NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 6 - Non Fiction

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Non-Fiction Chapter 6 – Free PDF Download

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Chapter 6 – Kaleidoscope Non-Fiction - On Science Fiction

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter

Introduction

Issac Asimov was born in Russia on January 2, 1920. He was brought to the US when he was 3 years old, and he graduated from Columbia University. His works include more than 500 volumes of written or edited publications. Some of the most popular ones are the robot and foundation series. He died on April 6, 1992. Asimov wrote about Science by linking it with history and his write-ups mostly go back to a time when Science was at its simplest. He believes that every history is preceded by a pre-historic period and in the field of science, the pre-historic lingers to many aspects of this field even in modern times.

This essay makes a point about science fiction and how science fiction cannot exist unless people realize that science and technology are working together to produce the future. It’s the advancements in these two fields (science and technology) that make the future different from the present and past.

According to Asimov, science fiction is a product of the industrial revolution of the 1800s that introduced technology to the world. Hence, science fiction is a new entrant into the world of fiction. 

Kaleidoscope - On Science Fiction

There are two parts of this essay: “Prehistoric universe” and “The universe of Science Fiction”

Prehistoric Fiction

People respect and fear science as well as scientists. It is based on the fact that people think science is the key to understanding the universe and that scientists have that key in their hands, with their mastery over science. By using science, people can control and manipulate the laws of nature and thereby become powerful.

Asimov believed in the idea that before the advent of science fiction, there must have been some other sort of literary work that filled in the emotional needs in people which science fiction provided later. In older times, people had no idea of science, and they believed that the universe was governed by someone or something bigger and more powerful than humans. These powerful beings were supposed to be larger than humans, had superhuman capabilities and longer lifespans. 

These superhumans or Gods were thought to be temperamental and whimsical as the laws of nature are quite unpredictable. Sometimes there were calamities for no reason, and sometimes helpful natural events occurred. For these reasons, people generated formulas to placate these Gods.

The writer draws a parallel between the priests, magicians, shamans and wizards of prescientific times with scientists of the modern age. Earlier, it was the priest who had the secret of controlling the universe, and now it was the scientist. He compares the crystal balls of yesteryears, where one could see scenes and events happening many miles away to the television sets of today. The magic shells, using which people can hear whisperings of other humans miles away from there, are compared with telephones of the scientific era. There are many other such interesting parallels drawn like “open sesame” to remote controls and seven-league boots to automobiles.

All of these stories fulfil that one emotional need in humans which is the longing for some kind of wonder. That is why he says that one must not get too haughty with the notion of reality and brush off old literature on those grounds. The literature which has tickled human fantasy for ages is not to be dismissed since the notion of reality in itself is a farce. 

The Universe of Science Fiction

In this part of the essay, Asimov talks about how science fiction is a humongous literary work. He talks about different kinds of stories and plots that writers use, and how the same story, when put in a science-fiction context, changes its shape and meaning. For example, a sports story would talk about athletes and competitive activities, and a jungle story may write about perils prevalent in forests. 

When the content of such stories is given a scientific twist, it involves thinking of a society that is entirely different from ours. So a scientific sports story would involve gas guns and spheres inside an atmosphere which has zero gravity rather than the usual clash of bat and baseball. If it is a jungle story then rather than a jungle, the author would write about a distant planet where exotic dangers exist.

The writer says that science could transcend into Non-Fiction too. He asks the readers to think of any novel or story which has invigorated their soul and touched them deeply and then transport that story to a place where interplanetary travels happen. It not only makes for a great literary work but also great science fiction.

Asimov mentions John W. Campbell in this context as Mr Campbell once said that science fiction encompasses all possible domains that include societies of all kinds along with reality and fantasy intermingled in it. The only place where the writer disagrees with Cambell is where Mr Campbell says that only mystery novels can not be written as science fiction. Asimov says that there is no reason that a traditional mystery novel cannot use scientific background and enhance its style.

Exercise - Understanding the Text

This exercise has 3 questions, and all are long answer types. All the answers to these questions are made directly from the essay, and students can refer to the summary provided here to answer these questions. 

Exercise - Talking About the Text

There are 2 questions in this exercise which is meant to be discussed in small groups. These questions revolve around science and technology and are a good way to promote healthy discussion amongst peers.

Exercise - Appreciation

This exercise has 3 questions, all long answer types. Students need to understand the concept of this essay to answer these questions. There is also a question on paragraph formation, which is aimed at building writing skills in students.

Exercise - Language Work

This Exercise has Two Sections

• In the first section, “Literary Allusions”, students need to find out about mythological creatures and their stories. 

• The next section is dedicated to enhancing the English language by:

1. Marking pauses correctly in given sentences and dialogues. 

2. Identifying noun phrases in the given sentences with transitive verbs.

Key Features of NCERT Solutions for Class English Chapter 6

NCERT Class 12 English Chapter 6 On Science Fiction is an interesting read. At the same time, students might need help with some of the complicated ideas and problems presented in this essay. The experts at Vedantu, with their experience and skill, have provided NCERT Solutions Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Chapter 6 Non-Fiction most accurately and simply. Few reasons why students must avail of this service by Vedantu are:

• The teachers are up-to-date with the CBSE curriculum, and their solution will surely get you high marks in English.

• You can get the download the link for the PDF of the entire chapter’s solution so that you do not need to rely solely on the internet when you want to revise this chapter.

• If you get stuck somewhere in the solution, Vedantu’s team is always there to clarify all your doubts.