Thinking about the Text
.Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
1. “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?
Ans- The doctor heard the sound of rats moving above the room. He heard this sound twice while sitting in his room. The sounds stopped when a snake fell with a dull thud into the room, shifting his attention.
2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
Ans -The doctor decided to shave daily and to always keep a smile on his face to look more handsome. These decisions were influenced by his admiration of beauty and his status as a bachelor doctor.
3. “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?
Ans- (i) When the doctor first smiles, he is confident and proud of his appearance. (ii) When he smiles again, it is a feeble smile at his own foolishness and the danger he faces. His thoughts change from vanity to humility due to the imminent threat of the snake.
II. 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)
The doctor is poor, with meager earnings and a simple lifestyle, sharing his room with rats.
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
He wants to be a handsome, confident man who impresses others with his appearance and presence, and dreams of marrying a wealthy woman.
2. (i) The person he wants to marry
He wants to marry a rich, fat woman doctor so he can have financial security and an easy escape if needed.
(ii) The person he actually marries
He marries a thin woman who can run fast, the opposite of his original plan.
3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror
He is filled with vanity and self-admiration, making decisions to enhance his looks.
(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm
He is terrified, helpless, and focused on survival, feeling the presence of God and contemplating his mortality.
Thinking about Language
I. 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.
(a) was afraid of the snake
2. I was no mere image cut in granite.
(d) was no longer afraid of the snake
3. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength.
(a) was afraid of the snake
4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.
(a) was afraid of the snake
5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.
(a) was afraid of the snake
6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile.
(b) was proud of his appearance
7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.
(d) was no longer afraid of the snake
8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!
(b) was proud of his appearance
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.
(c) had a sense of humour
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.
(c) had a sense of humour
II. 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 to stone.
2. I sat there holding my breath .
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh .
III. In the sentences given below some words and expressions are italicised. They are variously mean that one
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)
2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (very frightened)
4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
5. Wait until I tell his story — it will *make your hair stand on end. (makes another feel frightened)
6. Paralysed with fear , the boy faced his abductors. (too scared to move)
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle. (too scared to move)
IV. Reported questions
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?”
Meena asked her friend if she thought their teacher would come that day.
2. **David asked his colleague, “Where will you go this summer?”**
David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.
3. **He asked the little boy, “Why are you studying English?”**
He asked the little boy why he was studying English.
4. **She asked me, “When are we going to leave?”**
She asked me when we were going to leave.
5. **Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading the newspaper?”**
Pran asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
6. **Seema asked her, “How long have you lived here?”**
Seema asked her how long she had lived there.
7. **Sheila asked the children, “Are you ready to do the work?”**
Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.
### Writing
1. **Try to rewrite the story without its humour, merely as a frightening incident. What details or parts of the story would you leave out?**
It was a hot summer night when the doctor returned to his small rented room. After a meal, he heard the sound of rats above. As he sat reading by the lamp, he felt a dull thud behind him. Suddenly, a snake fell on his shoulder and coiled around his arm. The doctor froze in terror, unable to move or cry out. He felt the snake’s grip tighten as its hood flared inches from his face. Holding his breath, he prayed for safety. Eventually, the snake unwound and moved towards the mirror. Taking the chance, the doctor quietly escaped to the veranda and ran to safety. The next day, he returned to find his room ransacked, with only his dirty vest left behind.
2. **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 monkey found a piece of a broken mirror in the forest. Fascinated by the shiny object, it picked it up and looked into it. The monkey was curious about the reflection, tilting its head and making faces. It had never seen its own image before and was puzzled by the ‘other monkey’ staring back. It preened itself, smoothing its fur and admiring its features. The monkey felt a sense of pride, thinking it was the most attractive creature in the forest. It carried the mirror with it, constantly checking its appearance, completely taken by its own beauty.
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