Raintree 4 A Holiday on Mars

 Summary: A Holiday on Mars

In the story “A Holiday on Mars”, Sue and Steve are siblings who are visiting

Planet Mars on a holiday. They are at the glass dome colonies on the planet,

along with their family friend, Biff. It is almost time to board the spaceship

back to the Earth. So, they decide to ride the high-speed sleds, through the ice

canals, from the glass dome colony to their spaceship. On the way, Sue, Steve

and Biff enjoy the sight of fuel rockets being launched for the spaceship parked

above the planet.

However, one of the fuel rockets drifts too low, and crashes into the ice sheets

on the ground. Biff realises the danger just in time, and brings the sled to a

screeching halt. The impact of the rocket is quite strong. The ice canal is

choked with broken chunks of ice. It is then that Sue and Steve realise that just

before the explosion, Biff threw himself over in front of them in order to

protect them. But Biff himself falls unconscious in the process. That’s when Sue

and Steve decide that they must ride the sled to the spaceship themselves and

get Biff a doctor at the earliest. Steve takes over the controls, and with Sue’s

help, drives the sled broken ice canal. Sue, meanwhile, tries to revive Biff.

Finally, Biff wakes up just in time, and takes charge of the sled again. He hits

the high-speed button, and the three reach the spaceship just in time.

The story belongs to the science-fiction genre, in which the setting is either the

future or another world/planet. Although they are set in a different

world/time, such stories tend to have elements that are similar to the real

world of the readers. For instance, in this story, Sue and Steve have to travel by

canal (or ice roads) to get to their spaceship. In the real world, a reader will

relate to that urgency of getting somewhere on time. Science-fiction stories

tend to have a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar.

UNIT 4: A HOLIDAY ON MARS

Embedded questions

1. Space suits are body suits that astronauts wear before leaving the Earth. It keeps human bodies

safe from conditions like extreme heat/cold/wind/gravity/radiation from the sun, and so on.

 Sue, Steve and Biff wear it because they are stepping outside the glass dome on Planet Mars,

and need to be safe.

2. (Free response. Accept all logical answers.)

 Mars has purple sky probably because it does not have atmosphere, so the light from the sun

gives its sky different colours. It could also be because of the dust storms on the planet.

3. (Free response. Accept all logical answers.)

4. A spaceman is someone who travels a lot outside the Earth. Biff is called a spaceman probably

because his job involves him travelling a lot in space.

Comprehension

A. 1. Sue, Steve and Biff were visiting the glass dome colonies on Planet Mars.

2. The rockets were being fired to send fuel to the spaceship parked above the planet.

3. Sue noticed a bright streak in the sky.

4. The rocket explosion blocked the canal with chunks of broken ice.

5. During the explosion, Biff threw himself in front of Steve and Sue to protect them.

6. Steve, Sue and Biff reached their spaceship just in time.

B. 1. a. The bright streak in the sky was a rocket about to crash.

b. Sue was excited to see the fuel rocket being launched. She didn’t know that something was

wrong with it.

c. Biff saw the rocket and jerked up sharply in his seat, realising that they were in danger.

2. a. Biff said these words to Sue and Steve.

b. The fuel rocket that had just been launched was not lifting. It was a problem because instead

of going up, it was dropping down, meaning that it was going to crash against the ice on the

ground.

c. Biff realised that something had gone wrong because the rocket was flying too low.

3. Yes, Sue and Steve are courageous and clever children. When the rocket crashes, and Biff falls

unconscious, they rise up to the occasion. They are only twelve-years-old, but instead of feeling

hopeless, they take charge of the situation, and do the best they can. Steve gets into the driver’s

seat and starts the engine. Sue remembers which lever needs to be pushed in order to get the sled

moving. They both realise that Biff is hurt and needs urgent medical attention. While Steve slowly

drives the sled, Sue keeps trying to wake Biff up.

4. It is clear that Biff and the children are quite fond of each other. Sue and Steve trust Biff completely.

Before they step out, Biff carefully checks the siblings’ space suits and makes sure all the

components are in working condition. At the time of the blast, Biff throws himself over in front

of the children to shield them from the impact. He himself gets hurt in the process, but he makes

sure that Sue and Steve are safe. When Biff falls unconscious, Sue and Steve’s first thought is to get

him to a doctor soon. This shows that the children and Biff cared about each other.

C. (Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)

A work of science-fiction has a mix of both science and fiction, of reality and imagination. Here are a

few lines from the text that prove that it is a work of science-fiction—

“Steve and Sue are visiting the glass dome colonies on Planet Mars.” (There are no human colonies on

Mars yet. But scientists are working on sending humans to Mars over the next decade.)

“Now, they must return to the spaceship that had brought them to Mars.” (There are no regular

spaceship going back and forth between Mars and Earth. But if scientists manage to set up human

colonies on Mars, we will have to send spaceships to Mars regularly with supplies and fuel.)

