ORAL
COMPREHENSION CHECK PAGE
5
1. What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think
Camusfearna would be suitable for?
Answer:
Keeping
an otter instead of a dog was the experiment Maxwell thought Camusfearna would
be suitable for.
2. Why does he go to Basra? How long does
he wait there, and why?
Answer:
Maxwell
goes to the Consulate-General in Basra. He goes there to obtain and respond to
his mail that has come from Europe. He realises that his friend's mail has
arrived but not his. He waits for five days because the mail arrives in five
days.
3. How does he get the otter? Does he
like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.
Answer:
After
the arrival of the mail, the writer takes it to his bedroom as he wants to give
it a read. There, he witnesses two Arabs who are on the floor, squatting, each
with a sack that squirmed from time to time. They then hand him a note from one
friend of his. The nite mentions that the friend has sent the author otter.
Maxwell did like it, and we know this from the words he used: An otter
fixation.
4. Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s
otter’?
Answer:
‘Lutrogale
Perspicillata Maxwelli’ was the otter’s scientific name, so it was called
Maxwell’s otter.
5. Tick the right answer. In the
beginning, the otter was
• aloof and indifferent
• friendly
• hostile
Answer:
aloof
and indifferent.
6. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil
to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?
Answer:
The
otter went wild with joy in the water when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom.
This was only for the first half-hour. Later, he happened to roll, plunging in
it and shooting up and down the length of the bathtub. It seems as if he were a
hippo.
After two days, nonetheless, he vanished from the
bathroom but was spotted fumbling at the chromium taps with his paws. The
author was awe-struck at the otter's ability to turn the tap, first producing a
trickle of water and then achieving the full flow.
ORAL
COMPREHENSION CHECK PAGE
7
1. How was Mij to be transported to
England?
Answer:
Mij was to be transported to England in a box.
2. What did Mij do to the box?
Answer:
Mij tried to escape from the box and ended up tearing the box’s metal lining.
3. Why did Maxwell put the otter back in
the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?
Answer:
Maxwell
put the otter in the box since there was no other way to carry him.
4. Why does Maxwell say the air hostess
was “the very queen of her kind”?
Answer:
Maxwell
said so because the air hostess was friendly and sympathetic towards Maxwell
after having heard his story.
5. What happened when the box was opened?
Answer:
When
the box was opened, the otter jumped out of it and disappeared in no time.
ORAL
COMPREHENSION CHECK PAGE
9
1. What game had Mij invented?
Answer:
Mij invented a ball game. He would have the ball on the high end of the sloping
lid. He would then want to catch it.
2. What are ‘compulsive habits’? What
does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of
(i) school children
(ii) Mij?
Answer:
(i)
Habits
that are a result of compulsion are called compulsive habits. For kids, it may
be placing their feet squarely on the centre of paving blocks while going to
school and returning home. Also, touching every seventh upright of the iron
railings and passing to the outside of every second lamp post are some other
compulsive habits.
(ii) One
of Mijbil’s compulsive habit was jumping over the boundary wall railing and
galloping the full length of its thirty yards
3. What group of animals do otters belong
to?
Answer:
Otters
belong to a group of animals called Mustellines.
4. What guesses did the Londoners make
about what Mij was?
Answer:
While
some Londoners thought he was a baby seal, some others opined he was a
squirrel. People also felt he could be a beaver, a walrus, a hippo, a brontosaurus, or even a leopard.
THINKING
ABOUT THE TEXT PAGE
9
1. What things does Mij do which tell you
that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?
Answer:
The game of ping-pong ball, opening the tap in the bathroom and getting into
the tub to play with water and having some compulsive habits while going on
walks with Maxwell are some things that tell Mij is an intelligent, friendly
and fun-loving animal who needs love.
2. What are some of the things we come to
know about otters from this text?
Answer:
Otters
belong to a group of animals called Mustellines. It is a small group of animals
that also has badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others. We also get to
know that Arabs pet otters. And otters tend to love to play with water. While
Maxwell's otter race is unclear, its scientific name is Lutrogale Perspicillata
Maxwelli. And that is exactly why it is referred to as Maxwell's otter.
3. Why is Mij’s species now known to the
world as Maxwell’s otter?
Answer:
It
is named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli. Thus, it is also
known as Maxwell’s otter in short.
4. Maxwell in the story speaks for the
otter, Mij. He tells us what the otter feels and thinks on different occasions.
