FROM FICTION TO FACT

(Don’t have to print the text)

Inventions come from ideas. Where do ideas come from? One of the best sources for ideas are
story books. Many ideas for modern inventions came from the imagination of storytellers. Their
ideas were meant to entertain readers. Some readers were inspired to turn the ideas into reality.
Here are three famous writers of science fiction whose stories influenced the future.

Jules Verne is a well-known writer of science fiction. Many of his books inspired scientists who
turned fiction to fact. In 1865, the French author wrote about a manned spaceflight to the moon
in the novel From the Earth to the Moon. A hundred years later, the first man finally flew to the
moon. In the same novel, Verne described spacecraft powered by light. This technology exists
today and is called solar sails.
In another novel Robur the Conqueror, Verne described an aircraft named Albatross. Albatross
inspired inventor Igor Sikorsky to build the modern helicopter 50 years later.

Arthur C.Clarke is highly respected as a writer who predicted the future. In 1968, he wrote the
novel 2001 : A Space Odyssey. In the story, he described a device called the ‘newspad’. The device
allowed the user to read Earth’s newspaper. It sounds very much like the tablet computers we are
using today.
In 1964, Clarke wrote Dial F for Frankenstein. In this story, computers worked together in a
network. Nine-year-old Tim Berners-Lee read the story and was fascinated by the idea. He grew
up to be the man who created the World Wide Web.

Ray Bradbury is regarded as a master of science fiction. In his novel Fahrenheit 451, the
characters wear little ‘Seashells’ in their ears. They are actually in-ear radios which are similar to
the in-ear headphones or earbuds we use today. In the same story, the people who live in a
futuristic world are enchanted by their flat-screen televisions. The television screen takes up an
entire wall. True enough, many modern homes now have home theatres with huge flat-screen
televisions. What Ray Bradbury imagined in 1953 is now a reality.
FROM FICTION TO FACT 14.7.2021
(You may either PRINT or COPY the following exercises in your Reading Ex. Bk)

A. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate details

AUTHORS NOVELS TECHNOLOGY

Jules Verne a) i) space travel

ii)

b) i)

a) 2001: A Space Odyssey i)

b) i) world wide web

a) Fahrenheit 451 i)
ii)

B. Write True or False next to the statements.

1. Jules Verne described man’s first flight to the moon. ………………………………

2. The Albatross is an imaginary aircraft. ………………………………
3. Fahrenheit 451 was written in 1953. ………………………………
4. The “news pad” was mentioned in a story written in 2001. ………………………………
5. Tim Berners-Lee was inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s writing. ………………………………

C. Answer the following question

1. The writers mentioned in this text, specialised in writing stories belonging to the same genre.
Which genre Is that?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….….

2. What do you understand by the phrase, “From fiction to fact” which is also the title of this reading
text? (HOTS)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Who are the 2 inventors mentioned in the text that were influenced by the science fiction stories
and came up with 2 major inventions? Name the inventions too.
INVENTOR INVENTION / CREATION

i) …………………………………………………………………… …..…………………………………………………

ii) ………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………..

4. Inventions come from ideas. One of the best sources for ideas are storybooks. Besides storybooks,
name another source where the inventors get their idea from. (HOTS)

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

__________________________________________________________________________________