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Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 01

c. fats
d. carbohydrates
e. water
ANSWER: a

7. A nutrient that cannot be made by the body in sufficient quantities and that must be obtained from food is
a/an:
a. organic nutrient.
b. inorganic nutrient.
c. essential nutrient.
d. phytochemical.
e. functional nutrient.
ANSWER: c

8. All of the following statements about carbohydrates are true EXCEPT:


a. they are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
b. they are a major source of energy in the body.
c. they are categorized into simple and complex carbohydrates.
d. they provide more calories than protein.
e. they help regulate bowel function.
ANSWER: d

9. The composition of proteins is different from that of carbohydrates due to the presence of:
a. carbon.
b. hydrogen.
c. nitrogen.
d. oxygen.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: c

10. What is the primary form of fat in our bodies?


a. cholesterol
b. triglycerides
c. phospholipids
d. lipoproteins
e. omega-3 fatty acids
ANSWER: b

11. The carbohydrate family includes:


a. sugar, starch, and fiber.
b. starch, calcium, and fiber.
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Chapter 01

c. fiber, sugar, and sulfur.


d. sugar, water, and starch.
e. starch, fiber, and sterol.
ANSWER: a

12. Nutrients are classified into macronutrients and micronutrients. All of the following are macronutrients
EXCEPT:
a. sodium.
b. water.
c. proteins.
d. iron.
e. sodium and iron.
ANSWER: e

13. Which of the following macronutrients is the preferred fuel for the brain and red blood cells?
a. proteins
b. lipids
c. water
d. carbohydrates
e. proteins and lipids
ANSWER: d

14. Which of the following foods is rich in protein?


a. legumes
b. oils
c. starchy vegetables
d. fruits
e. water
ANSWER: a

15. Which of the following is the only animal product with significant carbohydrate?
a. chicken
b. beef
c. butter
d. milk
e. egg
ANSWER: d

16. John and his wife are celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Their dinner consists of 55 grams of
carbohydrates, 36 grams of protein, 27 grams of fat, and 18 grams of alcohol. What is the total caloric value of
their meal?
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Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 01

a. 634 kilocalories
b. 733 kilocalories
c. 778 kilocalories
d. 877 kilocalories
e. 1,008 kilocalories
ANSWER: b

17. Sarah is making a pound cake for a bake sale. Of the 2,400 total kilocalories for the entire cake, 30% come
from fat. How many grams of fat are there in the cake?
a. 30 grams
b. 60 grams
c. 80 grams
d. 100 grams
e. 240 grams
ANSWER: c

18. David is a football player consuming a high-calorie diet. His daily caloric intake is set at 4,500 kilocalories
with the following macronutrient distribution: 45% carbohydrate, 18% fat, and the rest from protein. How many
grams of protein is David's diet providing? (Round your answer to the nearest whole number.)
a. 103 grams
b. 203 grams
c. 316 grams
d. 416 grams
e. 506 grams
ANSWER: d

19. What is the standard unit used to measure food energy?


a. kilograms
b. kilocalories
c. pounds
d. newtons
e. grams
ANSWER: b

20. Micronutrients are those that are required in small quantities. Which of the following is NOT a
micronutrient?
a. vitamin D
b. iodine
c. fiber
d. vitamin K
e. zinc
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Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 01

ANSWER: c

21. Consider the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Which of the following lists includes diet-
related causes within the 10 leading causes?
a. heart disease, pneumonia, stroke, cancer
b. liver disease, cancer, influenza, stroke
c. tuberculosis, diabetes, stroke, cancer
d. heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes
e. liver disease, pneumonia, influenza, diabetes
ANSWER: d

22. Which of the following diseases is NOT related to diet?


a. stroke
b. heart disease
c. cancer
d. diabetes
e. pneumonia
ANSWER: e

23. Which of the following is not a water-soluble vitamin?


a. riboflavin
b. niacin
c. lycopene
d. folate
ANSWER: c

24. Minerals are classified into "major" and "trace" minerals. Which of the following lists includes only
contains major minerals?
a. calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus
b. iron, selenium, sodium, magnesium
c. copper, chromium, fluoride, iodine
d. potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium
e. magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, chloride
ANSWER: d

25. The standard that represents the average nutrient intake estimated to meet the daily requirements of 50% of
healthy individuals is called the:
a. Recommended Dietary Allowance.
b. Adequate Intake.
c. Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range.
d. Estimated Average Requirement.
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Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 01

e. Estimated Energy Requirement.


