Chapter-8 Mijbil the Otter

1. What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

Explanation:

Maxwell had visited Southern Iraq in 1956 and had considered keeping an otter as a pet instead of a dog. He imagined Camusfearna was surrounded by  water just outside its door. As a result, it would be an excellent location for this 'experiment'.


2. Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?

Explanation:

Maxwell travelled to the Consulate-General in Basra to collect and respond to his letters from Europe. But, while his friend's mail had arrived, his had not. So he cabled to England and three days later made a phone call that needed to be scheduled 24 hours in advance. The line was down on the first day, and the exchange was closed for a religious holiday on the second. Another breakdown occurred on the third day. His companion had left, and the writer made plans to meet him in a week. His mail finally arrived after five days. As a result, Maxwell had to wait five days for his mail.


3. How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.

Explanation:

When the writer's mail arrived, he read it in his bedroom. He noticed two Arabs squatting on the floor, holding a squirming sack. They handed him a note from his friend in which he suggested sending him an otter.

Absolutely, Maxwell enjoyed it. We know this because he used the phrase "an otter fixation" to describe his feelings for the otter. He believed the term was meant to describe his great attachment to otters, just like any other otter owner would.


4. Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’?

Explanation:

Zoologists referred to an otter as "Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli," hence it was dubbed Maxwell's otter.


5. Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was

• aloof and indifferent

• friendly

• hostile

Explanation:

The otter was initially aloof and uninterested.


6. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?

Explanation:

For the first half hour after Maxwell escorted Mijbil to the potty, the otter was ecstatic in the water. He jumped and rolled in it, shooting up and down the length of the tub with enough swirl and splash to drown a hippo.

After two days, the otter abruptly left Maxwell's bedroom and went to the bathroom to play in the water; he was up on the end of the bathtub, groping with his paws at the chrome taps. The author gazed in awe as the little creature carefully cranked the tap to produce a trickle of water until reaching full flow after a moment.


7. How was Mij to be transported to England?

Explanation:

Maxwell had booked a flight to Paris and would then fly to England. Because dogs are not permitted on British planes, the airline officials requested that Mijbil be put into an eighteen-inch square box and carried on the floor at Maxwell's feet. As a result, an hour before they began, he had a box created and placed Mij inside it to get him used to it. He then dashed off to get something to eat.


8. What did Mij do to the box?

Explanation:

The box was lined with a metal sheet, but Mij didn't feel at ease inside and attempted to flee. Mijbil tore through the metal lining of the box in an attempt to escape, injuring himself and beginning to bleed.


9. Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?

Explanation:

Maxwell felt there was no other way he could transport Mij to London, so he returned the otter to the box. He was worried and felt sorry for the otter, who had injured himself while attempting to escape from the box.


10.Why does Maxwell say the airhostess was “the very queen of her kind”?

Explanation:

After hearing Maxwell's story, the air hostess was really pleasant and sympathetic. She respected his thoughts and concern over the box event and allowed him to take the otter out of the box and keep his pet on his knee. Hearing this, the author formed a tremendous admiration for the compassionate lady and referred to her as "the very queen of her kind".


11. What happened when the box was opened?

Explanation:

Mij jumped out of the box as quickly as it was opened. He vanished in an instant and sprinted around the plane, frightening other passengers. The otter caused havoc in the plane, and the co-passengers were terrified when they saw the small critter. A woman rose up on her seat in horror as he passed beneath the legs of a portly white-turbaned Indian. Maxwell attempted but failed to locate Mij. The plane hostess assured Maxwell that she would locate the otter on his behalf. Mijbil soon returned to the author, clung to his knee, and nuzzled his face and neck.


12. What game had Mij invented?

Explanation:

Mij developed an activity with ping-pong balls. One of the author's luggage was damaged, with a slanted lid. Mij would place the ball on the sloped lid's high end and sprint to collect it as it slid down towards the lower end.


13. What are ‘compulsive habits .? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of

(i) school children

(ii) Mij?

Explanation:

Compulsive habits are unusual behaviours that a person repeats for no apparent reason. A child, for example, may choose to jump over a fence rather than use the conventional passageway. Children's obsessive behaviour is common since they are naturally mischievous.

