The document describes a fictional story titled 'An Alien Hand' set on Mars, where a young boy named Tillo lives underground and yearns to see the sun and stars. Tillo's attempt to escape through a forbidden passage leads to his capture by security, revealing the planet's hostile atmosphere and the absence of life as confirmed by NASA soil tests. The narrative includes themes of curiosity, adventure, and the consequences of exploring the unknown.

1. CLASS VII
CHAPTER 10
(An Alien Hand)
An Alien Hand

2. BEFORE WE PROCEED
• HOW MANY PLANETS ARE THERE IN OUR UNIVERSE?
• CAN YOU NAME SOME OF THEM?
• WHICH IS THE NEAREST PLANNET TO THE EARTH?
• DOES THERE LIFE EXIST ON ANY OTHER PLANET?
• DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS AN ALIEN?
• AN ALIEN IS SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO SOME
OTHER WORLD.
• SO LET US SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CHAPTER “AN
ALIEN HAND”

3. Key points
 An Alien Hand is a fictional (imaginary) story set in Mars.
 A young boy Tillo lived with his parents beneath the
surface of a planet.
 Tillo had never seen the sun and the stars and wished to
see them.
 His father used to go to work through a strange passage.
 One day Tillo tried to escape unsuccessfully through that
passage to see the stars or the sun.
 His father told him that it is dangerous to go on the
surface as atmosphere was very hostile.
 Two space aircrafts approached the planet.
 A mechanical hand from the craft took the sample of soil.
 NASA announced that soil sample has been examined
and there is no sign of life on planet Mars.

4. ABOUT THE STORY
 STORY SET IN THE PLANET MARS
An Alien Hand is a story set in Mars
where Tilloo lives with his parents beneath the
surface of the planet under artificial
conditions. Tilloo's father went for work every
day through a special passage which was
forbidden for him, but he was curious to know
what was there.

5. ABOUT THE STORY
 TILLO’S WISH
Tillo had never seen the sun and the
stars and wished to see them. Once his
father was asleep and Tilloo stole the plastic
card that his father used to go to his work
place. He walked along the passage and
reached a big door. He inserted the card in
the slot to reach the surface of the planet.

6. ABOUT THE STORY
 TILLO’S DETECTED BY THE SECURITY
He hoped to see the sun if it was day
and stars if it was night. He had hardly
walked a few steps when he was detected by
the security system and taken to the control
room from where he was sent back home. .
He asked his father if he could go on the
surface of the planet .

7. ABOUT THE STORY
 ATMOSPHERE HOSTILE ON MARS
His father told him how his ancestors used to
live on the surface of the planet earlier and
sun grew so hot that first birds vanished, then
animals and then gradually they had to take
refuge underground under artificial condition.
They had systems working on the surface that
monitored the artificial condition and his
father was one of the team members.

8. ABOUT THE STORY
 TWO SPACE AIRCRAFTS APPROACHED THE PLANET
One day in the control room on the
surface of the planet, everyone was glued to
the screen which showed a spacecraft
coming towards the planet. They got the
news that two space crafts were heading
towards the planet and one of them had
already surrounded the planet.

9. ABOUT THE STORY
 PRESIDENT HOLDS A MEETING
The President holds a meeting with his
group and decides not to interfere with the
space craft. They also had the information
that there were only machines which had
come to take samples to test if there was life
on that planet.

10. ABOUT THE STORY
TILLO PRESSES THE RED BUTTON
Tilloo goes to his father's office and
while everyone watches the movement of
the space craft he is attracted by the buttons
on the screen and presses the red button
which makes the big mechanical hand stop
working.

11. ABOUT THE STORY
 NO SIGN OF LIFE ON MARS
It starts working again after the efforts of the
planet it was sent from. It digs samples from the
surface and ultimately NASA announced that soil
sample has been examined and there is no sign of
life on planet Mars.

12. Vocabulary
• Forbidden – not allowed
• Beckon - inviting
• Siesta – nap after lunch
• Habitat – shelter or home
• Detected – found out
• Intruder – one who enters without permission
• Briefed – informed
• Escorted – taken or led

13. Comprehension Check
Question 1: What do you know about the
Viking Mission to Mars?
Answer: The National Aeronautics and Space
Administrator’s (NASA) Viking Mission to Mars
was composed of two spacecraft, Viking 1 and
Viking 2. Viking 1 was launched, on 20 August
1975 and arrived at Mars on 19 June 1976.
Viking 2 was launched on 9 September 1975. It
entered Mar’s orbit on 7 August 1976 Both
consisted of an orbiter and a lander.

14. Comprehension Check
• Question 2: What were the primary objectives of
the NASA Viking Mission to Mars?
Answer: The primary objectives of the NASA Viking
Mission to Mars were-
(i) To obtain images and samples of the Martian
surface and soil,
(ii) To search for any possible signs of life there,
(iii) To search the presence of living microorganisms
in the soil near the landing sites.

15. Comprehension Check
Question 3: What do you know about ‘That
way’?
Answer: That way’ was an underground
passage. Tilloo’s father went for work and
returned from there along that passage. The
people were curious to know what lay at the
end of that forbidden route. Only select few
persons were permitted to go that way.
Tilloo’s father was one of them.

16. Comprehension Check
Question 4: What was the metal door’s
function? How did it open?
Answer: The metal door’s function was to
bar the entry to the underground passage.
Tilloo slipped his father’s security ( magic )
card into a slot. The door opened noiselessly.

17. Comprehension Check
Question 5: Why was Tilloo escorted back
home?
Answer: Tilloo had slipped his father’s
security card into the slot. It came out of
another slot. The invisible mechanical
devices detected and photographed Tilloo.
His picture was sent to the Central Bureau.
The security persons caught him and
escorted him back home.

18. THANKS