Important Questions for CBSE Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 9 - The Comet - I

Very Short Answer Questions – 1 Marks 

1. Word – Meaning from the given chapter

i. Comet 

ii. Ensnared 

iii. Muttered 

iv. Suppressing 

Ans: The meanings are:

i. A celestial object 

ii. Capture 

iii. Speak something in a low voice 

iv. Defeat 

2. Fill in the blanks

i. It was a ______ (sunless/moonless) night in December. 

Ans: 

i. moonless 

3. Who is Duttada? 

Ans: Duttada is an amateur scientist. 

4. What can’t he stay away from? 

Ans: He cannot stay away from keen-eyed Dibya Chakshu for long. 

5. What is his wife’s name? What does she wish for? 

Ans: Duttada’s wife is Indrani Debi and she wishes that he had not found the object of his search. 

Short Answer Questions – 2 Marks 

1. How does the story start? 

Ans: The story starts with a moonless night in the month of December. Indrani Debi who is half awake looks for her husband who was not there. She then realizes he has gone to spend time with his telescope. 

2. What does Duttada name the telescope? 

Ans: Duttada named his telescope Dibya Chakshu which meant Divine Eye. 

3. Who was Nabin Babu? Why Duttada’s wife says she would tell him? 

Ans: Nabin Babu was Duttada’s doctor. She mentioned him because Duttada was not wearing a sweater even though the doctor had asked him to protect himself from cold. 

4. What was Duttada’s secret ambition? 

Ans: Duttada was on a covert mission to find a new comet.

5. What is a comet? 

Ans: A comet is a celestial body that orbits around the Sun but its orbits are highly eccentric. It has a long tail lit by the sunlight. It then goes into darkness and hence cannot be seen for years. 

Short Answer Questions – 3 Marks 

1. What does Indrani Debi think of Duttada’s telescope? 

Ans:Indrani Debi compared Duttada's telescope to create a woman who piqued her husband's interest.

2. “Duttada was optimistic...” what does this line refer to? 

Ans: The author mentioned Duttada as an optimistic person as he was determined to find a comet which professionals often miss as they mostly look at faint stars and nebulous galaxies while a comet is insignificant to them.

3. What does Duttada discovers one night that he had not seen before? How did he react to it? 

Ans:Duttada was staring at the sky with his telescope one day when he noticed a faint stranger. He examined if there were any marks on his telescope after re-examining the charts he usually followed, and he realized that the stranger in the sky may be a new comet. 

4. What was the news that was published in the Ananda Bazar Patrika? 

Ans: Duttada notified the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bangalore after he found a new comet. The next day, the Ananda Bazar Patrika reported that Shri Manoj Dutta, a Calcutta resident, had found a new comet.

5. What does the paper read about the fact that could have changed Duttada’s life? 

Ans: The paper read that once the rumor would get confirmed by the IIA which uses its 90-inch telescope, the biggest in Asia, then it would prove out to be a turning point in Duttada’s life. It would be a high point in his lifelong career as an amateur astronomer. He gave all the credit for this discovery to his eight-inch telescope which he calls Dibya. 

Long Answer Questions - 5 Marks 

1. How do Duttada and his wife react to the article published in the paper? 

Ans: Duttada got famous with the discovery of the comet. He was an introvert and disliked attention. He was being recognized and the comet was also named after him as “Comet Dutta”. He attended many functions and even got tired of it and thought it would have been better if he had not discovered the comet. His wife thought the same, however, she believed that the comets bring bad luck and a good man like him should not have been associated with its discovery. 

2. What predictions were made by James Forsyth’s? What were the rare circumstances mentioned by him? 

Ans: James Forsyth was a renowned scientist who predicted that a comet might collide with earth. He concluded, the collision would be catastrophic and the earth would get destructed, and the collision could not be avoided unless the comet evaporated or splits near the sun, or gets collided with an asteroid. The comet would take only ten months to hit the earth and they should come to some conclusion as soon as possible. 

3. What do Forsyth and Macpherson decide regarding the conditions of the comet? 

Ans: James Forsyth made few predictions about the collision between the comet and the earth; however he did not want to share it with the world until he became sure. Later on, Macpherson found this out and he called Forsyth to London to know the whole truth. They both accepted that hiding it would not change the fact so they must call for an international secrecy meeting within a week. They decided the mission would be planned until the comet is out of the earth’s way. 

4. How does the discovery of the new comet resulted into a commotion in the world? 

Ans: It was a hobby of an amateur astronomer Duttada to look at the stars. He wanted to discover a new comet and so used a small telescope. He then discovered a comet heading towards the earth and it was named as Comet Dutta. A scientist named James Forsyth made assumptions about the new comet that it might collide with the earth in ten months. Sir John Macpherson then asked for an emergency secretive meeting with the leaders of the world to discuss the matter. 

5. Describe the character of Duttada. 

Ans:Duttada was a reclusive amateur astronomer who avoided social situations. He stuck to his pattern, even on the chilly December nights, when he sat on his balcony with his telescope, observing the sky in the hopes of spotting a comet, which was also his hidden wish. His doctor had urged him to monitor his health, but he disregarded the advice. When he found a comet, he was disappointed because he became a public personality, which he disliked.