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| All Summer in a Day |
Extract I
(i) What are the scientists expected to know? Who are questioning the
scientists?
Ans. Scientists are expected to know about the appearance of the Sun on
the planet Venus. The children are questioning the scientists. Since they are
9 years old, they don’t have a clear memory of seeing the Sun.
(ii) The story opens with the question "Ready?" What are the characters
getting ready for? Why?
Ans. The characters in the story, i.e., the school children are getting
ready for the return of the Sun which comes roughly every seven years of
continuous rain. Most of the children, they are waiting for a chance to lash
out at Margot, a girl from Earth who remembers the Sun. They distrust both the
predictions and Margot's memory.
(iii) Why do you think the sun is hidden? When is it expected to come
out?
Ans. The sun is hidden because there had been raining on the planet
'Venus' continuously for seven whole years, which has different environmental
conditions than Earth. Scientists predict that the sun will appear once every
seven years.
(iv) Why are the children peering out? Why had they not seen it
before?
Ans. The children are peering out because they are waiting for the rain
to slacker and sunlight to appear. They had not seen it before, as the sun
appears after every seven years, and the last time when the sun has appeared
on Venus these children were only two years old, so they can't recall the
appearance of the sun and its warmness.
(v) Compare the knowledge of the children in the extract about the sun,
with that of Margot. Who is correct and why?
Ans. The children in the extract think that the sun is like a Gold or a
Yellow Crayon and its warmth is like a blushing in the face, in the body, in
the arms and legs and trembling hands. But Margot knows that the sun is round
like a penny and its warmth is like a fire in the stoves. Margot is correct in
her description of the sun, Margot had been on Earth until she was four years
old, whereas the other children had been on Venus for their whole lives and
she remembered the appearance of sun.
Extract II
(i) What kind of people are there on the Planet Venus?
Ans. The people who are there on the planet Venus have come from the
Earth. They have come to Venus to settle a civilization on this planet. They
have journeyed in the rocket that's why they are referred to as rocket men and
women.
(ii) What does the phrase "rocket men and women" indicate?
Ans. The phrase "rocket men and women" indicate that people living on
the planet Venus have journeyed in rockets from Earth to Venus.
(iii) What is referred to as the "raining world"? Why?
Ans. 'Venus' and 'its environment' is referred to as the "raining
world." This is so because, on Venus, it continuously rains for seven years,
and stops only for some hours, and then starts continuously. There is always a
noise of thunder, falling of raindrops and gushing of water.
(iv) "It's stopping, It's stopping!" What is stopping? What does it tell us
about the lives of the characters?
Ans. "Rain" is referred to as stopping here. It shows that these
characters have been living in rain for seven years. They have been deprived
of sunlight. They get to see it for only two hours after every seven years.
Hence, they are eager to see the sun as they have always seen a world with
rain.
(v) State how the story is based on science fiction. Give reasons to
support your answer.
Ans. Sci-fi is the term that is used for science fiction which is based
on imagined future scientific or technological advances. All Summer In A Day
is a story set in future on the planet Venus. The characters are on Venus to
"set up civilisation and live out their lives." There is a constant reference
to scientists and their predictions regarding the sun; the city set in Venus
is underground and what is interesting and fictional in this story is that
Venus here is described completely opposite of the rea Venus which is very
hot.
Extract III
(i) Who all are nine years old? Why they could not recall the sun?
Ans. Nine years old are the children on the Venus. They can not recall
the sun because on Venus, the sun appears once in seven years and the last
time when it appeared they were just two years old so they could not recall it
now.
(ii) Who is referred to as she in the above extract? How is she different
from others?
Ans. Margot, a very frail girl is referred to as she in the above
extract. Shedifferent from others because she had come from Earth when she was
four years old and seen and witnessed sunlight for a considerably longer
period of time. She can recall the shape, colour, and warmth of the sun.
(iii) Give the meaning of: "the endless shaking down of clear bead
necklaces..."
Ans. It refers to the continuous pouring of rain. The raindrops
appear like clear bead necklaces.
(iv) Describe the condition on Venus when it rains.
