Class 10 English Chapter 6 Previous Year Questions - Mijbil the Otter

Ans: In the story, Maxwell faced significant challenges transporting Mijbil. The airline’s rule to crate Mijbil in a small box caused distress for both the otter and Maxwell, who was anxious about Mijbil’s safety. During the flight, Mijbil escaped from the crate, scampering around the aircraft, alarming passengers, and forcing Maxwell to crawl and chase him in a confined space. These incidents highlight the logistical and emotional difficulties, making the journey chaotic and nightmarish, as described in the lesson.

Ans: In the story, Maxwell explains that he needed to collect a crucial letter from Europe to proceed with bringing Mijbil to England. The letter was delayed, prompting him to make multiple trips to the post office in Basra. Frustrated by the delay, he sought assistance from the Consulate General, who intervened to ensure the letter was delivered. These efforts underscore Maxwell’s determination and the bureaucratic hurdles he faced to secure Mijbil’s transport approval.

Ans: The story portrays Mijbil as a highly playful otter who engaged in self-invented games. He juggled small objects like marbles, raced along furniture, and treated a ping-pong ball as a toy in the bathroom, creating a splashing spectacle. These activities, detailed in the lesson, reflect Mijbil’s curiosity and boundless energy, captivating Maxwell and emphasizing the otter’s playful disposition, which was a central aspect of his daily behavior.

Ans: In the lesson, Maxwell describes the airline’s strict requirement to transport Mijbil in a small, secure crate for the journey from Basra to London, with a stop in Paris. Maxwell carefully packed a wooden box with provisions for Mijbil’s comfort. However, Mijbil’s distress led him to break free during the flight, causing disruption, which underscores the challenges of adhering to the airline’s transport rules while ensuring Mijbil’s well-being.

Ans: In Mijbil the Otter, Mijbil’s instinct for freedom is evident when he escapes his crate during the flight to England, resisting confinement and seeking to explore, reflecting his natural desire for liberty. Similarly, in A Tiger in the Zoo, the tiger paces restlessly in its cage, yearning for the freedom of the wild, its eyes showing suppressed rage against captivity. Both Mijbil’s escape and the tiger’s restless pacing highlight their innate urge to break free from human-imposed restrictions. These actions underscore the universal trait of living creatures to seek freedom, resisting confinement to reclaim their natural state, whether in water for Mijbil or the jungle for the tiger.

Ans: Maxwell’s narrative evokes emotions through his growing attachment to Mijbil, seen in his concern during the otter’s distress in the crate. Humor arises from Mijbil’s inventive games, such as racing or playing with a ping-pong ball, amusing Maxwell and readers. Surprising incidents, like Mijbil’s escape on the plane causing chaos, add unpredictability. The story’s freshness lies in its unique focus on an otter as a pet, offering a novel perspective on companionship and nature, distinct from typical human-animal narratives in the curriculum.

Ans: Maxwell portrays Mijbil’s intelligence through his ability to create games, such as juggling objects or manipulating a ping-pong ball in the bathroom, indicating problem-solving skills. His friendliness is depicted in his trust and attachment to Maxwell, often staying close and responding to attention. Mijbil’s playful nature is highlighted in his energetic activities, like racing along furniture or splashing in water, which entertain Maxwell and reflect the otter’s lively, affectionate personality, thriving on interaction and freedom in the story.

Ans: Keeping a pet requires commitment. The pet is dependant on the master and so, one has to take care of it at all times. When Mijbil played with water in the bathroom, Maxwell had to take care the pet did not drown. Once when he left Mijbil unattended, the pet hurt itself and bled. The author had to change the airline because some of them did not fly animals. During the flight, Maxwell endured hardships due to Mijbil’s recklessness. Thus, Maxwell had to be highly committed to Mijbil.

Ans:

Tiger: Thanks for visiting me, though I don’t usually like visitors 

Mijbil: Oh? I would love visitors, I think

Tiger: Why do you think that is? How on earth can you appreciate these obnoxious people who put me in this cage? 

Mijbil: This is how I feel comfortable. That is why I do not despise them and believe that I am safe in this way.

Tiger: How can you feel safe when you’re not in your natural habitat, the jungles?

