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1. Why do scientists think that Mars cannot support life?

Scientists think Mars cannot support life because it receives only half the amount of light and heat that Earth does, and has a gravitational pull much less than Earth.

2. What fact do scientists overlook when considering whether Mars can support life?

The fact that scientists overlook when considering whether Mars can support life is that Mars does have air, although it contains a different percentage of the elements that Earth's air does.

3. What is the narrator's theory about why the Martians come to Earth?

The narrator's theory about why the Martians come to Earth is that Mars's atmosphere begins to cool, and their resources become scarce. Earth's warmer climate, and its amount of water and vegetation, make it an attractive place for Martians to go.

4. How does the Martian invasion begin and how do people generally react?

The Martian invasion begins when two jets of flaming gas come towards Earth's atmosphere in the night. People don't take much note of this at first and there is only a small mention of the event in one newspaper. Only Ogilvy, a local astronomer, seems interested in the event.

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