MIJBIL THE OTTER

 MIJBIL THE OTTER 

Extract Based Questions (4 marks each)

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question - 1.

Early in the New Year of 1956 I travelled to Southern Iraq. By then it had crossed my mind that I should like to keep an otter instead of a dog, and that Camusfearna, ringed by water a stones throw from its door, would be an eminently suitable spot for this experiment. (1×4 = 4)
(a) What experiment did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
(b) Why was it a suitable spot for his experiment?
(c) Write the meaning of the phrase, crossed my mind.
(d) When did the author travel?

Answer:

(a) Maxwell thought to keep an otter as a pet instead of a dog as Camusfearna would be suitable for it.
(b) It was a suitable place for his experiment because that place was ringed by water.
(c) a thought came into my (narrators) mind.
(d) The author travelled in the New Year of 1956.

Question - 2.

The creature that emerged from this sack on to the spacious tiled floor of the consulate bedroom resembled most of all a very small, meddie valley-conceived, dragon. From the head to the tip of the tail he was coated with symmetrical pointed scales of mud armor, between whose tips was visible a soft velvet fur like that of a chocolate-brown mole. (1×4 = 4)

(a) What creature is the author talking about?
(b) What was the creature coated with?
(c) Find from the passage a word that means the same as came out of.
(d) Which figure of speech is used in the passage.

Answer:

(a) The creature, that the author is talking about, is his pet otter, named as Mijbil.
(b) The creature was covered with symmetrical pointed scales of mud armor from head to the tip of the tail.
(c) Emerged.
(d) Simile

Question - 3.

Mijbil, as I called the otter, was, in fact, of a race previously unknown to science and was at length christened by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata Maxwelli, or Maxwells otter, For the first twenty-four hours Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly; he was simply aloof and indifferent, choosing to sleep on the floor as far from my bed as possible. The second night Mijbil came on to my bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of my knees until the servant brought tea in the morning and during the day he began to lose his apathy and take a keen, much too keen interest in his surroundings. (1×4 = 4)

(a) Maxwells Otter. Why was the otter given this name?
(b) What was his behavior during the first twenty-four hours?
(c) What shows that the otter tried to be friendly the next night?
(d) Which word in the passage means the same as Scientist.

Answer:

(a) It was a race previously unknown to science and that is why it was Christened Maxwells otter.
(b) During the first twenty-four hours Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly, he was simply indifferent and aloof.
(c) The otter tried to be friendly the next night because he came to the authors bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of his knees until the servant brought morning tea.
(d) Zoologists

Question - 4.

Very soon Mij would follow me without a lead and come to me when I called his name. He spent most of his time in play. He spent hours shuffling a rubber ball round the room like a four-footed soccer player using all four feet to dribble the ball, and he could also throw it, with a powerful flick of the neck, to a surprising height and distance. (1×4 = 4)

(a) Who does Y stand for?
(b) How did the otter spend most of his time?
(c) Find a word from the passage that means the same as trickle?
(d) How would Mij follow the author?

Answer:

(a) I stands for Gavin Maxwell, the author of the story.
(b) The otter spent most of his time in playing. He spent hours shuffling a rubber ball round the room like a four-footed soccer player, using all four feet to dribble the ball and he could also throw it to a surprising height and distance.
(c) Dribble.
(d) Mij would follow the author without a lead.

Question - 5.

But the real play of an otter is when he lies on his back and juggles with small objects between his paws. Marbles were Mijs favorite toys for his 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. (1×4 = 4)

(a) What is the real play of an otter?
(b) How did he play with them?
(c) Find the word from the passage that means most preferred?
(d) What were Mijs favorite toys.

Answer:

(a) The real play of an otter is when he lies on his back and juggles with small objects between his paws.
(b) He played with the marbles lying on his back. He would roll two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly without ever dropping one to the floor.
(c) Favorite.
(d) Marbles


Question - 6.

There was complete silence from the box, but from its air holes and chinks around the lid, blood had trickled and dried. I whipped off the lock and tore open the lid, and Mij, exhausted and blood-spattered, whimpered and caught at my leg. He had tom the lining of the box to shreds when I removed the last of it so that there were no cutting edges left, it was just ten minutes until the time of the flight, and the airport was five miles distant. (1×4 = 4)

(a) What were the observations of the writer when he returned?
(b) What happened when the writer opened the box?
(c) Find a word from the passage which means to flow in drops.
(d) What had Mij done?

