Elephants Raid the Kitchen

 

Reading 1

1. Based on your reading of the text, select the best option for each of the following.

a. ‘She stopped feeding, and rumbled gently.’ Tuskless ‘rumbled’

i. to signal other elephants to come.

ii. to scare humans away.

iii. to shake the bananas loose.

iv. to show reluctance to move out.

b. ‘Each elephant grabbed a last trunk full and started backing or turning away, reluctantly abandoning the banquet.’ The elephants left ‘reluctantly’ because

i. they were scared of the sound of the engine

ii. they wanted to look for more food jin the collapsed kitchen.

iii. there was no food in the forest.

iv. they had had their fill and it was difficult to move.

Answers:

1. a. i. to signal other elephants to come

1. b. ii.they wanted to look for more food in the collapsed kitchen.

2. Answer the following questions.

a. Who was Tuskless? How was she drawn to the camp?

Tuskless was a female elephant. She was drawn to the camp because of the smell of food items. She got the smell of bananas and she was very fond of bananas.

b. How did Tuskless developed a taste for bananas?

Once Tuskless was given overripe, almost fermented bananas at the camp’s feeding place. She ate them with great relish. From then onwards Tuskless developed a taste for bananas.

c. How did the elephants enter the kitchen?

Tuskless wrenched out the main sisal pole of the tent with her trunk. The other elephants pulled the other poles and the wire. Tuskless made a hole in the wall of the kitchen. She pushed the wall with her head. The kitchen collapsed. Thus the elephants entered the kitchen.

d. Getting the food out of the tent was not easy for Tuskless. Explain.

The food was stored at the other side of the kitchen. Tuskless had to push the kitchen wall with her head. The kitchen collapsed. Tuskless had to get food from the collapsed ktchen knocking down cupboards and breaking open the trunks. So, getting the food out of the tent was not easy for Tuskless.

e. What was ‘near ecstasy’ for the raiders?

The elephants found their favorite food all at one place in the kitchen. They enjoyed fruits, vegetables, bread, cookies and crackers. That was like a feast for them. The feast was ‘near ecstasy’ for the raiders.

f. What did the narrator first do on her arrival at the camp?

As soon as the narrator realized that the kitchen was raided by the elephants, she tried to chase them away. Once the elephants went away, the narrator went to the kitchen and found that the cooking gas was leaking out of the cylinder. She switched off the regulator and controlled the gas leakage, averting a fire accident.

g. Why did the narrator blame herself for the mess?

The narrator had gone out for eating without storing the food properly. The cook was on leave and so the food was not takes care of. The narrator blamed herself for the mess as she should have taken precautions to avoid the raid.

Reading 2

1. Camping in the forest is not without hazards. Bring this out with reference to the story.

There is a danger of animal attacks on the camps in the forest. Animals, especially elephants move in herds and raid the camps. They are attracted by the smell of food. Hence, camping in the forest is not without hazards like fire accidents.

2. What should have warned the narrator about the elephants’ intentions?

The narrator and her friends observed that Tuskless moving in the direction of the camp kitchen earlier on the same evening. They should have guessed the intentions of the elephants.

3. How does the author feel about the elephants - compassion or disgust? Give reasons.

The author felt compassion about the elephants. Though she was angry with the elephants for raiding the kitchen, she did not want the elephants to get hurt or injured.

4. What part of the narration did you like most? Why?

I like the part which describes about the elephants’ entry into the kitchen. They used their intelligence and removed the fencing and pushed down the kitchen wall. They could get their favorite food from the collapsed kitchen. This shows the teamwork of the elephants.

5. Which of these traits best describe Tuskless? Give reasons?

intelligent - greedy - fearless - caring - opportunistic - risk-taker -  patient - observant

You may write any one of the following:

Intelligent: I think this trait describes Tuskless the best. It is because she knows how to find the food and how to lead her herd towards the food.

Greedy: I think this trait describes Tuskless the best. It is because she didn’t stop eating even after she ate her favourite food, bananas. She went on to break open the trunks and pulled down cup boards for other food items like bread, cockies and crackers.

Fearless: I think this trait describes Tuskless the best. It is because she was not afraid of humans. Fearlessly she led her herd towards the kitchen.

Caring: I think this trait describes Tuskless the best. It is because she had taken her herd and let all other elephants enjoy the feast.

Opportunistc: I think this trait describes Tuskless the best. It is because Tuskless took the opportunity to raid the kitchen when there were no humans around.

Risk-taker: I can say that Tuskless is a risk-taker as she led her herd to the kitchen. She took the risk of damaging the fence and collapsing the kitchen.

Patient: I think this trait describes Tuskless the best. It is because Tuskless waited patiently till all the humans were gone from the camp to raid kitchen.

Observant: This trait suits Tuskless the best. She observed the surroundings and got the smell of food in the kitchen. She waited till all the humans were gone from the kitchen and raided the kitchen.

6. As Tuskless, write a page in your diary describing the feast.

Date     

Day

Time

Dear Diary,

Today, I am very lucky. I got the smell of ripened bananas from the camp kitchen while roaming nearby. I am very happy to know that the food I liked most is very near to me.

I waited for the opportunity to find a way to eat the food. The humans how are at the camp went away. I gave a signal to the other elephants in the herd that now we can go to kitchen and enjoy the food.

We went near the kitchen. There was a fence. We removed the fence with our trunks. We pushed the wall of the kitchen and the kitchen collapsed.

From the rubble, we ate the fruits and vegetables. We broke open the trunks and cupboards to steal food like bread, cookies and crackers. It was a great feast for us.

Sadly, the woman and her friends came and chased us away. We had to return to our places in the forest.

What a wonderful day I had!

Good night diary.

Vocabulary

Study the words in italics in the following sentences. Then, from the options given below, choose the words that could best replace them.

1. Tuskless, Teddy and the others began feeding around the periphery of the camp, apparently minding their own business and concentrating on eating.

    a. deceptively    b. obviously          c. consequently                d. disbelievingly

2. Tuskless liked the smell immediately, plucked one off the stalk, popped it in her mouth and savoured the sweet taste.

    a. admired          b. relished           c. smelled            d. liked

3. There was a tearing noise as the pole was wrenched away.

    a. picked              b. slid                c. blown               d. jerked

4. The tin trunk was lifted up and turned upside down and stepped on a bit a kicked about if necessary, until it disgorged its contents.

    a. finished           b. devoured                       c. retained          d. emptied

5. I can still close my eyes and vividly see that disastrous scene as I drove around the corner into the camp…

    a. horrifying            b. unsuccessful                 c. ruinous            d. unlucky

Answers:

1. a. deceptively

2. b. relished

3. d. jerked

4. d. emptied

5. a. horrifying