In this chapter of E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops," the reader is introduced to a small hexagonal room inhabited by Vashti, a woman who lives entirely supported by the advanced technology of the 'Machine'. This perfectly controlled environment ........
The Machine Stops - New Oxford Modern English - Class 7 - English
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Back Exercises - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Literature | English | Class 7
Complete the following: see if you can think of any new comparisons apart from the obvious ones which you have read before.
1. As busy as ….
2. As stiff as …..
3. As black as ….
4. As gay as …..
5. As rich as…
6. As fierce as …..
7. As regular as …
8. As plain as ….
9. As false as…
10. As red as ….
11. As heavy as….
12. As happy as…
13. As clean as…
14. As fragile as….
15. As tough as….
As busy as a tech startup during product launch.
As stiff as a freshly starched shirt.
As black as a deserted path at midnight.
As gay as a child at a carnival.
As rich as a tech billionaire.
As fierce as a Viking warrior.
As regular as a morning alarm clock.
As plain as a bowl of unsalted popcorn.
As false as a scam email.
As red as a ripe pomegranate.
As heavy as the burden of secrets.
As happy as a puppy with a new toy.
As clean as an operating theatre.
As fragile as an old photograph.
As tough as a Spartan warrior.
Punctuate the following, using inverted commas where necessary.
Doctor Livingstone explored Darkest Africa.
They can’t come tomorrow she said sadly.
But his comments were not necessary he pointed out.
Have you read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory he inquired.
Exit is really a Latin word which means he goes off.
His name was Gandhi but everyone called him the Mahatma Which means great soul.
Did you shout get out she asked.
Parlez vous Francais he asked in a very posh accent.
The Mountain Lion by D.H. Lawrence is a fin poem.
Whatever it is he said I intend to find out.
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Sign up nowThis extract is part of a longer story called ‘The Machine Stops’. Write about how you think the story ends.
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Sign up nowBack Questions - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Literature | English | Class 7
Who are Vasthi and Kuno?
Vashti is a woman who lives in a technologically advanced society where everything is managed by a Machine. She resides in a hexagonal room filled with various switches and buttons to access all her needs. She values the convenience and efficiency provided by the Machine.
Kuno is Vashti's son who lives on the other side of the world. Unlike his mother, Kuno shows discomfort towards the heavy reliance on the Machine for communication. He desires to meet and communicate with his mother in person instead of via the Machine.
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Why can Vasthi only talk to Kuno for five minutes?
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Sign up nowHow does Vasthi move around her room?
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Sign up nowWhy doesn’t Vasthi want to travel in the airship?
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Sign up nowWhat does Kuno say that shocks Vashti?
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Sign up nowWhat details do we learn about the rooms that people live in in the underground world?
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Sign up nowWhat do we learn about Vasthi and Kuno’s personalities?
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Sign up nowWhat do we learn about the machine? What does it do? What are the positive and negative aspects of it? How do the characters feel about it?
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Sign up nowAnd in the armchair there sits a swaddled lump of flesh – a woman, about five feet high, with a face as white as a fungus.
i. Who is the woman?
ii. What does the description ‘swaddled lump of flesh’ show about her?
iii. What does the comparison ‘face as white as a fungus’ show about her?
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Sign up nowVashti’s next move was to turn off the isolation switch, and all the accumulations of the last three minutes burst upon her. The room was filled with the noise of bells and speaking tubes. When does this happen?
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Sign up nowShe knew several thousand people: in certain directions, human communication had advanced enormously.
i. How does Vashti communicate with the people she knows? What kind of things do they communicate about?
ii. What does the author imply by the use of the phrase ‘in certain directions’?
iii. How could we view Vashti’s world’s ways of communicating as negative?
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Sign up now‘I dislike seeing the horrible brown earth, and the sea, and the stars when it is dark. I get no ideas in an airship.’
i. Who is speaking? To whom?
ii. What has happened to the earth?
iii. How long is the airship journey between Vashti’s underground room and Kuno’s underground room?
iv. Where does Vashti get ‘ideas’ from?
