READ AND FIND
OUT PAGE
1
• Why is Mrs. Pumphrey worried about
Tricki?
Answer:
Tricki is not well, that's why Mrs. Pumphrey is worried about it. It doesn’t
even eat its favourite dish and has bouts of vomiting too.
• What does she do to help him? Is she
wise in this?
Answer:
She calls the doctor, Mr. Herriot to help him (it). The doctor suggests that
Tricki should be hospitalized. She swoons and wails but lets the dog go with
the doctor. In the end, the doctor is able to cure the dog. Hence, we can say
that Mrs. Pumphrey’s decision of calling the doctor is wise.
• Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Answer:
In this story, ‘I’ refers to the author, the veterinary surgeon, Mr. Herriot.
READ AND FIND
OUT PAGE
3
• Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s
mistress?
Answer:
No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress. It is not mentioned in
the story but we can infer it from different situations in the story like,
after hearing about Tricki’s health recovery she sends dozen of eggs along with
wine and brandy for Tricki’s speedy recovery. Also, when the dog was completely
all right, Mrs. Pumphrey comes in a car and the chauffeur was holding the car
door open. All these instances show that Mrs. Pumphrey has a luxurious life.
• How does he treat the dog?
Answer:
He treats the dog differently without giving any medicines. He cuts down its
food intake but gives plenty of water and keeps it under strict observation. It
gradually begins mixing with the other dogs at the hospital. The doctor sets
him free for physical activities and puts a separate bowl for it to eat. Its
health begins to recover fast and becomes fit and fine without any medicinal
treatment.
• Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as
a permanent guest?
Answer:
Mrs. Pumphrey starts sending dozen of fresh eggs, wine and brandy for the
speedy recovery of Tricki. The narrator starts enjoying all the items like eggs
in the morning, wine in the afternoon and brandy in the night, meant for the
dog. That’s why the narrator was tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent
guest.
• Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dog’s
recovery is “a triumph of surgery”?
Answer:
Her dog’s illness was very serious and it needed immediate medical attention.
However, the dog had completely recovered in two weeks. When Tricki saw her it
leaped into her lap and licked her face. Thus, the recovery of Tricki without
any medical treatment was a great achievement in her opinion. So, to express
her happiness and gratitude towards the doctor she said that the dog’s recovery
was a triumph of surgery.
THINK ABOUT
IT PAGE
6
1. What kind of a person do you think the
narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full
of common sense?
Answer:
Yes, I think the narrator is a tactful person as well as full of common sense.
Due to his common sense, he knows how to deal with people. That’s the reason he
understands what problem Tricki has when Mrs. Pumphrey tells him the dog’s
reactions. He immediately tells her to stop giving food and sweets and takes the
dog to his surgery. He takes care of the dog and helps it recover completely by
altering his diet and activities.
He is a tactful person too, as he enjoys eggs, wine
and brandy meant for the dog. He tempts to keep the dog as his permanent guest
to enjoy these luxuries but being a good man he calls Mrs. Pumphrey to take
Tricki home when it has completely recovered.
2. Do you think Tricki was happy to go
home? What do you think will happen now?
Answer:
Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home. The moment it saw Mrs. Pumphrey, it
leaped into Mrs. Pumphrey’s lap and started barking and licking her. After
this, I think Mrs. Pumphrey will take good care of the dog and not feed it a
lot so that it will be healthy.
3. Do you think this is a real-life
episode or mere fiction? Or is it a mixture of both?
Answer:
I think the story is a mixture of both real-life and fiction. As Mrs. Pumphrey
is a rich mistress so it is possible to pamper her dog and overfeeds it. It is
also possible to maintain a huge wardrobe for her pets. However, when it comes
to the doctor/narrator it seems quite not okay as he goes out of the way and
lies to save the dog. It generally doesn’t happen in real life. Also, people
don’t eat food meant for dogs in real life.
TALK ABOUT IT PAGE
7
1. This episode describes the silly
behaviour of a rich woman who is foolishly indulgent, perhaps because she is
lonely. Do you think such people are merely silly, or can their actions cause
harm to others?
Answer:
I think, yes, such people are actually silly and their actions are definitely
harmful to others. In this episode, Mrs. Pumphrey has done the same actions.
She overfeeds Tricki in the name of love which results in illness and the pet
has to be hospitalized.
2. Do you think there are also parents like
Mrs. Pumphrey?
Answer:
I think, yes, there are parents like her who over pampers their children and
spoil his/her health. They forget the side effects of overfeeding on health.
They must maintain a healthy lifestyle of their family and pets.
3. What would you have done if you were:
(i) a member of the staff in Mrs.
Pumphrey’s household,
Answer:
If I were a member of the staff in Mrs. Pumphrey’s household, I would not let
her overfeed Tricki. I’d feed it as per the doctor’s advice. I’d also let her not
send unnecessary stuff like toys, etc. to the hospital. My daily routine should
have been very busy in taking care of household chores and Tricki’s demands.
(ii) a neighbour? What would your life
have been like, in general?
Answer:
If I were her neighbour, I would advise her to abide by the doctor’s advice.
I’d also support her in a hard time after the dog was hospitalized. In general,
my life would have been full of surprises because of Mrs. Pumphrey’s loving
nature.
4. What would you have done if you were
in the narrator’s place?
Answer:
If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have been treated the dog with
compassion and love as Mr. Herriot did. At the same time, I would have been
strict with Mrs. Pumphrey so that she would put her dog on a strict diet plan.
Also, I would not have consumed the eggs, wine and brandy meant for Tricki.
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