The Star Ducks by Bill Brown

No.	Page	Question		Answer
STORY TWO – The Star Ducks
1	25	The story opens with a description of Ward Rafferty. What is his profession, and how do we know this?	He is a journalist/reporter. We know this because he leaves The Times press car and because of the description of his ‘newshawk’s nose’.
2	25	How does Rafferty know that Mr Alsop is not a Times reader?	He knows this because most people have heard of his by-line ‘I’m Rafferty of The Times.’ Given that Mr.Alsop enquire as to who Rafferty is, he cannot, according to Rafferty, have been a Times reader.
3	26	Rafferty finds the Alsops rather strange. What in particular makes the Alsops so bizarre? a) Their idea that planes do not have wings b) Their sheer dumbness c) Their lack of energy	The answer is b, their sheer dumbness. Rafferty cannot believe that two people could be so stupid.
4	27	Rafferty is shocked to find a strange piece of technology that looked like a giant plastic balloon only half inflated. What is another word that the author uses that could substitute the term ‘piece of technology’? a)Bodoni b) Stock c) Contraption	The answer is c, contraption. The author uses this term twice to describe the strange object.
5	27	After Rafferty has seen the strange object, the first thing that he thinks of is related to his profession. What is it that he thinks of?	Rafferty thinks of a possible headline for a newspaper. This is: ‘Local Farmer Builds Rocket Ship For Moon Voyage’
6	28	Mr.Alsop leads Rafferty over to meet the creators of the strange spaceship. Where does Rafferty think they might be from?	Russia. Rafferty asks whether they are Russians after Mr.Asop tells him that they are pretty hard to talk to.
7	28	Mr.Alsop takes Rafferty into the living room, where Rafferty tries to ‘play along’ when meeting the invaders. What three bodily features of the aliens does Rafferty notice, and how does he describe those features?	1) Their long, flexible antennae 2) Their lavender faces as expressionless as glass 3) The round eyes that seemed to be painted on
8	29	Rafferty is very shocked to see the aliens and he tells himself that he must be crazy, drunk or dreaming. He asks Mrs.Alsop what their names are casually. How does Mrs.Alsop explain that you can work out their names?	The aliens point their horns at you and you can think what they think. By seeing what they are thinking, you can work out their names.
9	29	Rafferty throws his match into the coal bucket. Soon after, he doesn’t know what term to use to describe the aliens. Which two terms does he use?	He calls them both ‘things’ and ‘people’.
10	30	‘Rafferty’s brain turns into rubber when the alien points her horn at him’. True or false? If true, how do you know? If false, why is it false?	False. Rafferty’s brain felt as though it were made of rubber when the alien points her horn at him. It does not, however, turn to rubber in reality.
11	30	Rafferty shouts to Mr and Mrs Alsop that the arrival of the creatures is the most important thing that has ever happened in the history of the world. What makes Rafferty realise that these creatures are not fake but are in fact from another planet?	Rafferty realises this after he is transported through space when the female alien points her horns at him.
12	31	How would you describe the personality of the creatures? Give one example to prove this. a) Rude b) Polite c) Invasive d) Bored	The answer is b). The creatures are very polite, taking care not to eavesdrop on other people’s minds. Brown (the author) also describes the aliens as polite when they meet Rafferty.

13	31	What are the aliens on earth for?	They are here to get eggs.
14	32	Rafferty wants to take a photo of the creatures, but before Mr.Alsop can find a film, the creatures disappear in their ship. Rafferty then thinks about the story he could write, and he realises what their last names actually were. What was their last name, and how does Rafferty realise this?	Their last name was Smith. Rafferty realises this because they said that their last name was ‘man-who-bends-iron’. A man who bends an iron is a ‘blacksmith’ and this is where the word ‘smith’ comes from
15	32	After the creatures leave, Rafferty does not give up but continues to ask the Alsop’s questions. Why is Rafferty so desperate to get more information from Mr and Mrs.Alsop after the creatures leave?	Rafferty desperately wants a good story for his newspaper. He, therefore, wants as much information as he can get from the Alsop’s.
16	33	The Alsop’s tell Raffery that they were given star duck eggs from the creatures. What does Mr.Alsop mean when he says that ‘The star points bothered the old hen something awful’	Mr.Alsop gave the star duck eggs to his hen to look after, but the points on the egg were very uncomfortable for the hen!
17	33	Describe in as much detail as possible what a star duck looks like when it is fully grown.	Star ducks look something like a mix between a hippopotamus and a swallow. They have six legs.