Intergalactic Idol : The Tale of the Alien Encounter! Get ready for a cosmic journey filled with twists, turns, and extraterrestrial surprises! In our captivating story, a diligent student finds themselves thrust into a world beyond imagination when an alien spaceship lands in their garden. Join the escapade as we delve into the fantastic encounters, intergalactic contests, and unexpected challenges that unfold in this cosmic tale. The explanations along with glossary would help in understanding the text and themes of the story.
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Summary
The story unfolds with the a student, engrossed in doing his Maths homework at his desk when a sudden and loud crash draws his attention. Investigating further, he discovers an alien spaceship in his garden. The hatch of the spaceship opens, revealing Ynos Bandmanager V2.6, an alien in need of help.
Ynos explains that it needs the student’s assistance to participate in the Intergalactic Idol contest on the planet Arkstaro Two. The student agrees, and they embark on a journey through a wormhole, a space-time warp facilitating quick travel. Upon reaching Arkstaro Two, the student realizes he has to be a singer in the contest, representing Earth.
The Intergalactic Idol contest is a grand event in a massive amphitheatre, attracting beings from hundreds of planets. The first contestant, a sound-assassin from Homisonic, performs with lethal sound waves, resulting in the demise of two competitors. The student, singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ doesn’t excel but benefits from the diverse audience with varying tastes.
Despite coming in second, the student faces new challenges. Ynos points out a lack of a safe home delivery contract, and Oogba Lopp‘s daughter claims they are married due to a perceived connection during the performance. To escape this predicament, the student uses a thimble, salt, and clever tactics while hiding in a crate of poisonous lobsters.
On the journey back home, the spaceship faces another ambush by Zigibvox, causing minor damage and a leak in the Ziggonium tank. The student returns home just in time for school but encounters a dilemma. To prevent being sucked into space, the student stuffs a hole in the spaceship with the nearest object – his Maths notebook.
The story concludes with the student explaining to Mrs Gupta, presumably a teacher, why he doesn’t has his Maths homework – a humorous twist resulting from using the notebook to patch a hole in the spaceship.
Intergalactic Goal: Glossary & Explanations
1. I was sitting quietly at my desk, doing my Maths homework. I had done most of them—I was stuck at no. 40, and looking around in some anguish. Anyway, so there I was at my desk, when I suddenly heard a loud roaring noise. I thought it was another plane or something—I live near the airport—but it got louder and louder, and then there was this huge, ear-splitting crash. I raced out to the balcony and then I raced downstairs to the lawn, pausing for a few seconds to stop gulping and pointing and catch my breath, because I’d never seen anything like this before. There was an alien spaceship in my garden.
Glossary:
- Anguish: Strong feelings of distress or suffering.
- Ear-splitting crash: Extremely loud and piercing, capable of causing discomfort or pain to the ears.
- Raced out: Moved quickly or hurriedly.
- Pausing: Briefly stopping or hesitating.
- Gulping: Swallowing quickly or audibly
- Pointing: Directing attention or indicating with a finger
- Gulping and pointing: Swallowing quickly and directing attention with a finger.
- Catch my breath: Taking a moment to breathe and recover, especially after physical exertion or excitement.
- Never seen anything like this before: Experiencing something completely new or unfamiliar
- Alien spaceship: A vehicle from outer space, possibly carrying extraterrestrial beings.
Intext-Question:
What do you think happens next?
Ans. it’s open-ended and can be answered differently depending upon the reader’s imaginative perceptions. The story seems to take an unexpected turn with the appearance of an alien spaceship. The next events could involve the protagonist’s (the students’s) interaction with the alien, attempts to understand the situation, or perhaps a series of unforeseen events. The outcome depends on the direction the writer wants to take the narrative.
2. There was a hatch on top of the spaceship. It opened. The thing that came out the spaceship looked like a pelican, except that it had two beaks, tentacles instead of wings and instead of feet it had spirally things, like springs. It bounced out of the ship and landed in front of me and said what sounded like ‘GaroomBEEP! Waqtar Fomoden Ininin, opf!’ What could I do? I saluted it. ‘Welcome to our planet,’ I said. ‘I mean you no harm.’ It was really weird, but after a few minutes of struggling I suddenly realised that everything it was saying—it was saying things—made sense now. It was yelling ‘Shut up! Shut UP!’ It didn’t look happy, so I shut up and it let me go and cleared its throat. ‘My name is Ynos Bandmanager V2.6,’ it said, ‘and I need your help.’ Yonos told me many things. I’ll summarise briefly—I had to go with it to the planet Arkstaro Two, where Intergalactic Idol, this intergalactic music contest was happening. And I had to be our galaxy’s champion. If I won, I would have everything I ever wanted, and be an intergalactic celebrity with a lifetime supply of chocolate. If I didn’t go, our galaxy would be in violation of an intergalactic peace treaty, and would therefore be destroyed. ‘Why me?’ ‘It wasn’t supposed to be you,’ said Ynos. ‘But my ship was ambushed near Ganymede by the evil warlord Zigibvox. My Ziggonium tank started leaking, my ship crashed, as you can see, and once repair it I won’t have enough fuel or enough time to find the best singer on your planet. So it has to be you.’ ‘But why our planet in the first place?’ I asked. ‘Aren’t there better singers anywhere else in our galaxy?’ ‘The last time we won the intergalactic contest, it was with a singer from your planet. So our galaxy’s High Council decided we would try it again this time. I was sent to find the king of your world and bring him back. But, alas, I will have to make do with whatever I found.’ ‘So that’s what happened to Elvis!’
