Literary Devices / Poetic Devices

 

Dust of Snow

 1. Rhyme Scheme- abab cdcd

2. Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

The instances of alliteration are as follows-

1. Has given my heart

2. And saved some part

3. inversion – when the structure of a sentence is changed by the poet to create rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion. In stanza 1, inversion can be seen.

4. assonance – the prominence of a vowel sound throughout a line is called assonance. In stanza 1, line 2 –  “Shook down on me” – ‘o’ sound is prominent.

5. enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the next line without the use of any punctuation marks, it is called enjambment. It has been used thorughout the poem.

Fire and Ice

1. Rhyming scheme- aba / abc / bcb

2. Assonance- it is repetition of vowel sounds in same line. The repetition is at different places in different words.

Example- The long sound of “o” in “I hold with those who favour fire”

3. Alliteration- alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more closely placed words.

Example- The sound of “f” in “favour fire”, “w” in “world will”

4. Imagery- Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.

Example- “Some say the world will end in fire”

“To say that for destruction ice Is also great”

5. Anaphora- the repetition of a word or expression at the start of two or more consecutive lines.

Example – “Some say” is repeated at the start of lines 1 and 2.

6. Personification- Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. In this poem, “fire” and “ice” are capable of destruction. Thus, the poet personifies fire and ice by giving them mind and power to destroy anything.

7. Enjambment- it is defined as the thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break, rather it moves over to the next line.

Example- “From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire”

 

The Tiger in the Zoo

 

Stanza 1: Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)

Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.

Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of velvet)

Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line without any punctuation mark.

Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage)

Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)

Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)

 

Stanza 2: Rhyme: rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass)

Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks. (Sliding through….deer pass)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump pass)

Imagery: The poet has tries to create an image of tiger’s activities (lurking in shadow).

Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge, village)

Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation marks (He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s edge,)

Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around, houses), (Baring, his, white, his)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his, claws)

 

Stanza 3: Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (bars-visitors)

Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet refers him as ‘he’.

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind bars)

 

Stanza 4: Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (cars-stars)

Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any punctuation mark. (And stares with his brilliant eyes At the brilliant stars.)

Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he hears)

Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)

Metonymy: This poetic device consisitts of the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct of that of the thing meant. In this poem the use of the metonymy in the 2^nd line of the 4^th stanza. The poet used the word strength to mean the body of the tiger, where the entire strength of this majestic creatue resides and which is locked up within a cage in the zoo.

 

How to tell Wild Animals

 

Stanza 1: Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (chance-advance, east-beast, dyin-lion)

Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and if there…..tawny beast)

Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if there should to you advance)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to you, roars,)

Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Asian Lion)

 

Stanza 2: Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (round-ground, you-you learn-discern)

Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or more closely connected words (roaming round)

Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal Tiger to discern)

Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)

Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when roaming round)

 

Stanza 3: Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (view- you, peppered- Leopard, pain-again)

Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of two words (he has)

Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in order to create rhyme or rhythm in a poem (use of lept instead of leapt)

Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no good to roar)

Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)

 

Stanza 4: Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (yard-hard, there- bear, guess-caress)

Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were walking….creature there)

Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ sound (be-bear)

Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)

 

Stanza 5: Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (prey-may, nonplus-thus, smiles-crocodiles)

Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use of ‘th’ sound (the-thus)

Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though to distinguish….might nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena thus)

 

Stanza 6: Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (small-all, thing-wing, tree-see)

Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)

Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)

 

The Ball Poem

 

There is no Rhyme scheme in this poem. The poem is written in Free Verse.

 

Stanza 1: Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What is the boy… what, what and merrily bouncing… merrily over)

Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)

Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street

repetition: ‘what’ is repeated

 

Stanza 2: Repetition: use of the word ‘ball’

Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime, another ball, is worthless)

 

Stanza 3: Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive words (buys a ball back)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes)

Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated

 

Amanda!

 

Stanza 1: Literary devices:

Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (don’t bite… don’t hunch)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch your shoulders)

Rhyme: aaba ccc (Amanda, Amanda, straight, Amanda, sea, me, blissfully)

Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea being similar to the colour of emrald

Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

Imagery: drifting blissfully

Alliteration: ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ – ‘s’ sound is being repeated at the start of closely placed words.

Allusion: ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.

 

Stanza 2: Literary devices:

Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more lines (did you finish….did you tidy)

Rhyme: Rhyme scheme is aada eee (Amanda, Amanda, shoes, Amanda, street, feet, sweet)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your, shoes)

Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious like golden colour

freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste.

 

Stanza 3: Literary devices:

Allusion: use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel

Rhyme: rhyme scheme aafa ggg (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda, care, rare, hair)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you

Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a care …..Bright hair)

Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

 

Stanza 4: Literary Devices:

Alliteration: ‘Stop that sulking’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated at the start of closely placed words

Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

Rhyme scheme: aaha (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda)

 

Trees

 

Stanza 1: Literary Devices:

Personification: Sun bury its feet. Sun has been personified.

Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (the forest that was…… trees by morning).

Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’

imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” – shows kinestatic imagery

 

Stanza 2: Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (the leaves strain……. Half dazed)

Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly discharged patients)

personification: twigs and boughs have been personified.

 

Stanza 3: Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and lichen’

Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (doors open….the house)

Imagery: the poet has tried to create a scene in which she is observing all the things happening (the night is fresh……into the rooms)

 

Stanza 4: Literary devices:

Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken like a mirror)

 

Fog

 

Rhyme Scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed in the poem. It is in free verse.

Metaphor: Fog is comapred to a cat.

Personification: Fog is personified.

Enjambment: The two sentences used in the poem continue to the following line without any punctuation marks at the end of the lines.

 

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Stanza 1: Literary Devices: Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, wagon-dragon)

Repetition: use of the word ‘little’

oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings “pet dragon”

Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines. (And a little ….And a realio)

Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)

poetic license: realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have been changed to create a musical effect.

 

Stanza 2 : Rhyme scheme: aabb (ink-blink, mustard-custard)

simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”

Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” - “c” sound

Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines (And the little grey…And the little yellow)

Repetition: use of word little

 

Stanza 3: Rhyme scheme: aabb (teeth-underneath, nose-toes)

Simile: Dragon’s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth like a fireplace)

Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)

Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney.

 

Stanza 4: Rhyme scheme: aabb (bears-stairs, rage-cage)

Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated

Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full of bears (as a barrel full of bears), Mustard’s bravery is compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage)

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears)

 

Stanza 5: Rhyme scheme: aabb (unmerciful-Percival, wagon-dragon)

Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,)

Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’

Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival)

Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival

 

Stanza 6: Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, rage-cage)

Onomatopoeia:  usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (giggled, weeck)

Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage (used in stanza 4)

 

Stanza 7: Rhyme scheme: aabb (sound-around, Belinda-winda)

Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound)

Onomatopoeia:  usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (Mustard growled, Meowch, cried ink)

Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’ to create rhyme.

Repetition: suddenly

 

Stanza 8: Rhyme scheme: aabb (right- bright, wood- good)

Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h”

Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the pirate.

 

Stanza 9: Rhyme scheme: aabb (help-yelp, household – mousehold)

transferred epithet: terrified yelp

Repetition: help help

Poetic license: use of the word mousehold to rhyme with household

 

Stanza 10: Rhyme scheme: aabb (engine-dungeon, squirm-worm)

Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine (snorting like an engine), Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird (like a robin at a worm)

Onomatopoeia:  usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (clatter, clank, jangling)

Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an image in our minds.

 

Stanza 11: Rhyme scheme: aabb (dragon-flagon, hit-bit)

alliteration: gulped some grog “g”

Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate on seeing the dragon.

 

Stanza 12: Rhyme scheme: aabb (him-victim, gyrate-pirate)

alliteration: glee did gyrate “g”

Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and blink in glee did), use of vowel sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate)

 

Stanza 13: Rhyme scheme: aabb (mustard-flustered, blink-ink, agree-me)

 

Stanza 14: Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio)

Repetition: stanza has been repeated

 

For Anne Gregory

 

Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb

Apostrophe:  Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person. In the poem, the poet is seen talking to Anne Gregory, but the readers don't see her at any point in the poem.

Repetition: In this poem, the phrase 'yellow hair' is repeated.

The word 'despair' is repeated.

Synecdoche: Synecdoche refers to a literary device in which a part of something is substituted for the whole.

 

Stanza 1:

Metaphor - The poet has compared Anne's hair with ramparts of a fort.

Alliteration -  It is the repetition of a letter at the start of closely placed words. The repetition of the letter 'y' in "your yellow."

 

Stanza 2:

Alliteration -  It is the repetition of a letter at the start of closely placed words. The repetition of the letter 's' in "Set Such."

Metonymy - The poet has used carrot to show orange colour.

Poetic Devices:

Anaphora: It is the repetition of a word at the start of two or more consecutive lines - 

(That he had found a text to prove

That only God, my dear,).                     

Alliteration:  It is the repetition of a letter at the start of closely placed words. The repetition of the letter:

h in "he had"

y in "your yellow".

For Anne Gregory

About the Poet: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was educated in London and Dublin and was interested in folklore and mythology. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.

Summary of the poem: The poem is written as a conversation between the poet, Yeats, and a young girl named Anne Gregory. The poet tells her that if she finds a young boy who becomes sad because of her rejection, it doesn’t mean that he is a true lover. He could have been in love with her because of her beautiful yellow hair. It implies that the boy might be in love with her because of her attractive looks. The poet says that a true lover will be the one who will love her for her inner qualities and not her looks. Then, Anne says that she will change her looks by dying her hair into some other colour. She will become less attractive and then, maybe, she will find true love for herself. At last, the poet explains her that the previous night, he had heard some religious man saying that only God loves us for what we are. The conclusion is that God loves us for our inner beauty but never for our outward appearance.

“Never shall a young man,

Thrown into despair                            

By those great honey-coloured

Ramparts at your ear,

Love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.”

 

Literary Devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb

Metaphor: honey-coloured Ramparts at your ear (Anne’s hair is compared to the ramparts of a fort)

 

“But I can get a hair-dye

And set such colour there,     

Brown, or black, or carrot,

That young men in despair

May love me for myself alone

And not my yellow hair.”

 

Literary Devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb

Alliteration: repetition of consonant  ‘s’ sound at the start of two consecutive words. (Set Such)

 

 “I heard an old religious man

But yesternight declare

That he had found a text to prove

That only God, my dear,                               

Could love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.”

 

Literary Devices:

Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb

Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at the beginning of two lines (That he….That only god)

Alliteration: he had, your yellow

 Question and Answers

 1- What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured /Ramparts at your ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by them?

Ans. The “great honey coloured/ Rampart at your ear” means the yellow coloured hair of the girl. Her ears are covered by her hair like a protective wall around a fort. Young men may fall in love with Anne because of such beautiful hair. They may be thrown into despair if she rejects them.

 

2. What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?

Ans. The hair of young woman is yellow in colour. She says that she can change them to brown, black or carrot color by using a hair dye. She wants to do so to get rid of the lover who loves her for the yellow – coloured hair. She seeks a true lover  - one who loves her for her inner beauty.

The Book that Saved the Earth

 

Summary

The story begins with a stage show of twenty-fifth century in which a historian is sitting in the museum and she explains the truth about the Martian invasion that happened in the twentieth century.

 

In the next scene, two characters are shown one of them who has a balloon brain is shown as the master. His name is Think Tank and another one is his assistant Noodle. Both of them are discussing their plan to invade earth. They think that earth is a ridiculous plan and they should invade earth so as to establish their kind rule over the planet. So, the master think tank sends one of his crew to inspect earth.

 

The crew lands into a library and looks confused as they know nothing about the items (books) of the library. So, they consult it with their master Think Tank whom they think is very intelligent. He asks them to show the item and tells them that they are sandwiches, is a staple diet of the earthlings. He commands his crew to eat it, which they then consider as tasteless eatable.

 

His assistant Noodle corrects him and tells him that they are communication devices. He on hearing this, asks his crew to listen to the information from the devices. They try to hear it but they get nothing to hear from them. Once again Noodle corrects his master Think Tank that they are to be read and not heard. So with the help of the vitamins provided by the chemical department of Mars, the crew tries to read the book. It was a book of rhymes, Mother Goose. But they are unable to understand the book.

