Class 6 English Skylark Question Answers - Travelling with Grandfather`s Zoo

Short Answer Questions

The family brought along a teenaged tiger (Grandfather’s) and a small squirrel (the narrator’s).

Q.2. How did the family travel on the train?

The family travelled first-class, and they had a four-berth compartment of their own.

Q.3. What was special about the tiger's behavior during the train journey?

Timothy, the tiger, behaved perfectly throughout the journey. Even the guard admitted that he could not have asked for a better passenger.

Q.4. What incident occurred involving the parrot at the beginning of the journey?

Popeye objected to vendors and other people poking their hands in through the windows. Before the train had moved out of the Dehra station, he had nipped two fingers and tweaked a ticket inspector’s ear.

Q.5. What was Chips, the narrator's pet squirrel, doing during the train journey?

Chips emerged from the narrator's pocket to examine his surroundings. Before the narrator could stop him, he was out of the compartment door, scurrying along the corridor. Chips discovered that the train was a squirrel’s paradise, almost all the passengers having bought large quantities of roasted peanuts before the train pulled out.

Q.6. What did Grandmother do during the train journey?

Grandmother covered herself with a blanket and dozed off on the berth opposite Timothy’s.

Q.7. What was in the tiffin basket that the narrator opened?

Grandfather’s pet python was curled up contentedly on the remains of their dinner.

Q.8. How did the python finish the food in the tiffin basket?

Pythons don’t chew, they swallow: outlined along the length of the large snake’s sleek body were the distinctive shapes of a chicken, a pie, and six boiled eggs. The sandwiches were presumably eaten too because there was no sign of them in the basket. Only a few apples remained.

Q.9. Why did Grandfather push the tiffin basket back beneath the berth after seeing the python inside?

Grandfather didn't want Grandmother to see the python because she might think they brought it along on purpose.

Q.10. What incident occurred in the middle of the night involving a snake?

A little after midnight there was a great clamour at the end of the corridor. Grandfather and the narrator woke up. Timothy growled in his sleep, and Popeye made complaining noises. Suddenly there were cries of ‘Saap, saap!’ (Snake, snake!) Grandfather discovered that the python was inside the washroom.

Long Answer Questions

The motive behind bringing pets on the train journey was because Grandmother insisted on taking her parrot along. Grandfather and the narrator insisted on bringing their pets too. Grandfather brought a teenaged tiger, Timothy, while the narrator brought a small squirrel, Chips. It was prudent to leave the python behind because Grandmother insisted on it.

Q.2. What was the reaction of people to Timothy, the tiger, being aboard the train? How did he behave throughout the journey?

People on the train were excited and curious about Timothy, the tiger, being aboard the train. Timothy behaved perfectly throughout the journey and even the guard admitted that he could not have asked for a better passenger.

Q.3. What was the incident that happened involving Chips, the squirrel, during the train journey? How did he manage to make friends with the passengers?

Chips, the squirrel, emerged from the narrator's pocket to examine his surroundings and scurried along the corridor. Chips discovered that the train was a squirrel’s paradise, and it was an hour before he returned to the compartment, his tummy almost bursting. Chips had no difficulty in making friends with both children and grown-ups.

Q.4. What was found in the tiffin basket when it was opened? Why did Grandmother insist on leaving the python behind?

When the tiffin basket was opened, Grandfather's pet python was found curled up contentedly on the remains of their dinner. Grandmother insisted on leaving the python behind, and Grandfather had let it loose in the garden. Somehow, it managed to snuggle itself into the tiffin basket.

Q.5. Describe the incident that occurred in the middle of the night on the train journey. How did Grandfather handle the situation? What was the outcome of the incident?

In the middle of the night, there was a great clamor at the end of the corridor, waking up Grandfather and the narrator. Timothy growled in his sleep, and Popeye made a great squawking. Grandfather went to investigate and found a thief trying to open the door of their compartment. The thief was subdued, and the incident ended without much ado.