Answer:

(a) There was complete silence in box, blood had trickled and dried around the lid and air holes.
(b) Mij, being exhausted and blood spattered, whimpered and caught the authors leg.
(c) trickle.
(d) He had torn the lining of the box to shreds.

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each] 

Question - 1. How was Mij to be transported to England?

Answer: The British Airline to England would not fly animals. So, Maxwell booked a flight to Paris on another airline and from there to London. The airline insisted that Mij should be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square. Thus, Mij was transported to England in that box, which was kept on the floor at his feet.

Question - 2. What happened when the box was opened?

Answer: When the box was opened, Mij went out of the box. He disappeared at a high speed down the aircraft. There were cries all around. A woman stood up on her seat crying, A rat! A rat!.

Question - 3. Why did Maxwell get his mail after five days and what did he do to get it? 

Answer: Maxwell got his mail after 5 days due to some delay. He cabled and tried to telephone in order to get his mail.

Question - 4. What did the otter look like?

Answer: The otter looked like a small dragon belonging to the middle ages. It was covered with symmetrical pointed scales of mud. One could see between the scales a soft velvet fur like that of a chocolate-brown mole.

Question - 5. What did Mijbil do during the second night?

Answer: Mijbil came on to Maxwells bed soon after midnight. It remained asleep in the crook of his knees until the morning.

Question - 6. What, according to the writer, is the real play of the otter? 

Answer: The real play of an otter is lying on his back and juggling with small objects between his paws. Mijbil would roll two or more marbles up and down on his wide, fat belly. He never dropped one to the floor.

Question - 7. Why was the narrator not able to communicate when there was a delay in the arrival of the mail?

Answer: The narrator was not able to contact because the telephone lines had to be booked twenty-four hours in advance. On the first day, the line was out of order; on the second day, the exchange was closed for a religious reason; and on the third day, there was a breakdown.

Question - 8. What was the first characteristic of the otter discovered by the narrator? 

Answer: The first thing that the narrator observed about the otter was that he liked to play with water. When he was taken to the bathroom, for half an hour he went wild in the water with joy. He was plunging, jumping and rolling in the water.

Question - 9. How did Mij spend his time?

Answer: Mij spent most of his time in play. He spent hours shuffling the rubber ball round the room like a four-footed soccer player. His real play was when he used to juggle small objects between his paws. Marbles were his favorite toy for his pastime.

Question - 10. Why was Mij packed inside the box?

Answer: Mij was to be transported to England and the airlines insisted the narrator to pack him in a box.

Question - 11. How did the narrator reach the airport? Did he reach there on time?

Answer: The narrator reached the airport in a car. No, he reached the airport late.

Question - 12. While staying in London, what was the pastime of Mij?

Answer: While staying in London, Mijbil would play for hours with his own selection of toys. His favorite toys were ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell that the narrator had bought from his native marshes.

Question - 13. How did Mij behave outside the house in London?
Answer: Mij used to follow the narrator while walking on the streets. He developed certain habits during those walks. He went with him like children playing, running and touching things in the street. He would take the author near the wall of a primary school and then gallop on it.


Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words & 3 marks each)


Question - 1. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did Mijbil do two days after that?

Answer: In bathroom, Mijbil fumbled with the taps and went mad with joy on seeing full flow of water. It played, splashed and thoroughly enjoyed like a hippo in water. Aloof at first, he started answering to his name, played for hours with rubber belli and juggled with small objects, in two days after that.

Question - 2. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? 

Answer: Mijbils reaction, when the author took him to the bathroom, was a sight to behold. He almost went mad with excitement, plunging and rolling in water, shooting up and down the length of the bath tub, blissfully frolicking and splashing water all around.
Otters are naturally found in marshes and wetlands. Mijbils reaction to wet surroundings can be attributed to the characteristic love for water of the specimens in general.

Question - 3. What special characteristic of Mijbil did Maxwell learn after he took him to the bathroom? 

Answer: After taking Mijbil to the bathroom, Maxwell witnessed Mijbil being almost mad with excitement, plunging and rolling in water, splashing water all around. It shows his love for water as marshes and wetlands are others natural habitat.

