Question

Select ALL the correct answers. (MORE THAN ONE!)

In Philip K. D*ck’s story “The Gun,” space explorers land on a planet that was once inhabited by humans. What does the following excerpt tell us about the people who lived on the planet?

“Only watch out. They fired on us once without even knowing who we were or what we came for. Do you suppose that they fought with each other? Perhaps they couldn't imagine anyone being friendly, under any circumstances. What a strange evolutionary trait, inter-species warfare. Fighting within the race!”

A. The people valued history and preserved important relics for future generations to learn from.
B. The people were unfriendly and suspected anything that entered their territory to be an enemy.
C. The people valued friendship and exchanged their scientific know-how with other species.
D. Their entire population was wiped out by infighting and the inability to trust other people.

Answer 1

The excerpt tells us that (B.) the people were unfriendly and suspected anything that entered their territory to be an enemy, and that (D.) their entire population was wiped out by infighting and the inability to trust other people.

"The Gun" written by Philip K. D*ck tells the story of a group of space explorers that decide to visit a planet that had been once inhabited by humans. They carry out their investigation, but once they are determined to return home, the group is shot down. This leads them to think that the humans that had lived there had been paranoid and unfriendly because they had created an automated gun that made possible to fire at anyone who passed by. Moreover, this excerpt shows that the explorers believe that humans must have been mistrustful and hostile.