NCERT Solutions - The Adventures of Toto

Q1. How does Toto come to grandfather's private zoo?

Ans:  The writer's grandfather liked to collect animals and had made a zoo at home. One day, he saw a red-coloured monkey tied to a trough with a Tonga driver. He found the monkey appealing and decided to add it to his collection. He bought Toto from the tonga driver for a sum of five rupees.

Q2. "Toto was a pretty monkey." In what sense is Toto pretty?

Ans: In the story, 'The Adventures of Toto,' Toto is a very naughty monkey. Ruskin Bond describes him as a beautiful monkey with sparkling, mischievous eyes under thick eyebrows. His teeth were perfectly aligned and shone like pearls, and he had a long, attractive tail. These features made Toto appear pretty.

Q3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

Ans: Toto caused trouble for everyone in the household. Even the other animals in Grandfather's zoo were bothered by Toto, even at night. To give the other animals a break, Grandfather decided to take Toto to Saharanpur.

Grandfather took him in a bag by train. He arranged a strong canvas bag. Some straw was placed in it. Toto was placed inside the bag and the bag was sealed with the zipper. 

The ticket collector followed the rules strictly. Since there was no specific fare for monkeys, he decided to charge for Toto the same as for a dog.

Grandfather taking Toto to Saharanpur

Q4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learned to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?
Ans: Toto would check the temperature of the water by inserting his hand in it. Then he would step into the tub, one foot at a time. Finally, he would sit in it, with his face out. Then he would rub soap on his body. When the water became cold, he would jump out and run to the stove in the kitchen to dry himself.

He had learnt this way of bathing from the writer.

One day, Toto jumped into a kettle of water kept on the stove for boiling as he found it warm enough for a bath. As the water grew hotter, he thought of getting out, but the cold weather made him go back into the kettle. Toto kept on doing this for a while till he was spotted by the grandmother. She pulled him out of the kettle in time or else he would have boiled himself that day.

Q5. Why does the author say, "Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long"?
Ans:  Although Toto was cute and smart, he was very naughty. He caused a lot of damage by breaking dishes and tearing clothes and curtains. He also scared visitors by ripping holes in their dresses. On top of that, he didn't get along with the other animals in the house.

One day, Toto crossed the limit by grabbing a dish of pulao and running up a tree branch to eat it. When he was scolded, he threw the plate and broke it. That's when grandfather decided he had had enough of Toto, as he could no longer bear the damages caused by Toto's mischief.