Ans. It rains for seven continuous years on Venus. The days are filled
with a concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the
islands. Many forests have been crushed and regrow there. Rain used to flood
all roofs, gardens, forests and even their dreams.
(v) Whose dream vanish? How? What do they dream about?
Ans. The dreams of the school children about sunlight vanishes. They
vanished with the heavy sound of heavy rain which disturbed them. They dreamt
of the golden coin which once shined on them, with which they could purchase
the whole world.
Extract IV
(i) Who should hurry? What will be missed in case she is late?
Ans. The teacher should hurry. In case she is late, the children will
miss the phenomenon of the appearance of the sun in the sky. As per the
predictions of the scientists the sun will be out for only two hours.
(ii) What effect does incessant rain have on Margot?
Ans. The incessant rains on the planet had an adverse effect on Margot.
It had washed out the blue colour from her eyes, the yellow from her hair and
the red from her mouth. She worked faded, pale and sick. She was an old
photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at tall her
voice would be a ghost.
(iii) Comment on the use of colour imagery in the extract.
Ans. Colour imagery has had a great impact on the reader. It creates a
better understanding. The colours are used to compare faces and the
environment. They describe the change Margot faced on Venus. The colour
imagery makes the description more vivid.
(iv)Explain the phrase: "the loud wet world beyond the huge glass."
Ans. "The loud wet world" refers to Venus and the continuous rain
falling outside for seven years. The "huge glass" refers to the school's
classroom window.
(v) Give an example of a metaphor from the extract. Explain the implied
comparison in its use.
Ans. One example of a metaphor is "she was an old photograph dusted
from an album." This refers to Margot's pale-looking appearance. Margot, who
once looked cheerful on Earth, has lost her charm on Venus.
Extract V
(i) What does Margot remember and others do not? Why?
Ans. Margot remembers the appearance of the Sun and others do not.
Margot has seen and experienced the sun. The other children were born on Venus
and the last time they saw the sun, they were only two years old so they do
not remember it.
(ii) List different ways in which Margot describes the sun.
Ans. Margot described the sun as a Flower in her poem, a flower
Which blooms only for one hour. She also describes the sun as a round penny,
burning bright and yellow colour. She says that the sun is warm as a fire in
the stove.
(iii) In What ways Margot was different from the other children in her
class?
Ans. Margot was totally different from her classmates. As she belonged
to the Earth she saw and remembered the appearance of the sun and she was
smarter than her classmates. She defined the sun correctly like a sunflower,
as a penny and its heath like fire in a stove. She could write a poem on
it.
(iv) Why do you think Margot refused to take shower in the school one
day?
Ans. The shower only serves to remind Margot of the endless rain, which
she is thoroughly tired of. She wants to be dry, not wet, baking in the sun,
not under the tyranny of a constant downpour, and so rebels against the
shower. To her, the shower symbolizes the constant rain she hates.
(v) Why do the children say that Margot is lying? What does it tell about
them?
Ans. Margot had the knowledge of Earth, a place where sunshines
regularly, whereas these children did not remember ever seeing the sun. They
could not accept the fact that Margot had the experience of living under the
sun. So they felt jealously towards her. The children were jealous and cruel
because they were unable to accept Margot. This is because of their tendency
of being intolerant towards anybody who is different from them.
Extract VI
(i) Which incident emphasises that Margot is different from the other
children?
Ans. One day Margot refused to take shower in the school shower room.
She clutched her ears and her head in her hands and cried that water must not
touch her hair. This incident made the other children realised that Margot was
different from the other children.
(ii) Why it is vital for Margot to go back to the Earth? What is seen as a
hindrance to this proposal?
Ans. It is vital for Margot to go back to the Earth because she feels
unfit in the atmosphere of Venus. She does not like this rainy world. She
wants to enjoy the beauty and warmth of the sun every day on the earth.
(iii) The children hate Margot for several reasons. List any three of
them.
Ans. The children sensed that Margot was different from them. She hated
the continuous rain while they were used to it. She spoke only about the sun
and they had no memory of it. They hated her pale snow face, her waiting
silence, her thinness, and her possible future of going back to the Earth.