Question - 4. What is the most common characteristic of an otter? 
Answer: The otter, which looked more like a dragon, loved to plunge and roll in water. It played in water like a hippo. Aloof at first, it started taking an interest in its surroundings, started responding to its name and loved playing games for hours with toys like ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit etc.

Question - 5. What guesses did the Londoners make several guesses about Mijbil? 

Answer: The Londoners made the variety of guesses as to what kind of Mijbil was, i.e., a baby seal, a squirrel, walrus, mister, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard or a brontosaur.

Question - 6. Give an example from the text to show that Mijbil is an intelligent animal. 

Answer: Mijbils behavior and reactions to the circumstances throw light on the trait of intelligence in the otters in general. They have basic congeniality. And it is portrayed in his behavior that it took him mere a day to shed his inhibitions and familiarize himself with the surroundings. Mijbils intelligence and sense of logic is reflected in his turning on the tap to get a flow of water.

Question - 7. What game had Mijbil invented? 

Answer: Mijbil enjoyed playing with marbles while lying on its back. He would lie and roll two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly.

Question - 8. 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 because he was shifting from Basra to England and he wanted the otter to get used to it. He felt sad on putting it back because the otter did not like it and so, he was trying to get out of it.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each] 

Question - 1. In the name of rules and regulations, basic values are ignored but people like the airhostess in Mijbil the Otter are a ray of hope. What virtues do we find in the airhostess?

Answer: The airhostess was somewhat friendly, and she allowed the narrator to place the otter on his lap. She could relate and empathize with the situation faced by the narrator. This shows that apart from being professional, she was a caring lady. She not only wanted to do her job but was also responsible as she helped the narrator in finding the otter back.
She did all that she could do for Maxwell and the otter. She was hard working and was ready to help as she did not say no to help the narrator.

Question - 2. The narrator called the airhostess the queen of her kind. This shows how caring and supportive she was. Do you find such people these days? Are people having a change in their values?

Answer: In todays world, it is getting difficult to find people who show their care and support. Rather than helping others, they start giving excuses and quote rules and regulations. Earlier, people used to think about the situation faced by others and helped them in all possible ways.
This is changing because of the change in the values of the people. People give first priority to their own safety and security. They care for themselves first and then think about others.

Question - 3. Why do you think the otter was not friendly at first with the narrator? Can you relate this to the human nature as well? 

Answer: At first, the otter was not very friendly with the narrator as he had seen him for the first time. He was brought to a new place and new surroundings. He neither knew the narrator nor the place which made him stay away from the narrator. But, as soon as he started becoming comfortable with the surroundings, he became friendly and came close to the narrator.
This is very similar to the human nature. Even, the human beings first take time to understand others and then only become friendly with them. Unless they are comfortable in being with somebody, they try to stay away from that person.


Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words & 8 marks each)

Question - 1. The way Maxwell was worried about Mijbil when he had to take him to London shows that he was very concerned about him. Do you think, owning a pet is a life-time commitment? Elucidate. [Value Based Question]

Answer: Maxwell was very concerned about his pet, Mijbil when he had to undertake the plane journey. He wanted him to get used to the box in which he had to travel. When Mijbil was injured in his attempt to come out of the box, the author was really concerned about his well being. He took his food on the flight. The lesson definitely shows that when we decide to keep a pet, it is a commitment of lifetime. This is so because we are responsible for the well-being of that life and in fact, keeping a pet at home is like bringing up and nurturing a child.

Question - 2. Should one own a pet to keep up with their status symbol? [Value Based Question]

Answer: Owning a pet is a lifetime commitment, involving considerable responsibility. The decision to acquire one, therefore, should be made by the whole family; otherwise it would end up, being unwanted. In this story, Gavin Maxwell has very intelligently shown us that how a pet has to be taken care of, loved and made a part of the family. Maxwell, who brought home an otter, tried to find out its feelings and thoughts and tried to provide an environment suitable for its existence.

Value Based Questions

Question - 1. What game did Mij invent? 

Answer:

Value Points:
Would keep the broken suitcase in a sloping position, place the ball on the high end would run to the other end to catch it. 

Detailed Answer:
Mijbil enjoyed playing games. He would keep the broken suitcase in a sloping position and place the ball on the high end. Then he would run to the other end to catch it.