(i) According to the story, Maxwell expresses compulsive tendencies such as children's routines of placing their feet squarely on the centre of each pavement block, touching every seventh upright of the iron railings, or passing to the outside of every second light post on their walk to and from school.

(ii) Similarly, on his way home, Mijbil would leap over the boundary wall railing and gallop the entire length of its thirty yards, to the hopeless distraction of both.


14. What group of animals do otters belong to?

Explanation:

Otters are a member of the Mustelline family of mammals. Other creatures in this category include badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, minks, and others.


15. What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?

Explanation:

According to Maxwell, Londoners are unfamiliar with otters because they are not found in England. As a result, they made the most irrational assumptions about Mijbil. Other suggestions were a baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard, a hippo, and a brontosaurus.


16. What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?

Explanation:

Mij demonstrated his cleverness by inventing his own ping-pong ball game on Maxwell's worn-out suitcase. Another illustration of his intellect was when he opened the tap in the bathroom and got into the tub, and played with water. Although he was originally aloof and uninterested in Maxwell, he later displayed his friendly nature towards his owner. This is evidenced by his clinging to Maxwell's feet during the journey. He grew close to the author over time and proved to be a fun-loving animal when he devised his own games and displayed certain compulsive behaviours on his walks through the streets of London with Maxwell.


17. What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?

Explanation:

Otters are members of the Mustelline family, which also includes badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink, and others. They are generally found in marshy places in high numbers. Arabs tame them and keep them as pets. Otters enjoy playing in and splashing in water. Maxwell's otter was previously unknown to science and was eventually named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli, hence the name Maxwell's otter. We also learned that otters are bright and fun-loving animals who create and enjoy playing their own games and are friendly to humans.


18. Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Explanation:

Maxwell's otter was previously unknown to science and was eventually named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli, hence the name Maxwell's otter.


19. Maxwell in the story speaks for the otter, Mij. He tells us what the otter feels and thinks on different occasions. Given below are some things the otter does. Complete the column on the right to say what Maxwell says about what Mij feels and thinks.

  1. What Mij does

How Mij feels or thinks

  1. Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash


  1. Screws the tap in the wrong way


  1. Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane



Explanation:

  1. What Mij does

How Mij feels or thinks

  1. Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash

He was overjoyed.

  1. Screws the tap in the wrong way

He was irritated and frustrated by the tap's refusal to cooperate.

  1. Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane

A distressed chitter of acknowledgement and welcome


20. Read the story and find the sentences where Maxwell describes his pet otter. Then choose and arrange your sentences to illustrate those statements below that you think are true.

Maxwell’s description

  1. makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy.

  2. shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does.

  3. shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does.

  4. of Mij’s antics is comical.

  5. shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully.

  6. shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter.

Explanation:

  1. True. "He spent the majority of his time playing," says the statement.

  2. False

  3. True." I stood there stupefied; he would turned the stopcock far enough to make a drop of water in lower than a millisecond, and after a many twinkles, he would gained full flux," 

  4. True. "Mij's favourite toys for this activity was marbles, that he'd glide up and down his immense, flat tummy all without spilling one to the bottom," says the statement.

  5. True." A wallet that I had taken to Iraq had come damaged on the passage home, so that the lid, when closed, remained at a pitch from one end to the other. Mij noticed that if he placed the ball on the top of the luggage, it would run the length of it. He would dash around to the other end, hide from it, squinched, to jump up and catch it off guard, prisoner it, and gallop off to the high end formerly more." say the statemen

  6. False 


21. Describing a Repeated Action in the Past

From the table below, make as many correct sentences as you can using would and/or used to, as appropriate. (Hint: First decide whether the words in italics show an action, or a state or situation, in the past.) Then add two or three sentences of your own to it.

Emperor Akbar

would

used to

be fond of musical evenings.

Every evening we


take long walks on the beach.

Fifty years ago, very few people


own cars.

Till the 1980s, Shanghai


have very dirty streets.

My uncle


spend his holidays by the sea.

