Class VIII: The Feeling of Power

Answer the following questions:

1.      Who were the people at the special meeting in the lounge of the New Pentagon?

Answer: Jehan Shuman, General Weider, Myron Aub, Congressman Brant and the President were the people at the special meeting in the lounge of the New Pentagon.

2.      Who was Myron Aub? Was he of any importance at the meeting? Why?

Answer: Myron Aub was an aging low grade technician who had long failed all the tests designed to find the gifted ones among mankind, and had settled into the rut of unskilled labour.

Myron Aub was an important person at the meeting because he was the one who would be showing the President and the Congressman his skills of computing without using computer. This skill was ‘graphitics’ (mental mathematics) which was very strange for everyone present there.

3.      What special skills did Aub have? Why did the others find it so remarkable?

Answer: Aub have special skills compared to others. He could calculate any given number only with the help of pen and paper by doing mental mathematics. On the other hand, others present in the New Pentagone special lounge, used to do it using computer and technology. So, others find it so remarkable.

4.      Why were the members of the committee excited by Aub’s gift? What advantage did they think it would give them?

Answer: The members of the committee were excited by Aub’s gift i.e. the graphitics (metal mathematics). They thought that they would use graphitics for making manned missile as it would be accurate. They also thought of using it for replacing computers in the warzone.

5.      What is ‘graphitics’? Who was the inventor of ‘graphitics’? Why did he take his own life?

Answer: ‘Graphitics’ means mental mathematics. Aub invented ‘graphitics’ as it was his hobby. He wanted it to be used for some peaceful purposes better for human race. But the President decided to use the same for more destructive purposes. Aub blamed himself for inventing such a destructive method, and kills himself.

6.      Do you think that the reinvention of mental mathematics would affect the course of human life in any significant way? Why/Why not?

Answer: Yes. I feel that reinvention of mental mathematics would affect the course of human life in any significant way because it will help them in doing simple and somewhat advance calculation without using any calculator. They will save time and mentally, they will always be active.

7.      Justify the title of the story, especially in the context of the last line?

Answer: The title ‘The Feeling of Power’ is apt (suitable) for this story. The setting of this story is of 500 years ahead from now. In that era, human being is completely dependent on technology. They are having a war with some alien planet named ‘Deneb’. They are trying to win the war with the help of power of computers. When they experience Aub’s mental mathematics ‘graphitics’, they thought of using the same for being more ‘powerful’ compare to Denebians. So, throughout the story, we see people trying to more powerful than each other. This feeling leads to destruction of the world. So, I feel the title of this story is very apt.