Mijbil the Otter — NCERT Solutions

Given: The text is a factual account by Gavin Maxwell about his pet otter.

From this text, we learn the following things about otters:

1. Habitat: Otters are found in large numbers in the marshes near Basra in Iraq. They love water and are completely at home in it.
2. Behaviour in water: Otters are extremely playful in water — they plunge, roll, and splash with great joy.
3. Intelligence: Otters are highly intelligent animals. Mij was able to figure out how to turn on a tap by himself.
4. Playfulness: Otters are very playful. They enjoy juggling objects on their bellies, playing with balls, and inventing games.
5. Trainability: Otters can be trained to follow their owner without a lead and to come when called.
6. Species classification: Otters belong to the group called Mustellines, which also includes badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, and minks.
7. New species: The species that Mij belonged to was previously unknown to science and was later named 'Maxwell's otter' (Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli).
8. Compulsive habits: Like humans, otters can develop compulsive, ritualistic habits in their daily routines.

Given: Mij was an otter from the marshes near Basra, Iraq.

Mij's species is now known as Maxwell's otter because the particular species of otter to which Mij belonged was previously unknown to science — it had not been identified or classified before. When Maxwell brought Mij to the attention of scientists, they examined the otter and discovered that it was a new, previously unrecorded species. Following the standard scientific convention of naming a newly discovered species after its discoverer or the person who first brought it to scientific notice, the species was named after Gavin Maxwell. Its scientific name is Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, and it is commonly called Maxwell's otter.

Given: Maxwell interprets Mij's actions throughout the text.

Given: The text contains many descriptions of Mij's behaviour.

The following statements are true, supported by sentences from the text:

(i) Makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy:
True. Maxwell describes Mij's compulsive habits on walks — touching railings, walking along walls — comparing them directly to the rituals of school children: 'like the rituals of children who on their way to and from school must place their feet squarely on the centre of each paving block.' This comparison makes Mij seem like a mischievous small boy.

(ii) Shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does:
This is not true. Maxwell is never shown to be irritated with Mij. He is always affectionate, amused, or admiring.

(iii) Shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does:
True. 'I watched, amazed' — Maxwell is astonished when Mij turns on the tap by himself. He is also surprised by the variety of games Mij invents and by his compulsive habits on walks.

(iv) Of Mij's antics is comical:
True. The description of Mij running loose on the aeroplane, the woman screaming 'A rat! A rat!', Maxwell diving for Mij and getting his face covered in curry — all of this is highly comical. Similarly, the description of Mij galloping along the school wall to the 'hopeless distraction' of pupils and staff is funny.

(v) Shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully:
True. Maxwell's descriptions are extremely detailed and precise — he notes that Mij could juggle marbles on his belly 'without ever dropping one to the floor', that he invented the suitcase game, that he turned the tap 'the right way' by luck, and that his compulsive wall-walking happened 'on his way home, but never on his way out.' This level of detail shows very careful observation.

(vi) Shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter:
This is not true. Maxwell clearly thinks Mij is extraordinary — he belongs to a previously unknown species, and Maxwell marvels at his intelligence and personality throughout.

(vii) Shows that he thinks the otter is very unusual:
True. Maxwell repeatedly highlights Mij's unusual qualities — his ability to turn on taps, invent games, develop compulsive habits, and his belonging to a species unknown to science. The entire text presents Mij as a remarkable and extraordinary animal.

The rule is:

• Use would or used to for repeated actions in the past.
• Use used to for past states or situations.

Correct sentences from the table are:

• Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical evenings.
• Every evening we would take long walks on the beach.
• Fifty years ago, very few people used to own cars.
• Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets.
• My uncle used to spend his holidays by the sea.

Additional sentences may vary.

The phrase a cloud of dust means a large amount of dust. Similar quantity phrases are:

• a bit of land
• a drop of blood
• a pinch of salt
• a piece of paper

Such phrases are used when the noun is usually not counted one by one.

Concept:

• Both would and used to describe repeated actions in the past.
• Only used to (not would) is used for past states or situations (with verbs like be, have, believe, etc.).

Correct sentences:

1. Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical evenings.

(be fond of = a state; only 'used to' is correct)

2. Every evening we would / used to take long walks on the beach.

(take = an action; both are correct)

3. Fifty years ago, very few people used to own cars.

(own = a state; only 'used to' is correct)

4. Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets.

(have = a state; only 'used to' is correct)

5. My uncle would / used to spend his holidays by the sea.

(spend = an action; both are correct)

Additional sentences of your own:

• When I was a child, I used to be afraid of the dark.
• My grandmother would tell us stories every night before we slept.
• We used to have a large garden when we lived in the old house.

Concept: Nouns, proper nouns, and adjectives (or adjective + noun combinations) can all be used as modifiers before a noun.

Concept: Modifiers (adjectives, nouns, or combinations) are placed before nouns to describe or give more information about them.

Here are appropriate combinations (many are possible; a representative selection is given):

• college girls / college boys (college + noun)
• rough landscape (rough + noun)
• stone temple (stone + noun)
• ordinary person (ordinary + noun)
• love triangle (love + noun)
• uncomfortable thoughts (uncomfortable + noun)
• white handkerchief (white + noun)
• slack expression (slack + noun)
• bare landscape (bare + noun)
• railroad crossing (railroad + noun)
• tremendous roar / tremendous scream (tremendous + noun)
• family celebration / family farewell (family + noun)
• marriage celebration (marriage + noun)
• plump physique (plump + noun)
• invigorating coffee (invigorating + noun)
• panoramic view (panoramic + noun)
• heartbreaking farewell (heartbreaking + noun)
• birthday gifts / birthday celebration (birthday + noun)
• incorrigible chatterbox (incorrigible + noun)
• ridiculous expression (ridiculous + noun)
• loud roar / loud scream (loud + noun)
• first flight (first + noun)
• three-hundred-year-old stone temple (combination)
• uncomfortable dresses (uncomfortable + noun)
• love triangle (love + noun)
• slang expression (slang + noun)

Concept: Certain quantity phrases are used with specific uncountable or collective nouns.

Concept: Quantity phrases like a bit of, a piece of, a bunch of, a cloud of, and a lump of are used with uncountable or collective nouns to indicate a specific quantity.

(i) My teacher gave me a bit of advice. (given as example)

(ii) Can you give me a lump of clay, please.
(clay is a solid, shapeless mass — 'lump of' is appropriate)

(iii) A piece of information you gave was very useful.
(information is uncountable; 'a piece of' is the standard quantity phrase)

(iv) Because of these factories, a cloud of smoke hangs over the city.
(smoke spreads like a cloud — 'a cloud of' is appropriate)

(v) Two stones rubbed together can produce a bit of fire.
(a small quantity of fire/sparks — 'a bit of' is appropriate)

(vi) He gave me a bunch of flowers on my birthday.
(flowers given together form a bunch — 'a bunch of' is appropriate)

(i) What does Sandburg think the fog is like?
Sandburg thinks the fog is like a cat. He uses the fog as a metaphor for a cat, describing its silent, stealthy, and temporary presence over the harbour and city.

(ii) How does the fog come?
The fog comes on little cat feet — that is, silently, softly, and stealthily, just as a cat moves without making any sound. It arrives gently and without warning.

(iii) What does 'it' in the third line refer to?
'It' in the third line refers to the fog. The fog (described as coming on little cat feet) sits looking over the harbour and city.

(iv) Does the poet actually say that the fog is like a cat? Find three things that tell us that the fog is like a cat.
No, the poet does not actually say that the fog is like a cat. He does not use the word 'like' — instead, he uses a metaphor, directly describing the fog as if it were a cat.

Three things that tell us the fog is like a cat:

1. 'on little cat feet' — the fog moves silently and softly, just as a cat walks on its small, quiet paws.
2. 'It sits looking over harbour and city' — like a cat that sits and surveys its surroundings with quiet, watchful eyes, the fog sits over the city.
3. 'on silent haunches' — a cat crouches on its haunches (bent knees) when it sits and watches; the fog is described as doing the same, emphasising its cat-like stillness and silence.

(i) Metaphors:

(ii) Sample poem about a storm compared to an animal:

The Storm

The storm comes
on the paws of a great tiger.
It crouches behind the hills,
growling low,
then leaps across the fields
with a roar that shakes the earth.
It claws at the trees,
lashes the river with its tail,
and then,
spent and silent,
slinks away into the night.

Answer: No, this poem does not have a rhyme scheme. None of the lines end with rhyming words — 'feet', 'city', 'haunches', and 'on' do not rhyme with each other.

The poem also does not follow a fixed, regular rhythm or metre. It flows naturally, like ordinary speech.

Therefore, 'Fog' by Carl Sandburg is an example of free verse — poetry that does not have an obvious or regular rhyme scheme or rhythm. Despite this, the poem is highly effective because of its powerful central metaphor (fog as a cat) and its economy of language — it says a great deal in just six short lines.

Given: You have been gifted a pet and need to know how to care for it.

Here is a completed list of things you need to know:

(i) The food it eats — what it should eat, how much, and how often.
(ii) The kind of shelter or living space it needs — whether it needs a cage, a tank, a kennel, or open space.
(iii) The exercise or activity it requires — how much movement, play, or outdoor time it needs to stay healthy.
(iv) The medical care it needs — vaccinations, regular check-ups, common illnesses, and how to recognise if it is unwell.
(v) Its natural habits and behaviour — whether it is nocturnal or diurnal, social or solitary, and what makes it comfortable or stressed.

Given: Information about Iraq (marshes, hot dry summers, cool winters) and London (temperate climate, busy city, parks, light rainfall).

The following special arrangements would need to be made:

1. Water supply: Otters are semi-aquatic animals and need constant access to water. A large tank, pool, or pond would need to be set up in or near the home in London.

2. Climate adjustment: Iraq has hot, dry summers and cool winters, while London has a temperate climate with regular rainfall. The otter would need time to adjust to the cooler, damper London climate. Heating may be needed in winter.

3. Diet: The otter's natural diet (fish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures from the Iraqi marshes) would need to be replicated as closely as possible. Fresh fish would need to be provided regularly.

4. Space for exercise: Otters are active animals. In London, open spaces or parks could be used for exercise, but the otter would need to be kept on a lead in public areas.

5. Legal permissions: Special permits would be needed to export the otter from Iraq and import it into the United Kingdom, as there are strict laws about trading in and transporting wild animals.

6. Transport arrangements: The journey from Iraq to London would require a safe, comfortable container with adequate ventilation, water, and food for the otter during the flight.

7. Veterinary care: A vet experienced with exotic or wild animals would need to be identified in London to provide regular health check-ups and emergency care.