CBSE Class 10 English HOTs Mijbil the Otter

Extract Based Questions

1. Mijbil, as I called the otter, was, in fact, of a race previously unknown to science, and was at length christened by zoologists Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli, or Maxwell’s otter. For the twenty-four hours Mijbil was either hostile or friendly; he was simply aloof and indifferent, choosing to sleep on the floor as far from my bed as possible. The second night Mijbil came on to my bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of my knees until the servant brought tea in the morning, and during the day he began to lose his apathy and take a keen, much too keen, interest in his surroundings.

Answer the following questions by choosing the correct options.

Question. Who was Mijbil?
Statement I: It was an otter brought by the narrator.
Statement II: It was the loving pet of narrator.
a) Statement I is correct but statement II is wrong.
b) Statement II is correct but statement I is wrong.
c) Both the statements I&II are correct.
d) Both the statements I&II are wrong.
Answer : C

Question. Why was the otter aloof and indifferent for the first twenty-four hours?
a) It was behaving like this because he didn’t like the narrator.
b) It was behaving like this because it was not used to its surroundings.
c) It was behaving like this because it was missing its mother.
d) All of the above.
Answer : B

Question. The word……...from the extract means same as ‘having no particular interest’.
Answer : indifferent

Question. Why is the otter called ‘Maxwell’s otter’?
Statement I: The otter was christened by zoologist Maxwell. So, in his honour, it was called Maxwell’s otter.
Statement II: It was called Maxwell’s otter because it was raised by him only in the world.
a) Statement I is correct but statement II is wrong.
b) Statement II is correct but statement I is wrong.
c) Both the statements I&II are correct.
d) Both the statements I&II are wrong.
Answer : A

Question. ‘’The second night Mijbil came on to author’s bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of his knees” What does it show?
a) It shows that it was tired.
b) It shows that otter was getting used to its surroundings.
c) It shows that it was getting friendly with author.
d) Both B&C are correct.
Answer : D

2. When I casually mentioned this to a friend, he as casually replied that I had better get one in the Tigris marshes, for there they were as common as mosquitoes, and were often tamed by the Arabs. We were going to Basra to the Consulate – General to collect and answer out mail from Europe. At the Consulate-General we found that my friend’s mail had arrived but that mine had not. Answer the following questions by choosing the correct options.

Question. Who is ‘I’ in this passage?
a) The Narrator
b) The Narrator’s Friend
c) The Otter
d) None of the above.
Answer : A

Question. What did the author mention to a friend?
a) He told him that he wanted to keep a pet dog.
b) He told him that he wanted to keep an otter as a pet.
c) He told him that he wanted to go to Iraq.
d) None of the above.
Answer : B

Question. To whom does the word ‘they’ refer in second line?
a) dogs
b) cats
c) mosquitoes
d) otters
Answer : D

Question. The word…...from the passage means same as “Post”.
Answer : mail

Question. What did the author tell his friend?
a) He told him that he was sad for his dead dog.
b) He told him that he wanted to tame an otter.
c) He told him that he wanted to visit Tigris Marshes.
d) He told him that he was not interested keep a pet anymore.
Answer : B

3. The creature that emerged from this sack on to the spacious tiled floor of the Consulate bedroom resembled most of all a very small, medievally conceived, dragon. From the head to the tip of the tail he was coated with symmetrical pointed scales of mud armour, between whose tips was visible a soft velvet fur like that of a chocolate-brown mole. He shook himself, and I half expected a cloud of dust, but in fact it was not for another month that I managed to remove the last of the mud and see the otter, as it were, in his true colours. Answer the following questions by choosing the correct options.

