COMPREHENSION
CHECK I PAGE
38
1. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each
of following statements.
(i) Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, dogs and monkeys.___________
(ii) He was very concerned about the well-being of
the birds and animals in his shop.___________
(iii) He was impressed by the customer who bought
the two doves.___________
(iv) He was a successful shop owner, though
insensitive and cold as a person.___________
Answer:
(i) True (ii) False (iii) False (iv) False
2. Why is Mr Purcell compared to an owl?
Answer:
Mr Purcell compared to an owl because he wears large glasses that magnify his
eyes giving him the appearance of a wise and genial owl.
3. From the third paragraph pick out
(i) words
associated with cries of birds,
(ii) words
associated with noise,
(iii) words suggestive
of confusion and fear.
Answer:
(i) whispered twitters, cheeps, squeaks
(ii) Rustling, squeals, squeaks
(iii) frantic, frightened, bewildered, blindly
seeking.
4. “…Mr Purcell heard it no more than he
would have heard the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock.” (Read para
beginning with “It was a rough day…”)
(i) What does
‘it’ refer to?
(ii) Why does
Mr Purcell not hear ‘it’ clearly?
Answer:
(i) ‘It’ refers to the chirping, squeaking and
mewing of the birds and animals in the shop of Mr Purcell.
(ii) Mr Purcell does not hear ‘it’ clearly because
he used to bear it more than the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock. He
stopped paying attention to it as it was a part of his daily routine.
COMPREHENSION
CHECK II PAGE
42
1. Do you think the atmosphere of Mr
Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Mr Purcell's business had a dismal atmosphere since there was continual
movement and the animals and birds were making a lot of noise, as if they were
unhappy in their cages.
2. Describe the stranger who came to the
pet shop. What did he want?
Answer:
The visitor was a bizarre man dressed in gleaming shoes and a poor, ill-fitting
but nice suit. His hair was close-cropped and he had a serious look. He desired
a little creature in a cage with wings.
3. (i) The man insisted on buying the
doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?
(ii) How had he earned the five dollars he had?
Answer:
(i) No, the man did not insist on purchasing doves
because he was a bird lover. He didn't specifically request the birds, instead
stating that he wanted anything with wings in a cage. This demonstrates that he
cared about the birds and wanted to see them fly.
(ii) During his ten years in prison, he earned those
five bucks by doing hard labour.
4. Was the customer interested in the
care and feeding of the doves he had bought? If not, why not?
Answer:
Wishing to set the doves free, the visitor was uninterested in their care and
feeding.
EXERCISE PAGE
42
Discuss the following topics in groups.
1. Why, in your opinion, did the man set
the doves free?
Answer:
In my opinion, the man must have set the doves free because he had been in
prison for ten years himself. He sympathised with the birds and understood the
anguish of being imprisoned against one's will. He bought something with wings
because he wanted to see them soar and enjoy their freedom. By releasing the
doves, he hoped to smell the joy of liberation from cages.
2. Why did it make Mr Purcell feel
“vaguely insulted”?
Answer:
The man bought the doves from Purcell's shop for five dollars and then went
outside to set them free, making Mr Purcell feel "vaguely
humiliated." Mr. Purcell had kept these birds in cages and limited their
freedom, and the man had spent his entire ten-year salary on allowing the doves
to fly free, so he felt even more humiliated.
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