Explorer on the Moon
from The Adventures of Tintin by Herge
(Georges Prosper Remi)
Comprehension
Read and answer
1. Who says the following lines in the story?
a. For the first time in the history of mankind there is an EXPLORER ON THE MOON!
= Tintin;
b. Exploded? But I didn't hear a sound!
= Captain Haddock;
c. Golly! now I've taken off like a dragon-fly!
= Snowy;
d. Maybe! … But just a try coming to the Moon by boat!
= Professor Calculus;
2. Match the parts of a comic to their names.
[ frame, speech bubble, caption, thought bubble ]
a. speech bubble;
b. frame;
c. caption;
d. thought bubble;
Reference to context
3. "And on board ship, at least you don't run the risk of bits of sky falling down all over the place, every time you bat an eyelid!"
a. What are the 'bits of sky' that Captain Haddock is referring to here?
= The 'bits of sky' that Captain Haddock is referring to here are the meteorites which come from the sky of the moon.
b. How does Tintin explain the phenomenon of the 'bits of sky falling down'?
= Tintin explains the phenomenon of the 'bits of sky falling down' i.e. the meteorite has no sound as there is no air on the Moon. And that's why the meteorite came down intact too. On the earth, the friction of the atmosphere would have made it white hot. So it would have disintegrated before reaching the ground, making what we generally call a "shooting star".
c. Calculus terms this risk as an 'occupational hazard'? What does this term mean? What is another occupational hazard of being an astronaut?
= The term 'occupational hazard' means the problems which one faces in his occupation. Here, Professor Calculus terms the falling of the meteorites as an occupational hazard if one is in the occupation of astronaut.
Another occupational hazard of being an astronaut is the thundering typhoons of the space.
Reflect answer
4. What are the two phrases Captain Haddock uses to express his anger or other extreme emotions? Why do you think he's chosen those particular phrases?
= The two phrases Captain Haddock uses to express his anger or other extreme emotions are -
i. "...and you'd have been able to throw away our return tickets!"
ii. "When we'd have been as flat as pancakes!"
I think Captain Haddock is a person of whims. He swings from anger to mockery in a moment. He expresses his disgust just by mocking Professor Calculus. He actually tries to let Professor Calculus know that they might have died a while ago if they were under the falling meteorite.
5. What clues does this frame give us about what might happen next? Look carefully at the sentences and the punctuation; notice the body language and expressions - use these to make your predictions.
= Here in the frame, we can see that both Tintin and Captain Haddock are in awe and staring at the spaceship with eyes wide open. It is obvious that something happened which they did not desire. Probably the ladder was getting inside the spaceship and the door of the same was closing too.
6. Calculus recorded all details he encounters on the moon in his log book. Why do you think it was important to keep detailed log books?
= Professor Calculus is an excellent scientist and physicist. He also has some ability as a chemist. He is always in a mood of invent. It is very important to log everything in his log book for an inventor. All these will help in his further researches. So he recorded all details he encounters on the moon in his log book.
7. Scientific explanations are provided for several incidents that happen on the moon. Recount at least two of them in your own words.
= Scientific explanations are provided for several incidents that happen on the moon. At least two of them are -
i. On the Moon, the gravity is actually six times less than on the Earth. That is why Captain Haddock took a high leap on the moon.
ii. The Earth looks four times bigger than the Moon does, when we see it from the Earth.
About the author :
Georges Prosper Remi (1907-1983), better known by the pen name Herge, was a Belgian writer and artist. He was one of the first comic artists to base his storylines on themes such as crime and politics. Best known for his comic book series The Adventures of Tintin, which includes 23 adventures, he is considered the most influential comic writers to have lived. In 2003, two decades after his death, Herge was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame.