Poem - Macavity: The Mystery Cat NCERT Solutions - Class 8 PDF Download

Working with the Poem (Page 51) 

Q1. Read the first stanza and think.
 (i) Is Macavity a cat really? (ii) If not, who can Macavity be?  
 Ans. (i) Macavity is a cunning cat.(ii) If not a cat, he can be an expert thief or criminal or a mysterious creature.

Q2. 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.  
 Ans. (i) evades arrest and escapes from the scene of crime.(ii) it fails to get a clue about the criminal. (iii) Flying Squad is not able to catch hold of him.

Q3. “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?
 Ans. Newton's Law of Gravitation.

Q4. Read stanza 3, and then describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.
 Ans. Macavity is a very cunning and cautious cat. He is tall and thin. His eyes are sunken in, his forehead is wrinkled, and his head is dome like. His coat is soiled. Hair on his cheeks is not combed.

Q5. Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.
 (i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.
 Ans. True

(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.
 Ans. False

(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.
 Ans. true

(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.
 Ans. False

(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one.
 Ans. true

Q6. 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?
 Ans. The poet admires the cat for his swift movement, expert criminality and the way he gives a slip to the police. But he is a law breaker at the same time, so the poet calls him a devil and giant.

Q7. Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? Find a few examples of it and read those lines aloud.
 Ans. The following statements are examples of exaggeration.

• He is the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair. 
• His power of levitation.
• A fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SOLVED

Q1. How does the poet describe Macavity and his pranks?
 Ans. Macavity was a male cat. He was a clever criminal. He had no fear of law or the police. He escaped from the scene of crime before the police arrived there. He was tall and thin. He was careless about his clothes and whiskers. He moved like a snake and pretended to be asleep. He was, in fact, a devil in the shape of a cat. He was wicked and morally corrupt.

Q2. How does the poet support his statement ‘There is no one like Macavity’?
 Ans. The poet calls Macavity a master criminal. He could make a good escape before the police came to the scene of crime. He befooled the soldiers and the flying squad. He was an outlaw. He was a master in his field. He was matchless, a devil in the shape of a cat.