Question

Which line in this excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut's “Report on the Barnhouse Effect” indicates that the story is an example of social sci-fi?

"If all I could do was make inkwells dance, I'd be tickled silly with the whole business." He shrugged disconsolately. "But I'm no toy, my boy. If you like, we can drive around the neighborhood, and I'll show you what I mean." He told me about pulverized boulders, shattered oaks, and abandoned farm buildings demolished within a fifty-mile radius of the campus. "Did every bit of it sitting right here, just thinking—not even thinking hard."

He scratched his head nervously. "I have never dared to concentrate as hard as I can for fear of the damage I might do. I’m to the point where a mere whim is a blockbuster." There was a depressing pause. "Up until a few days ago, I’ve thought it best to keep my secret for fear of what it might be put to," he continued. "Now I realize that I haven’t any more right to it than a man has a right to own an atomic bomb."

He fumbled through a heap of papers. "This says about all that needs to be said, I think." He handed me a draft of a letter to the Secretary of State.

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Answer 1

"Now I realize that I haven’t any more right to it than a man has a right to own an atomic bomb."

Step-by-step explanation:

Social science fiction is a different take on Sci-Fi. This subgenre is more concerned with anthropological discussions and speculation about society. It usually takes place in a scenario of soft science-fiction.