Previous Year Questions : The Adventures of Toto | English Class 9 PDF Download

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Q1: Why did the writer’s grandfather buy Toto from the Tonga driver?
Ans: The writer’s grandfather bought Toto to add to his collection in his private zoo.

Q2: Why did the writer and his grandfather decide to keep the news of Toto a secret from his grandmother?
Ans: The writer’s grandmother was against bringing new pets into the house, so they decided to keep the news of Toto a secret from her.

Q3: Where did they keep Toto after bringing him?
Ans: They kept Toto in a little closet in the writer’s bedroom.

Q4: What were the other animals that stayed with the monkey in the grandfather’s zoo?
Ans: There was a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a squirrel, and the writer’s pet goat in the grandfather’s zoo.

Q5: Who was the companion of Toto in the writer’s grandfather’s house?
Ans: The family donkey Nana was the companion of Toto in the writer’s grandfather’s house.

Q6: What was a great treat for Toto?
Ans: During winter evenings, a large bowl of warm water for his bath was a great treat for Toto.

Q7: What did Toto take from the lunch table?
Ans: Toto took a dish full of rice from the lunch table.

Q8: Why was Toto sold to the Tonga driver?
Ans: The writer’s grandfather realized that Toto was causing losses by breaking things and causing trouble, so he decided to sell him to the Tonga driver. 

Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. Where was Toto transferred from the author’s bedroom? Did he remain peaceful there?
Ans: Toto was transferred to a big cage. It was in the servants’ quarters. There, other animals from the grandfather’s private zoo were also kept. The zoo included a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a pet squirrel and a pet goat. The monkey did not allow the animals to sleep in peace at night. 

Q2. How did Toto get along with other animals?
Ans: Toto did not get along well with other animals. He troubled Nana, the family donkey. He often fastened himself onto her long ears with his sharp teeth. He did not allow other animals to sleep in peace.

Q3. Why did Toto throw a plate at Grandmother?
Ans: One day, Toto saw a large plate full of pulao on the dining table. He started eating it. Grandmother came in. When she saw Tom eating rice, she screamed. Toto did not like it. So he threw the plate at Grandmother. The plate was broken into pieces.

Q4. Why was Toto sold back to the tonga-driver?
Ans: Grandfather realized that Toto could not be kept for long in the house. The family could not bear the frequent loss of dishes, clothes, curtains, and wallpapers. At last, Grandfather found the Tonga driver. He sold Toto back for only three rupees.

Q5. How does Toto come to Grandfather’s private zoo?
OR
Why did the author’s Grandfather decide to buy Toto?
Ans: Grandfather was fond of pets and he had seen the Tonga driver’s red monkey kept tied to a feeding trough. He felt the monkey looked completely out of place and bought him for five rupees to add him to his private zoo of birds and beasts.

Q6. Why did Grandfather hide Toto for some time when he brought him home?
OR
Why was Toto’s entry into Grandfather’s Zoo kept a secret?
Ans: Grandfather, who was fond of pets, would face resistance from Grandmother whenever he brought a new pet into the house. So, he hid Toto for some time and kept his entry a secret until Grandmother was in a good mood.

Q7. Where was Toto kept immediately after Grandfather got him? Why?
Ans: Toto was put in a closet opening into the narrator’s bedroom wall. He was tied securely to a peg fastened into the wall. He was kept here secretly because Grandmother created a fuss whenever a new pet was brought into the house.

Q8. What destruction was caused by Toto to the narrator’s room?
Ans: Toto tore off the ornamental paper that covered the wall of the narrator’s room and wrenched the peg, to which he had been tied, from its socket. He also tore the narrator’s school blazer into shreds.

Q9. How did Grandfather decide to carry Toto to Saharanpur? Why? 
Ans: Grandfather decided to carry Toto to Saharanpur in a big black canvas kit bag because Toto was a very mischievous monkey. Had he not been bound and zipped up in the bag, he would have definitely created trouble. Besides, carrying animals without permission was not allowed by the railway authorities.

Q10. How did Grandfather try to keep the presence of his travelling-mate a secret?
OR
Who was Grandfather’s traveling mate to Saharanpur? How did he try to keep his presence a secret?
Ans: Toto was Grandfather’s traveling mate to Saharanpur. To keep his presence a secret, Grandfather put him into a big canvas kit bag and put some straw at the bottom. The canvas was too thick for Toto to bite through it, and the bag was so tightly closed that it did not allow any outlet to him.

