Chapter 7
An Alien Hand
1. Who is Tilloo and where does he live?
Answer: Tilloo is a young boy who lives beneath the surface of a planet under artificial conditions with his parents.
2. What had Tilloo heard and read about the sun and stars?
Answer:Tilloo had learned about the sun and the stars through books and stories, but he had never seen them in real life.
3. What is the significance of the underground passage in Tilloo's home?
Answer: The underground passage is a secret route used by Tilloo's father to go to work, which is forbidden for ordinary citizens.
4. How did Tilloo manage to enter the forbidden passage?
Answer: Tilloo secretly took his father’s security card while his father was resting and used it to open the metal door to the passage.
5. What did Tilloo hope to see once he emerged from the underground passage?
Answer: Tilloo hoped to see the sun if it was daytime or the stars if it was nighttime, about which he had read so much.
6. Why did Tilloo’s attempt to explore the passage fail?
Answer: Invisible mechanical security devices detected him, photographed him, and alerted the Central Bureau, preventing him from advancing more than ten paces.
7. How did Tilloo’s father explain the dangers of the planet’s surface to him?
Answer: He explained that the surface air was too thin to breathe and the temperature so low that an unprotected person would freeze, emphasizing the need for a special suit and training.
8. Why did humans start living underground on this planet?
Answer: Humans were forced underground because the sun had turned hostile, upsetting the balance of nature, causing extinction of animals, birds, and fish.
9. How did humans survive after moving underground?
Answer: They survived using superior technology, including artificial habitats powered by solar energy and machines that maintain comfortable living conditions.
10. What role does Tilloo’s father play on the surface?
Answer: Tilloo’s father is part of a team responsible for maintaining machines on the surface and ensuring they function properly to support life underground.
11. What warning did Tilloo’s mother give him before he could explore the passage?
Answer: She told him never to go into the forbidden passage and emphasized that he must obey his parents to remain safe.
12. What caused excitement in the Control Room on the day Tilloo’s father went to work?
Answer: The big TV screen showed a dot moving across the sky, later identified as an approaching alien spacecraft.
13. Why was the spacecraft unusual for the inhabitants of Tilloo’s planet?
Answer: The solar system was thought to have no life except on their planet, so the arrival of a spacecraft indicated unknown beings from another planet.
14. What was the Central Bureau’s initial reaction to the approaching spacecraft?
Answer: The members were cautious, observing silently and discussing whether to destroy, monitor, or avoid revealing themselves.
15. What advice did Number One on the Central Committee give about the spacecraft?
Answer: Number One suggested that they could destroy the spacecraft with missiles if necessary but noted that the ships contained only instruments and no living beings.
16. What did Number Two recommend regarding the alien spacecraft?
Answer: Number Two advised passive observation and non-interference, to avoid revealing the planet’s existence and capabilities.
17. What was the social scientist’s opinion on how to respond to the spacecraft?
Answer: He agreed with Number Two, suggesting that surface activities be minimized to give the impression of no life on the planet.
18. What happened when the first spacecraft landed?
Answer: A mechanical hand emerged from the spacecraft and touched the soil, prompting curiosity and attention from all in the Control Room.
19. How did Tilloo interact with the Control Room’s panel?
Answer: Tilloo was fascinated by the buttons, especially the red one, and accidentally pressed it, causing the mechanical hand from the spacecraft to stop working.
20. What role did Tilloo’s father play in controlling the spacecraft’s mechanical hand?
Answer: He supervised Tilloo, restored the red button to neutral position, and ensured that the mechanical hand resumed safe operation.
21. What was the Viking Mission to Mars?
Answer: The Viking Mission consisted of two spacecraft, Viking 1 and Viking 2, each with an orbiter and a lander, aimed at photographing, collecting soil samples, and searching for life on Mars.
22. When were Viking 1 and Viking 2 launched and when did they reach Mars?
Answer: Viking 1 was launched on 20 August 1975 and arrived on 19 June 1976. Viking 2 was launched on 9 September 1975 and entered Mars orbit on 7 August 1976.
23. What experiments did the Viking landers perform?
Answer: They conducted three biology experiments to detect possible signs of life in the Martian soil.
24. Was there any conclusive evidence of life found by the Viking landers?
Answer: No, as of now there is no clear evidence of living microorganisms at the landing sites.
25. What recent theory has emerged about the Viking missions?
Answer: A scientist theorized that the Viking probes may have inadvertently killed alien microbes on Mars by looking for the wrong type of life.
26. How might this new theory affect future Mars missions?
Answer: NASA may search for a broader range of life forms, including types not similar to Earth-based organisms, in upcoming missions.
27. What recent Martian evidence excites scientists about the possibility of life?
Answer: New photographs show geological changes indicating that water occasionally flows on Mars, suggesting that life may be possible.
28. Why is the presence of water significant for Martian life?
Answer: Water is essential for life, so flowing water increases the likelihood of microbial or other life forms existing on Mars.
29. How did the Viking probes’ limitation affect Mars exploration for decades?
Answer: Their focus on Earth-like life may have led scientists to incorrectly conclude that Mars was lifeless, slowing research into alternative forms of life.
30. How do scientists interpret the phrase “stumbled upon alien microbes”?
Answer: It suggests that the probes accidentally encountered microbial life without realizing it, potentially destroying it during their experiments.
31. Why is non-interference recommended by scientists observing the alien spacecraft?
Answer: Because revealing their presence or destroying the spacecraft could lead to unintended consequences if the origin or capabilities of the spacecraft are unknown.
32. How does Tilloo’s curiosity reflect human nature?
Answer: Tilloo’s curiosity demonstrates the innate desire to explore the unknown and understand things that are forbidden or mysterious.
33. What training and equipment does Tilloo’s father use to survive on the planet’s surface?
Answer: He wears a specialized suit with oxygen, insulated boots, and other gear, and is trained to survive the extreme cold and thin air.
34. How does the society maintain life underground?
Answer: Life is maintained using solar energy and machines that create habitable conditions beneath the planet’s surface.
35. What lesson did Tilloo learn from his attempt to explore the passage?
Answer: He learned the importance of following rules and the dangers of disobeying safety protocols in an environment that is life-threatening.
36. How did the Red Button incident impact the operation of the alien spacecraft?
Answer: Pressing the button caused the mechanical hand of the spacecraft to stop working, showing the influence of human control in observing extraterrestrial technology.
37. What challenges do scientists face when searching for life on other planets?
Answer: They must consider life forms different from Earth-based organisms and avoid actions that could unintentionally destroy or interfere with them.
38. Why was the Central Bureau concerned about revealing their presence to the alien spacecraft?
Answer: Revealing their existence could pose unknown risks if the senders of the spacecraft had hostile intentions.
39. How does Tilloo’s fascination with the Control Room buttons reflect the theme of curiosity in science?
Answer: It illustrates how curiosity drives exploration and discovery but also highlights the need for caution and responsibility.
40. How do the Viking Mission and Tilloo’s story together reflect human curiosity and caution in exploration?
Answer: Both stories show the human desire to explore the unknown—Tilloo with his planet’s surface, and NASA with Mars—while emphasizing the need to respect safety, rules, and the potential consequences of unintended actions.
Answer by Mrinmoee
