NCERT Textbook : Poem - Macavity: The Mystery Cat | NCERT Textbooks & Solutions for Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


Do you have a pet cat? Have you ever noticed anything
mysterious about it? It is not easy to say whether every cat is a
mystery, but Macavity is one, for sure. What is it that makes
him a perfect mystery cat? Read the poem and find out.
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden
Paw —
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s
despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s
not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like
Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks
the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir
stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime
— Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you
may look up in the air —
But I tell you once and once again,
Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and
thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for
his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his
head is highly domed;
Macavity : The Mystery Cat
2022-23
Page 2


Do you have a pet cat? Have you ever noticed anything
mysterious about it? It is not easy to say whether every cat is a
mystery, but Macavity is one, for sure. What is it that makes
him a perfect mystery cat? Read the poem and find out.
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden
Paw —
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s
despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s
not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like
Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks
the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir
stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime
— Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you
may look up in the air —
But I tell you once and once again,
Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and
thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for
his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his
head is highly domed;
Macavity : The Mystery Cat
2022-23
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements
like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in
the square —
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
T.S. ELIOT
defy: disobey or resist openly
Scotland Yard: the headquarters of the London police force
Flying Squad: a group of police or soldiers ready to move into action quickly
levitation: floating in the air without support
fiend: devil
feline: of, or relating to, a cat
depravity: moral corruption
1. Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really?
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?
2. Complete the following sentences.
(i) A master criminal is one who ___________________
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because ___________________
(iii) ___________________ because Macavity moves much faster than them.
3. “A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through”.
(Jules Verne)
Which law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above?
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2022-23
Page 3


Do you have a pet cat? Have you ever noticed anything
mysterious about it? It is not easy to say whether every cat is a
mystery, but Macavity is one, for sure. What is it that makes
him a perfect mystery cat? Read the poem and find out.
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden
Paw —
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s
despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s
not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like
Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks
the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir
stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime
— Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you
may look up in the air —
But I tell you once and once again,
Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and
thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for
his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his
head is highly domed;
Macavity : The Mystery Cat
2022-23
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements
like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in
the square —
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
T.S. ELIOT
defy: disobey or resist openly
Scotland Yard: the headquarters of the London police force
Flying Squad: a group of police or soldiers ready to move into action quickly
levitation: floating in the air without support
fiend: devil
feline: of, or relating to, a cat
depravity: moral corruption
1. Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really?
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?
2. Complete the following sentences.
(i) A master criminal is one who ___________________
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because ___________________
(iii) ___________________ because Macavity moves much faster than them.
3. “A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through”.
(Jules Verne)
Which law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above?
Macavity : The Mystery Cat 51 51 51 51 51
2022-23
Honeydew 52 52 52 52 52
4. Read stanza 3, and then, describe Macavity in two or three sentences of
your own.
5. Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one.
6. Having read the poem, try to guess whether the poet is fond of cats. If so,
why does he call Macavity a fiend and monster?
7. Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? Find a few examples of it
and read those lines aloud.
Rick: What did Papa Firefly tell Mama Firefly?
Hick: I don’t know.
Rick: Isn’t our child bright for his age!
Mary: Why isn’t a nose twelve inches long?
Jo: I don’t know. Why?
Mary: Because if it was twelve inches long it would be
a foot.
Anita: I got a hundred in school today.
Mother: That’s wonderful. What did you get a hundred in?
Anita: Forty in Maths and sixty in English.
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