Plays
Important Questions:
Visit to a Small Planet
by Gore Vidal
Q 1: How does Kreton prove his extraordinary powers?
Ans: He has magical powers that do not allow someone to touch him or his ship. He can read people’s mind. His ship has no instrument and he says that he is immortal.
Q 2: What is the purpose of the visit of Kreton?
Ans: Earth is Kreton’s subject of interest. He has all the information about it and he wants to take hold of the planet.
Q 3: How much more advanced is the civilization of Kreton than that of earth's civilization?
Ans: Kreton's civilization is much more advanced as compared to earth's civilization. His people can read minds and are immortal. They are wise and intelligent and learn languages very fast.
Q 4: Can the people of earth compete with the people of Kreton?
Ans: No, they cannot compete because Kreton's people are much more advanced scientifically and emotionally.
Q 5: How much damaging is violence in life?
Ans: Violence destroys the bond of love and life. It brings dejection and sorrows in the society. It makes people fearful and stops them from enjoying the happy moments of their life.
Q 6: What type of life do you foresee in the year 5000?
Ans: If the scientific progress continues with the current pace we would be much more advanced than Kreton’s people. We would be able to read minds and control the space.
Q 7: How much impressive were the morals of Kreton?
Ans: Kreton was not emotional and took every decision with patience. He was tolerant, loving and courteous.
Q 8: What is the role of General Powers in the play?
Ans: He is an officer of National Guard. He is afraid of Kreton and considers him a threat for his country. But Kreton and other people do not like his rude behavior.
Q 9: What is the theme of the study of Kreton?
Ans: Kreton's theme of the study is knowing about the people of earth and their civilization.
Q 10: How does Kreton impress General Powers?
Ans: Kreton reads his mind and tells him that he is thinking about his promotion. And when General’s troops go to destroy the ship he draws an invisible wall around his ship. These tricks impress General Powers.
Q 11: How does the playright expose the inferiority of the present race to that of the future?
Ans:By Kreton, the playright represents the future generation and tells us that it would be wise, patient and logical in its approach.
Q 12: Describe the scene of the arrival of the flying saucer?
Ans: When the people saw a luminous object coming from the sky they thought that it was a meteor. But it was a spaceship without instruments that landed right in Spelding’s garden.
Q 13: Compare and contrast the people of two planets?
Ans: Kreton, who is representative of other planet, seems polite, patient, loving and immortal. While on the other hand people of earth are emotional, shortsighted and mortal.
Visit to a Small Planet
Luminous: bright, radiant, illuminated
Arcs: bent, angled, curved
Dissolves: disappears
Comfortably: luxuriously, softly
Balanced: adjusted, symmetrical
Expensively: dearly, costly
Decorated: adorned, embellishment, ornamented
Homely: plain, simple, ordinary, everyday, natural
Concluding: ending, closing, winding up
Broadcast: transmission, telecast
Unctuous: glib, honey-tongued, flattering
Resonant: vibrant
Bored: tiresome, tedious, dull
Vague: absent-minded, silly, unintelligent
Passively: indifferently, inertly, latently
Lively: cheerful, agile, nimble, spirited, active
Fidgets: twitches, moves, restlessly, frets, flaps
Irresponsible: careless, thoughtless, reckless
Conjecture: guess, hypothesis, judgment, supposition
Meteor: a shooting star, a comet
Orbit: circle, sphere, rotation, path
Secret: confidential, private, hidden
Lunatic: mad, insane, absurd, senseless
Suggested: proposed, recommended, opined
Doubtful: unsure, uncertain
Capable: complement, able, qualified
Exact: precise, accurate
Winds up: ends, concludes
Homestead: a farmhouse
Pulse beat: palpitate, throb, thump, pulse
Wearily: tiredly, exhaustively
Heartiness: cordiality, warmth, friendliness, sociability
Flattering: boosting, praising, welcoming
Starve: die of hunger
Virtue: goodness, merit, ethics
Get up and go: ambition, strength, resolution efficiency
Precisely: accurately
Serpent: snake
Ungrateful: unthankful, rude, impolite
Deadly: mortal, fatal, lethal, harmful, dangerous
Stand by: back up, support, favour, confirm
Headache: trouble, vexation, inconvenience
Reason: use logic on, argue with
Miss Know it all: genius, mastermind, intellectual
Eluded: evaded, escaped, avoided
Ambitious: enterprising, eager, desirous
Make his mark: prosper, make good, succeed
Breathlessly: pantingly, gaspingly
Apparently: seemingly, manifestly
Odds: probabilities, chances
Cellar: storeroom, basement
Optical: pertaining to sight, optometric
Illusion: deception, delusion, misconception
Mass: large-scaled, popular, widespread
Hysteria: frenzy, fit of agitation, fit of madness
