Question

1)What is the difference between Flatland and Space?2)Explain how people in Flatland appear to each other.3)Explain two different ways that people in Flatland use to distinguish their positions (North and South).4)Describe who is represented by the following geometric objects:a.Linesb.Equilateral Trianglesc.Isosceles Trianglesd.Squares/Pentagonse.Polygons (>5 sides)f.Circles5)How is the shape of a child based on the parent’s shape?6)How many generations would be required to change an Isosceles with a brain size of 57 degrees to become a member of the Regular class?7)What part of the object is examined when “feeling” is done? How do Flatlanders actually learn to feel this?8)What natural occurrence helps the process of sight discrimination? Explain. Comprehension Questions Chapters 7-12. Use complete sentences. All answers must be handwritten.1)Why is it important for all people in Flatland to be regular?2)What happens to a person who is born irregular? How are they treated?3)Which people in Flatland were colorless centuries ago? Why were they?4)Why did the coloration of priests and women cause objection in Flatland?5)Why did women at first want the color bill to be signed,and then decided against it?6)What was the eventual outcome of the color bill?7)Why is it difficult to distinguish circles from high class polygons?8)What laws of nature make it difficult for a polygon to become a circle?

Answer 1

1)Flatland is a two-dimensional place. The citizens have been exposed to the idea that they are only two-dimensional. On the other hand, Space is a three-dimensional place (like our world), in which there are length, width, and height, so an object can be rotated and seen from every angle.

2)Since they live in a two-dimensional place, people in Flatland appear as a straight line, regardless of how many sides they might have. They cannot perceive height, only length and width. They can perceive colors, but it’s difficult to tell the difference. Some people appear sharper and therefore more dangerous than others.

3)In Flatland, they are attracted to the South and by using this pulling, they can determine other directions. All of the houses have side walls that run to the north and south, so they can use this to determine directions.

4)
a. Lines – Women
b. Equilateral Triangles – The Middle Class
c. Isosceles Triangles – Soldiers, Low class of workmen
d. Squares/Pentagons – Professional men and gentlemen
e. Polygons (>5 sides) – Nobility
f. Circles – High Ranking officials

5)The law of nature has established that every son is born with one more side than his father, whereas every daughter is born as a straight line. For example: The son of a Square is a Pentagon, the son of a Pentagon, a Hexagon; and so on.

6)Zero. If you follow the rule that every daughter is born a straight line (and that already excludes an option) and every son is born with one more side than his father, the son of a triangle cannot ever become another triangle.

7)When “feeling” is done, the angles of an object are examined. People from Flatland learn how to do this since a very young age, and continue doing this as part of their everyday life. This is one of their methods to recognize other inhabitants, along with listening and seeing/inferring.

8)The upper classes have a better vision comparing to the other classes, where they can determine the object’s depth. The upper class can see the light fading more quickly into the fog with the triangle, this is because the angle of a triangle is smaller and thinner than the angle of a (for example) pentagon.

Comprehension
1)If our sides were unequal our angles might be unequal. Instead of its being sufficient to feel, or estimate by sight, a single angle in order to determine the form of an individual, it would be necessary to ascertain each angle by the experiment of Feeling.

2)If people in Flatland happen to be irregular, they are killed. If they live, they can't marry, get a job, they are constantly watched by the police and scorne. The existence of irregular shapes would mean that the hierarchy would be defeated.

3)Centuries ago, women and priests in Flatland were colorless. This was because they were flat lines, and having no sides means having no space for color. The story suggests that they “remain pure from the pollution of paint”.

4)The coloration of priests and women meant putting them on the same level of people with multiple sides. This caused an objection is Flatland, which was used to value them less than the average population, seen their lack of sides.

5)At first women wanted to be valued on the same level as the rest of the population, but then recognized the risk of confounding a Young Woman with a Priest.
"As for the scandal that would befall the Circular Class if the frivolous and unseemly conduct of the Women were imputed to them, and as to the consequent subversion of the Constitution, the Female Sex could not be expected to give a thought to these considerations."

6)Women at home might hear political and ecclesiastical secrets intended not for them but for their husbands and brothers, and might even issue commands in the name of a priestly Circle (let’s keep in mind that the Female Sex could not be expected to give a thought to these considerations). While there would have been e general demoralization and decay of the Circle class (the priests).

7)It is hard to distinguish circles from high class polygons because a circle is never really a perfect circle, whereas polygons might look like circle, even though in reality they just have thousands and thousands of microscopic sides.

8)A circle does not have sides. This means the generations descending form polygons can only gain more and more sides – very little ones, that might make it look like a circle – but they can never really become a perfect circle.