout the play.

Apprentice Noodle serves as Think-Tank’s helper, tactfully offering ideas and corrections without offending Think-Tank, showing wisdom and caution in dealing with authority.

The Martians mistakenly land in a public library on Earth and are baffled by the presence of thousands of books, which they misinterpret due to their lack of understanding.

Think-Tank observes a book and misinterpreting its use, declares it is a sandwich, reasoning that Earthlings are always eating, highlighting the Martians’ unfamiliarity with Earth customs.

Oop is reluctantly ordered by his superiors to eat a book, believing it is a sandwich and pretends to chew it, finding it dry and unpalatable, which amuses the audience.

On Think-Tank’s next command, the Martians hold the books to their ears, trying to “listen” to them, misunderstanding how books function as sources of information.

Think-Tank orders the Martians to take intelligence vitamins, believing this will increase their mental capacity and help them decode the “code” in the books, a comic device in the play.

The Martians decode nursery rhymes from Mother Goose, misinterpreting their content as evidence of Earthlings’ advanced technology and dangerous abilities, which terrifies them.

Think-Tank interprets “cockle shells and silver bells” as literal crops of metals and explosives, imagining Earthlings have discovered how to combine agriculture with mining and weapons.

Think-Tank believes the nursery rhyme shows Earthlings have trained cows to jump over the moon and pets to be humorous, suggesting a high level of civilization and interplanetary abilities.

The picture of Humpty Dumpty in the nursery rhyme book makes Think-Tank think Earthlings know about him and plan to overthrow him, increasing his paranoia.

The Martians, convinced that Earthlings are far too advanced and dangerous, immediately call off their invasion and retreat to a distant location, saving Earth by accident.

The Historian reveals that, centuries later, the wise and wonderful Noodle replaces Think-Tank as the ruler of Mars, indicating intelligence and humility are eventually valued.

The Historian in the play uses a movie projector called the historiscope to show the audience the events that took place centuries ago, blending science fiction with educational storytelling.

Books, specifically Mother Goose nursery rhymes, were misread by Martians as evidence of dangerous Earth technology, scaring them into fleeing and thereby unwittingly saving the planet.

Think-Tank orders a full evacuation of Mars, directing everyone to Alpha Centauri, one hundred million miles away, demonstrating his utter fear and misunderstanding.

The play combines elements of science fiction with satire, using humor and futuristic settings to comment on human nature, technology and the power of books.

The play is narrated by a Historian in the twenty-fifth century, who explains the significance of books and recounts the story of the Martian invasion that never happened.

Even after becoming friends with Earthlings and learning to read, the Martians avoid reading Mother Goose, the nursery rhyme book that once scared them away from Earth.