Q11. Why did Grandfather get annoyed at the Saharanpur station?
Ans: Grandfather got annoyed at the Saharanpur station because the ticket collector insisted on calling Toto a dog. In addition, he compelled the old man to pay three rupees as fare for carrying the animal with him.

Q12. Why did Grandfather show his tortoise to the ticket collector?
Ans: Grandfather got annoyed when the ticket collector refused to accept Tato as a monkey and asked for fare, terming the monkey a dog. Half-sarcastic and half-angry, Grandfather took out the tortoise from his pocket, showed it to the ticket collector, and offered to pay for it as well.

Q13. Describe Toto’s bath ritual.
OR
How did Toto take a bath during winter? How did he learn to bathe in that manner?
Ans: Toto enjoyed a warm bath on cold winter evenings. Grandmother would give a large bowl of warm water for this. He would first check the temperature of the water with his hand, and then he would step in the bowl by putting one foot after the other, just like the narrator used to do. Next, he would rub soap all over with his hands or feet. When the water would cool down, he would get out and rush to the kitchen fire to dry himself.

Long Answer Type Questions 

Q1. Describe the situation where grandfather found himself at the Saharanpur railway station.
Ans. Toto’s presence had still not been disclosed to the grandmother. The next day, Grandfather had to go to Saharanpur to get his pension. He decided to take Toto along with him. He got a big black canvas bag and put Toto in it. The bag was too strong for Toto to bite or tear. Toto remained in the bag as far as Saharanpur. At the gate, as the ticket collector checked the grandfather’s ticket, Toto put his head out of the bag and grinned at the ticket collector. He told the grandfather that there was a dog with him. Grandfather told him that it was not a dog but a monkey. But the ticket collector was adamant and charged three rupees extra. Then Grandfather showed him his pet tortoise. The ticket collector said that it was not a dog, so there would be no ticket for it. 

Q2. Why does Grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur, and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?
Ans. Grandfather had to go to Saharanpur to get his pension. He could not leave behind Toto because his presence in the house was still a secret for Grandmother. In addition, Toto was too mischievous. How he had torn the wallpaper, shredded the narrator’s school blazer, and ill-treated other animals made it too risky to leave him behind. Grandfather securely packed Toto in a big, black canvas kit bag so he could not escape or bother other passengers. That is how Toto accompanied Grandfather on his train journey to Saharanpur.
The journey was largely uneventful, but Toto poked out his head at the Saharanpur platform and grinned. The ticket collector noticed him and insisted on charging the fare for him, for Grandfather had not bought a ticket for the animal. As per the guidelines of the railways, the fare could be charged only for dogs. So the ticket collector insisted on calling Toto a dog and charged the fare for him by placing him under the category of dogs.

Q3. What ruckus did Toto create at lunchtime one day?
Or
How did Toto get on Grandmother’s nerves at lunchtime one day?
Ans. One day, at lunchtime, a large dish of pulao had been placed at the center of the dining table in the narrator’s house. When his family entered the room, they found Toto stuffing himself with rice. This startled Grandmother, and she screamed. Toto at once threw a plate at her in his defense. Then one of the narrator’s aunts rushed forward, and Toto threw a glass of water in her face. When Grandfather arrived, Toto escaped through the window with the pulao dish. The family found him in the branches of a jackfruit tree with the dish in his arms. He stayed there all afternoon and slowly finished every grain of rice in the dish. Ultimately, he threw the dish and chattered with delight when it broke to spite his Grandmother, who had screamed at him.

Q4. Grandfather possessed the values of childlike simplicity. Do you agree/disagree? Give reasons.
Ans. Grandfather had a private zoo with different animals – a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, and a tame squirrel. But his childlike love for animals made him buy another animal, a monkey, as a pet. Grandmother did not like this habit of her husband, so he kept his new pet a secret from his wife. How he tried to hide Toto or admire him as clever when the former shredded the narrator’s school blazer shows that although the elderly, Grandfather was as simple as a child. Again, when he hides Toto in a bag on the way to Saharanpur and produces a tortoise from his pocket before the ticket collector, it confirms his childlike simplicity. 

Q5. Do you have a pet? Describe your pet and compare it with Toto, the monkey.
Ans. Yes, I have a pet. It is a dog. It is also very mischievous, but not as mischievous as Toto. Its name is Puffy. It was only a month old when I brought it home. Initially, it caused us many problems, but gradually it improved. We provided him with training also. It does not damage the objects around him. He plays with his toys only. He is very friendly to our guests also. He can differentiate between familiar people and strangers. When Puffy is there, no intruder can dare to enter the house. He is very powerful. He is nowhere similar to Toto. Thus, it is true that a dog is a faithful animal.