ANSWER: d

26. The standard that represents the average nutrient intake estimated to meet the daily requirements of nearly
98% of healthy individuals is called the:
a. Recommended Dietary Allowance.
b. Adequate Intake.
c. Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range.
d. Estimated Average Requirement.
e. Estimated Energy Requirement.
ANSWER: a

27. Compared with the Estimated Average Requirement, the Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients
are set at _____ level.
a. a slightly lower
b. a much lower
c. the same
d. a slightly higher
e. a much higher
ANSWER: e

28. The standard that provides recommendations for healthy ranges of energy-yielding macronutrients is termed
the:
a. Recommended Dietary Allowance.
b. Adequate Intake.
c. Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range.
d. Estimated Average Requirement.
e. Tolerable Upper Intake Level.
ANSWER: c

29. Linda takes calcium and vitamin D supplements but is worried about increasing her risk for kidney stones.
Which of the following standards will provide Linda with the information necessary to determine the maximum
amount of nutrients that would be safe for her to consume without the risk of side effects?
a. Recommended Dietary Allowance
b. Adequate Intake
c. Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range
d. Estimated Average Requirement
e. Tolerable Upper Intake Level
ANSWER: e

30. The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range recommends that carbohydrates contribute _____ of
daily calories.
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Chapter 01

a. less than 10%


b. 15%–25%
c. 30%–40%
d. 45%–65%
e. greater than 70%
ANSWER: d

31. Based on the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range, what is the recommendation for protein intake?
a. less than 5%
b. 10%–35%
c. 40%–50%
d. 55%–60%
e. greater than 65%
ANSWER: b

32. According to the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range, 20% to 35% of the total daily caloric intake
should come from fat. If Marcus is on a 3500-kilocalorie diet, how many kilocalories should he obtain from
dietary fat?
a. 400–905 kilocalories
b. 500–1005 kilocalories
c. 600–1115 kilocalories
d. 700–1225 kilocalories
e. 800–1355 kilocalories
ANSWER: d

33. It is likely that intake of a nutrient is both adequate and safe if:
a. intake is above the RDA.
b. intake for the nutrient falls between the RDA and UL.
c. intake is above the EAR and under the RDA.
d. intake is above the UL.
e. intake is below the EAR and above the UL.
ANSWER: b

34. The risk of adverse effects associated with intake of a nutrient:


a. decreases at levels below the RDA.
b. decreases at levels above the UL.
c. increases at levels below the RDA and above the UL.
d. increases at levels above the RDA.
e. increases within the AI range.
ANSWER: c

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Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 01
35. What is the correct sequence of steps in following the scientific method to conduct research?
a. make observations, conduct experiment, propose hypothesis, develop a theory
b. make observations, propose hypothesis, conduct experiment, develop a theory
c. propose hypothesis, make observations, develop a theory, conduct experiment
d. conduct experiment, develop a theory, make observations, propose hypothesis
e. develop a theory, conduct experiment, make observations, propose hypothesis
ANSWER: b

36. Consider an epidemiological study that investigates the relationship between fish intake and cancer risk.
Which of the following statements is TRUE about this study design?
a. Subjects in the study will be randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group.
b. The findings of this study may suggest a relationship between fish intake and cancer risk.
c. There is no intervention involved in this type of study.
d. The results of the study can be used to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between fish intake
and cancer risk.
e. The findings of this study may suggest a relationship between fish intake and cancer risk and there is
no intervention involved in this type of study.
ANSWER: e

37. An animal study is being conducted to determine the effect of vitamin C on the development of common
cold. The researcher gives one group of rats the vitamin C pills, and the other group of rats gets the "dummy"
pill (placebo). The rats that received the placebo would be called the:
a. dummy group.
b. double-blind group.
c. intervention group.
d. experimental group.
e. control group.
ANSWER: e

38. A study is conducted to see if a daily exercise intervention affects blood pressure among people with pre-
hypertension. One hundred participants are recruited to participate, and half are randomly assigned to
participate in the intervention while the others serve as a control group. What study design is being used?
a. epidemiological study
b. randomized controlled trial
c. animal experiment
d. placebo study
e. None of these.
ANSWER: b