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Sign up nowThe clumsy system of public gatherings had been long since abandoned; neither Vashti nor her audience stirred from their rooms.
i. What is meant by the following phrases:
System of public gatherings
Stirred from their rooms
ii. Write the sentence out in your own words. Keep the meaning intact.
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Sign up nowHis image in the blue plate faded.
‘Kuno!’
He had isolated himself.
i. What makes Kuno isolate himself?
ii. What does ‘isolated himself’ mean in the story?
iii. How does Vashti feel after this?
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Sign up nowExtra Questions - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Literature | English | Class 7
‘The four big stars are the man’s shoulders and his knees.’
‘The four big stars are the man’s shoulders and his knees.’
i. What is Kuno trying to convey with this metaphor?
ii. What is Vashti’s reaction to this idea, and what does it reveal about her character?
iii. Why does Kuno want to see the stars from the surface of the earth?
i. Kuno's metaphor of the stars forming a man's body is symbolic of his yearning for human contact and experience beyond the confines of the Machine-dominated world. He is indirectly expressing his longing to experience life as his ancestors did when humans had direct interaction with the natural world. H
ii. Vashti's reaction to Kuno’s idea is dismissive and cold, which serves to reveal her aloof and indifferent character, disconnected from the natural world and wholly dependent on the Machine for her existence and experiences.
iii. Kuno's desire to see the stars from the earth's surface represents his desire to experience life unmediated by technology to feel a direct connection with the natural world. He yearns to break away from the sterile, artificial world dominated by the Machine and wishes to experience nature and the universe as humans did before the advent of such pervasive technology.
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‘Vashti isolated herself – it was necessary, for neither day nor night existed under the ground.’
i. What does Vashti’s isolation represent in the context of this society?
ii. How does the absence of day and night contribute to the overall atmosphere of this world?
iii. How does the concept of ‘isolation’ manifest throughout the story?
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Sign up nowQuiz - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
About the Author - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
E.M. Forster, or Edward Morgan Forster, was an esteemed English novelist, short story writer, and essayist known for his penetrating narratives about the class system in British society and for his examination of the social, psychological, and philosophical underpinnings of human experiences and relationships. Born on January 1, 1879, and raised in a middle-class household in London, Forster attended Cambridge University, where he became a part of the intellectual group known as the Bloomsbury Group.
Forster's work is marked by his distinctive narrative style and subtle character development. His novels often navigated the conflicts inherent in English society, and he is perhaps best known for his works such as "A Room with a View," "Howards End," and "A Passage to India," which are considered classics in English literature. Often, they touch on themes of class difference, colonialism, and the paradox of maintaining individuality within societal constraints.
"The Machine Stops" is a short science fiction story that stands out among Forster's works as it paints an eerily prophetic image of a technologically dominated dystopian future, bearing semblance to our present reality in many ways.
Forster was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 13 different years. He died on June 7, 1970, leaving behind a legacy of piercing social commentaries, compelling characters, and deep humanist values. Today, he continues to be regarded as one of the finest authors of the 20th century.
Summary - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
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Themes - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
1. Technological Dependence and Dehumanization: E.M. Forster paints a grim picture of a future where humanity is completely dependent on technology. The Machine is not merely a functional tool, but every aspect of life and communication hinges on it. Activities......
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Unlock now 🔓Plot - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
1. Introductory Setting: In a hexagonal room that is part of an expansive hive-like living arrangement, Vashti lives in absolute reliance on a vast mechanism called the Machine. It provides her with light, fresh air, music, and all other essentials........
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Unlock now 🔓Important Lines - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
1. "And in the armchair there sits a swaddled lump of flesh – a woman, about five feet high, with a face as white as a fungus."
This phrase introduces Vashti and emphasizes the dehumanization and lack of physical activity that results from utter dependence on the Machine.
2. "She knew several thousand....
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Unlock now 🔓Vocabulary - The Machine Stops | New Oxford Modern English | Class 7 Literature | English
Hexagonal: Having six sides or facets
The honeycomb has a hexagonal pattern.Radiance: Brightness or light
She glowed with the radiance of happiness.Melodious: Pleasant to the ear
She has a.................
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