Textbook Solutions: The World in a Wall | English (Voice Book) Class 8 PDF Download

A. Answer these questions briefly. 

1.
Ans: The female scorpion looked like it was wearing a pale fawn fur coat with tiny babies clinging to her back.

2.
Ans: Gerry thought the scorpion had a fur coat on because of the appearance of the babies clinging to her back.

3.
Ans: Gerry smuggled the scorpion into the house because he wanted to keep them and watch them grow up.

4.
Ans: Gerry kept the scorpion in a matchbox on the mantelpiece in the drawing room.

5.
Ans: Gerry had to feed Roger surreptitiously under the table to avoid drawing attention during the meal.

6.
Ans: Once Larry realized that the scorpion was crawling on the back of his hand, he uttered a roar of fright.

7.
Ans: The scorpion was agitated because it had been shut up in a matchbox for a long time.

8.
Ans: Gerry refers to the chaos caused by the scorpion as the "impending doom."

9.
Ans: Roger added to all the confusion by mistakenly thinking the family was being attacked and biting Lugaretzia.

10.
Ans: Gerry thought it was prudent to allow the family to have a siesta to let them rest and recover from the chaotic incident with the scorpions, revealing his considerate nature.

B. Answer these questions with reference to the context. 

1.
a.
Ans: Larry uttered a roar of fright.

b. 
Ans: Lugaretzia was a person present in the room.

c.
Ans: Roger barked wildly after coming out from beneath the table.

2.
a. 
Ans: The speaker of these lines is Gerry.

b. 
Ans: "The whole lot" refers to the scorpions.

c. 
Ans: The speaker and Mother pleaded against Leslie's suggestion to slaughter the scorpions.

3.
a. 
Ans: "He" refers to Larry.

b. 
Ans: Lugaretzia was considered "responsible" because she was the only stranger in the room when the chaos happened with the scorpions.

c. 
Ans: Larry flicked his hand, sending the scorpion flying down the table.

C. Answer these questions. 

1.
Ans: Gerry rescued the scorpions after they escaped from the matchbox by rounding up the babies and returning them to their mother's back, and then he released them on the garden wall.

2.
Ans: Roger thought the family had been attacked because he misunderstood the chaos caused by the scorpions and believed it was his duty to defend the family.

3.
Ans: Roger attacked Lugaretzia in all the chaos because he concluded that she must be the responsible party for the perceived attack on the family.

4.
Ans: Mother seemed the most calm through the entire episode with the scorpions. This is indicated by her response of putting on her glasses and peering down the table to see what was happening, rather than panicking or reacting hysterically like the others.

5.
Ans: The line "I completely forgot about my exciting new captures" reveals that Gerry became so engrossed in the chaos and confusion that he momentarily forgot about the scorpions he had smuggled into the house.

6.
Ans: Larry roared with fright when he felt the movement of the scorpion's claws on the back of his hand. His reaction was one of shock and fear, prompting him to flick the scorpion away.

7.
Ans: The mother lost her breath and sat gasping because Margo's attempt to stop the scorpion's advance with a glass of water resulted in drenching Mother, who couldn't tolerate cold water and was overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.

8.
Ans: Gerry finally released the scorpions on the garden wall after rounding up the babies and returning them to their mother's back.

9.
Ans: The title of the story "The World in a Wall" suggests that Gerry's discovery of the scorpions in the wall and his subsequent actions to bring them into the house and observe them represents a significant and fascinating experience for him.

10.
Ans: The reason Leslie's suggestion to slaughter the scorpions was not accepted by the rest of the family could be due to the impassioned pleas made by Gerry and Mother, who likely argued for the preservation of the scorpions' lives despite the chaotic incident. The family decided against slaughtering them, showing a compassionate and empathetic approach.