39. The effect of food on a person's genes is known as:


a. the placebo effect.
b. phytochemicals.
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Chapter 01

c. epidemiology.
d. cell studies.
e. nutritional genomics.
ANSWER: e

40. Which of the following is TRUE about the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey?
a. Participants chosen to participate in the study must travel to the state capital to visit the Mobile
Examination Center.
b. Blood, urine, and DNA samples are routinely collected at the NHANES Mobile Examination Center.
c. Each year, a representative sample of 5000 Americans from across the United States is selected to
participate in NHANES.
d. Dietary information is collected by conducting a 24-hour recall survey.
e. In-home health interviews are used as part of the NHANES protocol.
ANSWER: a

41. A program of studies to systematically assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the
United States is the:
a. Health Interview Survey.
b. Continuing Survey of Food Intakes of Americans.
c. Nutrition Surveillance System.
d. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
e. Mobile Examination Center Survey.
ANSWER: d

42. According to findings of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES):
a. 75% of Americans do not consume enough fruit to meet current recommendations.
b. at least 85% of Americans do not consume enough red, orange, or deep-green vegetables or legumes.
c. snacks provide about one-quarter of daily calories.
d. about 85% of adults and children exceed limits for empty calorie foods.
e. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: e

43. Susan wants to enhance her immunity during the flu season. Which of the following would be the LEAST
credible source of information?
a. advice from a registered dietitian
b. guidelines on flu prevention on the website yourhealth.com
c. CDC guidelines on their website
d. a recent peer-reviewed article on zinc from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
e. flu-prevention strategies provided by your doctor
ANSWER: b

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Name: Class: Date:

Chapter 01
Essay

44. What is the key premise of the "developmental origins hypothesis"? How does maternal nutrition affect
health of the offspring?
ANSWER: The developmental origins hypothesis states that certain diseases originate from conditions during
pregnancy and infancy. Poor nutrition during pregnancy can negatively affect health of the child
throughout life. Also, inadequate nutrition can permanently affect the way the child responds to food
throughout his or her life. A balanced diet is vital at the time of conception and during pregnancy for
the mother to gain adequate weight and ensure the health of the fetus.

45. What factors influence your daily food choices?


ANSWER: This will vary based on the students' responses as to which factors influence their own food choices.

46. List the four macronutrients and identify two major functions of each.
ANSWER: The four macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and water. The primary function of
carbohydrates and fats is to provide energy; proteins serve as a structural component in every cell
and tissue, and water provides a medium for cell reaction and other regulatory functions. Further,
carbohydrates are important components of DNA and RNA, contributors to satiety, and sources of
fiber; proteins are required for fluid balance; fats are vital for hormone synthesis, temperature
regulation, and shock absorption and are important in absorption and transport of fat-soluble
vitamins; and water helps to control body temperature.

47. What are phytochemicals? In which foods are they commonly found? Describe two of their functions in
promoting health and preventing disease.
ANSWER: Phytochemicals are compounds found in plant foods that are physiologically active and beneficial to
human health. They are typically found in plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains,
legumes, nuts, tea, cocoa, herbs, and spices. Two major functions of phytochemicals would be their
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

48. What causes malnutrition? Describe the two forms of malnutrition with examples.
ANSWER: Malnutrition is caused by inadequate, excessive, or unbalanced intake of calories and/or essential
nutrients. The two forms of malnutrition would be undernutrition (starvation, protein-energy
malnutrition) and overnutrition (obesity). Overnutrition encompasses excessive intake of calories
relative to needs but can also be accompanied by an imbalance between nutrient needs and intakes.
This is particularly true in the case of "Westernized" diets, which are high in processed foods and
generally low in nutrients.

49. What is the purpose of using a placebo in experimental studies?


ANSWER: The purpose of using a placebo is to eliminate perceived effects (known as the "placebo effect") in
which people taking an experimental drug feel better simply because they take a pill and therefore
have an expectation that they will feel better. By comparing people who receive a treatment with
those who do not receive it, researchers can determine if the treatment has a true effect outside of
people's expectations.

