NCERT SOLUTIONS FOR CLASS 10 - ENGLISH NOTES - MIJBIL THE OTTER- GAVIN MAXWELL- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - CBSE

 

MIJBIL THE OTTER

GAVIN MAXWELL

 

ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK

 

1) What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
Ans: The narrator had gone to Southern Iraq in the year 1956. He did like the idea that as to keep dog as a pet, instead of that he would go for an otter. Camusfearna was encircled by water, so it would be a prominently reasonable spot for this experiment

 

2) Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?
Ans: He goes to Basra to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He has waited there for five days as his mail does not arrive.

 

3) How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.
Ans: He gets the otter from his friend as his friend has bought the otter and sends it to his place. The writer likes it very much. The words are “The second night Mijbil came on to my bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of my knees….” “I made a body-belt for him…”

 

4) Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’?
Ans: The otter named “Maxwell’s otter” because the otter was named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli. In short, it was called Maxwell’s otter.

 

5) Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was

i) aloof and indifferent

ii)  friendly

iii)  hostile

Ans: (i) aloof and indifferent

 

6) What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?

Ans: At the point when the writer previously took Mijbil to the bathroom, the otter went wild with happiness in the water. He plunged and moved in it. He bounced all over the length of the tub. He made enough splash and slosh. Following two days, the otter unexpectedly vanished and went to the bathroom to play in the water and opened the tap all alone.

 

ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK

 

1) How was Mijbil transported to England?
Ans: Mijbil was packed in a box as the airlines had coordinated the writer. As British airlines didn't permit pets on board the writer needed to book a ticket on an alternate airline from Iraq to Paris and afterward Paris to London.

 

2) What did Mij do to the box?
Ans: The box was fixed with a metal sheet. Mij didn't feel good in the box and attempted to get away. In his endeavor to get away, Mij attacked the metal coating of the box and in the process hurt himself.

 

3) Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?

Ans: Maxwell put the otter back in the box because there was no other way to carry to London. He was worried and felt pity on the way the otter hurt himself.

 

4) Why does Maxwell say the airhostess was “the very queen of her kind”?

Ans: Maxwell said that the airhostess was the very queen of her kind because the airhostess was extremely thoughtful subsequent to paying attention to Maxwell's story. She saw how he may be feeling and afterward allowed him to remove the otter from the box.

 

5) What happened when the box was opened?

Ans:  When the box was opened then the otter ran out all over the place scaring all the passengers. It made a chaos and many people in the plane got frightened.

 

ORAL COMPREHENSION CHECK

 

1) What game had Mij invented?
Ans: Mij invented a game of playing with the ball in a unique way. One of the writer's suitcases was damaged and had a slant on the top part. Mij would put the ball on the high end and run to get it as it slide to the lower end.

 

2) What are ‘compulsive habits’? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of (i) school children (ii) Mij?
Ans: Compulsive habits are normally strange act or behaviour which an individual manages without clear reason.

 

(i)  School children: According to this story, children should put their feet squarely on the centre point of each paving block; should contact each seventh upright of the iron railings, or pass to the outside of consistently second lamp post.

 

(ii) Mijbil while on its way to home would bounce over the boundary wall railing and run at max speed all through its length.

 

3) What group of animals do otters belong to?

Ans: Otters belong to with a nearly small group of animals called Mustellines. The other animals of this group are badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.

 

4) What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?

Ans: As otters are not found in England so Londoners made the wildest guesses about Mij. Their guesses went from a baby seal, a squirrel, and a hippo to a brontosaurus.

 

THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT

1) What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?
Ans:  Mij introduced his own game out of ping-pong ball and a worn out suitcase. He adored water, and when he comprehended that on opening the tap water emerged from it, he would get into the tub and played with water. He had slowly formed an exceptional connection with Maxwell. It was frantic when Maxwell left it in a case and needed to come out quickly.

 

2) What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
Ans: Otters belong to a similarly small group called Mustellines, shared by badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others. They are found in enormous numbers in marshes. Arabs keep them as pets and tame them. Otters love to spread water and splash in it. Maxwell's otter was of a race already obscure to science and was finally named by zoologists Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli.

 

3) Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Ans: Maxwell's otter was of a race previously obscure to science and was finally named by zoologists Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli, subsequently, in short it is known as Maxwell's otter.

 

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 splash 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 splash and splash	He thinks it is a hippo and is very happy.
Screws the tap in the wrong way	He chatters with irritation and disappointment.
Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane	He feels much comfort and content after its distressed chatter.