 As Oop started reading the book of nursery rhymes they take the literal meaning of rhymes. Think Tank called his Martians team and says that they have gathered some information about earthlings, and they should be postponing the idea of invasion. Then Oop read the rhyme Humpty Dumpty, and they all saw the picture of Humpty who looked like Think Tank. Think Tank drew an inference that the earthlings have identified him and will kill him soon. So, he asked his team to run immediately from there and thus a dusted book of rhymes saved us from the Martian invasion.

 Answers to Textual Questions

Q1-Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?

A1-Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes in a very clever way. He used to present his ideas as a thing of less importance but this would help think tank in correcting his mistakes.

 

Q2- If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?

A2- If I would have been at Noodle’s place I would have handled the situation just like Noodle did. I would have suggested my master the right things but in a way that he may not feel being pointed out by a subordinate.

 

Q3-Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?

A3- Yes it is true to some extent that books are being replaced by the electronic media but we cannot do away with the books completely. It is so because books still serve the purpose of deriving information from them. It is so because still there are many things which are sometimes not available on the electronic media.

 

Q4- Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion?

A4- Books are man’s best companion because they not only provide us with information but also sometimes become a good source of entertainment.

Read and Find out: Page 63

 1. Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the book’?

There were books for everything, from anteaters to Zulus in the twentieth century. Books taught people what to do, how to do, when to do and why to do. Books explained, educated, directed and decorated. So, twentieth century was called the eta of books.

2. Who tried to invade the Earth in the twenty first century?
Martians tried to invade the Earth in the twenty first century.

 

Page 65

3. What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the books found on Earth?
Think-Tank first guesses books to be sandwiches. Then he calls them communication devices. After that he thinks them to be some kind of eye communication devices that have to be devices watched.

 Think About It:  (Page 74)

1. Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?
Noodle avoids offending Think-Tank while correcting his mistakes by presenting his own thoughts, but referring to them as being of no particular importance. Whenever he had to say something contrary to what Think-Tank said, he would do this. In this way he would correct Think-Tank’s errors without making Think-Tank feel that he was being corrected.

2. If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think-Tank’s mistakes?
If I were in his place, I would do the same. I would politely and gently suggest the corrections.

3. Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?     
Yes, these days online reading has replaced traditional books to a large extent. The internet, social media like Facebook, Twitter etc. have decreased interest in reading. But, the truth is that books cannot be totally replaced. Books can never go out of life although they may exist in a different form.

4. Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion?

A book is a man’s best companion because it is always there. It never leaves us alone. It is there with us even when everyone else is gone. Books guide us, instruct us, make us laugh, inform us, inspire us and are always true to us.

Talk About It (Page 74)

 

1. In what ways does Think-Tank misinterpret innocent nursery rhymes as threats to the Martians? Can you think of any incidents where you misinterpreted a word or an action? How did you resolve the misunderstanding?
The words like ‘shell’ and ‘silver’ make Think-Tank think that humans grew them in farms. Then, there js a line about ‘cow’ and ‘ ‘moon’. Also, the picture of Humpty-Dumpu and the rhyme of‘great fall’ make Think- ink think that humans were about to invade Mats. Yes, I had a similar misunderstanding wirh a friend. But, I was fortunate as I got to know the actual truth just in time. I did not believe what 1 had heard earlier.
2. The aliens in the play speak English. Do you think this is their language? What could be the language of i.e aliens?
No, English was not their language. If it had been so, they would not have misinterpreted the- nursery rhymes. They could be speaking some Martian language.

Mijbil the Otter

 Oral Comprehension Check Page 106

1. What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

After the death of his pet dog, Maxwell wanted to have some other animal as a pet. He visited Southern Iraq in the year 1956. He got the idea of keeping an otter as a pet. This was the experiment. Otter’s natural habitats are swamps.  Camusfearna was surrounded by water, so it would be an ideal spot for this experiment.

2. Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?

The writer, Maxwell went to Basra to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He had to wait there for five days as his mail did not arrive.