Given below are some things the otter does. Complete the column on the right to
say what Maxwell says about what Mij feels and thinks.
|
What Mij does |
How Mij feels or thinks |
|
plunges
rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash |
|
|
Screws
the tap in the wrong way |
|
|
Nuzzles
Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane |
Answer:
|
What Mij does |
How Mij feels or thinks |
|
plunges rolls in the
water and makes the water splosh and splash |
Elated, Joyful |
|
Screws the tap in
the wrong way |
Irritated and
disappointed |
|
Nuzzles Maxwell’s
face and neck in the aeroplane |
a distressed chitter
of recognition |
5. Read the story and find the sentences where Maxwell describes his pet otter. Then choose and arrange your sentences to illustrate those statements below that you think are true.
Maxwell’s description
(i) makes Mij
seem almost human, like a small boy.
(ii) shows that
he is often irritated with what Mij does.
(iii) shows
that he is often surprised by what Mij does.
(iv) of Mij’s
antics is comical.
(v) shows that
he observes the antics of Mij very carefully.
(vi) shows that
he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter.
(vii) shows
that he thinks the otter is very unusual.
Answer:
(i) True.
The statement – “He spent most of his time in play.”
(ii) False
(iii) True.
The statement – “I watched, amazed; in less than a minute he had turned the tap
far enough to produce a trickle of water, and after a moment or two achieved
the full flow.”
(iv) True.
The statement – “Marbles were Mij’s favourite toys for this pastime: he would
lie on his back rolling two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly
without ever dropping one to the floor.
(v) True.
The statement – “A suitcase that I had taken to Iraq had become damaged on the
journey home, so that the lid, when closed, remained at a slope from one end to
the other. Mij discovered that if he placed the ball on the high end it would
run down the length of the suitcase. He would dash around to the other end to
ambush its arrival, hide from it, crouching, to spring up and take it by
surprise, grab it and trot off with it to the high end once more.”
(vi) False
(vii) True.
The statement – "It is not, I suppose, in any way strange that the average
Londoner should not recognise an otter, but the variety of guesses as to what
kind of animal this might be, came as a surprise to me."
THINKING
ABOUT LANGUAGE PAGE
10
I. Describing a Repeated Action in the
Past
From the table below, make as many
correct sentences as you can using would and/or used to, as appropriate. (Hint:
First decide whether the words in italics show action, or a state or situation,
in the past.) Then add two or three sentences of your own to it.
|
Emperor Akbar |
would used to |
be fond of musical
evenings. |
|
Every evening we |
take long walks on
the beach. |
|
|
Fifty years ago,
very few people |
own cars. |
|
|
Till the 1980s,
Shanghai |
have very dirty
streets. |
|
|
My uncle |
spend his holidays
by the sea. |
Answer:
(i) Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical
evenings.
(ii) Every evening we used to take long walks on the
beach.
(iii) Fifty years ago, very few people used to own
cars.
(iv) Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very
dirty streets.
(v) My uncle used to spend his holidays by the sea.
(vi) My uncle used to be fond of musical evenings.
(vii) My uncle used to take long walks on the beach.
II. Noun Modifiers
1. Look at these examples from the text,
and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns, or
adjectives plus nouns.
(i) An otter
fixation (iv)
The London streets
(ii) The iron
railings (v)
soft velvet fur
(iii) The
Tigris marshes (vi) A
four-footed soccer player
Answer:
(i) Noun
(ii) Noun
(iii) Proper Noun
(iv) Proper Noun
(v) Adjective plus noun
(vi) Adjective plus noun
2. Given below are some nouns, and a set
of modifiers (in the box). Combine the nouns and modifiers to make as many
appropriate phrases as you can. (Hint: The nouns and modifiers are all from the
texts in this book.)
temple girls triangle dresses
person thoughts boys roar
gifts scream farewell expression
time subject landscape handkerchief
crossing flight chatterbox profession
physique coffee view celebration
college rough hundred stone ordinary
love uncomfortable white slang slack
bare railroad tremendous family marriage
plump invigorating panoramic birthday loud
heartbreaking incorrigible ridiculous first three
Answer:
|
1. |
Temple |
White temple, Stone
temple |
|
2. |
Gifts |
Ordinary gift,
birthday gift. |
|
3. |
Time |
The first time,
family time, college time, rough time |
|
4. |
Crossing |
Railroad crossing,
first crossing |
|
5. |
Physique |
Plump physique,
ordinary physique |
|
6. |
Girls |
Plump girls, college
girls |
|
7. |
Thoughts |
Uncomfortable
thoughts, ridiculous thoughts, ordinary thoughts, good thoughts, invigorating
thoughts, heartbreaking |
|
8. |
Scream |
Loud scream,
heartbreaking scream |
|
9. |
Subject |
Ordinary subject,
college subject |
|
10. |
Flight |
First flight,
ordinary flight, rough flight, uncomfortable flight |
|
11. |
Coffee |
Black coffee,
ordinary coffee, invigorating coffee |
|
12. |
Farewell |
College farewell,
heartbreaking farewell |
|
13. |
Landscape |
Rough landscape,
bare landscape |
|
14. |
Chatterbox |
Incorrigible
chatterbox, ridiculous chatterbox |
|
15. |
View |
Panoramic view,
ordinary view, tremendous view |
|
16. |
Dresses |
Ordinary dresses,
birthday dresses, marriage dresses, hundred dresses |
|
17. |
Handkerchief |
White handkerchief,
clean handkerchief, ordinary handkerchief |
|
18. |
Profession |
Family profession,
first profession, ordinary profession |
|
19. |
Celebration |
Birthday
celebration, tremendous celebration, family celebration |
|
20. |
Roar |
Loud roar,
tremendous roar |
III. Read this sentence:
1. Match the words on the left with a
word on the right. Some words on the left can go with more than one word on the
right.
