1a. What do Shann and his tribe fear in the beginning of the story? What hope do they have for survival?
2a. What items do the sons of Shann put into a safe place to save for future generations? Which three items have become the most sacred?
3a. Who finds the preserved items? What secret have they learned that humans never learned?
1b. What reason is given for the Ice Age? How has this affected the planet Venus?
2b. Why do Shann's people place importance on the items they choose to save? Why have the sacred items become so important?
3b. How does the progression of Venusian knowledge differ from that of humans? How do the accomplishments of humans compare to those of the Venusians?
4a. What do the Venusians hope to gain by studying the film record? What don't they understand about this record?
4b. What point does this story make about interpreting historical artifacts?
5a. Reread the passages that describe the cartoon. What misconceptions might the Venusians have about humans based on this film? In what way is it an accurate portrayal of life as we know it on Earth?
5b. Imagine that the Venusians had found some footage from the evening news as well as the cartoon. How would the two films compare?
Dramatic Irony. What meaning does the last line of the story have for the reader? What does the reader know at that point about the Venusians' study of human civilization?
Setting. As you began reading, when did you think the story was set? What details created this effect? What details changed your conception of the setting? What purpose was achieved by using such an ambiguous setting?
1. Pretend that you are one of the Venusian scientists who gather for the Historian's revelation. Write a journal entry for the day, giving your thoughts about the discoveries and what these mean for your future study.
2. Imagine that you could be any cartoon character in an animated film, television show, or newspaper cartoon. Write a short essay about who you would pick and why.
3. Review the list of things that Shann's people left in the cairn. Imagine that the Venusians have set up an exhibit about life on the Third Planet. Write a museum guide to this exhibit that includes a short description of each piece with its name, its material, and its possible function. Try to think about these items from a Venusian point of view.
Vocabulary
Using Context Clues to Estimate Meaning. Context clues can often help you estimate the meaning of unfamiliar words as you are reading. One type of context clue is restatement, when the meaning of a word is revealed by using different words to express the same idea in another sentence, phrase, or passage. Another type of context clue is apposition, which means renaming something in different words. In this exercise, use words from "Words for Everyday Use" for the short story "History Lesson" by Arthur C. Clark on page 901 of your textbook. Write two sentences each for five of these words, using restatement and apposition to estimate their meaning.
example word: flotsam restatement: After the storm passed, the channel was clogged with flotsam. The broken limbs and shards of glass and rock had to be cleared away so the boats could pass. apposition: The seaway remained impassable due to the flotsam, the debris choking the channel after the explosion.
1. word: restatement: apposition:
2. word: restatement: apposition:
3. word: restatement: apposition:
4. word: restatement: apposition:
5. word: restatement: apposition:
Simple Subjects and Verbs. Review the Language Arts Survey 3.21, "How to Find the Simple Subject and Verb." Then identify the simple subject and the simple verb in each of the following sentences.
1. No one could remember when the tribe had begun its long journey.
2. The tribe had preserved some relics from earlier generations.
3. The Dark Age had held man enchained for a thousand years.
4. The flat metal container holding a great length of transparent plastic material, perforated at the edges and wound tightly into a spool was a mystery.
5. To the Venusians the relic will symbolize the human race.
