Class 9 English Chapter 5 Question Answers - The Snake and the Mirror

Q1: What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was?
Ans: The doctor heard the sound of the snake. He thought it was the sound of rats. He called it a familiar sound because he knew that there were a lot of rats in his house.

Q2: What two important and earth-shaking decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
Ans: The doctor decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin mustache. He also decided to always keep an attractive smile on his face.

Q3: How did the doctor react when he encountered the snake?
Ans: The doctor encountered the snake on his shoulder. He was scared but showed great presence of mind. He sat on the chair holding his breath, without jumping or crying, displaying his mental alertness.

Q4: Why did the doctor feel that he was quite near death?
Ans: The snake had landed on the doctor's shoulder and coiled around his left arm. With its hood spread out, the snake was only four inches away from his face. The doctor couldn't think of any available anti-snakebite medicine, leading him to feel that he was close to death.

Q5: What did the doctor think of doing if the snake bit him?
Ans: The doctor thought of using anti-snakebite medicine if the snake bit him. However, he realized that he didn't have any such medicine available. He berated himself for his lack of preparation and referred to himself as a stupid, foolish doctor.

Q6: What did the doctor think when the snake was looking into the mirror?
Ans: When the snake left the doctor and sat in front of the mirror, the doctor humorously imagined that the snake was admiring its own beauty. He speculated that if the snake were male, it might consider growing a mustache, and if female, it might think about using cosmetics.

Q7: Why could the doctor not sleep in his room? What did he do then?
Ans: The doctor couldn't sleep in his room because it lacked electricity and was uncomfortably hot during the summer night. He went to the veranda in an attempt to find a cooler spot to sleep. However, he still couldn't find relief and attempted to read a book.

Q8: Why did the doctor say that he had to make his presence felt?
Ans: Being an unmarried admirer of beauty, the doctor believed in presenting himself as handsome. While looking into the mirror, he adjusted his hair multiple times and decided to shave daily while maintaining a thin mustache. He believed that making his presence felt was important for his self-esteem and image.

Q9: What did the doctor think about his future wife?
Ans: The doctor envisioned his future wife as a successful lady doctor with a substantial medical practice and plenty of money. He also humorously mentioned that he preferred her to be fat, implying that a more robust spouse would be less likely to chase and catch him if he made any mistakes.

Q10: Did the doctor find his encounter with the snake humorous or frightening or both? What aspects of human nature are revealed here?
Ans: The incident in the story is both frightening and humorous. When the snake landed on his shoulder, the doctor was so frightened that he could neither jump nor utter a cry. The element of humor in the story is that the doctor thinks of marrying a woman doctor with good medical practice. He wishes her to be fat so that in case a silly mistake is made by the doctor, she would not be able to run after him.
When the doctor realizes that there was no medicine for snakebite, he calls himself a foolish and stupid doctor. The reader smiles when the doctor saw the snake looking into the mirror. He wondered if it was admiring its own beauty. He guessed if it was trying to make an important decision about growing a mustache or using eyeshadow and mascara. It shows that some people have a tendency of keeping their calm even in the worst of situations.

Q11: Describe the reaction of the doctor when he confronted the snake. Patience and presence of mind are revealed from his behavior. Discuss.
Ans: When the doctor confronted the snake, he behaved in a very balanced way. He did not jump or tremble in fear. He did not even cry. He sat like a statue. He retained his presence of mind as well as his sense of humor. He prayed to God and wrote in bright letters outside his little heart the words, “O God”. He forgot his danger and smiled feebly at himself. Soon the snake unwound itself from his arm.
The doctor got up from the chair and went out quietly, and ran away to his friend’s house. He did not panic. He had great patience and did not move. Soon he found the snake looking into the mirror. The doctor had presence of mind and soon came out of the trouble. Yes, patience and presence of mind always help us in any dangerous condition. One should never panic and should always try to find out a way out of the trouble. Keeping one’s cool even in adverse conditions can help a lot.

Q12: Was the doctor rich? What was his economic condition? Was he happy? Do you think wealth and happiness go together?
Ans: No, the doctor was not rich. His economic condition was not good. He lived in a rented house. His room was very small. It was not electrified. His room was tiled and it had no ceiling. He had only a few things. He had a few clothes, currency, and books. He always wanted to be rich. He dreamed of marrying a rich lady doctor. He always wanted to live a comfortable life but his poverty did not allow him.
He had a meager income from his practice. The doctor used a kerosene lamp to light his room. All this shows that the doctor led a simple and modest life. Though the doctor was not rich yet he was happy. He had a good sense of humor. He wanted to improve his economic condition but was never sad. In my opinion, happiness is a state of mind and it has nothing to do with wealth.

Q13: What was the final insult? Why did the doctor feel insulted? What should he have done to avoid the insult?
Ans: The doctor moved after the snake had unwound itself and crept towards the mirror. The doctor moved out of his room and ran towards his friend’s house to escape from the snake without securing his possessions in the room. He rubbed oil and took a bath. Next morning when he came back with some people to find the snake and take his luggage away, he did not find the snake. In fact, he found nothing there.
Some thief had cleaned his room completely. But the thief left his vest behind. It was a soiled undergarment that the fastidious thief thought below his dignity to take away. It appeared that the thief had a better sense of cleanliness than the doctor. The doctor should have taken care of hygiene in order to avoid the insult at the hands of a thief.

Q14: Why did the doctor, according to you, keep on looking into the mirror? How important is appearance in your opinion? Should we spend time in making ourselves look handsome?
Ans: Being a bachelor, the doctor always wanted to look handsome. He was a great admirer of beauty. I think this was the reason why the doctor kept on looking into the mirror. Not only this, he thought of various ways to look handsome. In my opinion, appearance is very important in one’s life.
One should keep oneself presentable. Personal hygiene is very important. People don’t like dirty, shabby people. But at the same time, we should not waste much time in making ourselves look handsome. There is no point in visiting parlors or salons for artificial make-up. Along with appearance, the beauty of character is also very important.

Q15: Do you think keeping a smile on the face makes a person more handsome? How?
Ans: Yes, in my opinion, keeping a smile on the face makes a person more handsome. In the story, the doctor wanted to look more handsome, so he decided to shave daily and keep a smile on his face. He believed that wearing an attractive smile on his face all the time would make him look more handsome.
In fact, he was an admirer of beauty. People are impressed if you have a smiling face. Face is the index of mind, so a smile on a face is an ornament. It sends positive vibes all around. Even an angry person gets positive energy if he smiles. It makes work easy and helps in winning over people. One should always wear a smile on one’s face.