(iv) How does William, along with other children, behave with Margot out of
hatred and jealousy? Ans. William, along with other children bullied her,
pushed her and ran away. They speak rudely to her and laughed at her. He even
tricked Margot by saying the prediction of the scientists were fake. The other
children became the partner of William in his crime and locked Margot in the
closet.
(v) How does Margot react to the children locking her in the closet? Why
does she react this way? How does this story deal with the theme of
bullying?
Ans. When the children locking her in the closet Margot protested and
pleaded. When they did not listen she started to cry but they locked her. She
was knocking on the door and was crying. She reacts in such a way because she
was irritated by Venus's raining atmosphere, and want to experience the
appearance of the sun once again. The theme of bullying is explored in the
story through the behaviour of the students living on the Planet Venus towards
Margot. Children generally tend to become mean and insensitive when they are
confronted with someone different from themselves. It causes jealousy in them
and they resort to bullying to give vent their feelings.
Extract VII
(i) What caused silence on the Planet Venus? Why was it immense and
unbelievable?
Ans. When the rain finally stopped, it caused complete silence on the
planet, Venus. It was immense and unbelievable because for the last seven
years it has been raining over there, as a result, it was a world full of all
sorts of noises.
(ii) Give the meaning and significance of the following line: "The door
slid back and the small of the silent, waiting world came into
them."
Ans. As the sun appeared, the door of the classroom got opened and the
air of the outside world was experienced by the children. It signifies their
stay in the underground city where they could not experience such kind of
atmosphere.
(iii) How does the author describe nature, the sky, and the jungle when the
sun came out?
Ans. When the sun came out it was the colour of flaming bronze and it
was very large. The sky around it was a blazing blue tile colour and the
jungle burned with sunlight as the children released from their spell,rushed
out yelling into the spring time.
(iv) Give a detailed description of children's activities as soon as the
sun came out.
Ans. As soon as the sun came out, children rushed out. They turned
their faces up to the sky to feel the sun on their cheeks like a warm iron.
They were taking off their jackets and letting the sun burn their arms. They
ran among the trees and played hide and seek and enjoyed the sea of
silence.
(v) Where was Margot when the sun came out? Why was she there? There were
many physical and psychological changes in Margot due to the absence of
sunlight. Discuss any two of them.
Ans. When the sun came out the Margot was in a closet in a room. She
was there because her classmate had locked her up. Due to the absence of
sunlight, Margot looked like a dusted photograph in an old album, because she
was physically very frail. She also remains sad and wanted to go back to the
Earth.
Extract VIII
(i) Where were the children? Why do you think the girl wailed?
Ans. The children were outside in the great jungle that covered
Venus. As the girl saw a raindrop at her palm, she knew it was going to rain
and the sun was going to vanish. So she wailed.
(ii) What did the girl show to the others? What made her tremble?
Ans. She showed the other children a big drop of rain in the cup of her
hand. She understood that the sun would now disappear and once again there
would be rain, darkness and noises around for seven years, and this thought
made her tremble.
(iii) Describe the change in the weather after the incident.
Ans. After the incident, the sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind
blew cold around them. A boom of thunder startled them. The lightning struck
and the sky darkened into midnight in a flash.
(iv) How did the children feel when it rained? What did they remember
then?
Ans. The children glanced out at the world that was raining now and
raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other's glances. They
became sad. The smiles vanished from their faces. Their faces were solemn and
pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down because they were
guilty of hurting Margot by not letting her see the Sun and locked her in the
closet.
(v) The children by the end "could not meet each other's glances." Why? Has
seeing the sun changed the children in any way? How?
Ans. After the children see the sun, they “could not meet each other's
glances”, when they think about what they have done to Margot. Seeing the sun
changed the children greatly in a variety of ways. Firstly, it changed them
because they found out that Margot was actually completely right about the sun
all along. Also, they learned that they were the ones who were wrong and
became more understanding. The children sympathize and understand Margot
better after seeing the sun.
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