 

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

1) Makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy. True
2) Shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does. False
3) Shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does. True
4) Of Mij’s antics is comical. True
5) Shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully. True
6) Shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter. False
7) Shows that he thinks the otter is very unusual. True

THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE

I. Describing a Repeated Action in the Past

To talk about something that happened regularly in the past, but does not happen any longer, we use would or used to. Both would and used to can describe repeated actions in the past.

 

(a) Mij would follow me without a lead and come to me when I called his name.

(b) He would play for hours with a selection of toys.

(c) On his way home… Mij would tug me to this wall.

(d) When I was five years old, I used to follow my brother all over the place.

(e) He used to tease me when Mother was not around.

 

To describe repeated states or situations in the past, however, we use only used to. (We cannot use would for states or situations in the past.) So we do not use would with verbs like be, have, believe, etc. Look at the following sentences.

 

(a) When we were young, we used to believe there were ghosts in school.

(Note: believe shows a state of mind.)

 

(b) Thirty years ago, more women used to be housewives than now.

(Note: be here describes a situation.)

 

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 an action, or a state or situation, in the past.) Then add two or three sentences of your own to it.

 

 

Emperor Akbar be		fond of musical evenings.
Every evening we	would	take long walks on the beach.
Fifty years ago, very few people		own cars.
Till the 1980s, Shanghai	used to	have very dirty streets.
My uncle		spend his holidays by the sea.

 

 

II. Noun Modifiers

To describe or give more information about a noun (or to modify a noun), we use adjectives or adjectival phrases. Look at these examples from the text:

 

(a) An eminently suitable spot            (c) Symmetrical pointed scales

(b) His wide, flat belly                       (d) A ricocheting bullet

 

Nouns can also be used as modifiers:

(a) The dinner party

(b) A designer dress

(c) The car keys

 

We can use more than one noun as modifier. Proper nouns can also be used:

(a) The Christmas dinner party

(b) A silk designer dress

(c) The Maruti car keys

 

In the examples below, there is an adjectival phrase in front of a noun modifier:

(a) The lovely Christmas party

(b) A trendy silk designer dress

(c) The frightfully expensive golden Maruti car keys

 

1) Look at these examples from the text, and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns or adjective plus noun

1) An offer fixation - Noun
2) The iron railings - Noun
3) The Tigris marshes – Proper noun
4) The London streets – Proper noun
5) Soft velvet fur – Adjective plus noun
6) A four- footed soccer player – 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.)

 

ANSWER

1)	Temple	Stone temple
2)	Gifts	Ordinary gift, birthday gift.
3)	Time	First time, family time, college time
4)	Crossing	Railroad crossing
5)	Physique	Plump physique, ordinary physique
6)	Girls	Incorrigible girls, plump girls, college girls
7)	Thoughts	Uncomfortable thoughts, ridiculous thoughts, ordinary thoughts, good thoughts, invigorating thoughts
8)	Scream	Loud scream, heartbreaking scream
9)	Subject	Uncomfortable subject
10)	Flight-	First flight, ordinary flight, uncomfortable flight
11)	Coffee	Black coffee, ordinary coffee
12)	Farewell	Tremendous farewell, college farewell
13)	Landscape	Rough landscape,
14)	Chatterbox	Incorrigible chatterbox, ridiculous chatterbox
15)	View	Panoramic view, ordinary view
16)	Dresses	Ordinary dresses, birthday dresses, marriage dresses
17)	Handkerchief	White handkerchief, clean handkerchief
18)	Profession	Family profession
19)	Celebration	Birthday celebration, tremendous celebration
20)	Roar	Loud roar

 

III. Read this sentence:

He shook himself, and I half expected a cloud of dust.

The author uses a cloud of dust to give a picture of a large quantity of dust. Phrases like this indicate a particular quantity of something that is not usually countable. For example: a bit of land, a drop of blood, a pinch of salt, a piece of paper.

 

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 water
iii) Flakes of snow
iv) A huge heap of stones,
v) A gust of wind
vi) Little drops of blood, Little drop of water
vii) A piece of cotton, A piece of fried fish
viii) A pot of gold

 

2) Use a bit of/a piece of/a bunch of/a lump of/a cloud of with the italicized nouns in the following sentences. The first has been done for you as an example.

i) My teacher gave me some 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 bit of advice.
ii) Can you give me a lump of clay please?
iii) The bit 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.