50. What are the four values included in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)? Describe each of these standards
in establishing recommendations for nutrient intake.
Copyright Macmillan Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 10
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Chapter 01

ANSWER: The four values included in the DRIs are (1) Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)—the average
nutrient intake level estimated to meet the daily requirements of 50% of healthy individuals for
different sexes and life-stage groups; (2) Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)—the
recommended nutrient intake levels that meet the daily needs and decrease risks of chronic disease
in 98% of healthy people for different sexes and life-stage groups; (3) Adequate Intake (AI)—
estimated value for recommended daily nutrient intake level used when there is insufficient
evidence to determine a specific RDA; and (4) Tolerable Upper Level (UL)—the maximum amount
of nutrient allowed that has been proven to have no risk of side effects.

51. Describe the steps involved in the scientific method of conducting a study. Discuss the reasons why
following these specific series of steps will result in a well-designed experimental study.
ANSWER: Answers will vary.

52. What are the nutrition-related objectives of Healthy People 2020? How will these objectives promote health
and prevent disease in today's obesity-promoting environment?
ANSWER: Answers will vary.

53. Imagine you are planning a research study to investigate the relationship between fiber intake and blood
cholesterol levels. How would your study be different if you chose to use an epidemiological research design
rather than a randomized controlled trial?
ANSWER: Answers will vary.

54. Imagine you see a news article with the heading, "The truth is out: Egg consumption harms health." How
might you use the Internet to evaluate such a claim? How will you know if what you read on the internet is
credible?
ANSWER: Answers will vary.

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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Deny the Slake
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Deny the Slake

Author: Richard Wilson

Illustrator: Jack Gaughan

Release date: June 26, 2022 [eBook #68410]

Language: English

Original publication: United States: Royal Publications, Inc, 1957

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed


Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DENY THE


SLAKE ***
DENY THE SLAKE
By RICHARD WILSON

Illustrated by GAUGHAN

Those couplets held


(unless they lied)
The reason why
a world had died!

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from


Infinity, April 1957.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The skipper looked at what Ernest Hotaling had scribbled on the slip
of paper.

The color of my true love's cheek


Will turn to gray within a week.

The skipper read it and exploded. "What kind of nonsense is this?"


"Of course it wouldn't rhyme in a literal translation," Ernest said mildly.
"But that's the sense of it."
"Doggerel!" the skipper exclaimed. "Is this the message of the ages?
Is this the secret of the lost civilization?"
"There are others, too," Ernest said. He was the psychologist-linguist
of the crew. "You've got to expect them to be obscure at first. They
didn't purposely leave any message for us."
Ernest sorted through his scraps of paper and picked one out:

They warn me once, they warn me twice.


Alas! my heedn't turns me spice.

"There seems to be something there," Ernest said.


The skipper snorted.
"No, really," Ernest insisted. "An air of pessimism—even doom—runs
all through this stuff. Take this one, for instance:

"Music sings within my brain:


I think I may go mad again."

"Now that begins to make some sense," said Rosco, the


communications chief. "It ties in with what Doc Braddon found."
The skipper looked searchingly at his technicians, as if he suspected
a joke. But they were serious.
"All right," the skipper said. "It baffles me, but I'm just a simple
spacefaring man. You're the experts. I'm going to my cabin and
communicate with the liquor chest. When you think you've got
something I can understand, let me know. 'I think I may go mad
again.' Huh! I think I may get drunk, myself."

