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Question
How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.
Solution
When he received his mail, he carried it to his bedroom to read. There, he saw two Arabs and beside them was a sack that twisted from time to time. They handed him a note from his friend saying that he had sent him an otter. Yes, he liked it. We know this because he uses the term ‘otter fixation’ to refer to his feeling towards the otter. He felt that this otter fixation or this strong attachment towards otters was something that was shared by most other people who had ever owned one.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?
Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was
-
aloof and indifferent
-
friendly
-
hostile
What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?
How was Mij to be transported to England?
What did Mij do to the box?
Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?
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What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
What game had Mij invented?
What are ‘compulsive habits’? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of
(i) school children
(ii) Mij?
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.
| What Mij does | How Mij feels or thinks |
| Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash | - |
| Screws the tap in the wrong way | - |
| Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane | - |
Read the following extract and answer the questions:
| For the first twenty-four hours, Mijbil was neither hostile nor 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. I made a body-belt for him and took him on a lead to the bathroom, where for half an hour he went wild with joy in the water. |
- Which of the following is not a reason why Mijbil came onto Maxwell’s bed in the small hours? (1)
- He had started taking interest in his surroundings.
- He was becoming friendly with Maxwell.
- He wanted to play with Maxwell on his bed.
- He wanted to feel safe and not remain indifferent.
- Maxwell says that Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly, he was simply aloof and indifferent for the first twenty-four hours. Give reasons in not more than 40 words. (2)
- Read the following descriptions (A) - (D) and identify which one correctly corresponds to the extract. (1)
- Owning a pet is tedious and needs commitment.
- A pet needs his own space and time to get adjusted to his owner’s environment.
- Maxwell decided to bring Mijbil because he was very sad to lose his dog.
- Maxwell and Mijbil loved travelling.
- Which characteristic trait of otters is revealed when Mijbil is taken to the bathroom? (1)