Question. What did come out from the sack?
a) A rat come out from the sack.
b) An otter come out from the sack.
c) A dog come out from the sack.
d) A dragon come out from the sack.
Answer : B

Question. Why is the creature referred as a very small, medievally conceived, dragon?
Statement I: The creature is referred as dragon because he creature from the head to the tip of its tail, it was coated with symmetrical pointed scales of mud.
Statement II: The creature is referred as dragon because it looked like him as it had scales on its body and smoke came out of its nose.
a) Statement II is correct but statement I is wrong.
b) Statement I is correct but statement II is wrong.
c) Both the statements I&II are correct.
d) Both the statements I&II are wrong.
Answer : B

Question. How much time did it take the narrator to see the creature in its true colours?
a) It took him a month approximately.
b) It took him several months.
c) It took him fifteen days around.
d) None of the above.
Answer : A

Question. The word…. from the extract means same as ‘clean’.
a) emerged
b) symmetrical
c) remove
d) resembled
Answer : C

Question. What did the author expect and did it happen as he expected?
a) He expected cloud of dust when the creature shook itself.
b) He expected cloud of dust but it didn’t as the mud was stuck fast on the fur.
c) He expected that creature would very violent.
d) He thought that it would be an otter but it was dragon.
Answer : B

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. What is the most common characteristic of an otter ?
Answer : The otter, which looked more like a dragon, loved to plunge and roll in water. He played in water like a hippo. Aloof at first, he started taking an interest in its surroundings, started responding to his name and loved playing games for hours with toys like ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit etc.

Question. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom ? What did Mijbil do two days after that ?
Answer : In the bathroom, Mijbil fumbled with the taps and went mad with joy on seeing full flow of water. He played, splashed and thoroughly enjoyed like a hippo in water. Aloof at first, he started answering to his name, played for hours with rubber ball and juggled with small objects, after two days.

Question. What game had Mijbil invented ?
Answer : Mijbil enjoyed playing with marbles while lying on its back. He would lie and roll two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly.

Question. What special characteristic of Mijbil did Maxwell learn after he took him to the bathroom ?
Answer : After taking Mijbil to the bathroom, Maxwell witnessed Mijbil being almost mad with excitement, plunging and rolling in water, splashing water all around. It shows his love for water as marshes and wetlands are their natural habitat.

Question. Give an example from the text to show that Mijbil is an intelligent animal.
Answer : Mijbil’s behaviour and reactions to the circumstances throw light on the trait of intelligence in the otters in general. They have basic congeniality. And it is portrayed in his behaviour that it took him mere a day to shed his inhibitions and familiarize himself with the new surroundings. Mijbil’s intelligence and sense of logic is reflected in his turning on the tap to get a flow of water.

Question. Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box ? What do you think how he felt when he did this?
Answer : Maxwell put the otter in the box because he was shifting from Basra to England and he wanted the otter to get used to it. He felt sad on putting it back because the otter did not like it and so, he was trying to get out of it. He had torn the lining of the box to shreds.

Question. What guesses did the Londoners make about Mijbil ?
Answer : The Londoners made a variety of guesses as to what kind of creature Mijbil was, i.e., a baby seal, a squirrel, walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard or a brontosaurus.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Should one own a pet to keep up with their status symbol ?
Answer : According to me, owning a pet just to keep one’s status symbol is absolutely wrong. The animals should be allowed to stay free in their natural habitat with their families and friends. They should not be trapped and sold on pet shops. But if at all any human has an urge of keeping a pet he/she should not keep it for showing status in the society. Owning a pet is a lifetime commitment, involving considerable responsibility. The decision to acquire one, therefore, should be made by the whole family, otherwise it would end up, being unwanted. In this story, Maxwell has very intelligently shown us how a pet has to be taken care of, loved and made a part of the family. Maxwell, who brought home an otter, tried to find out its feeling and thoughts and tried to provide an environment suitable for its existence.

Question. The way Maxwell was worried about Mijbil when he had to take him to London shows that he was very concerned about him. Do you think, owning a pet is a life-time commitment ? Elucidate.
Answer : Maxwell was very concerned about his pet. The British airline refused to fly the animal. So he booked a flight to Paris on another airline, and from there to London. The airline insisted that Mijbil should be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square, to be carried on the floor at his feet. He got the box made. He put Mijbil into the box so that he would become accustomed to the box, in which it had to travel. When Mijbil was injured in his attempt to come out of the box, the author was really concerned about his well being. He carried a parcel of fish for Mijbil on the flight. He carried Mijbil on his knee. The lesson definitely conveys the fact that when we decide to keep a pet, it is a commitment of lifetime. This is so because we are responsible for the well-being of that life and infact, keeping a pet at home is like bringing up and nurturing a child.