Class 9 Moments Supplementary Reader Chapter 2 Question Answers - The Adventures of Toto

Q1: 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.

Q2: “Toto was a pretty monkey”. In what sense is Toto pretty?
Ans: Toto was a pretty monkey in the sense that his appearance was cute. His bright, sparkling eyes, deep-set eyebrows, and pearly white teeth gave him a pretty look. Even Toto’s long tail added to his good looks.

Toto- The Monkey

Q3: How did Toto use his body parts to his advantage?
Ans: Toto used his bright eyes to display a mischievous glint. He used his pearly white teeth to smile in a way that would scare Anglo-Indian ladies. He used his fingers quickly and wickedly to pick up things. He used his tail, his third hand, to hang from branches or to pull something that was at a distance.

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: What did Toto do in the author’s room? 
Ans: Toto aggressively ripped off the ornamental paper adorning the walls of the author's room, tearing it to shreds. With a determined tug, he yanked the peg to which he had been tied from its socket, freeing himself. In a fit of rage, he shredded the author's school blazer into pieces, leaving a chaotic scene in his wake.

Q7: Where was Toto transferred from the author’s bedroom? Did he remain peaceful there?

Ans: Toto was initially transferred to a big cage in the servants’ quarters, where Grandfather kept his other animals from the private zoo. This cage housed a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a pet squirrel, and the narrator’s goat. However, Toto's troublesome nature persisted, disturbing the other pets' peace, leading to his eventual journey with Grandfather to Saharanpur.

Q8: Describe how grandfather took Toto with him to Saharanpur.
Ans: Grandfather journeyed to Saharanpur to retrieve his pension, taking Toto along due to the challenge of keeping him secret from grandmother and his disruptive behavior at night. Toto was concealed in a large black canvas bag with straw lining, accompanying grandfather on the train. 

Q9: How many pets did the author’s grandfather have? Where were they kept? 
Ans: The author's grandfather had a total of six pets. They were kept in his own little zoo at home. In it, he had a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a tame squirrel, and the narrator’s pet goat. Toto, the monkey, was the latest addition to his zoo. Apart from these animals, Grandfather had a donkey also.

Q10: 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.

Q11: 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.

Q12: 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.

Q13: 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.

Q14: How did Grandfather react when Toto destroyed things on his first day in the house?
Ans: Instead of being angry, Grandfather was pleased at the damage that Toto had caused on his first day in the house. He thought the monkey was clever and felt that if he had had more time, he would have tied the blazer shreds into a rope and escaped from the window.

Q15: What pets did Grandfather have? Where did they live?
Ans: Grandfather’s pets included a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, and a tame squirrel. They lived together peacefully in a big cage in the servants’ quarters, where the narrator’s pet goat also lived. Grandfather also had a donkey named Nana that lived in the stable. Toto was the latest addition to the group.

Q16: How did Toto behave when he was kept with other pets of Grandfather?
Ans: Toto, the mischievous monkey, ill-treated the other pets of Grandfather. He did not let anyone sleep at night. He bit the long ears of the donkey, Nana, when he was given a place with him in the stable.

Q17: Where and why was Grandfather going the next day?

Ans: Grandfather used to live in Dehra Dun and was going to Saharanpur the next day. He was a retired man and was going there to collect his pension.

Q18: Why did Grandfather decide to take Toto with him to Saharanpur?
Ans: Grandfather decided to take Toto with him to Saharanpur in order to keep his presence in the house a secret from Grandmother. Left behind, Toto would have certainly caused trouble like he did when he was kept first in the closet and then with the other pets.

Q19: 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.

Q20: 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.

Q21: “An exhibition attracted a curious crowd of onlookers at the Dehra Dun railway platform”.  What was the cause of this exhibition?
Ans: The cause of the exhibition that attracted a curious crowd of onlookers at the Dehradun railway platform was the antics of Toto, the mischievous monkey. Toto, who was packed in a big black canvas kit-bag by the narrator's grandfather, caused quite a commotion as he jumped and rolled inside the bag on the platform floor, capturing the attention of passersby.

Q22: How did the ticket collector learn about the presence of Toto?
Ans: Toto’s presence in the bag remained hidden until the journey to Saharanpur. But when Grandfather was getting his ticket checked at the railway turnstile, Toto peeped out of the bag and grinned at the ticket collector.

