Study Guide: Fairy Tales on the Mars Frontier

(c)2003 Jeannette Jaquish Name: _______________________________
Take this quiz while reading the script.
Read the Title Page.

1.) “Fairy tales evolve as future pioneer parents on Mars teach morals, safety and history to their children.” What does “evolve” mean? If you don’t know, look it up in the dictionary.
[ ] a. are acted out in front of the community
[ ] b. are told over and over by parent to child
[ ] c. change over time to fit with the conditions
[ ] d. die out and are forgotten

2.) The Cast of Actors shows which characters are in each “scene” (story or song).
Draw a line from each actor or techie to his or her scene or scenes. (One is in two scenes.)

			Piper

			Techie A		Three Pigs

			Ma Pig			

			Mayor			Pied Piper

			Techie F		

			Commune Pig 3		Rock Song

			Farmer

3.) Which of these characters does not have to memorize all his or her lines?

	[  ] Grandma		[  ] Ma Pig		[  ] Mother and Father		[  ] Child

Read Page 2.

4.) Why do you suppose Grandma’s lines are in bold face?
[ ] a. So she can read them easily during the performance.
[ ] b. So she will speak them loudly.
[ ] c. In case Grandma is acted by an old lady with bad eyesight.

5.) Where is the pig commune?
[ ] a. In Russia.
[ ] b. On a hill on Mars.
[ ] c. In a crater on Mars.
[ ] d. On the equator of Mars.

6.) What is the job Ma Pig wants her little pigs to do?
[ ] a. Scrape the carbon filters.
[ ] b. Tend the garden and pick the corn.
[ ] c. Empty the oxygen scrubbers.

7.) What can you deduce (figure out from clues given) is a crop grown on the commune farm?
[ ] a. Algae.
[ ] b. Corn.
[ ] c. Pork.
[ ] d. Apples.
Read Page 3.

8.) Why do you suppose the author used the tune “Old MacDonald” instead of writing new music?
[ ] a. An old song like “Old MacDonald” is out of copyright, so it is free to use.
[ ] b. It is easier than writing new music.
[ ] c. Actors already know the tune.
[ ] d. All of the above.

9.) Thousands of years ago theater stages were tilted: the rear of the stage (UPstage) was higher, and near the audience (DOWNstage) was lower. At upstage, you could have stepped onto your skateboard and coasted downstage, landing right in the audience. Why were stages tilted? So the actors in front wouldn’t block the audience’s view of the actors behind them. In theater it is a bad bad bad bad thing to “upstage” another actor, especially if they are saying a line. What do you think “to upstage an actor” means?
[ ] a. To roll over them with your skateboard.
[ ] b. To step downstage of an actor, blocking the audience’s view of the actor.
[ ] c. To stand upstage of them where they can't see you.

10.) “Upstaging an actor” also means to distract the audience away from them when you shouldn’t. What are things you should NOT do when another actor is saying their line? (Two correct answers.)
[ ] a. Move around in a big or distracting way.
[ ] b. Watch the speaking actor.
[ ] c. Act the way your character would really act if he or she heard what was being said.
[ ] d. Wave at your family in the audience.

11.) The first pioneers to America, or Mars, or any new place have a hard time. They work hard, go hungry, suffer from the weather and see many of their group die. To better survive, families often join together, forming a “commune”. They work side by side, share what they harvest and take care of anyone who gets sick or can’t work. What does a commune depend on?
[ ] a. Competition between people to grow the most food for their own family.
[ ] b. Good weather.
[ ] c. Everyone doing their assigned job and only taking their share.
[ ] d. People leaving to find better land to start their own farm.

12.) In the Commune Song we get some hints about the conditions in the commune farm.
Draw a line from the song lyrics (words) to what they mean.

	“Everywhere a weather strip”			The leaders electronically monitor each pig.

	“Sweat and love on every face”			Sticky tape that seals the dome, keeping in the air.

	“Profits dip”					Everyone votes on what everyone can say or read.

	“Microchip” (pointing to forehead)		The farm makes a product (like algae chips) and tries to sell it.

	“Democratic censorship”				Everyone works hard and loves the others.

13.) Why are some words in the script printed in italics?
[ ] a. Italicized words should be spoken in a high voice.
[ ] b. Italicized words are actions to do, not lines to say.
[ ] c. Italicized words are the director’s notes. Ignore them.
[ ] d. Italicized words are to be whispered.

14.) When the Commune Pigs return to say, “The spinach is eaten…” where are their tools?
[ ] a. Offstage.
[ ] b. In their hands (hooves?).
[ ] c. Floor onstage.
[ ] d. Hidden behind the dome.

Read Pages 4, 5 and 6.

15.) We find out what the farm produces to sell for money (to buy other stuff). What is it?
[ ] a. Algae waffles.
[ ] b. Comrade Napoleon’s Barbecued Algae Chips.
[ ] c. Snowball's Southern Ham Hock Crispies.
[ ] d. Hammocks.