What the technicians of the research ship Pringle were trying to learn
was why the people of Planetoid S743 had turned to dust.
They had thought at first they were coming to a living, if tiny, world.
There had been lights on the nightside and movement along what
seemed to be roads.
But when they landed and explored, they found only powder in the
places where there should have been people. There were heaps of
fine-grained gray powder in the streets, in the driving compartments
of the small cars—themselves perfectly preserved—and scattered all
through the larger vehicles that looked like buses.
There was powder in the homes. In one home they found a heap of
the gray stuff in front of a cookstove which was still warm, and
another heap on a chair and on the floor under the chair. It was as if a
woman and the man for whom she'd been preparing a meal had gone
poof, in an instant.
The crew member who'd been on watch and reported the lights said
later they could have been atmospherics. The skipper himself had
seen the movement along the roads; he maintained a dignified
silence.
It had been a highly developed little world and the buildings were
incredibly old. The weather had beaten at them, rounding their edges
and softening their colors, but they were as sturdy as if they'd been
built last week.
All the cities on the little world were similar. And all were dead. The
Pringle flew over a dozen of them, then returned to the big one near
the plain where the ship had come down originally.
The tallest building in each city was ornate out of all proportion to the
rest. The researchers reasoned that this was the palace, or seat of
government. Each of these buildings had a network of metal tubing at
its peak. Where there were great distances between cities, tall towers
rose from the plains or sat on tops of mountains, each with a similar
metal network at the apex.
The communications chief guessed that they were radio-video towers
but he was proved wrong. There were no radio or television sets
anywhere, or anything resembling them.
Still, it was obvious that they were a kind of communications device.
Doc Braddon got part of the answer from some of the gray dust he'd
performed an "autopsy" on.
The dust had been found in a neat mound at the bottom of a large
metal container on the second-story of a medium-sized dwelling. Doc
theorized that one of the people had been taking some sort of
waterless bath in the container when the dust death came. The
remains were thus complete, not scattered or intermingled as most of
the others were.
Doc sorted the particles as best he could and found two types, one
definitely inorganic. He conferred with Rosco on the inorganic
residue. Rosco thought this might be the remains of a tiny pararadio
transceiver. Possibly each of the people had carried one around with
him, or built into him.
"We're only guessing that they were people," Doc said cautiously,
"though it would seem safe to assume it, since we've found dust
everywhere people could be expected to be. What we need is a
whole corpse."
While patrols were out looking for bodies Rosco tested his theory by
sending a radio signal from one of the towers and watching a feeble
reaction in the dust.
"If we can assume that they were people," Rosco said, "they
apparently communicated over distances by personalized radio.
Maybe through a mechanism built into the skull. Would that mean
there wouldn't be any written language, Ernest?"
Ernest Hotaling shrugged. "Not necessarily. I should think they'd have
kept records of some kind. They could have been written, or taped—
or chipped into stone, for that matter."
He asked the lieutenant to enlarge his search. "Bring me anything
that looks like a book, or parchment, or microfilm, or tape. If it's
chipped in stone," he added with a grin, "I'll come to it."
Meanwhile they ran off the film that had been grinding away
automatically ever since the planetoid came within photoradar range
of the ship. The film confirmed what the lookout reported—there had
been lights on the nightside.
Furthermore, one of the sensitized strips at the side of the film
showed that signals, which had been going out from the tower tops in
a steady stream, increased furiously as the Pringle approached.
Then, as the ship came closer, they stopped altogether. At the same
instant the lights on the nightside of the planetoid went out. The film
showed that the road movement the skipper had seen stopped then,
too.
Ernest tried to analyze the signals reproduced on the film. He had
small success. If they represented a language, it would take years
before he could even guess what they meant. The only thing he was
sure of was that the signals, just before they died, had become a
thousand times more powerful.
"Maybe that's what killed them," Rosco said.
"Possibly," Ernest said. "It begins to look as if the people were
deliberately killed, or committed suicide, all at once, when we hove
into sight. But why?"
"You tell me," Rosco said. "That sounds like your department."
But Ernest could tell him nothing until after the lieutenant came back
with a long slender cylinder enclosing a seemingly endless coil of fine
wire. The lieutenant also brought a companion cylinder, apparently a
means of playing back what was recorded on the coil.
Ernest experimented until he learned how to operate it, then shooed
everybody out of his cabin and went to work.
Ernest Hotaling had joined the crew of the research ship Pringle on
Ganymede as a replacement for Old Craddock, who'd decided on
short notice that thirty years of spacefaring were enough. It would be
another ten or twelve years before the Pringle returned to Earth and
though Craddock was only seventy-eight his yearning to start a
proper bee farm became overwhelming.
The others were not unhappy about his departure. The swarm he'd
kept in his cabin was small but the bees were gregarious and were as
likely to be found in the recreation room as in their hive. So when
Craddock and the paraphernalia he'd collected over the decades had
debarked, the rest of the crew sighed in collective relief and the
skipper went looking for a replacement.
Ernest Hotaling, fresh out of Ganymede U., was the only man
qualified, on the record, for the job. He had the necessary languages
and his doctorate was in psychology, though his specialty was child
therapy.
The skipper puzzled through the copy of Ernest's master's thesis. The
lad—he was twenty-three then—had devoted it to children's folklore.
The skipper, admittedly a simple man, wasn't sure it contributed
profitably to the world's knowledge to spend a year in the study and
explanation of Winnie the Pooh, or Step on a crack/Break your
mother's back, or The Wizard of Oz.
The skipper had gone to Space Prep at the age of fourteen and later
to the Academy itself and there were obviously wide areas of
childhood that had passed him by. He'd never heard of
Struwwelpeter, for instance, or Ibbety bibbety gibbety goat, and he
wondered if a grown man who immersed himself in this sort of thing
was the one for the job.
What was worse was that Hotaling, according to the University
yearbook, was a poet.
But when the skipper interviewed Hotaling and found him to be a
lean, muscular young man who'd obviously had a haircut in the past
week and who laughed genuinely at one of the skipper's more purple
stories, he signed him on immediately.
The skipper had one last thought. "You don't keep bees, do you?"
"Not even in my bonnet," Ernest said.
"Then we'll get along. Just keep your nursery rhymes to yourself."
"Aye, aye, sir," said Ernest.