3. How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.

His friend bought the otter for him and sent it to the place where he was staying. The author liked it. This is seen in his narration when he says that he made a body belt for him and took him to the bathroom to let the otter play with water.

4. Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’?

The otter belonged to a race unknown to the scientists then. The otter was named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli. In short, it was called Maxwell’s otter.

5. Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was

* aloof and indifferent (This is to be ticked) [In the beginning, the otter was aloof and indifferent.]

* friendly

* hostile

6. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?

When the author first took Mijbil to the bathroom, the otter first went wild with joy in the water. He plunged and rolled in it. He jumped up and down the length of the bathtub. After two days, the otter suddenly disappeared and went to the bathroom to play in the water. Interestingly, he opened the tap on his own.

Page 108

1. How was Mijbil transported to England?

As British airlines did not allow pets on board the author had to book a ticket on a different airline from Iraq to Paris and then Paris to London. Mijbil was packed in a box as the airlines had directed the author.

2. What did Mij do to the box?

In order to take Mij to England he had to be packed in a box as per the directions of the airlines. A box was made and it was lined with a metal sheet. Mij didn’t feel comfortable in the box and tried to escape. In his attempt to escape, Mij tore into the metal lining of the box and hurt himself.

3. Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?

There was no other way to carry Mij to London, other than packing him in a box. So, Maxwell put him in the box again. He must have felt pity on the way because the otter hurt himself. He must be worried as well.

4. Why does Maxwell say the air hostess was “the very queen of her kind”?

The air hostess was very sympathetic after listening to Maxwell’s story. She understood how he might be feeling and then gave him permission to take the otter out of the box. Due to all this, Maxwell referred her as “the very queen of her kind”.

5. What happened when the box was opened?

Short Answer: As soon as the box was opened, Mij ran out. Then it ran all over the place scaring all the passengers. It created chaos and most of the people on the plane got scared.

Long Answer: As soon as he opened the box, Mij flashed out of it and disappeared. Everyone on the flight panicked and a lady even climbed her chair. Finally, when he saw Mij’s tail disappearing beneath a turbaned man, he tried to catch hold of him and in the process, ended up covering his face with curry. After having created such chaos, the air hostess advised him to go to his seat while she brought Mij back to him.

Page 110

1. What game had Mij invented?

Mij invented a game of playing with the ball in a unique way. One of the author’s suitcases was damaged and had a slope on the top part. Mij would put the ball on the high end and run to catch it as it slid to the other end.

2. What are ‘compulsive habits"? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of i. school children ii. Mij?

Compulsive habits are usually strange acts or behavior which a person does without clear reason. For example, a player may put on his right shoes first as he believes it would bring him good luck, or a kid jumping over a fence, instead of going through the normal way. Usually, the compulsive behavior of children consists of mischief.

i. As per the narration, children must place their feet squarely on the center of each paving block; must touch every seventh upright of the iron railings, or pass to the outside of every second lamp post.

ii. Mijbil while on its way home would jump over the boundary wall railing and run at full speed throughout its length.

3. What group of animals do otters belong to?

Otters belong to a small group of animals called Mustellines. The other animals of this group are badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink, and others.

4. What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?

As otters are not found in England Londoners are not aware of them. Londoners made wild guesses about Mij. Their guesses ranged from a baby seal, a squirrel, and a hippo to a brontosaurus.

Thinking about the Text

(Pages 110, 111)

1. What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly, and fun-loving animal who needs love?

Mij invented his own game out of ping-pong ball and a worn-down suitcase. He loved water, and once he understood that on opening the tap water came out of it, he would get into the tub and play with water. These things show that he is an intelligent and fun-loving animal.

He had gradually formed a special attachment with Maxwell. He was desperate when Maxwell left him in a box and wanted to come out as soon as possible. This shows that he is friendly and needs love.

2. What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?

Otters belong to a small group of animals called Mustellines, shared by badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, mink, and others. They are found in large numbers in marshes. Arabs keep them as pets and tame them. Otters love to spread water and splash in it. Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was named Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli.

3. Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

The otter belonged to a race unknown to the scientists then. The otter was named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli. In short, it was called Maxwell’s otter.