Q23: What did the ticket collector classify Toto as? Why did he do so?
Ans: The railway ticket collector classified Toto as a dog. Actually, the monkey had looked out of the bag to give the ticket collector a wide grin. As a rule, only a dog was allowed to travel by train and was charged for it. That is why Toto was termed as a dog.

Q24: 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.

Q25: 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.

Q26: Why didn’t the ticket collector charge for the tortoise?
Ans: The ticket collector did not charge for the tortoise because, according to his probe, it was not a dog, and according to railway rules, only dogs could be charged. This was funny as even Toto was not a dog.

Q27: When and where was Toto given a comfortable home?
Ans: Toto was given a comfortable home in the stable after his presence became known and acceptable to Grandmother. In the stable, Toto had Nana, the donkey, as his companion.

Q28: Who was Nana? How did Toto trouble him?
Ans: Nana was the narrator’s family donkey. Toto troubled Nana by clinging on to its long ears with his sharp teeth. He did so on the very first night that he shared the stable with the donkey.

Q29: Why couldn’t Toto and Nana become friends?
Ans: Toto and Nana couldn’t become friends because he troubled Nana by clinging to its long ears with his sharp teeth. This upset the donkey, and the two could never become friends.

Q30: 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.

Q31: When and why would Toto refuse to take a bath?
Ans: Toto would refuse to take a bath if someone laughed at him as he rushed to the kitchen fire to dry himself. He would feel hurt at being mocked in this manner.

Q32: How did Toto’s love for warm baths almost lead to his being half-boiled?
Ans: One day, Toto saw a large kitchen kettle that had been left on the fire to boil for tea. He removed the lid and found the water warm enough for a bath. He got into it, and a little while later, when the water began to boil, he started hopping up and down. At last, Grandmother came and took out a half-boiled Toto from the kettle.

Q33: “The brain part devoted to mischief was far more developed in Toto”. Do you agree with this observation of the narrator? Support your answer with instances from the text.
Ans: Toto, although an intelligent monkey, used all his energy in playing mischief and that too of a destructive nature. He would tear and break things or trouble and irritate others. To make matters worse, he would enjoy his mischievous acts. That is why the narrator has made this remark about Toto.

Q34: What incident led to Grandfather’s decision not to keep Toto as a pet?
Ans: Toto was once caught stuffing ‘pulao’ during lunchtime. On being screamed at by Grandmother and the narrator’s aunt, Toto hurled a plate and a glass of water at them. After that, he picked up the dish and escaped through the window in the branches of the jackfruit tree. He threw down and broke the dish after finishing the last grain of rice. This led their Grandfather to decide against keeping him as a pet any longer.

Q35: Where did Grandfather finally send Toto, and what did it cost him? 
Ans: Grandfather finally sold Toto back to the same Tonga driver from whom he had earlier bought. However, Toto had been bought for five rupees and could be sold back only for three rupees.

Q36: Why did Grandfather give away Toto, the monkey?
OR
Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?
Ans: Toto could not be kept as a pet for long because he was hyperactive and mischievous. He could neither be trained nor tamed. His antics brought a frequent loss of dishes, clothes, curtains, wallpaper etc., which was too much to overlook since the family was not well-to-do enough to bear such frequent losses. So, Grandfather finally gave him away to the tonga-driver for three rupees.

Q37: Toto was not an animal that could be trained into a pet. Why?
Ans: Toto was actually a wild monkey and that was probably the reason why the tonga-driver used to keep it tied. At Grandfather’s house, he did enough mischief that proved that he was destructive and could not be trained.

Q38: How did Toto behave with Nana, the donkey? 
Ans: No doubt, Toto was mischievous. He kept creating problems not only for the animals but for the members of the family also. The night Toto passed with Nana was full of disturbance. When Grandfather visited the stable, he found Toto fastened onto Nana’s long ears with his sharp little teeth. They could never become friends.

Q39: Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”? 
Ans: The author’s statement about Toto proves itself if we take Toto’s misdeeds into consideration. Nobody could afford frequent losses. He disturbed all other animals, too. Obviously, Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long.

Q40: Where was Toto transferred to after he wrenched the peg in the wall? 
Ans: Toto was transferred to a big cage. This cage was kept in the servant’s quarters, and a number of Grandfather’s pets live in a friendly manner here. But Toto did not allow any of his companions to sleep at night.