Question

Read this excerpt from The Time Machine. Then complete the sentences that follow. And perhaps the thing that struck me most was its dilapidated look. The stained-glass windows, which displayed only a geometrical pattern, were broken in many places, and the curtains that hung across the lower end were thick with dust. And it caught my eye that the corner of the marble table near me was fractured. Nevertheless, the general effect was extremely rich and picturesque. There were, perhaps, a couple of hundred people dining in the hall, and most of them, seated as near to me as they could come, were watching me with interest, their little eyes shining over the fruit they were eating. All were clad in the same soft and yet strong, silky material. Fruit, by the by, was all their diet. These people of the remote future were strict vegetarians, and while I was with them, in spite of some carnal cravings, I had to be frugivorous also. Indeed, I found afterwards that horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, had followed the Ichthyosaurus into extinction. But the fruits were very delightful; one, in particular, that seemed to be in season all the time I was there—a floury thing in a three-sided husk—was especially good, and I made it my staple. At first I was puzzled by all these strange fruits, and by the strange flowers I saw, but later I began to perceive their import. The description of the broken windows and dusty curtains in the first paragraph foreshadows the Time Traveller’s later discovery that . The Time Traveller thinks that the diet of fruit is .

Answer 1

Answer:

1) The description of the broken windows and dusty curtains in the first paragraph foreshadows the Time Traveller’s later discovery that  the Eloi are a lethargic and unintelligent race that lacks initiative.

2)The Time Traveller thinks that the diet of fruit is an indication that the Eloi passively accept their lot.

Explanation:

The Eloi and the Morlocks are two races from H. G. Wells's science fiction novel "The time machine".

It is set in 802,701th year, in which the protagonist of the novel travels after he had invented a time machine.

Throughout the book, we find out that the Eloi are well dressed, fed only with fruit, careless and somewhat sympathetic. Later, we find the reason for this to be Morlocks providing them with everything needed. In return, Morlocks eat Eloi; their relation is similar to a farmer and his livestock.

Being pampered and provided with everything, the Eloi became stupid, lazy, dull, without any ambitions, fat, skill-less. They show no interest in the place where they live or about other members of the race.

The only things they seem to care about are mating, playing and eating, and as long these needs are satisfied, they won't attempt to change anything, they won't escape or fight Morlocks, so this fruit diet symbolizes their acceptance of the way things are.