"Look," Ernest told the skipper, "I've studied their literature, if that's
what it is, until I'm saturated with it. Maybe it doesn't make sense to
you but I've worked out a sort of pattern. It's an alien culture, sure,
and there are gaps in it, but what there is fits together."
"All right," the skipper said. "I'm not questioning your findings. I just
want to know why it has to be in that ridiculous rhyme."
"Because they were a poetic people, that's why. And it doesn't have
to be in rhyme. I could give you the literal translation, but it was
rhymed originally and when I make it rhyme in English too you get a
more exact idea of the kind of people they were."
"I suppose so," the skipper said. "As long as we don't have to report
to the Flagship in the sonnet form I guess I can put up with it. I just
don't want to become the laughing stock of the fleet."
"It's no laughing matter," Ernest said. "It's pretty tragic, in any number
of ways. In the first place, as Rosco suspected, they communicated
by radio. But they had no privacy and couldn't hide anything from
anybody. They were always listened in on by the big boys in the
palace."
"How do you know?"
"By the coil I worked from. It's a listening-storing device. These aren't
official records I've transcribed; they're the everyday expressions of
everyday people. And every one of them had been taken down and
stored away, presumably so it could be used against the person who
expressed it, if it ever became necessary.
"But they couldn't always get through to the person they wanted to
reach, even though they got through to the coil. Here's a sad little
lover's lament, for instance:

"My plea to her is lost, as though


The other three command the flow."

"Like a busy signal?" asked the skipper.


"Very much like one," Ernest said, pleased by the skipper's
comprehension. "On the other hand, they always got the messages
from the palace. These took priority over all other traffic and were apt
to come at any time of the day or night. The people were just one big
captive audience."
"What about the dust? That seems to be a recurring theme in those
jingles of yours."
"It is." Ernest quoted:

"Dust is he and dust his brother;


They all follow one another."

"They're all dust now," the skipper said. "Did they have a revolution,
finally, that killed everybody off?"
"Both sides—the rulers and the ruled, simultaneously? Maybe so."
Ernest sorted through his pieces of paper. "There's this one, with its
inference of the death of royalty along with that of the common man:

"Comes the King! O hear him rustle;


Falter, step, and wither, muscle."

The skipper was beginning to be exasperated again.


"I'll be in my cabin," he said. "You seem to accomplish more when I
keep out of your way. But if you want to join me in a little whiskey to
keep the falters and withers at bay, come along."
The lieutenant knocked at Ernest's door in the middle of the night.
"Mister Hotaling!" he called urgently.
Ernest fumbled into a pair of pants and opened the door.
"One of the men found this thing," the lieutenant said. "We were
going to keep it locked up till morning but it's driving me crazy.
Figured you'd better have a look at it."
The thing was a blue-green puppet of a creature wearing—or made
of—a kind of metallic sailcloth. It was about three feet tall, a
caricature of a human being. It hung limp by one arm from the
lieutenant's grasp, its head lolling on its shoulder.
"What is it?" Ernest asked sleepily, "a doll?"
"No; it's just playing dead now. It was doing a clog step in the cage
before." He gave the thing a shake. "The worst of it is, it hummed all
the time. And the humming seems to mean something."
"Bring it in here," Ernest said. He was fully awake now. "Put it in the
armchair and stick around in case I can't handle it."
The creature sat awkwardly where it was put. But then the eyes,
which a moment ago had seemed to be painted on the face, shifted
and looked squarely at Ernest. It hummed at him.
"I see what you mean," he told the lieutenant. "It seems to be trying to
communicate. It's the same language as on the coils." He stared at it.
"I wish it didn't remind me of Raggedy Andy. Where did you find it?"
"In the throneroom of the palace. One of the men on guard there
grabbed it as it came out of a panel in the wall. He grabbed it and it
went limp, like a doll."
"Listen," said Ernest.

