Cutie Pie-->

Summary-->

Cutie Pie is the story of an alien adolescent who is accidentally captured and brought to earth. He inadvertently becomes the cynosure of media eyes. Gradually, he loses his brilliant appearance and one day, he runs away from his enclosure. He adjusts to life on earth, while at the same time trying to communicate with his fellow-creatures. He makes friends with a baby named Christopher. Finally, his spaceship picks him up and he departs from earth.

Questions:

1. What is common to the following?
   a. A UFO
   b. The serial Star Trek
   c. The movie ET
   
   Ans.
   The factor common to a UFO, the serial Star Trek, and the movie ET is the extra-terrestrial adventure factor. A UFO, Unidentified Flying Object is supposed to be a space vehicle carrying alien visitors to earth. The serial Star Trek is about exploring outer space, where no man has ventured before. The movie ET is about a creature from outer space who is, sadly, left behind on earth by its spaceship.
   
   

2. Can you name any story you have read or any movie you may have seen based on a similar theme
   
   Ans.
   Koi Mil Gaya
   
   

3. Complete the given flowchart with the proper sequence of the important events that take place in the story from those given in the table below:
   He is able to communicate with his people once again
   He returns home in a spaceship
   His feathers grow back
   He starts communicating with a baby
   He escapes into the outside world
   He loses his feathers
   He is very unhappy in his glass prison
   Cutie Pie is accidentally brought to the earth
   Cutie Pie becomes a huge sensation
   
   

   
   

4. Answer the following questions as briefly as possible:
   
   (a) ‘Oh, he’s just too cute to live!’ the world said. How does this remark almost come true?
   Ans.
   ‘Oh, he’s just too cute to live!’ the world said. This remark almost came true because Cutie Pie nearly died of weakness. His cute whiskers and feathers fell away and he became ugly and sick.
   
   (b) On the nineteenth day Cutie Pie woke from ‘a beautiful dream to an appalling reality.’ What was so appalling about the ‘reality’? What had he been dreaming of?
   Ans.
   On the nineteenth day Cutie Pie woke from ‘a beautiful dream to an appalling reality.’ The reality was that Cutie Pie’s feathers had fallen out in the night. He felt as naked as a monster. Cutie Pie had been dreaming of his beautiful mother with her incomparable loveliness.
   
   (c) In the story the writer comments on the habit of the media to sensationalise news and the fact that public memory is short-lived. Can you pick up instances from the story that illustrate it?
   Ans.
   The writer comments in the story on the habit of the media to sensationalise news and the fact that public memory is short-lived. Ch-tsal was given the ridiculous name Cutie Pie. The media considered Cutie Pie as a property that must be used to sustain media interest and sales. The public pitied Ch-tsal’s weakness and then simply switched their interests to other ‘latest’ sensations such as a scantily-clad pop singer.
   
   (d) ‘Cutie Pie’ were words they flinched from. Who does ‘they’ refer to? Why did they flinch from the mention of these words?
   Ans.
   ‘‘Cutie Pie’ were words they flinched from.’ ‘they’ refers to the scientist-jailers who were in charge of looking after Cutie Pie. They flinched because Ch-tsal was no longer cute. He had become sick and ugly, and would not respond to treatment. This showed them in a bad light.
   
   (e) Though Cutie Pie escaped from his prison, he was not able to return to his planet immediately. Why?
   Ans.
   Though Cutie Pie escaped from his prison, he was not able to return to his planet immediately. HIs whiskers, which were his receivers’ antennae and language carriers, were gone. So he could not reach out to his home and ask his people to send a spaceship to earth to rescue him.
   
   (f) Though the humans had not treated Cutie Pie very well, yet he befriends a human baby. What do you think makes him behave in this manner?
   Ans.
   Though the humans had not treated Cutie Pie very well, yet he befriends a human baby. He was feeling very lonely and was looking for any creature to give him comfort. The baby was about the same size as Ch-tsal and was completely naked. So Ch-tsal felt comfortable in the baby’s presence.
   
   (g) Cutie Pie appears to be very attached to his mother. Can you pick up incidents from the lesson that give us this impression?
   Ans.
   Cutie Pie appears to be very attached to his mother. He dreams of his beautiful mother and her unique sense of style. Ch-tsal could identify with the baby and its mother through loving memories of his own childhood. He receives his mother’s voice through the sky and his joy knows no bounds.
   
   

5. Fill in the following blanks that describe the various features that made Cutie Pie and his world different from the earth and earthlings:
   
   1. Physical appearance

   Shape of body ........................ Body covered by ........................ Communicated by ........................ Other features ........................

   
   2. Ch tsal’s planet:

   Sun ........................ Food habits ........................ Cities ........................ Enemies ........................ Other features ........................

   
   Ans.
   1. Physical appearance

   Shape of body curved, cosy, rounded Body covered by iridescent feathers Communicated by whiskers Other features dark, liquid eyes; gentle mouth; bushy little hands

   2. Ch tsal’s planet:

   Sun Three Food habits Plants Cities Crystal Enemies Venus invaders Other features creatures in caves

   
   

6. Cutie Pie returns home and tells his mother about the experiences he has had since he left home. Describe these experiences briefly in about 125-150 words highlighting his fears and feelings, the strange life on earth and how much he had missed his mother.
   
   Ans.
   I was making my way around Quta-pi. Suddenly, a flying body landed on the surface of the planet and a metallic hand scooped me out. I barely saw some silver creatures with bubble faces and then I passed out. I awoke in a glass prison. The air was unbearable and the food was unpalatable. I could not communicate with anyone and soon I felt lonely and miserable. Then the worst happened. One night, I dreamt of you. I woke up in a very happy state of mind, but to my horror, discovered that my feathers had fallen out in the night. My whiskers too continued to fall. The days went by. I wept and prayed and hoped against hope, but to little avail. One day, I managed to escape from my prison. Earth astonished me. I could breathe the fresh air. The raindrops felt like ecstasy. I hid here and there. I remembered your love a lot and yearned to reach out to you. I looked around for a friend with whom I could share my thoughts and feelings. But all I found were two silly creatures. It rained again and I felt my whiskers and feathers growing back. Then one night, I made a friend, an ungrown specimen of the human species and we happily talked about our civilizations. I searched here and there for plant food and thus took care of myself. I met my friend regularly. The days passed by and I hid myself well, till the night I sent a message to the sky and received your loving, caring message.