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Q:

Expressions used to show fear

Can you find the expressions in the story that tell you that the author was frightened? Read the story and complete the following sentences.

1. I was turned_.
2. I sat there holding.
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like.

A:

1. I was turned to stone.

2. I sat there holding my breath.

3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.

Q:

What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?

A:

While looking into the mirror the doctor took two 'important' and 'earthshaking' decisions. The first was to shave daily and to keep a narrow moustache. The second decision he had taken was to wear an attractive smile on his face to look handsome.

Q:

Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
“The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sounds stop?

A:

The doctor lived in a rented house which was infested with rats. He thought that the sound he heard was made by rats. There was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. He heard the sound thrice. The sound stopped suddenly as the rats saw a snake. Suddenly, there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground when the snake fell from the vault.

Q:

In the sentences given below some words and expressions are italicised. They are variously mean that one

• is very frightened.
• is too scared to move.
• is frightened by something that happens suddenly.
• makes another feel frightened.

Match the meanings with the words/expressions in italics, and write the appropriate meaning next to the sentence. The first one has been done for you.

1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge.
3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him.
4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that.
5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end.
6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors.
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle.

A:

2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge. (felt an intense fear due to something that happened suddenly)

3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (extremely frightened)

4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that. (frightened by something that happened suddenly)

5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end. (to make someone very frightened)

6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors. (too frightened to move)

7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle. (too frightened to move)

Q:

Study these sentences: • His friend asked, “Did you see the snake the next day, doctor?” His friend asked the doctor whether/if he had seen the snake the next day. • The little girl wondered, “Will I be home before the TV show begins?” The little girl wondered if/whether she would be home before the TV show began. • Someone asked, “Why has the thief left the vest behind?” Someone asked why the thief had left the vest behind. The words if/whether are used to report questions which begin with: do, will, can, have, are etc. These questions can be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Questions beginning with why/when/where/how/which/what are reported using these same words. The reporting verbs we use in questions with if/whether/why/when etc. are: ask, inquire and wonder.

Remember that in reported speech, • the present tense changes to past tense • here, today, tomorrow, yesterday etc. change to there, that day, the next day, the day before, etc. • I/you change to me/him/he, etc., as necessary. Example: • He said to me, “I don’t believe you.” He said he did not believe me. • She said to him, ‘I don’t believe you.’ She told him that she did not believe him.

Report these questions using if/whether or why/when/where/how/which/what. Remember the italicised verbs change into the past tense. 1. Meena asked her friend, “Do you think your teacher will come today?” 2. David asked his colleague, “Where will you go this summer?” 3. He asked the little boy, “Why are you studying English?” 4. She asked me, “When are we going to leave?” 5. Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading the newspaper?” 6. Seema asked her, “How long have you lived here?” 7. Sheila asked the children, “Are you ready to do the work?”

A:

1. Meena asked her friend if she thought her teacher would come that day.
2. David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.
3. He asked the little boy why he was studying English.
4. She asked me when we were going to leave.
5. Pran asked me whether I had finished reading the newspaper.
6. Seema asked her how long she had lived there.
7. Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.

Q:

The text you read is a translation of a story by a well-known Malayalam writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. In translating a story from one language to another, a translator must keep the content intact. However, the language and the style differ in different translations of the same text. Here are two translations of the opening paragraphs of a novel by the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami. Read them and answer the questions given below.

A B

When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along with an FM broadcast of the overture to Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie, which has to be the perfect music for cooking pasta. I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because the spaghetti was nearly done, but because Claudio Abbado was bringing the London Symphony to its musical climax. I’m in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the woman calls. Another moment until the spaghetti is done; there I am, whistling the prelude to Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra along with the FM radio. Perfect spaghetti-cooking music! I hear the telephone ring but tell myself, Ignore it. Let the spaghetti finish cooking. It’s almost done, and besides, Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra are coming to a crescendo.

Compare the two translations on the basis of the following points. • the tense of narration (past and present tense) • short, incomplete sentences • sentence length Which of these translations do you like? Give reasons for your choice.

A:

In column A, sentences are written in the past tense. On the contrary, in column B they are written in the present tense.
In column B, short sentences are used. They are framed in the present tense.
In Column B, the short sentences are simple and easily comprehensible.

I like the paragraph in column B. The sentences are framed in the present tense. They give a clear-cut idea. I can easily remember the facts expressed in present tense.

Q:

Read the description given alongside this sketch from a photograph in a newspaper (Times of India, 4 September 1999). Make up a story about what the monkey is thinking, or why it is looking into a mirror. Write a paragraph about it.
THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL
A monkey preens itself using a piece of mirror, in the Delhi ridge.
(‘To preen oneself ’ means to spend a lot of time making oneself look attractive, and then admiring one’s appearance. The word is used in disapproval.)

A:

THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL

He sat looking at the broken mirror for a long time. “What is wrong with my friends? Why are they avoiding me like an ugly creature?” The mirror reflected his face. It was more handsome than the face of all other monkeys in his locality. Suddenly, a thought came up in his mind.

