The Comet – Part 2 Summary & Notes - CBSE Class 8 English It So Happened

According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been removed from NCERT Class 8 English It So Happened Notes & Summary textbook.

Summary of The Comet – Part 2

Chapter 10 of the Class 8 English Supplementary Reader – It So Happened, consists of prose – The Comet – Part 2, which is a continuation of the previous chapter, The Comet – Part 1 that mentions how scientists across the globe came together to discuss the impact of Comet Dutta that was supposed to collide with Earth. So does the comet collide with Earth? Students can read the prose summary of CBSE Class 8 English Prose Notes – The Comet – Part 2 in the form of CBSE English Notes Class 8 here to find out what happens next. We hope this summary will help students to get a complete understanding of the chapter and use it as a reference while gearing up for their English exam.

Students can also improve their writing section for the English exam by practising essays on various topics.

CBSE Class 8 English The Comet – Part 2 Summary

The Comet – Part 2 is the concluding part of the previous chapter, The Comet – Part 1. In this story, the discussion between Sir John Macpherson and Dr James Forsyth ended, and Sir John dropped James at his hotel at midnight at 1 a.m. At that time of the night, there was hardly any crowd on the street when James looked out of his window at the beautiful star-studded night sky. He wondered if his calculations about Comet Dutta were right.

Soon enough, James met eminent scientists who came from different parts of the world to attend the secret conference that was organised by Sir John Macpherson. Leading scientists and experts had gathered in a secret meeting to discuss how to avert Comet Dutta’s collision with Earth. Sir John had specially invited Manoj Duttada, the person who discovered the comet, to the conference comprising experts, nuclear physicists, computer scientists, astronomers, etc. According to Dr James Forsyth and some other scientist’s calculations, the impact of Comet Dutta was likely to be disastrous. Hence, the purpose of the conference was to chalk out a plan to prevent the comet from colliding with Earth.

The secret conference was conducted for one week. Duttada attended the conference as a special invitee of Sir John Macpherson to discuss the impact of Comet Dutta. The scientists verified James’s calculations repeatedly to check if there was not a loop in it. After detailed discussions, they came to the conclusion that there was no way that Earth could escape the collision with Comet Dutta. However, the chances of the comet changing direction or simply touching the Earth’s atmosphere were bleak. In any case, the comet was more likely to cause impactful damage to life and property. They rejected defensive measures, and the main idea of their plan was to deflect the comet by giving it a slight push. This was possible only with the help of nuclear power.

Sir John was so worried about the project that he said that he would delay buying Christmas presents until December 15. By then, probably they would be certain whether the danger of Comet Dutta could be averted. Duttada was deeply worried about the damage the comet might inflict on the planet. However, when he returned to Calcutta, he was honoured by the people for his achievement. Besides, his wife Indrani Debi had organised a yagna so that the priests could bless him and reduce the ill effects of the comet. Duttada was not as superstitious as his wife, so he was sceptical about the entire religious ceremony and exhibited the least interest in it.

Over the next few days, Duttada was in constant touch with Sir John Macpherson about the status of the comet. In due course, they became good friends. Sir John also gave Duttada a few updates about the progress of the ‘Project Light Brigade’. As Comet Dutta was approaching Earth at its own pace without exhibiting any signs of weakness, Duttada was extremely tense and was unable to share his anxiety with anyone. His only task over the subsequent days was to monitor the comet regularly as slowly as it was visible to the naked eye too.

Finally, on November 18 a special messenger came on a scooter from the British Council who brought an urgent telex message for Duttada. It was a message from Sir John Macpherson for Duttada stating that he was confident to buy his Christmas presents on December 15. This meant that the secret meeting of scientists and their plan to avert the path of Comet Dutta’s collision with Earth was successful. Duttada heaved a great sigh of relief, and he rushed to his favourite rasagolla shop in excitement.

On December 15, Comet Dutta came very near to Earth at a distance of 80,000 kilometres. Millions watched the spectacular celestial event and admired it, but they were unaware of the danger and impact it might have caused if the comet had collided with Earth. Indrani Debi took credit that because of the yagna conducted by her a few days ago, the disastrous impact of the comet could have been averted. Hearing this, Duttada thought of his grandson performing the yagna and uttering mantras.

Meanwhile, this also reminded Duttada of the scientists discussing at the secret conference. Hence, this brought forth two contrasting pictures of contemporary society – one was rational, and the other was mere superstition. The gap between rational and superstition beliefs seemed huge for him to fill. Thus, he wondered if human society would ever succeed in eliminating this gap. Duttada had no definite answer to this question.

Conclusion of The Comet – Part 2

The chapter – The Comet – Part 2 illustrates the capabilities of human beings with a scientific mindset to think rationally and manage nature. However, it was difficult to remove the gap between rational and superstition as it is far more sinister and wider for anyone to eliminate. Presenting the CBSE Class 8 English, It So Happened Prose Summary of The Comet – Part 2 that must have helped 8th standard students to have a comprehensive understanding of the chapter.

Besides, they can check out BYJU’S website to access valuable resources such as CBSE Notes and CBSE study materials. They can also download BYJU’S: The Learning App and view the CBSE sample papers and prior years’ question papers.