Q1. [5]
OMEGA: Yes, sir. (She reads with great seriousness.) Mistress Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? With cockle shells and silver bells And pretty maids all in a row.
OOP: Ha, ha, ha. Imagine that. Pretty maids growing in a garden.
THINK-TANK: (alarmed) Stop! This is no time for levity. Don't you realise the seriousness of this discovery? The Earthlings have discovered how to combine agriculture and mining. They can actually grow crops of rare metals such as silver. And cockle shells. They can grow high explosives, too. Noodle, contact our invasion fleet.
NOODLE: They are ready to go down and take over Earth, sir.
Read the following extract and answer the questions.
- (i) What can we infer from the given statement, ''This is no time for levity'' ? [1]
- (ii) Think-Tank thinks that Earthlings have reached a high level of civilisation. Why does he think so ? [2]
- (iii) Complete the sentence appropriately : The piece of information that Noodle provides to Think-Tank is ___________. [1]
- (iv) What is the tone of Omega while reading the rhyme ?
1. happy
2. optimistic
3. serious
4. pessimistic
5. sarcastic
Select the correct option : [1]
- (A) Only 1
- (B) 4 and 5
- (C) Only 3
- (D) 1 and 2
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2026 2/3/1 Q6(b)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:17 · grounding stimulus+chapter
Model Answer
(i) From "This is no time for levity," we can infer that Think-Tank is alarmed and considers the nursery rhyme a serious threat, warning his crew not to laugh or take the matter lightly.
(ii) Think-Tank thinks the Earthlings have reached a high level of civilisation because, after listening to "Hey Diddle Diddle," he misinterprets it as proof that Earthlings have taught their domesticated animals musical culture and space techniques. He also believes even their dogs have a sense of humour, which he thinks shows great intellectual advancement.
(iii) The piece of information that Noodle provides to Think-Tank is that the invasion fleet is ready to go down and take over Earth.
(iv) (C) Only 3
Omega reads the nursery rhyme "with great seriousness," as mentioned in the stage directions, so her tone while reading is serious.
Source: The Book that Saved the Earth, Scene 2
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Explanation
- (i) Focus on Think-Tank's alarmed reaction and what "levity" means (lack of seriousness) — 1 mark for a correct inference.
- (ii) Quote the specific reason from the text: musical culture, space techniques, and dogs' sense of humour — both points needed for 2 marks.
- (iii) Complete the sentence using the exact information from Noodle's dialogue.
- (iv) The stage direction explicitly says Omega reads "with great seriousness" — this directly points to option 3. Do not confuse Oop's laughter with Omega's tone.
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