NCERT English Class 8 | Chapter 9 | The comet-I | Question Answer |

COMPREHENSION CHECK I                                                       PAGE 77

1. Why does Indrani Debi dislike Duttada’s “hobnobbing” with Dibya?

Answer: Indrani Debi feels that Dibya, the telescope, has cast a spell on her husband, for Duttada, after having acquired the telescope, hardly pays heed to her. She dislikes Duttada’s hobnobbing with the telescope as it appears to have gained power over her husband. 

2. She is complaining and smiling. Why is she smiling?

Answer: Indrani Debi is smiling at the unmindfulness of her husband, who is so preoccupied with stargazing, that he forgets to close the door even. Her smile, thus, doesn’t indicate an amused expression but underscores the fact that she bore troubles patiently.

3. (i) What was Duttada’s secret ambition?

Answer: Duttada’s secret ambition was to discover a comet. Being an amateur astronomer, he knew that professionals would be busy inspecting hazy galaxies and faint stars that they would miss spotting something as insignificant as a comet. He was optimistic because amateurs had often detected comets.

    (ii) What did he do to achieve it?

Answer: To achieve his ambition, Duttada bought an eight-inch long telescope. He named it Dibya Chakshu and began star-gazing every night. And although he was oblivious to the day-to-day affairs, he was very particular about his observations. He knew that like several other amateurs, he too could discover a comet if he was consistent and meticulous.

4. What is the difference between a planet and a comet, as given in the story?

Answer: The story says that comets can be new and emerge from different corners of the solar system. Comets, the story explains, orbit around the Sun in a way that planets do. The difference, however, is that the orbit of comets is highly eccentric. Therefore, unlike planets, comets acquire a longish tail when they come close to the Sun and then recede into darkness for years, or centuries.

5. Why was Duttada hopeful that he would discover a new comet soon?

Answer: Duttada was hopeful of discovering a new comet soon since he was aware that professionals were only preoccupied with the projects that had been assigned to them before. Professionals, Dutta knew, would be busy gazing at nebulous galaxies and faint stars, as for them, comets were insignificant.

 6. Why does Duttada say — “I almost wish I had not discovered this comet.”?

Answer: Duttada says that he almost wishes he had not discovered the comet because the discovery brought the kind of attention to him that he did not desire. Being an introvert, he despised the numerous functions and receptions he had to attend.

7. Why is his wife unhappy about the discovery?

Answer: His wife is unhappy about the comet’s discovery as she strongly feels comets bring misfortune. Interacting with her husband, she makes it evident that she wished a good man like him were not associated with the discovery of a comet.

 

COMPREHENSION CHECK II                                                     PAGE 80

1. How did Sir John get hold of James’ original manuscript?

Answer: It was Dr Forsyth who had shared the original manuscript with Taylor, the editor of the magazine Nature. However, Sir John, who was Taylor’s friend, happened to meet Taylor at lunch in a club. As Sir John himself had an interest in astronomy, Taylor shared the details of the manuscript with him. Realising that the result arrived by Dr Forsyth in the manuscript may have huge implications, Sir John got hold of the manuscript. 

2. What is the important point the paper makes?

Answer: The important point made by the paper is that the Earth was soon to witness a head-on collision with the comet Dutta.

3. Why does Sir John say that James’ paper should not be published?

Answer: Sir John thinks that James’ paper should not be published as it may result in panic all over the world. He feels that if they tried to call a meeting of experts, they could come up with a solution to handle the problem.

4. What do the two men finally decide to do?

Answer: The two men finally decide to call an international secret conference of experts so they may think of a countermeasure to tackle the situation at hand and deliberate on what could be done to ward off the imminent disaster.