“The three went to the canal bank to see if their sled was ready to go, and it was. The sled looked like

a plane without the wings. Instead of wheels, there were long runners beneath it.” (This type of sled

with an engine does not exist as of now. It is basically a sledge with an engine.)

“The next moment, the sled shot off over the smooth sheet of ice.” (Mars is not covered with ice

canals. It does not have much ice on the surface. But there is lot of ice buried deep within the surface.)

D. (Free response.)

Grammar

A. 1. Which game are you playing? (interrogative adjective)

2. My name is Rahim. What is yours? (possessive adjective)

3. Where is that book that I was reading yesterday? (demonstrative adjective)

4. Would you like more water? (adjective of quantity)

5. The crash resulted in a terrible blast. (adjective of quality)

B. 1. Shelly has a big, old, brown bat.

2. Grandfather gifted us two lovely, big, red, woollen sweaters.

3. Maya saw four little, yellow birds on the balcony.

4. Rohit loves his comfortable, old, cotton t-shirt.

5. My sister wears a beautiful, big, square watch.

Vocabulary

1. at that time 2. Once upon a time 3. At first 4. after a while 5. once a week

Dictionary Work

1. notice

 noun: warning or announcement

 verb: to pay attention to something or someone

2. lift

 noun: a machine that carries people up and down a building

 verb: to raise someone or something to a higher level

3. run

 noun: the act of running

 verb: to move using your legs, faster than walking

4. move

 noun: a planned action

 verb: to change position or place

5. guide

 noun: a person or thing that tells you the way

 verb: to lead the way

Listening

1. c. almost as long as a day on Earth

2. a. two

3. c. dust storms

4. b. extreme weather

Writing

(Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)

An electric iron is a device that helps us straighten out the creases on our clothes. It is small, light and

runs on electricity. It is shaped like a small ship. When we plug the device and switch it on, the iron

plate at the bottom becomes extremely hot. We move it over our clothes. The heat from the iron plate

smoothens out the creases.

Listening Text

Sarah: Sue, how was your trip to Mars?

Sue: It was very interesting, Sarah. Life on Mars is very different from life here on Earth.

Sarah: How so?

Sue: On Mars, there is no oxygen, so we always have to wear our air tanks outside. We wear space

suits to protect us from the extreme weather there.

Sarah: Oh. How long are the days there?

Sue: The days are almost as long as an earth day. But at night, we can see two moons!

Sarah: Wow! What do people do during the dust storms there? I read that on Mars, dust storms are

very frequent.

Sue: Yes, they are. We all stay inside the glass domes during these storms.

A HOLIDAY ON MARS

A. Answer in brief.

1. What did Steve, Sue and Biff decide to watch?

 Ans: Steve, Sue and Biff decided to step out from the glass dome and watch the rockets being

launched to send fuel to the spaceship stationed above the planet.

2. What did Biff do to protect Steve and Sue and what happened to him?

 Ans: Biff threw himself in front of Steve and Sue to protect them. But in doing this, his helmet

thumped against the windshield and he became unconscious.

B. Answer in detail.

 Describe the explosion that resulted when the rocket struck the ice and how did Sue and Steve feel

when it stopped?

 Ans: The explosion tilted the sled at an angle and dropped it down with a hard jolt. The air was filled

with flying chunks of ice. The ice fell against the windshield like stones. Sue and Steve were relieved

when it finally stopped. But the explosion had left the ice canal in front of them broken and choked

with lumps of ice.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. “The ship leaves in thirty, which gives us some spare time.”

 a. Who said these words and to whom?

 b. What is the ship that the speaker is talking about?

 c. Do they make it to the ship on time?

 Ans: a. Biff said these words to Steve and Sue.

 b. The speaker is talking about the space ship that brought them to Mars.

 c. Yes.

2. “Biff may need a doctor!”

 a. Why did Biff need a doctor?

 b. How was Biff hurt?

 c. Did Biff see a doctor?

 Ans: a. Biff hurt his head against the windshield and passed out, so he needed a doctor.

 b. Biff threw himself in front of Steve and Sue to protect them and in the process, hurt himself.

 c. No. He awakened and was all right.

D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)

1. How do we know that Biff cared for Steve and Sue?

 Ans: Biff threw himself in front of Steve and Sue to protect them while bringing the sled to a

skidding stop. He did not bother about himself. So we know that Biff cared for them.

2. What was the amazing act of courage by Steve and Sue?

 Ans: Steve and Sue drove the big sled through broken ice sheets to reach the spaceship because

they thought that their friend might need a doctor, and they had to reach the spaceship in time.

E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

How did the brave twelve-year olds run the sled on their own?

 Ans: Steve remembered how Biff had worked the controls. He changed seats with the unconscious

spaceman and tried the levers and buttons. The sled’s rockets began to pour fire out of the rear. But

Steve could not get the sled to move. Then, Sue showed him a lever to push, which she remembered

seeing Biff do. As Steve moved it gently, the sled started off slowly. They guided the sled across the

canal and through the unbroken part.