Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
1. “The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sounds stop?
2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
3. “I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when: (i) he first smiles, and (ii) he smiles again? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?
1. “The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sounds stop?
2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
3. “I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when: (i) he first smiles, and (ii) he smiles again? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?
Solution and Explanation
1. The doctor heard the sound of rats. The sound was a familiar one. He heard this sound four times. The phrases are ‘Again I heard that sound from above’, ‘Again came that noise from above’, ‘Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube has fallen’. The sounds stopped after the appearance of the snake.
2. The doctor took the following two ‘important’ and ‘earth shaking’ decisions:
(a) He would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome.
(b) He would always keep that attractive smile on his face.
3. The doctor thought that he had a good smile when he first smiled. But when he smiled a little later, he laughed at his destiny. His life was in danger. His thoughts got changed because of the snake. He was quite near to death.
Top CBSE Class IX English Questions
- What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The fun they had
- “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?- CBSE Class IX
- English
- If I were you
- Why was the ‘holy man’ who gave Santosh’s mother his blessings surprised?
- CBSE Class IX
- English
- Reach for the top
(i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The snake and the mirror
- What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back?
- CBSE Class IX
- English
- A house is not a home
Top CBSE Class IX The snake and the mirror Questions
(i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The snake and the mirror
- (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror
(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The snake and the mirror
- Expressions used to show fear
Can you find the expressions in the story that tell you that the author was frightened? Read the story and complete the following sentences.
1. I was turned _____.
2. I sat there holding ______.
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like ______.- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The snake and the mirror
- Match the meanings with the words/expressions in italics, and write the appropriate meaning next to the sentence. The first one has been done for you.
1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge.
3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him.
4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that.
5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end.
6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors.
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The snake and the mirror
- Report these questions using if/whether or why/when/where/how/which/what. Remember the italicised verbs change into the past tense.
1. Meena asked her friend, “Do you think your teacher will come today?”
2. David asked his colleague, “Where will you go this summer?”
3. He asked the little boy, “Why are you studying English?”
4. She asked me, “When are we going to leave?”
5. Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading the newspaper?”
6. Seema asked her, “How long have you lived here?”
7. Sheila asked the children, “Are you ready to do the work?”- CBSE Class IX
- English
- The snake and the mirror
Top CBSE Class IX Questions
- The radius of a spherical balloon increases from 7 cm to 14 cm as air is being pumped into it. Find the ratio of surface areas of the balloon in the two cases.
- CBSE Class IX
- Surface Area of a Sphere
(Street Plan) : A city has two main roads which cross each other at the centre of the city. These two roads are along the North-South direction and East-West direction.
All the other streets of the city run parallel to these roads and are 200 m apart. There are 5 streets in each direction. Using 1cm = 200 m, draw a model of the city on your notebook. Represent the roads/streets by single lines. There are many cross- streets in your model. A particular cross-street is made by two streets, one running in the North - South direction and another in the East - West direction. Each cross street is referred to in the following manner : If the 2nd street running in the North - South direction and 5th in the East - West direction meet at some crossing, then we will call this cross-street (2, 5). Using this convention, find:
(i) how many cross - streets can be referred to as (4, 3).
(ii) how many cross - streets can be referred to as (3, 4).
- CBSE Class IX
- Coordinate Geometry
- What are the main features of the mechanical teachers and the schoolrooms that Margie and Tommy have in the story?
- CBSE Class IX
- The fun they had
- “They can’t hang me twice.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?- CBSE Class IX
- If I were you
- How do good animal husbandry practices benefit farmers?
- CBSE Class IX
- Animal Husbandry