Glossary:
- Hatch: An opening or door, often on a vehicle, that can be opened or closed.
- Pelican: A large water bird with a distinctive long beak and a throat pouch.
- Tentacles: Long, flexible, and often slender extensions or appendages, similar to those of an octopus.
- Spirally things, like springs: Coiled or winding structures resembling springs.
- Bounced out: Jumped or leaped energetically.
- Saluted: A gesture of respect or greeting, often involving raising one’s hand to the forehead.
- Realized: Became aware or understood.
- Struggling: Experiencing difficulty or effort.
- Yelling: Shouting loudly.
- Cleared its throat: Made a noise, often by coughing, to prepare for speaking.
- Ynos Bandmanager V2.6: Name of the being from the spaceship.
- Summarize briefly: To provide a short and concise overview.
- Planet Arkstaro Two: A fictional planet mentioned in the text.
- Intergalactic Idol: An intergalactic music contest.
- Galaxy’s champion: The representative or winner of a galaxy in a competition.
- Intergalactic celebrity: A famous figure recognized across different galaxies.
- Violation: Breaking a rule or agreement.
- Intergalactic peace treaty: An agreement between different galaxies to maintain peace.
- Ambushed: Attacked by surprise.
- Zigibvox: The name of an evil warlord mentioned in the text.
- Ziggonium tank: A component or device on the spaceship.
- Crashed: Experienced a sudden and violent impact.
- High Council: A governing body with significant authority.
- Elvis: A reference to the famous singer Elvis Presley, suggesting that he might have been taken to participate in the intergalactic contest in the past.
Intext-Question:
What do you think is the narrator talking about here?
Ans. The narrator is likely referring to the idea that the last time the intergalactic music contest (Intergalactic Idol) was won, it was by a singer from Earth (the narrator’s planet). The alien, Ynos Bandmanager V2.6, was originally sent to find the king of Earth to be the galaxy’s champion in the contest. However, due to unforeseen circumstances and the narrator’s encounter with the alien, the narrator is now chosen to represent Earth in the competition. The mention of Elvis at the end is likely a humorous remark, suggesting that Elvis Presley might have been the previous winner or the king of Earth in the context of the intergalactic music contest.
3. ‘I have no time for this stupid discussion,’ said Ynos. ‘Come with me.’ I got into the ship, still clutching my Maths notebook feebly. I’d expected the journey to take years, but it just took a few weeks, because we went through a wormhole, which, as you probably know, is a space-time warp which all space-travellers use, like the metro, for quick and easy access to places which would otherwise have required thousands of generations of travellers and really large quantities of petrol to reach. We reached Arkstaro Two just in time for the contest, which was a good thing, because Ynos would have been killed otherwise. And in the middle of having space adventures, I’d completely forgotten one rather important fact, which hit me like several comets on the morning of the contest. The fact was this: I can’t sing. At all. The contest was held in this completely magnificent amphitheatre, so large that from the stage I couldn’t even see the far end. From what I could see, people and things from hundreds of planets had come to see this. Five contestants, three judges. Each had one song to sing. I was supposed to sing third. The first contestant was a sound-assassin from the planet Homisonic. The sound-assassins of Homisonic know how to use sound waves to transfer lethal physical force. Within seconds of the first song, two of my fellow contestants were headless. Luckily, I was bending down to tie my shoelaces at the time, and the fifth contestant wasn’t listening, because she was busy signing autographs. And before the sound-assassin could really focus on us, security troopers had blasted her head to little bits. So suddenly there were just two contestants left in the arena, and my chances of winning the whole contest were dramatically increased, in case the only other singer left suddenly got a sore throat or something. I sang. What else could I do? I sang that well-known song, ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, hoping to invoke some kind of Elvis nostalgia in the hearts of the judges. I have to confess I did a terrible job, but there were two things working in my favour. First, unless my only fellow contestant also started killing people, I was going to be either winner or runner-up at an intergalactic music contest. Second, I realised that since there were so many thousands of different life-forms from all over many galaxies present at the amphitheatre, it was completely impossible that they should have similar tastes in music. So I really had a chance, in case they were looking for style and on-stage presence, because I was a lot easier on the eye than my rival.