16.) Grandma tells the kids to buy some. Why?
[ ] a. Maybe she likes them?
[ ] b. Maybe the author likes them?
[ ] c. I don’t know, it’s weird.
[ ] d. My guess: _________________________________________________________

17.) After three pages of script, at the top of page 5, where are we in the original 3 Pigs story?
[ ] a. Once upon a time there were three little pigs who lived with their mother.
[ ] b. One day she said, “Little pigs, it is time you found your own way in the world.”
[ ] c. So the little pigs set out together.
[ ] d. The first little pig saw a man carrying some straw, and bought it and built a house.

18.) Actors should not turn their backs to the audience – the audience needs to see their faces not their backsides. If you and another actor are saying lines to each other during a performance, on what level, do you think, should each of you stand, so that neither of you turns your back to the audience?
[ ] a. One upstage, one downstage.
[ ] b. Both downstage, always.
[ ] c. Taller actor upstage, shorter actor downstage.
[ ] d. Upstage, downstage or midstage, but both actors should be on the same level.

19.) The pigs decide to become “Capitalist pigs.” This means what?
[ ] a. Each pig will own his own house and land, and work for himself.
[ ] b. They agree to share and always help each other out no matter what.
[ ] c. Start their own commune somewhere else.

20.) What does the Wolf represent? Hint: It is the biggest danger on Mars.
[ ] a. Strangers.
[ ] b. Hungry wild animals.
[ ] c. Society.
[ ] d. Weather.

21.) The Wolf visits the South Pole of Mars. What gas is dry ice made of?
[ ] a. Carbon dioxide.
[ ] b. Frozen steam.
[ ] c. Oxygen.
[ ] d. Methane.

22.) As the pigs build their homes, we start to see their different personalities.
Draw a line connecting each pig with their personal characteristics.

	Pig 1			Plans things before doing the work, and then does the job right.

	Pig 2			Thinks there is an easy way to patch up any problem.

	Pig 3			Starts to build a house without learning how.

Read Pages 6-8.

23.) What is the “nail” that Pig 2 is looking at? _______________________________

24.) What is the tallest volcano in the olar system?
[ ] a. Mount Vesuvius.
[ ] b. Mount Venus.
[ ] c. Olympus Mons.
[ ] d. Mars Mountain.

25.) Where did Pig 3 learn how to build a dome home?
[ ] a. The internet.
[ ] b. From the man selling the bricks.
[ ] c. Trial and error.
[ ] d. The architecture library.

26. ) “Bio-jeered” is slang for what word? ______________________________

27.) What material covers Pig 2’s dome?
[ ] a. Aluminum.
[ ] b. Asphalt shingles.
[ ] c. Sticks.
[ ] d. Regolith.

28.) Pig 2’s windows are melted silicate. Silicate contains silicon, oxygen and a metallic radical. Silicate is one of the ingredients that is used to make bricks and glass. Where do you think it comes from?
[ ] a. Dirt.
[ ] b. Plants.
[ ] c. Air.
[ ] d. imported from Earth.

29.) What makes meteorites hot as they fall onto a planet?
[ ] a. The vacuum of space.
[ ] b. The atmospheric friction, rubbing of air.
[ ] c. The sun’s rays.
[ ] d. The magnetic field.

30.) What do Pig 1 and Pig 2 do to the Wolf to escape him after Pig 2’s dome is destroyed?
[ ] a. Nothing, the Wolf’s own meteorites delay him.
[ ] b. They say they are going back to the commune and the Wolf tries to get there first.
[ ] c. They trick him by hiding in a crater until he passes by.
[ ] d. They don’t escape, the Wolf catches them and they wiggle free.

31.) There are two points of view in theater: the actors’ and the audience’s. So telling “left” and “right” is tricky. “Left” and “right” in a script are always from an actor’s point of view, standing on the stage looking towards the audience. To be sure the reader understands, it is called “stage left” and “stage right”. If you put Grandma’s couch downstage, stage left, where does the audience see it?
[ ] a. At the front of the stage on the left.
[ ] b. At the rear of the stage on the left.
[ ] c. At the front of the stage on the right.
[ ] d. At the rear of the stage on the right.

Read Page 9 – 10.

32.) “Regolith” means the dirt of a planet. Moon dirt (regolith) brought back by NASA astronauts has been made into bricks and ceramics here on earth, and that’s what Pig 3 does also.
How does he do it?
[ ] a. By freezing it.
[ ] b. By heating it.
[ ] c. By mixing it with glue made from hooves.

Some Moon dirt was also made into a kind of cement by adding water.

33.) Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. Which is larger?
[ ] a. Phobos.
[ ] b. Deimos.
[ ] c. They are both about the same size.

34.) How did Pig 3 protect his or her windows from meteorites?
[ ] a. By putting bars across them.
[ ] b. Double panes of glass.
[ ] c. They don’t face the sky.

35.) How does the script suggest the techies move the rocks?
[ ] a. Throwing real rocks.
[ ] b. Throwing fake rocks.
[ ] c. Swing fake rocks on strings on sticks.
[ ] d. Dressing like rocks and jumping.

