Comprehension Check
1. What is Duttada expected to do on his return from London?
2. What is his reaction to the proposal?
3. (i) What does ‘Project Light Brigade’ refer to?
(ii) What does Sir John say about the Project in his letter to Duttada
in October?
4. Did Sir John buy Christmas presents on December 15? How did
Duttada get to know about it?
5. Why, according to Indrani Debi, had the comet not been disastrous?
Do you agree with her?
6. Is Duttada’s general outlook
(i) rational?
(ii) moral?
(iii) traditional?
Choose the right word. Say why you think it right.
Answers
Answer:
1.Duttada was expected to perform a shanti yajna on his return from London. This yajna was to be performed to pacify the supposed evil spirit behind the comet.
2.He refused to have anything to do with the yajna. He believed that it could serve no purpose. He believed that it could serve no purpose.
3.'Project Light Brigade' refers to the plans to deflect the comet's path by nuclear explosion. ii In his letter to Duttada in October Sir John said that the charge of the Light Brigade had begun and that they hoped for the best. It meant that the spaceship with the payload had been launched on time.
ii.'Project Light Brigade' referred to the plans to deflect the comet's path by nuclear explosion. In October Sir John wrote about the timely launch of the spaceship which was carrying nuclear materials for explosion near the comet.
4.Yes, Sir John bought Christmas presents on December 15. Duttada got to know about it in the letter that Sir John had written to him, saying that he was confident of buying Christmas presents on December 15, indicating that the project was successful.
5.According to Indrani Debi, the comet had not proved to be disastrous because of the yajna that had been performed in their house.
No, the yajna had no impact upon the comet. The project undertaken by the scientists prevented the comet from colliding with the earth, thereby saving earth and all its inhabitants from destruction.
6.Duttada's general outlook was rational. He did not believe in superstitions. He is a scientist and he has a scientific outlook. ... Scientists decided for offensive action; sending a spaceship with a nuclear explosion to intercept the comet.