Glossary:
- Stupid discussion: A pointless or unintelligent discussion.
- Clutching: Holding tightly or firmly.
- Wormhole: A theoretical tunnel in space-time that connects two separate points, allowing for faster travel.
- Space-time warp: A distortion or bending of the fabric of space and time.
- Metro: An underground railway system, often used for public transportation in cities.
- Quick and easy access: Convenient and efficient entry to a destination.
- Generations of travellers: Successive groups of people traveling over time.
- Contest: A competition or event where participants showcase their skills or talents.
- Killed otherwise: Ynos would have faced a dire consequence if they had not arrived in time.
- Space adventures: Exciting or extraordinary experiences in outer space.
- Completely magnificent amphitheatre: A grand and impressive open-air venue for performances or contests.
- Sound-assassin: A being with the ability to use sound waves as a lethal(deadly) force.
- Homisonic: A fictional planet mentioned in the text.
- Lethal physical force: Deadly or harmful energy exerted through physical means.
- Headless: Losing one’s head, often used metaphorically.
- Autographs: A person’s signature, often sought after as a memento.
- Security troopers: Personnel responsible for ensuring safety and security.
- Dramatically increased: Rose significantly or prominently.
- Sore throat: Discomfort or pain in the throat, affecting the ability to sing.
- Invoke: Call upon or evoke a particular feeling or memory (किसी विशेष भावना या याद को बुलाना या जगाना).
- Nostalgia: a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past. खुशी की भावना और हल्की उदासी भी जब आप अतीत में हुई चीजों के बारे में सोचते हैं।
- Elvis nostalgia: A longing or sentimental feeling related to Elvis Presley and his music.
- Confess: Admitting a truth or acknowledging a fact.
- Heartbreak Hotel: A well-known song, likely referring to a famous track by Elvis Presley.
- Runner-up: The contestant who finishes in second place.
- Life-forms: Various types of living beings.
- Similar tastes in music: Shared preferences in musical styles.
- On-stage presence: The way a performer carries themselves while on stage.
- Easier on the eye: More visually appealing or attractive.
Intext-Question
At this point, how do you think the story ends?
Ans. It’s difficult to predict the exact ending of the story. However, there are a few possibilities based on the current situation:
- The protagonist (the student), despite not being a good singer, may win or become the runner-up in the intergalactic music contest due to the unique circumstances, such as the elimination of other contestants.
- The story might take an unexpected turn, introducing new challenges or events that could impact the outcome of the contest.
- Ynos, the being from the spaceship, may play a crucial role in resolving the situation or influencing the judges’ decision in favour of the protagonist.
- The story could continue with more space adventures, exploring the consequences of the protagonist’s participation in the contest and the implications for the galaxy.
4. Unfortunately, she was only about two million times better than me, music-wise. She had three heads, all singing different tunes (and singing them strangely well), not to mention arms like drumsticks which beat lovely rhythms on the thin skin of her wings, and antennae that played one another like a harp. And while she sang, the entire amphitheatre shut up and listened, because she had something for everyone— she sang across frequencies, across tastes, across space. Anyway, she won, I came second. It was rigged, I tell you. These contests always are. Now, I had two problems. Ynos was being difficult. It pointed out that my contract hadn’t included safe home delivery. When I pointed out that a) there was no contract, and I had helped it out of a very sticky situation and b) that I had no desire to work on my singing, Ynos shrugged and waggled its tentacles at me in an aggressive sort of way. The second problem was a little stickier. It turns out that the daughter of Oogba Lopp of Stimblepok, the most powerful mafia don in the eastern part of our galaxy, was in love with me. Apparently my soulful rendition of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ had melted her heart, which must have been pretty melty in the first place, because she was basically this giant slug. Also, I had, she claimed, looked in her direction throughout my performance which, according to ancient Stimblepok tradition, meant that we were married. How did I get out of this situation? Well, it involved a thimble, a lot of salt, a certain amount of grovelling, a lot of blackmail, and a very difficult two days hidden inside a crate full of poisonous lobsters. So, let’s just say I managed to escape the clutches of Oogba Lopp and his henchmen and persuade Ynos to bring me back home. And everything looked all right again. We had many adventures on the way back, which I won’t go into, of course.
Glossary:
- Music-wise: Referring to musical ability or talent.
- Drumsticks: Sticks used for playing drums.
- Rhythms: Repeated patterns of sound or beats.
- Antennae: Sensory appendages on certain insects or animals.
- Harp: A musical instrument with strings played by plucking.
- Shut up: Became quiet or silent.