“If I shave off the stubble on my face I will become more handsome,” he thought. He had seen the photos of popular film stars. Invariably all of them had clean shaven faces. Those heroes were adored by their fans. “It is difficult to see a bearded young man these days,” he thought with a sigh. Holding the mirror tightly in his hands he took a solemn decision, “I will shave off my dirty stubble and look clean and handsome.”

Q:

Try to rewrite the story without its humour, merely as a frightening incident. What details or parts of the story would you leave out?

A:

The doctor returned to his rented house. The room was completely dark. Suddenly, he heard a frightening noise. He stood still and tried to light a kerosene lamp. He could hardly make out what made the noise in the dim light of the kerosene lamp.

He heard the noise again and thought it was made by rats. He looked at his own reflection on the mirror in the dim light of the lamp. He felt the pangs of fear gripping his heart. He heard the noise once again but it stopped suddenly. Then he heard a thud as if something had fallen down. He sat on his chair trying to read a book.

Suddenly, he found a snake wriggling at the back of his chair. It slowly slithered along his shoulder and coiled around his left arm. The hood was spread out and its head was hardly three inches from his face. The doctor was frightened. He was paralysed with fear. He could not move a muscle and he sat there holding his breath. The room was surrounded by darkness.

He felt as if a thick road of molten fire coiled around his arm. Suddenly, the snake turned its head, uncoiled itself slowly, slithered into his lap and crept on to the table nearby. The doctor stood from his chair. Holding his breath he quietly went out through the door into the veranda. From there he leapt into the yard and ran for his life.

To turn the original story just into a horrifying incident without humour, we should leave out the author's description about his beauty, his funny decisions and his fancies about his future wife. We should also leave out the part where the snake seems to be enjoying its own beauty in the mirror and the doctor’s remarks about the thief leaving back his dirty vest.

Q:

The following paragraph is about the Indian cobra. Read it twice and close your book. Your teacher will then dictate the paragraph to you. Write it down with appropriate punctuation marks. The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. Obviously the best prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels threatened. In general snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance.

A:

The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. Obviously the best prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels threatened. In general, snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance.

Q:

“I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when: (i) he first smiles, and (ii) he smiles again? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?

A:

(i) The first time he smiles proudly at himself admiring his handsome looks and his profession as a doctor.

(ii) The second smile is of helplessness. The doctor is in a helpless situation and he repents of his foolishness and carelessness.

His thoughts change completely from self-confidence to helplessness within a span of few minutes. From being a handsome doctor he moves on to accept his helplessness and stupidity. The change is brought about by the encounter with the snake that is coiled around his left arm.

Q:

Here are some sentences from the text. Say which of them tell you, that the author: (a) was afraid of the snake, (b) was proud of his appearance, (c) had a sense of humour, (d) was no longer afraid of the snake. 1. I was turned to stone. 2. I was no mere image cut in granite. 3. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength. 4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’. 5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out. 6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. 7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. 8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it! 9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water. 10. Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead.

A:

	(a) was afraid of the snake	(b) was proud of his appearance	(c) had a sense of humour	(d) was no longer afraid of the snake
1.	I was turned to stone.
2.				I was no mere image cut in granite.
3.	The arm was beginning to be drained of strength.
4.	I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.
5.	I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.
6.		I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile.
7.				I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.
8.		I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!
9.			The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.
10.			Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead?

Q:

This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous? (Think of the contrasts it presents between dreams and reality. Some of them are listed below.) 1. (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions) (ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition) 2. (i) The person he wants to marry (ii) The person he actually marries 3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror (ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm Write short paragraphs on each of these to get your answer. [3 × 4 = 12 Marks]

A:

The story is indeed of a terrifying incident but it is narrated in a humorous way. The story is made humorous by the way it is narrated and the witty comments and thoughts the author incorporates into the story. The story brings out a contrast between dreams and reality. Some instances are given below.

1. (i) The description of the rented house depicts doctor’s financial situation. He lives in a house infested with rats. The house is not electrified. His medical practice has just begun. His income seems to be meager.

(ii) On the other hand the doctor is extremely self-confident. He considers himself a handsome bachelor. He is proud of his looks and profession. He wants to be rich and good-looking. So he takes the decision to wear a thin moustache and beautiful smile to look more handsome.

2. (i) There is also contradiction between the kind of woman the doctor wants to marry and whom he marries at the end. He wants to get married to a woman doctor who has plenty of money and a good medical practice. He also wants his wife to be fat so as not to run after him and catch him in case he runs away from her.

(ii) In reality the doctor marries a woman who is very thin and a good sprinter.

3. (i) When the doctor looks into the mirror he is contented, confident of his looks and profession and full of admiration for himself. He thinks about ways to look more handsome and decides to wear a moustache and a beautiful smile on his face. He also thinks about marrying a woman doctor.

(ii) When the snake is coiled round his arm, he is petrified. He thinks about his stupidity and helplessness. He thinks about God. His strength is drained off. He comes to the reality and accepts the fact that he is a stupid and poor doctor. He smiles at himself in utter helplessness.

NCERT Solutions For Class 9 English Chapter 16 The Snake and the Mirror

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