"Don't you cry, boys; don't you quiver,


Though all the sand is in your liver."
"What's that?" the lieutenant said. "Do you feel all right, Mister
Hotaling?"
"Sure. That's what he said. Raggedy Andy here. I translated it—with
a little poetic license."
"What does it mean?"
"I don't think it's a direct message to us. More likely it's something
filed away inside his brain, or electronic storage chamber or whatever
he's got. The verse is in the pattern of the ones I translated the other
day. The question now is whether Andy has any original thoughts in
his head or whether he's just a walking record library."
"How can you tell?"
"By continuing to listen to him, I suppose. A parrot might fool you into
thinking it had intelligence of its own, if you didn't know anything
about parrots, but after a while you'd realize it was just a mimic.
Right, Andy?"
The puppet-like creature hummed again and Ernest listened,
gesturing the lieutenant to be quiet.
Finally Ernest said:

"Down the valley, down the glen


Come the Mercials, ten by ten."

"That makes as much sense as the one about the liver," the
lieutenant said.
"Takes it a bit further, I think. No, seriously. 'Mercials' is a set of
syllables I made up, as short for 'commercials'—or the sand in their
craw, the thumb in their soup—all the things they had to put up with
as the most captive of all audiences."
"That wasn't an original thought, then?"
"Probably not. Andy may be trying me out with a few simple couplets
before he throws a really hard one. I wonder if he knows he's got
through to me." He laughed as the lieutenant looked at him oddly. "I
don't mean he, personally. I know as well as you do he's some kind of
robot."
"I see. You mean, is somebody controlling him now, or is he just
reacting to a stimulus the way he was built to do?"
"Exactly." Ernest frowned at the doll-like creature. "I suppose the
scientific way would be to dissect him—it. Take it apart, I mean. I've
got to stop thinking of it as a him. We'd better get Doc Braddon in on
this."
He punched the 'com button to Doc's cabin. The sleepy voice that
answered became alert as Ernest explained. Doc arrived minutes
later with an instrument kit, looking eager.
"So this is your new toy," he said. The creature, which had been
slumped listlessly in the chair, seemed to look at Doc with distaste. It
hummed something. Doc looked inquiringly at Ernest. "Have you two
established communication?"
"It's a robot," Ernest said defensively. "The question is, could we learn
more by leaving it intact and pumping it for whatever information is
stored up inside it, or by taking it apart? For instance, it just said:

"Uninterred beyond the hills


Lie never weres and never wills."

Doc became excited. "It really said that?"


"Well, not in so many words. It said—"
"I know, I know. Your poetic license hasn't expired. I mean, that is the
gist of it? That somewhere back of the hills there's a charnel heap—a
dump of corpses, of miscarriages—something of the sort?"
"You could put that interpretation on it," Ernest said. "I got the
impression of something abortive."
"That's the best lead yet," Doc said. "If we could find anything other
than dust piles, no matter how embryonic—Lieutenant, your boys
must have been looking in the wrong places. How soon can you get a
detail out over the hills?"
The lieutenant looked at his watch. "If I've got this screwy rotation
figured out, dawn's about half an hour off. That soon enough?"
"It'll have to do."
"What about Raggedy Andy here?" Ernest asked. "Do we keep him
intact?"
"Don't touch a hair of his precious head," Doc said. "He's earned a
stay of dissection."
The creature, still quiet in the chair, its eyes vacant now, hummed
almost inaudibly. Ernest bent to listen.
"Well?" Doc said.
"Strictly a non-sequitur," Ernest told him:

"Here we go, lass, through the heather;


Naught to daunt us save the tether."

"It makes me sad," Doc said. He yawned. "Maybe it's just the hour."