- Across frequencies: Appealing to a wide range of musical styles.
- Across tastes: Pleasing to different preferences & likings of different people.
- Across space: Attracting attention from various locations.
- Rigged: Manipulated or fixed in an unfair way.
- Difficult: Uncooperative or challenging.
- Contract: A formal agreement between parties.
- Safe home delivery: Ensuring a secure return to one’s home.
- Sticky: Difficult or problematic.
- Daughter of Oogba Lopp of Stimblepok: A character with a complicated background.
- Powerful mafia don: A leader of a criminal organization.
- Soulful rendition: A heartfelt or emotional performance.
- Melty: Easily influenced or moved emotionally.
- Giant slug: A metaphorical description of the character’s appearance.
- Looked in her direction: A gesture interpreted as significant in Stimblepok tradition.
- Ancient Stimblepok tradition: Customs or practices passed down through generations in a fictional context.
- Thimble: A small, protective cap used for sewing.
- Blackmail: Coercing or threatening someone to gain an advantage.
- Poisonous lobsters: Lobsters that can cause harm or danger.
- Escape the clutches: Successfully avoid being captured or controlled.
- Henchmen: Followers or associates who assist in carrying out tasks.
- Persuade: Convince or influence someone to do something.
- Adventures: Exciting or unusual experiences.
- Won’t go into: Choosing not to discuss or elaborate on specific details.
Intext-Question
Why do you think the narrator refuses to go into the details of his adventures?
Ans. The choice to omit details serves both literary and narrative purposes, allowing the narrator to control the flow of the story and engage the reader’s imagination and sustain the story’s tone.
We can give different reasons as follows:
- Privacy: The narrator might want to keep certain aspects of their adventures private. Disclosing too much information could invade their personal space or reveal sensitive details that they prefer to keep to themselves.
- Length Constraints: Describing many adventures in detail could make the story excessively long. To maintain brevity and keep the narrative focused, the narrator may choose to skip specific details and provide a concise summary instead.
- Reader Imagination: Leaving certain parts of the story open to the reader’s imagination can enhance the overall experience. By not providing every detail, the narrator allows readers to fill in the gaps with their own creativity and interpretation.
- Story Focus: The primary focus of the narrative might be on specific events or themes. Going into the details of every adventure may distract from the main plot or message the narrator wants to convey.
- Humor or Mystery: The narrator might use the decision to skip details as a humorous element or to create a sense of mystery. It adds an element of intrigue, encouraging readers to wonder and imagine what might have happened during those undisclosed adventures.
5. But I did get one thing, which made me very happy—thanks to the brilliance of wo rmhole-travel technology, I would be restored to Earth at round about the same time I left it, so I wouldn’t lose any time at school at all. Which was the best news possible for a dedicated student. And then things suddenly went wrong again. While we were passing Ganymede, the evil warlord Zigibvox ambushed us again. We managed to escape almost completely unscathed, but there was a little leak in the Ziggonium tank, which meant that we were a few hours off schedule; Ynos did drop me home, but today morning, not yesterday evening, and I just had time to change into my school uniform, eat breakfast and come straight to school. Also, a laser blast left a tiny hole in the outer membrane of the ship, and since I didn’t want to be sucked out into the great vacuum of space, I stuffed the nearest available object into the hole. Unfortunately, this turned out, upon examination, to be my Maths notebook. And that, Mrs Gupta, is why I don’t have my Maths homework with me today.
Glossary:
- Brilliance: Exceptional intelligence or ingenuity.
- Wormhole-travel technology: Advanced technology allowing travel through wormholes.
- Restored to Earth: Returning to Earth.
- Round about the same time: Approximately the same time.
- Dedicated student: A committed and focused learner.
- Went wrong again: Encountered problems or challenges once more.
- Passing Ganymede: Moving near or through Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons.
- Ambushed: Attacked unexpectedly.
- Unscathed: Without suffering any harm or damage.
- Zigibvox: The evil warlord mentioned earlier.
- Ziggonium tank: A component or device on the spaceship.
- Off schedule: Not following the planned or expected timetable.
- Drop me home: Transport me back to my residence.
- Today morning, not yesterday evening: Arriving in the morning instead of the previous evening.
- School uniform: Standard clothing worn by students at school.
- Eat breakfast: Consume the morning meal.
- Laser blast: A concentrated beam of light with destructive capabilities.
- Outer membrane: The external layer of the spaceship.
- Vacuum of space: The empty space devoid of matter.
- Stuffed: Inserted or placed forcibly.
- Nearest available object: The closest thing within reach.
- Examination: Close inspection or scrutiny.
- Mrs Gupta: Presumably a teacher or authority figure.
- Maths homework: Assignments or tasks related to mathematics.
- Don’t have my Maths homework with me today: Unable to present or submit the math assignments today.