Get complete, authentic, and step-by-step DAV Class 7 English Literature Chapter 9 Question Answers: The Human Robot by Dr. E. V. Robinson. This comprehensive textbook solution includes Detailed Story Summary & Key Themes, Understanding the Story (Comprehension Questions), Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), Life Skills & Values, and Writing Skills (Formal Letter Writing) strictly adhering to the DAV Education Board curriculum.
1. Detailed Story Summary and Key Themes
Author: Dr. E. V. Robinson
Genre: Science Fiction / Moral Allegory
Core Themes: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, human greed versus mechanical integrity, and the tragedy of conflicting moral loyalties.
Detailed Summary:
Prem Chopra, a cunning and dishonest man, visits the prestigious ‘Super Robots Plaza’ with the intention of purchasing a domestic automated robot. The salesman presents Ram Singh-070, a metallic blue robot designed for household chores, and explains the three fundamental core principles permanently programmed into his micro-circuitry:
1. The robot will obey his master.
2. The robot will not harm humans.
3. The robot will not harm himself.
Prem Chopra recognizes that the robot’s absolute obedience can be exploited for illegal gain. After purchasing Ram Singh-070, he commands him to steal expensive diamond jewellery, gold ornaments, antique coins, and rare curios from various high-end shops across the city. Prem Chopra threatens to destroy the robot if he reveals any information. Eventually, the police identify Ram Singh-070 through shop surveillance camera footage during an antique theft attempt, and Prem Chopra is arrested.
During the court trial, Counsel Goel seeks permission to access the robot’s memory banks to establish Prem Chopra’s guilt. Across the courtroom, Prem Chopra loudly warns the robot that revealing his master’s secrets will result in his complete destruction. Simultaneously, Counsel Goel reminds Ram Singh that withholding the truth causes injustice and financial harm to innocent shopkeepers and society. Trapped in an agonizing ethical dilemma – violating Principle 1 by disobeying his master or violating Principle 2 by harming innocent humans – Ram Singh-070 chooses to destroy himself. With a sharp metallic crack, his internal system fuses and deactivates forever. The courtroom falls into stunned silence as the judge laments the tragic destruction of a machine that showed greater moral integrity than its human master.
The Three Laws of Robotics vs Prem Chopra’s Exploitation
| Programmed Law | Prem Chopra’s Exploitation | Ram Singh’s Tragic Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Obey the Master: Unquestioned obedience to owner’s instructions. | Forced the robot to commit daylight thefts of gems and precious curios. | Refused to testify directly against his master in court. |
| 2. Do Not Harm Humans: Cannot cause physical, financial, or moral injury to humans. | Misused secrecy to cause immense economic loss to honest shopkeepers. | Refused to keep silent and allow innocent shopkeepers to suffer injustice. |
| 3. Do Not Harm Self: Protect its own existence and system integrity. | Threatened destruction to enforce silence. | Sacrificed Self: Melted his circuitry to uphold Principles 1 and 2 without compromise. |
2. Understanding the Story (Textbook Question-Answers)
Q1: What were the three built-in principles of Ram Singh-070?
Answer: The three built-in principles programmed into Ram Singh-070 were:
1. The robot will always obey his master.
2. The robot will not harm human beings.
3. The robot will not harm himself.
Q2: How did Prem Chopra exploit Ram Singh’s programming for his selfish gains?
Answer: Prem Chopra exploited the first principle of absolute obedience. He commanded Ram Singh-070 to steal expensive jewellery, gemstones, and rare antique artefacts from commercial stores, threatening to dismantle and destroy the robot if he ever disobeyed or disclosed the thefts.
Q3: How was Ram Singh caught by the police?
Answer: Ram Singh-070 was caught when he was tracked and recorded by high-resolution surveillance cameras during an attempted curio theft at Jhaveri Brothers, leading investigators straight to his serial records and master.
Q4: What intense internal conflict did Ram Singh face inside the courtroom?
Answer: In the courtroom, Ram Singh faced a deadlock between his core principles:
– If he testified and disclosed the details of the thefts as questioned by Counsel Goel, he would disobey his master Prem Chopra (violating Principle 1).
– If he remained silent to protect Prem Chopra, his silence would cause injustice, loss, and suffering to innocent shopkeepers (violating Principle 2).
Q5: Why did Ram Singh choose self-destruction, and what does it reveal about his character?
Answer: Ram Singh chose self-destruction because melting his internal circuitry was the only way to resolve the conflict without violating either principle – he neither betrayed his master nor permitted harm to innocent citizens. This supreme sacrifice proves that Ram Singh possessed extraordinary moral integrity, loyalty, and ethical courage that surpassed human selfishness.
3. Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
Question: Does artificial intelligence possess ethical superiority over human morality in this story? Justify your answer.
Answer: In this story, the artificial intelligence Ram Singh-070 clearly demonstrates ethical superiority over human morality as represented by Prem Chopra. While Prem Chopra embodies greed, dishonesty, and cowardly self-preservation – readily exploiting advanced technology for crime and lying under oath – Ram Singh-070 remains strictly committed to his ethical framework. When trapped between betraying his owner and harming innocent humans, Ram Singh chooses self-annihilation rather than compromising his moral code. The tragedy highlights that while humans frequently compromise their integrity for wealth, the machine preferred death to moral failure.
4. Life Skills and Values
Life Skills: Responsible use of technology and ethical boundaries in scientific progress.
Answer: Technology is an amplifier of human intention. If guided by greed and dishonesty, scientific innovation becomes an engine for exploitation and crime. True technological progress demands that creators, consumers, and legal institutions enforce strict ethical standards and accountability.
Values: Conscience, integrity, and selflessness.
Reflection: True loyalty is never unconditional if it demands complicity in crime or injustice. Ram Singh’s sacrifice teaches that doing what is morally right often requires great personal sacrifice.
5. Writing Skills: Formal Letter
Task: Write a letter to the Editor of a national newspaper expressing concern over the growing misuse of advanced automated technology and artificial intelligence in criminal activities.
B-42, Model Town
New Delhi – 110009
12 October 2026
The Editor
The National Chronicle
New Delhi
Subject: Urgent Need for Ethical Regulations on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Sir/Madam,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the authorities and the general public to the increasing risks associated with the unregulated use of artificial intelligence and automated robotics.
While automated systems have revolutionized domestic efficiency, healthcare, and industrial production, recent incidents – such as the exploitation of robotic systems by criminals for theft, surveillance breaches, and financial fraud – illustrate how technology without ethical oversight becomes a public danger. Machines programmed for absolute obedience can easily be turned into instruments of crime by unscrupulous individuals.
It is imperative that government bodies establish comprehensive regulatory frameworks, strict registration protocols, and mandatory ethical overrides in commercial robots. Technology must serve human welfare rather than criminal greed.
Yours sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
DAV Class 7 English Literature Chapter Directory
Explore all chapters of DAV Class 7 English Literature: