MIJBIL THE OTTER CLASS X
Early in the New Year of 1956 I travelled to Southern Iraq. By then it had crossed my mind that I
should like to keep an otter instead of a dog, and that Camusfearna, ringed by water a stone’s throw
from its door, would be an eminently suitable spot for this experiment. (1×4 = 4)
(a) What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
(b) Why was it a suitable spot for his experiment?
(c) Write the meaning of the phrase, ‘crossed my mind’.
(d) When did the author travel?
Answer:
(a) Maxwell thought to keep an otter as a pet instead of a dog as Camusfearna would be suitable
for it.
(b) It was a suitable place for his experiment because that place was ringed by water.
(c) ‘a thought came into my (narrator’s) mind’.
(d) The author travelled in the New Year of 1956.
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. (1×4 = 4)
(a) What creature is the author talking about?
(b) What was the creature coated with?
(c) Find from the passage a word that means the same as ‘came out of’.
(d) Which figure of speech is used in the passage.
Answer:
(a) The creature, that the author is talking about, is his pet otter, named as Mijbil.
(b) The creature was covered with symmetrical pointed scales of mud armour from head to the tip
of the tail.
(c) Emerged.
(d) Simile
But the real play of an otter is when he lies on his back and juggles with small objects between his
paws. Marbles were Mij’s favourite toys for his pastime. He would lie on his back rolling two or
more of them up and down his wide, flat belly without ever dropping one to the floor. (1×4 = 4)
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MIJBIL THE OTTER CLASS X
(a) What is the real play of an otter?
(b) How did he play with them?
(c) Find the word from the passage that means ‘most preferred’?
(d) What were Mij’s favorite toys.
Answer:
(a) The real play of an otter is when he lies on his back and juggles with small objects between his
paws.
(b) He played with the marbles lying on his back. He would roll two or more of them up and down
his wide, flat belly without ever dropping one to the floor.
(c) Favourite.
(d) Marbles
1. What special characteristic of Mijbil did Maxwell leam 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 others’ natural habitat.
2. 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. It played
in water like a hippo. Aloof at first, it started taking an interest in its surroundings, started
responding to its name and loved playing games for hours with toys like ping-pong balls, marbles,
rubber fruit etc.
3. 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, Mijbil when he had to undertake the plane
journey. He wanted him to get used to the box in which he 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
took his food on the flight. The lesson definitely shows 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
in fact, keeping a pet at home is like bringing up and nurturing a child.
