Mijbil the Totter
Question 1- What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for ?
Ans. Maxwell thought that he would keep an otter as a pet instead of a dog. This would be a new experiment for him, as people seldom keep them as pets. Camusfearn , ringed by water a very short distance from door, would be a suitable spot for the experiment.
Question 2- Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait here, and why ?
Ans. – He goes to Basra, to the Consulate General, to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He had had to wait there for five days for multiple reasons. Firstly, his mail didn’t reach on time. Then he tried to make a telephone call. This incident is of those days when one had to book an international call 24 hrs in advance. The telephone line was not working properly on the first day. Next day it was some public holiday so the exchange was closed. Then there was some other breakdown. Finally, after a torturous wait of five days, his mail arrived.
Ques.3- How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.
Ans. 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 likes 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.
Ques. 4 -Why was the otter named ‘Maxell’s otter’?
Ans. The otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata Maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter.
Ques.5 – Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was
aloof and indifferent
friendly
hostile
Ans. In the beginning the otter was aloof and indifferent.
Ques 6. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?
Ans. Otters live in water and it is their favourite playground. When Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom, it went wild with joy in the water for half an hour. It was plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub underwater. Two days after that, it was confident enough to go to the bathroom on its on. By the time he got there, Mijbil was up on the end of the bathtub and fumbling at the chromium taps with its paws. In less than a minute, it had turned the tap far enough to produce some water and after a moment, achieved the full flow.
Ques. 7 – How was Mij to be transported to England?
Ans. As British airlines did not allow animals to be taken by plane so the author decided to take it by another airline to Paris. Maxwell booked a flight to Paris and from there he would go to London. The airlines insisted that Mij should be packed in a box, not more than eighteen square inches, that could to be placed on the floor, near his feet.
Ques. 8 – What did Mij do to the box?
Ans. The box was lined with metal sheet. Mij didn’t find it comfortable to be there so tried to escape. In its attempt to escape Mij tore into the mental lining of the box. As a result it hurt itself and started bleeding.
Ques.-9 Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?
Ans. As there was no other way to carry Mij to London so the autor had put it back into the box. He must have felt pity, the way the otter had hurt itself. Moreover, he must be worried as well.
Ques.-9 Why does Maxwell say the air hostess was “the very queen of he kind”?
Ans. Maxwell said that the air hostess was “the very queen of he kind” because she was extremely friendly and helpful. He took he into confidence about the incident with the box. She, very generously, suggested him put the otter on his knees. Hearing this, Maxwell developed a profound admiration for her as she understood the pain of both, the otter and its owner.
Ques. -10 What happened when the box was opened?
Ans . When the box was opened, Mij darted oujt of the box and vanished. There were cries all around. A woman stood up on he seat screaming. Maxwell saw Mij’s tail disappearing beneath the legs of an Indian passenger. He dived for it, but missed. The air hostess suggested him to be seated and that she would find the otter. After a while, Mij returned to him. It climbed on his knees and began to rup its nose on his face and neck.
Ques. 11 – What game had Mij invented?
Ans. Mij had invented a game with a ping-pong ball. He made a damaged suitcase his playground. He would put the ball at one end of its sloping lid and then grab it as it ran to the other end.
Ques. -12 What are ‘compulsive habits’? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of
- School children
- Mij ?
Ans. Compulsive habits are usually strange act or behaviour which a person does without clear reason.
- On their way to and from school, children make it a habit to place their feet exactly on the center of each paving block.
- Similarly, Mij had made it a habit to jump on the school wall and go galloping all along its length of thirty yards.
Ques. 12 – What group of animals do otters belong to ?
Ans. Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustelines, shared by the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.
Ques. 13- What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was ?
Ans. According to Maxwell, the average Londoner does not recognize an otter. The Londoners, who saw Mij, made different guesses about its identity. They made wildest possible guesses, among other things, that it was a baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard or a brontosaur.
Ques. 14 What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?
Ans. $ Mij is an intelligent animal. It invented its own game with ping-pong balls. It learned to screw the tap till water began to flow and then it would play and splash in the water. Though it was aloof and indifferent in the beginning, it soon became very friendly. It got attached with Maxwell. It responded when Maxwell called out his name. Maxwell left it in a box and it got hurt while trying to come out of it. After Maxwll took it out , it clung to his feet. It was a fun-loving animal. It enjoyed playing all kinds of games. It would play with a selection of toys, ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit, and a terrapin shell. It got love and affection from Maxwell.
Ques. 15 What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
Ans. Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustelines, shared by the badger, mongoose, weasel, mink and others. Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at lengthe named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter. They are often tamedby the Arabs. It is a characteristic of the otters that every drop of water must be spread around the place. For them, water must be kept on the move because they love to be in water. Otters love playing various games, especially with a ball.
Ques.16 Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
Ans. Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata Maxwell or Maxwell’s otter.
