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.
