The Adventures of Toto NCERT Solutions - English Class 9

Page No. 11

Think About It

Q1. How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?
Ans: Toto was in the captivity of a tonga owner. The grandfather got sympathetic with the monkey and thought that his private zoo would be a better place for Toto. So he purchased Toto from the tonga wallah for five rupees.

Q2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?
Ans:  In the story, ‘The Adventures of Toto’, Toto is an extremely mischievous monkey. Ruskin Bond describes Toto as a pretty monkey. Toto had beautiful eyes sparkling with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows. His teeth were majestically set and flashed like a bright string of pearls. He had a long attractive tail. All this made Toto a pretty monkey.

Q3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

Ans: 

• Toto was a real menace for every living soul in the household. Other animals in grandfather’s zoo were at Toto’s mercy even during the night. 
• So, grandfather decided to provide some relief to other animals in the zoo and thought of taking Toto to Saharanpur.
• The ticket collector was following his rule books. As there seems to be no rule for fixing a monkey’s fare, so he equated Toto with a dog. 

Grandfather taking Toto to Saharanpur

Q4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learned to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?
Ans: 

• Toto takes a bath in a tub of warm water. It puts its legs in the water one by one and applies soap as well.
• As monkeys are good at copying others, so Toto has learned the proper steps of bathing while watching the narrator doing the same.
• One day Toto found a large kitchen kettle that had been kept for boiling tea. Having nothing better to do, Toto decided to remove the lid and get in. He sat inside with his head sticking out from the open kettle until the water began to boil. He raised himself when it was too hot but on finding the outside too cold he went right back into the kettle. This continued for quite a while until Grandmother hauled him out of the kettle.

Q5. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?
Ans: 

• Though Toto was pretty and clever, he was very mischievous. He brought a lot of damage to the house by breaking dishes and tearing clothes and curtains. He also scared the visitors by tearing holes in their dresses. Furthermore, he didn’t get along well with the other animals in the house too.
• One day Toto crossed the limits by picking up a dish of pulao and running on a branch to eat it. When scolded he threw off the plate and broke it. That’s when grandfather decided he had enough of Toto because he couldn’t bear the losses that he incurred because of Toto’s mischief.