NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 – The Snake and the Mirror

Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 – The Snake and the Mirror is a humorous short story by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, translated from Malayalam. It is narrated by a doctor who recounts a terrifying yet funny incident from his past when a snake coiled itself around his arm one night. The story is set in a small, poorly furnished rented room where the doctor lives. The encounter with the snake — and the doctor's fear-driven but ultimately comic reactions — forms the heart of the story. The mirror plays a symbolic role, reflecting both the doctor's vanity and the snake's eventual distraction.

This chapter is part of the CBSE Class 9 English Beehive syllabus and is tested in school examinations through comprehension questions, character analysis, and questions on humour and narrative style. The story is also significant for its exploration of themes like vanity, fear, fate, and the unpredictability of life. Its conversational tone and vivid descriptions make it an enjoyable and memorable read.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 – The Snake and the Mirror

The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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?
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
Q.
What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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?
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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]
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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.
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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______.
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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.
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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?”
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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.
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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?
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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.)
The Snake and the Mirror
Medium
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.

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 – The Snake and the Mirror

Question 1. What are the things the doctor kept on forgetting? Why does he come across as a disorganised person?

Answer:

The doctor forgot to buy food on his way home and had nothing to eat that night. He also forgot to close the door and windows of his room before going to sleep. These acts of carelessness and forgetfulness suggest that he was an absent-minded and disorganised person who did not pay attention to basic practical matters, even though he spent considerable time thinking about his appearance and making plans to impress others.

Question 2. What does the doctor do when he sees the snake coiled around his arm?

Answer:

When the doctor saw the snake coiled around his arm, he was completely frozen with terror. He did not move a single muscle. He sat perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe. He made a silent prayer to God and resolved to become a better person — to remain a bachelor, to be kind to the poor, and to marry a fat, homely woman rather than a pretty one. He sat motionless, waiting in fear, as the snake slowly uncoiled itself.

Question 3. How does the snake leave the doctor finally?

Answer:

The snake slowly uncoiled itself from the doctor's arm and slithered onto the table. It then saw its own reflection in the mirror and appeared fascinated by it. The snake remained still, gazing at itself in the mirror, seemingly admiring its own reflection — just as the doctor himself had been doing earlier. This distraction gave the doctor his chance to escape, and he ran out of the room as fast as he could.

Question 4. Why is the doctor nervous and what does he tell himself he should do in future to avoid such situations?

Answer:

The doctor was nervous because a snake had coiled itself around his arm and he was afraid that any sudden movement might provoke it to bite him. He was paralysed with fear and could do nothing but sit still.

While sitting motionless, he made several resolutions for the future. He told himself that he should keep his room neat and tidy, close the doors and windows properly before sleeping, and not leave gaps in the walls that snakes could enter through. He also made moral resolutions — to be kind to the poor, to remain a bachelor, and to marry a plain and homely woman rather than a beautiful one.

Question 5. The story is told in the past tense. What effect does the past tense narration have on the story? Does the past tense narration make the story seem more real or less real?

Answer:

The story is narrated in the past tense by the doctor himself, looking back on the incident with a sense of distance and humour. The past tense narration makes the story feel more real because it gives the impression of a person recounting an actual experience from memory. Since the narrator has clearly survived the encounter, the reader knows the story will end safely, which allows the humour to come through more effectively. The past tense also gives the narrator the freedom to reflect on his own feelings and reactions with a degree of self-mockery that adds to the comic tone of the story.

Question 6. What are the elements of suspense and humour in the story?

Answer:

The suspense in the story builds from the moment the doctor hears a noise in his room at night and discovers a snake on the table. The tension reaches its peak when the snake coils itself around his arm and the doctor sits completely still, not knowing whether he will live or die. The reader is kept in suspense about whether the snake will bite him.

The humour comes from the contrast between the doctor's earlier vanity — admiring himself in the mirror, planning to impress a pretty woman — and his terror-stricken helplessness when faced with the snake. His solemn resolutions to become a better person, remain a bachelor, and marry a fat homely woman are comic. The greatest humour lies in the snake itself being distracted by its own reflection in the mirror — mirroring the doctor's own earlier vanity — and the doctor fleeing the room in panic, never to return.

Question 7. What do you think is the moral of the story?

Answer:

The story carries several morals. First, it teaches that vanity and self-obsession are foolish — both the doctor and ironically the snake are distracted by their own reflections. Second, it reminds us that life is unpredictable and that a single moment can shatter all our plans and pride. Third, it shows that in moments of true crisis, human beings are humbled and forced to reflect on what really matters. The doctor's vain thoughts disappear instantly when faced with real danger, suggesting that pride and vanity are trivial in the face of life and death.

FAQs – Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror

Q1. What is the role of the mirror in the story? The mirror plays a central and symbolic role. Initially it reflects the doctor's vanity — he sits before it admiring himself and making plans to look impressive. Later, the snake is also attracted to the mirror and becomes fascinated by its own reflection. The mirror thus connects the doctor and the snake thematically, both being distracted by their own images, and it is ultimately what saves the doctor's life.

Q2. Who is the narrator of the story and what kind of person is he? The narrator is an unnamed doctor who recounts the incident from his past. He is a young, vain, and somewhat absent-minded man who is proud of his appearance and spends time admiring himself in the mirror. He is also fearful and superstitious, as shown by his prayers and resolutions when the snake coils around him. However, he tells the story with self-deprecating humour, showing that he can laugh at himself.

Q3. What resolutions does the doctor make when the snake is coiled around his arm? The doctor resolves to be kind to the poor, to remain a bachelor, and if he must marry, to choose a fat and homely woman rather than a pretty one. He also resolves to keep his room clean and tidy and to close his doors and windows properly before sleeping.

Q4. What is the significance of the title "The Snake and the Mirror"? The title draws attention to the two central elements of the story — the snake and the mirror. The snake represents danger and the unpredictability of life, while the mirror represents vanity and self-reflection. Both the doctor and the snake are connected by the mirror, and it is the snake's fascination with its own reflection that saves the doctor's life. The title also hints at the comic parallel between the doctor's earlier vanity and the snake's behaviour.

Q5. What is the tone of the story? The tone of the story is humorous and self-deprecating. The narrator tells the story with a light touch, laughing at his own fear and vanity. Despite the genuinely terrifying situation, the overall mood is comic because the narrator has survived and can look back on the incident with amusement. The humour is gentle rather than sharp, making the story entertaining and easy to enjoy.