Mijbil Otter
NCERT Exercise
Part 2
Question 14: What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?
Answer: As otters are not found in England so Londoners made wildest possible guesses about Mijbil’s identity. Their guesses would range from a baby seal, a squirrel, a hippo to a brontosaurus.
Question 15: What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?
Answer: The way Mij learnt to open the tap shows that it is an intelligent animal. Mij is always in a playful mood; doing all sorts of pranks. Mij prefers the company of the author. These facts show that it is a friendly and fun-loving animal.
Question 16: What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
Answer: Some of the things we come to know about otters from this text are as follows. Otters are small creatures with dark brown fur all over the body. Otters live near water and enjoy playing in water. Otters are very active animals and can be easily tamed.
Question 17: Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
Answer: It can be the association of some scientist; named Maxwell who discovered this species. It can also be the association with the author who is named Maxwell.
Question 18: 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.
Answer:
| What Mij does | How Mij feels or thinks |
|---|---|
| plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash | Mij feels that every drop of water should be enjoyed. It feels that static water is a waste and water should always remain dynamic. |
| Screws the tap in the wrong way | Mij feels irritated when the tap does not cooperate. |
| Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane | Mij is feeling comfortable in the author’s company. |
Question 19: 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
- makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy.
Answer: 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. - shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does.
Answer: Incorrect - shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does.
Answer: I watched, amazed; in less than a minute he had turned the tap far enough to produce a trickle of water, and after a moment or two achieved the full flow. - of Mij’s antics is comical.
Answer: But the real play of an otter is when he lies on his back and juggles with small objects between his paws. - shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully.
Answer: Mij discovered that if he placed the ball on the high end it would run down the length of the suitcase. He would dash around to the other end to ambush its arrival, hide from it, crouching, to spring up and take it by surprise, grab it and trot off with it to the high end once more. - shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter.
Answer: Incorrect
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
CARL SANDBURG
In this small poem the poet has compared the fog with a cat. Cats are very popular pets in western countries. Fog comes like a cat, silently; making no sound with its feet. The fog sits like a cat on haunches looking over the harbour and the city. The typical style of a cat sitting lazily over a wall is termed as haunch. After sometimes the fog moves on to another place.