36.) The Weather Wolf uses his or her entire arsenal (supply of weapons) on the Third Pig’s home.
Which of these does the Wolf NOT use?
[ ] a. Avalanche.
[ ] b. Floods.
[ ] c. Tornado.
[ ] d. Extreme heat.
[ ] e. Cold and ice.
[ ] f. Solar flares.

37.) After the Weather Wolf could not destroy the Third Pig’s home, what does the Wolf send?
[ ] a. Meteorites
[ ] b. Nice weather.
[ ] c. Hurricane.
[ ] d. A hypnotist.

38.) Which of these common statements suggests that the weather watches us and is out to “get” us?
[ ] a. The thermometer reads below freezing.
[ ] b. If I leave my car windows open, it is sure to rain.
[ ] c. The wind last night blew over our trash cans.

39.) Where are Tethys and Callisto’s mother and father during the Pig Story?
[ ] a. Outside working on the house.
[ ] b. Callisto and Tethys are orphans.
[ ] c. Pulling weeds in the garden.
[ ] d. In another room.

Read Pages 11 – 13.

40.) In the Pied Piper story, what is the disaster happening in the town?
[ ] a. Pigs refusing to work.
[ ] b. Equipment breaking down.
[ ] c. An oxygen eating fungus.
[ ] d. Purple litter.

41.) When the people in the town start getting sick, how do they first react?
[ ] a. They try to work harder.
[ ] b. They go to doctors.
[ ] c. They leave the town.

42.) Who has the best idea about stopping the fungus?
[ ] a. Mayor.
[ ] b. Council Woman.
[ ] c. Scientist.
[ ] d. Child.

43.) From the discussion about getting help we learn where in the solar system humans live at that time. Besides Mars and Earth (Moon included), where do humans live in this story?
[ ] a. Mercury.
[ ] b. Venus.
[ ] c. Jupiter.
[ ] d. Atlantis.

44.) When no solution is found to stop the fungus, the people abandon the city, and we find out what sort of structure the city is. What is it?
[ ] a. Wooden houses near a river.
[ ] b. Everyone has their own dome.
[ ] c. Underground caves.
[ ] d. A city inside a huge dome.

45.) How many times is Grandma asked if “pied” means pie or what?
[ ] a. Once.
[ ] b. Twice.
[ ] c. Thrice.

46.) The Piper is…?
[ ] a. a show-off.
[ ] b. humble.
[ ] c. scary.
[ ] d. dishonest.

47.) The Mayor and Council say they’ll pay the Piper all their money to destroy the plague. The Piper wants what else?
[ ] a. To own the town also.
[ ] b. A written contract with signatures.
[ ] c. To be paid in children.
[ ] d. To become king.

Read Pages 14 – to the end of the script.

48.) The Council does not want to pay the Piper so much money. Why? (Two answers)
[ ] a. They didn’t really have any money.
[ ] b. They could have done it themselves.
[ ] c. They Piper did it so quickly.
[ ] d. The Piper didn’t completely kill the fungus.

49.) The Piper truthfully told the children that Earth had lots of air, warmth, animals and people. What unpleasant surprises awaited the children when they landed on Earth? (Two answers.)
[ ] a. World war.
[ ] b. Triple gravity.
[ ] c. Air pollution.
[ ] d. Mutants everywhere.

50.) The Rock Song is a poem-song that helps the kids remember the history of how the early pioneers changed the environment on Mars. Compared to Earth, Mars is a smaller planet farther from the Sun. Because it is smaller it has less gravity, so most of the air has floated off into space. Air holds in heat. That is why Venus with its thick atmosphere (air) is hotter than Mercury even though Mercury is closer to the Sun. To warm up Mars, what must people do?
[ ] a. Push Mars closer to the Sun.
[ ] b. Burn the planet.
[ ] c. Ship hot air from Venus..
[ ] d. Create more air on Mars.

51.) The factory doing the regolith squeeze is crushing and heating the rocks and dirt to release CFC’s (chloro fluoro carbons) (air gases). These create an atmosphere and capture the Sun’s heat and warm the planet. A warmer planet melts the North and South Poles releasing water and carbon dioxide which capture more of the Sun’s heat, on and on. What is this process called?
[ ] a. Greenhouse effect.
[ ] b. Storms.
[ ] c. Pollution.
[ ] d. Weather.

52.) In the scene with the Mother and Father we learn something about Grandmother which explains her occasional odd behavior. What is it?
[ ] a. She is a robot.
[ ] b. She is an alien.
[ ] c. She is imaginary.
[ ] d. She is an original Martian.

53.) We also learn where Mother and Father have been and what they have been doing. What?
[ ] a. Mother was at the market, Father working in the mines.
[ ] b. Tending the garden.
[ ] c. Fighting a storm by fixing the house.
[ ] d. Sleeping in another room.

54.) Do you think the family lives?
[ ] a. Yes.
[ ] b. No.
[ ] c. Probably.
[ ] d. Don’t know.