Mijbil: I don’t think I’d be able to survive in the wild because I’m not as big and scary as you in the wild, any predator can easily harm me

Tiger: I see but they can learn to co-exist. It is their nonsensical activities such as hitting us with stones etc that make us attack them. If they learn how to behave then we will stay out of their way.

Mijbil: I understand your reasoning and am sorry for your predicament. I hope they can learn to coexist one day, but I also want you to be pleased about your circumstances.

Tiger: It is easier said than done, but I shall give it my best.

Ans: Maxwell said that the air hostess was 'the very queen of her kind’ because she was extremely friendly and helpful. He narrated the whole incident with the box to the hostess and he took her into his confidence. The air hostess suggested him to keep the pet in his knee. This had an impact and made an impression on the otter and its owner.

Ans: Maxwell had to go to Basra to the Consulate-General, to collect and answer his mail from Europe and he had to wait there for five days. His mail had not reached on time and his telephone line was not working well. Only after waiting for five days his mail arrived.

Ans: Mr. Maxwell wanted an otter as a pet while travelling in southern Iraq. A few days later, in Basra, two Arab men delivered a sack to his hotel room. The note from Mr. Maxwell's friend stated that he had sent the otter to him.

Ans: 'They' referred to the otters.

Ans: The author could get one in the Tigris marshes.

Ans: The word is 'tamed'.

Ans: At the Consulate-General, the author found that his friend's mail had arrived but his hadn't.

Ans: When Maxwell first took Mijbil to his bathroom, he couldn’t resist and went wild in the water. He plunged and rolled in the bathtub. Two days after that, Mijbil escaped to the bathroom himself and turned on the taps with his paws.

Ans: The game that Mij invented in London was with a ping-pong ball. Mijbil would place the ball on the high end of a broken suitcase and when the ball would run down the length of the suitcase Mijbil would rush to the other end to ambush its arrival. Then he would do it all over again.

Ans: The game that Mij invented in London was with a ping-pong ball. Mijbil would place the ball on the high end of a broken suitcase and when the ball would run down the length of the suitcase Mijbil would rush to the other end to ambush its arrival. Then he would do it all over again.

Ans: After he took him to the bathroom, Maxwell learned about a special characteristic of Mijbil. The otter went wild with joy in the water. He plunged into the water and rolled in it. Mijbil even splashed water to express his enjoyment. Watching Mijbil enjoying water, Maxwell realised that for otters, water must always be kept moving and must be made to do things; still or stagnant water caused them anger/frustration.

Ans: Londoners would never guess that Mijbil was an otter. Some of the random guesses were: baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a dog, a hippo, beaver, bear cub, leopard, even a brontosaur.

Ans: While they were in London, Mijbil developed some compulsive habits. Like children on their way to school, Mijbil would place his feet squarely on the centre of each pair of block or touch the iron railing or lamp post. Especially while coming back home, Mijbil would tug his owner to the wall of a primary school, jump on to it, and gallop the full length of its thirty yards.

Ans: When Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom, Mijbil enjoyed himself immensely in the water in the bathtub. He would plunge into the water, roll in it, shoot up and down the length of the bathtub underwater. It shows Mijbil's playfulness and love for water.

Ans: Maxwell thought Camusfearna would be suitable for keeping an otter instead of a dog as a pet. 

Ans: Camusfearna was a suitable spot for his experiment because it was surrounded by water, which would be ideal for an otter that loves to swim. 

Ans: The phrase 'crossed my mind' means that the idea or thought came to one's mind or was considered briefly. 

Ans: Maxwell casually mentioned his desire to keep an otter as a pet instead of a dog. 

Ans: Maxwell could easily get his pet in the Tigris Marshes because otters are found there as commonly as mosquitoes. Moreover, they are often tamed by Arabs. 

Ans: The word 'casually' means in a relaxed or informal manner, without much thought or effort. 

Ans: When Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom, Mijbil enjoyed himself immensely in the water in the bathtub. He would plunge into the water, roll in it, shoot up and down the length of the bathtub underwater.

Ans: Two days after his first encounter with water in the author’s bathroom, Mijbil was seen (by the author) dashing towards the bathroom. When the author followed Mijbil there, he was amazed to see that Mijbil was fumbling at the chromium taps with his paws. In slightly more than thirty seconds, Mijbil had succeeded in turning the tap far enough to produce a trickle of water, and soon enough turned it some more to achieve the full flow. This shows that Mijbil was an intelligent animal.