(i) a portion
of – blood
(ii) a pool of – cotton
(iii) flakes of – stones
(iv) a huge
heap of – gold
(v) a gust of – fried fish
(vi) little
drops of – snow
(vii) a piece
of – water
(viii) a pot of – wind
Answer:
(i) a portion of –
fried fish
(ii) a pool of –
blood
(iii) flakes of –
snow
(iv) a huge heap of –
stones
(v) a gust of –
wind
(vi) little drops of –
water
(vii) a piece of –
cotton
(viii) a pot of –
gold
2. Use a bit of/a piece of/a bunch of/a cloud of/a lump of with the
italicised nouns in the following sentences. The first has been done for you as
an example.
(i) My teacher
gave me some advice. My teacher
gave me a bit of advice.
(ii) Can you
give me some clay, _____________________________
please. _____________________________
(iii) The information you gave was _____________________________
very useful. _____________________________
(iv) Because of
these factories. _____________________________
smoke
hangs over the city. _____________________________
(v) Two stones rubbed together _____________________________
can produce sparks of fire. _____________________________
(vi) He gave me
some flowers on _____________________________
my birthday. _____________________________
Answer:
(i) My teacher gave me a piece of advice.
(ii) Can you give me a lump of clay, please?
(iii) The piece
of information you gave was very useful.
(iv) Because of these factories, a cloud of smoke hangs over the city.
(v) Two pieces
of stone rubbed together can produce sparks of fire.
(vi) He gave me a bunch of flowers on my birthday.
SPEAKING PAGE
13
You have seen how Maxwell describes Mij
the otter’s feelings and thoughts by watching him. Play the game of dumb
charades. Take turns to express a feeling or thought silently, through
gestures. Let the class speak out their guesses about the feelings or thoughts
you are trying to express.
Answer:
To be done by the student.
Poem: Fog by Carl Sandburg
THINKING
ABOUT THE POEM PAGE
14
1. (i)
What does Sandburg think the fog is like?
(ii) How does the fog come?
(iii) What does ‘it’ in the third line
refer to?
(iv) Does the poet actually say that the
fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat.
Answer:
(i) Sandburg feels the
fog is similar to a cat.
(ii) The fog comes
silently like a cat on its little feet.
(iii) ‘It’ in the third
line refers to the fog.
(iv) The poet uses cat
as a metaphor to describe his feelings about fog. The three things that tell us
that fog is like:
(a) The fog comes
silently on its little cat feet.
(b) It looks over the
harbour and city like a cat.
(c) Just like a cat, it
sits on silent haunches and watches over the city.
2.
You know that a metaphor compares
two things by transferring a feature of one thing to the other (See Unit 1).
(i) Find metaphors for the following
words and complete the table below.
Also try to say how they are alike. The first is done
for you.
|
Storm |
tiger |
pounces
over the fields, growls |
|
Train |
||
|
Fire |
||
|
School |
||
|
Home |
Answer:
|
Storm |
tiger |
pounces over the
fields, growls |
|
Train |
wind |
moves swiftly with a
rushing sound |
|
Fire |
sun |
full of light and
energy |
|
School |
temple |
teaches moral values
and virtues of life |
|
Home |
nest |
provides hospitable
and comfortable shelter to live with near and dear ones |
(ii) Think about a storm. Try to visualise the force of the storm, hear the sound of the storm, feel the power of the storm and the sudden calm that happens afterwards. Write a poem about the storm comparing it with an animal.
Answer: To be done by the student.
3. Does this poem have a rhyme scheme?
Poetry that does not have an obvious rhythm or rhyme is called ‘free verse’.
Answer: No, this poem does not have a rhyme scheme.
|
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