Cook had accomplished his usual legerdemain with the space rations
but the breakfast table was less appreciative than usual.
"The detail's been gone a long time," Doc Braddon said, toying with
an omelet. "Do you think it's a wild goose chase?"
"Reminds me of a time off Venus," the skipper said. "Before any of
you were born, probably...."
His juniors listened politely until the familiar narrative was interrupted
by the 'com on the bulkhead. They recognized the voice of Sergeant
Maraffi, the non-com in charge of the crew in the scout craft.
"We found something. Looks like bodies. Well preserved but
incomplete. Humanoid."
"Bring 'em back," the skipper said. "As many as you've got room for in
the sling." He added as an afterthought: "Do they smell?"
"Who knows?" Maraffi said. "I sure don't aim to take off my helmet to
find out. They're not decomposed, though."
The skipper grumbled to Doc: "I thought you checked the
atmosphere."
"There isn't any," Doc said, annoyed. "Didn't you read my report?"
"All right," the skipper said, not looking at him. "I can't do everything. I
naturally assumed these people breathed."
"If they did, it wasn't air," Doc said.
"Bring back all you can, Maraffi," the skipper said. "But leave them
outside the ship. Everybody on the detail takes double
decontamination. And we'll put you down for hazard pay."
"Aye, aye, sir. We're on our way."

"They're androids," Doc said. He'd gone out in a protective suit to the
grisly pile. "These must be the false starts."
The other technicians watched him on a closed-circuit hook-up from
inside the ship.
"Are they like us?" Ernest asked. "They look it from here—what there
is of them."
"Damn near," Doc said. "Smaller and darker, though. Rosco, you
were right about the communication. There's a tiny transceiver built
into their skulls. Those that have heads, that is."
"If that's the case," Rosco said, "then why weren't these—stillbirths,
whatever you want to call them—turned to dust like the others?"
"Because they'd never been activated," Doc said. "You can't blow a
fuse if it isn't screwed in. Skipper, I've seen about all my stomach can
stand for now. I suppose I'm a hell of a queasy sawbones, but these
—things—are too much like human beings for me to take much more
of them at the moment."
"Come on back," the skipper said. "I don't feel too sturdy myself."

Ernest Hotaling was writing verse in his cabin when the lieutenant
intercommed him. He had just written, in free translation:

A girl is scarcely long for the road


If passion'd arms make her corrode.

Ernest wasn't entirely satisfied with the rhyme, though he felt he'd
captured the sense of it. The lieutenant's call interrupted his polishing.
He touched the 'com and said: "Hotaling."
"Patrol's back, Mister Hotaling. You'll want to see what they found."
"Another heap of false starts? No, thanks."
"Not this time. They found some people. Two live people."
"Alive! Be right there."
He raced down, then fretted as he waited for Doc to fumigate the
people as they came through the airlock. Ernest saw them dimly
through the thick glass. They were quite human-looking. But how had
they survived whatever had turned thousands of their fellows to dust?
Or were these—a man and a woman, elderly and fragile-looking—the
rulers who had dusted the others?
"How much longer, Doc?" he asked.
Doc grinned. "In about two quatrains and a jingle, Ernest."

They brought the couple to the main lounge and set them down at a
long table. The skipper took a seat at the far end. Apparently he
planned to listen but not take part in the questioning. That would be
up to Ernest Hotaling, if he could establish communication.
He'd mastered the language to the extent that he'd been able to
transcribe the record-coils and understand the robot, but whether he
could speak it intelligibly enough so that these living—he almost
thought "breathing"—people would understand him was a question.
Doc Braddon took a seat next to the couple. Rosco was on the other
side of them and Ernest opposite them, across the table.
Up close, it was obvious that they were androids. But they had been
remarkably made. They had none of the jerkiness of movement or
blankness of expression that had characterized Earth's attempts
along the same lines.
Ernest explained his doubts about his ability to make himself
understood and asked his shipmates to be patient with him. He
smiled at the couple and said to them in English: "Welcome to our
ship." Then he repeated it in their humming language.
They returned his smile and the old woman said something to the
man. Rosco looked inquiringly at Ernest, who shook his head.
Ernest made a face. "I forgot to put it in verse. I'll try again."
This time the response was immediate. Both man and woman spoke
at once. Then the woman smiled and nodded to the man to talk for
both of them.
It was just a curious sing-song humming for the rest of them, but
Ernest listened with rapt attention and apparent comprehension,
though not without strain.
Finally the man stopped.
"What did he say?" Rosco demanded.
"Let me get the rest of it first," Ernest said. He spoke to the man
briefly. His expression became grave as he listened to the reply.
"Well, come on!" Doc said impatiently. "Give us a translation."
"All right," Ernest said. He looked troubled. "These two are the only
ones left of their race. The rest are dead—de-activated. The others—
the other race—left the planetoid some time ago."

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