Class 11 English Notes Chapter 3 Dark They were, and Golden Eyed for Punjab and Rawalpindi board, MCQs, True / False, Match the Columns, Grammar, Questions Answers, and 1st Year FSc Part-1 notes.
Class 11 English Notes Chapter 3 Dark They were, and Golden Eyed
i. Why did Harry want to go back to the Earth?
Answer:
Harry wanted to go back to the Earth because he was scared of the severe climate on Mars and the physical changes that it was bringing about in their identities. He felt strange, insecure, and realized that they did not belong to the planet.
ii. Why did he want to stay?
Answer:
Harry Bitterring wanted to stay back on Mars because he dreaded the atomic war taking place on Earth and considered it a safe haven for himself and his family. Moreover, he saw the prospect of growing vegetation and raising his children at Mars.
iii. What climate did they face?
Answer:
The Martian climate was severe; the nights were too cold and foggy and the days extremely hot. The hot air burnt their houses and the boards of their house had gone out of shape.
iv. What was the condition of the Bittering family on hearing the news of the war on the Earth?
Answer:
On hearing the news of the war on the Earth, the entire Bittering family was very distressed and feelings of fear, astonishment and hopelessness overpowered them. Laura lost her balance as she revealed the tragic news while crying. Harry drenched in sweat with fear while his wife started weeping.
v. What did they want to grow?
Answer:
In order to ensure their survival, growing vegetation was mandatory for the Martians. They wanted to grow onions, peach trees and some other kind of vegetables in order to ensure their survival on Mars.
vi. What was the condition of their house?
Answer:
The drastic changes in climate were affecting everything including the house constructed by the Bittering family. The hot air had burnt it hence the shape of the boards was distorted. It did not look like an Earthman’s house anymore.
vii. What was the advice Harry gave to the people?
Answer:
Harry gave quite a sincere advise to the people to make arrangements of going back to Earth in order to escape the drastic effects of the Martian climate. He suggested them not to waste their time and assist him in building a rocket.
viii. How dangerous can a Martian virus be?
Answer:
The Martian virus was dangerous because it could bring about changes in the physical appearance of the people and made them lose their identity. It can also make their bodies thin and slender and they became dark and golden-eyed.
Q 4. Write the answer of the following questions in 100-150 words.
i. What circumstance did the Bittering family face?
Answer:
The Bittering family had to face the worst circumstances on Mars. They had to sustain severe climatic conditions as extremely hot wind blew during the day and at the nights were too cold and foggy that even the shapes of the boards that their houses were made of deteriorated badly.
They had to survive there on insufficient food and without basic facilities of life. Moreover, the Martian climate brought a lot physical changes in their appearance as they became dark and their eyes turned yellow. Mr. Bittering believed that there was some Martian virus which was responsible for these changes. It made him feel like something might draw his soul out of his body and he felt like a “salt crystal in a mountain stream being washed away.” Their thoughts were also being affected because of the virus as they were losing their intellect. It was like he was submerged in a chemical that could “dissolve his intellect and burn away his past.”
ii. How social were the people of Mars?
Answer:
The lieutenant informed the captain that Martian people were very social. He reported about their behavior to be “very friendly”. He describes them as dark people with yellow eyes and says that he had a little conversation with these people. He says that they “learn English fast”.
The lieutenant seemed to be pleased to meet them and was confident that their “relations will be most friendly with them…”. Ironically, they did not know that these people whom they were calling Martians belonged to Earth once but had probably forgotten the English language because some chemical, perhaps a Martian virus had transformed their physical appearance, dissolved their intellect and burnt their memories.
iii. How did the life change finally? Was this better or worse?
Answer:
The physical appearance as well as the thoughts of the Martians who originally belonged to Earth and were Americans transformed as a result of the Martian virus. They became dark and “yellow-eyed”, their bodies “slender” and eventually learned to survive in the severe climatic conditions on Mars. Their intellect had “dissolved” as they had forgotten the English language and their thoughts had also lost Earthliness.
However, as America was in the wake of the atomic war, living on Mars even in the adverse circumstances at least ensured their survival at all which is the sole reason why Mr. Bittering puts his attempts of making of a rocket in order to go back to earth to a halt. So we can say that although they lost their identities it was better that they survived on Mars, nevertheless, their lives were badly affected.
iv. Write the story in your own words.
Answer:
The story ‘Dark they were, and Golden Eyed’ by Ray Bradbury revolves around the Bittering family who are immigrants who join the other Earth people to escape the nuclear war on Earth. However, life on Mars was not very conducive for the survival of human beings. The physical appearance as well as the thoughts of the Martians who originally belonged to Earth and were Americans transformed as a result of the Martian virus.
They became dark and “yellow-eyed”, their bodies “slender” and eventually learned to survive in the severe climatic conditions on Mars. Their intellect had “dissolved” as they had forgotten the English language and their thoughts had also lost Earthliness. However, as America was in the wake of the atomic war, living on Mars even in the adverse circumstances at least ensured their survival at all which is the sole reason why Mr. Bittering puts his attempts of making of a rocket in order to go back to earth to a halt. At the end, a captain and his lieutenant come to their rescue but they fail to recognise them because of their changed physical appearance as regard them as Martians.
v. What differences can you point out in the life style of the people of two different planets?
Answer:
The people on Earth have a completely different physical appearance, facilities, and circumstances than the Martians. Their eyes were yellow-colored whereas the people who live on Earth mostly have black, brown, green, grey or hazel eyes. The Martians’ food was limited but on Earth, there is a variety of food that people enjoy.
The people on Earth live in well-constructed houses mostly, depending upon their status, however, these people had to build their houses with boards and even they were damaged because of the severe climate. On the other hand, the climate on Earth is moderately hot or cold that the human body and his surrounding can endure. The Martians also lacked the basic facilities like gas, electricity, etc that the people living on Earth enjoy. There was no prospect of having information technology on Mars either.
Grammar
Q 5. Use the correct form of the verb given in brackets.
i. The man (feel) his hair flutter.
ii. They (see) the old cities.
iii. They (look) at their children.
iv. Laura (stumble) through the settlement.
v. He (drench) in the hotness of his fear.
vi. All the boards (warp) out of shape.
vii.Harry (move) into the metal.
viii. His wife (appear) with his supper in a basket.
ix. The sons (play) songs on ancient flutes.
x. They (turn) their backs to the valley.
Answer:
i. The man felt his hair flutter.
ii. They saw the old cities.
iii. They looked at their children.
iv. Laura stumbled through the settlement.
v. He was drenched in the hotness and fear.
vi. All the boards were warped out of shape.
vii. Harry moved into the metal shop.
viii. His wife appeared with his supper in a basket.
ix. The sons played songs on ancient flutes.
x. They turned their backs to the valley.
Q 6. Punctuate the following lines.
the towns empty but we found native life in the hills sir dark people yellow eyes Martians very friendly we talked a bit not much they learn English fast
Answer:
“The town’s empty, but we found native life in the hills, sir. Dark people. Yellow eyes. Martians. Very friendly. We talked a bit, not too much. They learn English fast.”
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