Arthur lay in his cabin, still trying to piece together the events of the last few
hours. He had watched his home planet of Earth be demolished to make way
for a hyperspace bypass, been saved by his friend Ford, and then whisked
away on a ship that was powered by an "infinite improbability drive." It was
all too much for him.
Just then, Ford stuck his head around the door. "Hey, Earthman," he said,
"come and have a look at this." Arthur stumbled after him down a corridor
and into the ship's control room. He gazed in amazement at the banks of
controls and flashing lights. In the center of the room was a large console
covered in buttons and switches, and in the middle of the console was a
small, white mouse.
"What's that?" asked Arthur. "That's the ship's computer," said Ford. Arthur
stared at the mouse. "That's a computer?" he said. "Yup," said Ford.
"Fivedimensional, biologically-based, super intelligent, and in the form of a
white lab mouse. Pretty neat, huh?" "I don't know," said Arthur.
"I don't think I really understand anything anymore. Why is a mouse the
ship's computer?" "It's a long story," said Ford. "But the short version is that
the mice built the Earth as a giant computer to figure out the Ultimate
Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Then they ran out of money
and had to destroy it to make way for a hyperspace bypass. So now they're
using the Heart of Gold to finish the calculation."
Arthur was about to say something, but at that moment the ship's intercom
crackled to life. "Good evening, Heart of Gold," said a smooth, computerized
voice. "This is Eddie, your shipboard computer. I'm feeling a bit depressed
today. Would you like me to sing you a song?" "Oh, not again," groaned
Ford.
"Eddie, would you mind shutting up?" said Arthur. Arthur sighed and leaned
back against the console, trying to make sense of everything. But as he
closed his eyes, he heard a voice inside his head. "Hello?" it said. Arthur
jumped, startled. "Who's there?" he said.
"It's me," said the voice. "Marvin." "Marvin?" said Arthur. "Who's Marvin?"
"The Paranoid Android," said the voice. Arthur looked around, but he didn't
see anyone. "Where are you?" he said. "I'm down here," said the voice.
Arthur looked down and saw a small, metal figure shuffling across the floor.
It was about three feet tall, with a round head and a body that looked like it
HP
had been cobbled together from spare parts. Its eyes were a dull red, and its
voice was a monotone. "I've been waiting for someone to talk to me for over
two million years," said Marvin.
Answer the following questions, based on the passage above)
Select the option that classifies Arthur's confusion about drastic events such as
the destruction of his home planet and the introduction of new technologies,
correctly.
A. Routine and boredom B. Adventure and excitement
C. Loss and change D. Calm and relaxation i
i) What is the significance of the white lab mouse in the control room of the Heart
of Gold spaceship?
A. It is the captain of the ship B. It serves as the ship's computer
C. It is a pet of the crew D. It is used for scientific experiments
iii) Share evidence from the text, in about 40 words to support the view that the
writer’s writing style is descriptive and humourous.
iv) Complete the sentence appropriately with a characteristic or its description.
Based on the information given in the excerpt, one can infer that the mice who
built the Earth are ____________.
v) Select the option that is similar in meaning to Ford’s expression , “Pretty neat,
huh?".
A. Easy , isn’t it? [Link] be worse, no?
C. Impressive, yes? D. Too difficult for you?
vi)Explain, in about 40 words, why the name "The Paranoid Android" is considered
ironic.
vii)In the line, “…a body that looked like it had been cobbled together from spare
parts…”, what comparison does the word “cobbled” refer to?
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HP
viii)How does the following, impact the reader, even though they know Marvin is
just an android? "I've been waiting for someone to talk to me for over two million
years," said Marvin. Answer in about 40 words.
ix)Read the five headlines (a)-(e), given below:
(a) HUMANITY'S JOURNEY WITNESSEDBY ADEPRESSEDROBOT
(b) HITCHHIKING THROUGH SPACE:ACOMICAL TAKEONTHEENDOF THEWORLD
(c)NEWSTUDYFINDSALIENSLIVING AMONGUS
(d) GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGYWILL SOONENABLETIME TRAVEL
(e) INTERGALACTIC TRAVEL VIA NEWINFINITE IMPROBABILITY DRIVE Identify the
option that displays the headline/s that DOES/ DO NOT correspond with
occurrences in the passage
A. Only (a) B. (b) (c) and (d)
C. Only (e) D. (a) and €
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