Wide eyed: amazed, taken aback, astonished, stunned
Swallows: accepts, believes, trusts
Blazing: burning, flaming, flaring
Ominously: threateningly, alarmingly
Creature: person, fellow, human being
Monster: devil, evil, giant, ghost, mythical creature
Mild: tender, amiable, sense, gentle
Side whiskers: side burns
Costume: dress, outfit, robes, garments, clothes
Trifle: a little, bit, to some extent
Tired: fatigued, drained, worn out, exhausted
Collect: gather, muster, assemble
Accent: intonation, pronunciation, articulation
Evasively: indirectly, misleadingly
Publicity: promotion, advertising, public notice
Stunt: trick, display
Consent: acceptance, assent, willingness
Terribly: extremely, dreadfully, awfully
Pick up: sense, perceive, get to know
Torn: troubled, agitated, upset, alarmed
Extraordinary: exceptional, unusual, peculiar
Development: growth, progress
Civilization: advancement, progress, development
Blandly: in a hushed / murmured manner
Patronizing: snobbish, proud
Endearing: pleasurable, captivating, engaging, dear
Primitive: ancient, old, antique
Traits: features, characteristics, qualities, attributes
Vigorous: strong, energetic, dynamic, active, animated
Troops: army, military, soldiers, armed person
Joker: clown, comic, comedian, funny person
Flying saucer: spaceship
Feathers: plum, crest, tuft
Oblige: render a service, help, assist do one a favour
Fragile: delicate, infirm, frail, weak
Spy: detective, secret agent, enemy agent
Hostile: antagonistic, opposed
Alien: outsider, stranger, nonnative, foreigner
Heavily: strongly, severely, violently
Elliptical: oval, curved, egg-shaped
Diameter: breadth, width, thickness
Instruments: tools, devices
Theory: mechanism, system, scheme
Twirls: spins, twists, rotates, whirls
Censorship: Concealment, suppression, confinement
Martial: concerning, military / armed forces / army
Hunch: idea, intuition, feeling
Advanced: highly developed, modern
Bitterly: coldly, spitefully, angrily
Leak out: seep, flow out, run off
Intergalactic: occurring between galaxies
Stuff: information, data, facts
Imposter: fraud, cheater, rogue,deceiver
Mechanically: automatically, casually, unconsciously
Reservation: territory, tract, area, preserve
Crisis: issue, affair, difficulty
Exciting: vexing, provoking, irritating
Dimension: direction, side
Security: safety, protection, defense
Preparatory: prior to, in preparation of
Invasion: attack, raid, assault
Lunatic: mad, stupid, fool, insane
Pinning: fixing, attaching, fastening
Startled: stunned, alarmed, shocked
Gad: roam, wander, travel around
Seldom: sometimes, scarcely, rarely
Impromptu: spontaneous, unprepared, improvised
Impulse: sudden desire, spur of the moment, whim
Determine: settle, resolve, decide
Commentator: reporter, broadcaster, newscaster
Hangs up: cut off
Far off: distant, far away
Hosts: landlord, landlady, housekeeper
Project: scheme, plan, program
Relatively: referable, belonging, near
Involved: complicated, knotty
Exciting: inspiring, stimulating, thrilling, sensational
Deliriously: hysterically, passionately, extremely
Dull: gloomy, dark, dismal
Divine: holy, lovely, admirable, glorious, majestic
Blow up: explode, blast, break open
Force field: ship, flying ship
Snarls: howls, growls
Giddy: dizzy, faint, unsteady
Awful: exceptional, thrilling, sensational
Intoxicate: thrill, stupefy, inflame, excite, animate
Seethe: bubble, foam, boil
Unlikely: improbable, unconvincing, questionable
Sordid: shameful, foul, ignoble, disgraced
Purple: brilliant, splendid, superb, exceptional
Disposition: settlement, control, disposal
Communication: information transmission, contact
Unsupportable: unbearable, intolerable, unendurable
Fears: apprehensions, doubts, agitation
Race: nation, people, ethnic group
Remotely: slightly, somewhat, a little
Perverse: awkward, unreasonable, unruly, stubborn
Accounting for: answering for, accountability
Native: local, citizen, national, inhabitant
Grimly: fiercely, harshly, sternly, mercilessly.
Express: sole, explicit, obvious, clear
Reconnoitering: surveying, investigating, examining, inspecting
Prior: before, until, preceding
Invasion: attack, raid, assault
Assumption: supposition, belief, guess, presumption
Deny: negate, nullify, refute, turn down
Intend: aim, think of, plan
Establishing: setting up, creating, forming
Peculiar to: exclusive to, typical of, special to
Criticizing: censuring, finding fault with, disapproving
Approve: commend, favor, praise
Dominate: rule, govern, control, preside over, command
Ridiculous: funny, foolish, absurd
Grabs: grasp, clutch, grip
Savage: ferocious, vicious, wild, brutal
Vibrating: banging, pounding
Wicked: bad, undisciplined, unruly, naughty
Heat Lightning - by Robert F. Carroll
Visit to a Small Planet - by Gore Vidal
The Oyster and the Pearl - by William Saroyan
Part-I English Paper (Specimen)
Click here to download this paper.
Home
About
Contact