Explanation:

  1. Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical evenings.

  2. Every evening we would take long walks on the beach.

  3. Fifty years ago, very few people used to own cars.

  4. Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets.

  5. My uncle used to spend his holidays by the sea.

  6. My uncle used to be fond of musical evenings.

  7. My uncle would take long walks on the beach.


22. Noun Modifiers

1. Look at these examples from the text, and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns, or adjective plus noun.

  1. An otter fixation.  

  2. The iron railings. 

  3. The Tigris marshes.

  4. The London streets

  5. soft velvet fur

  6. A four-footed soccer player

Explanation:

  1. Noun

  2. Noun

  3. Proper Noun

  4. Proper Noun

  5. Adjective plus noun

  6. Adjective plus noun


23. Given below are some nouns, and a set of modifiers (in the box). Combine the nouns and modifiers to make as many appropriate phrases as you can. (Hint: The nouns and modifiers are all from the texts in this book.)

college

rough

hundred

stone

ordinary

love

uncomfortable

white

slang

slack

bare

railroad

tremendous

family

marriage

plump

invigorating

panoramic

heart-breaking

birthday

incorrigible

ridiculous

loud

first

three


Temple

girls

triangle

dresses

Person

thoughts

boys

roar

Gifts

scream

farewell

expression

Time

subject

landscape

handkerchief

Crossing

flight

chatterbox

profession

Physique

coffee

view

celebration

Explanation:


Temple

Stone temple, White temple


Gifts


A typical gift, a birthday gift.


Time

The first time, family time, college time, difficult time


Crossing

Railroad crossing, first crossing


Physique

Plump physique, average physique


Girls

Plump girls, college girls


Thoughts

Uncomfortable thoughts, absurd thoughts, everyday thoughts, excellent thoughts, energising thoughts, sorrowful thoughts


Scream

Loud scream, heart-breaking scream


Subject

Ordinary and college subjects


Flight

First flight, average flight, bumpy flight, unpleasant flight


Coffee

Black coffee, regular coffee, energetic coffee


Farewell

Farewell to college, sorrowful farewell


Landscape

Rough landscape, bare landscape


Chatterbox

Chatterbox incorrigible, absurd chatterbox


View

Panoramic view, typical view, fantastic view


Dresses

Everyday gowns, birthday gowns, wedding gowns, and hundreds more gowns


Handkerchief

A white handkerchief, a clean handkerchief, and an ordinary handkerchief


Profession

Family profession, first profession, ordinary profession


Celebration

Birthday celebration, fantastic celebration, and family celebration


Roar

Huge roar, enormous Roar


24. Match the words on the left with a word on the right. Some words on the left can go with more than one word on the right.


  1. a portion of

– blood

  1. a pool of

– cotton

  1. flakes of

– stones

  1. a huge heap of

– gold

  1. a gust of

– fried fish

  1. little drops of

– snow

  1. a piece of

– water

  1. a pot of

– wind

Explanation:

  1. a portion of

– fried fish

  1. a pool of

– blood

  1. flakes of

– snow

  1. a huge heap of

– stones

  1. a gust of

– wind

  1. little drops of

– water

  1. a piece of

– cotton

  1. a pot of

– gold


25. Use a bit of/a piece of/a bunch of/a cloud of/a lump of with the italicised nouns in the following sentences. The first has been done for you as an example.

  1. My teacher gave me some advice. My teacher gave me a bit of advice.

  2. Can you give me some clay, please. ________________________________

  3. The information you gave was very useful. ________________________________

  4. Because of these factories smoke hangs over the city. ___________________________

  5. Two stones rubbed together can produce sparks of fire. ___________________________

  6. He gave me some flowers on my birthday. ________________________________

Explanation:

  1. My teacher gave me some suggestions.

  2. Could you please give me a lump of clay?

  3. Your knowledge was quite beneficial.

  4. A cloud of smoke lingers above the city as a result of these factories.

  5. When two stones are rubbed together, they can emit sparks of fire.

  6. On my birthday, he handed me a bouquet of flowers.


26. You have seen how Maxwell describes Mij the otter’s feelings and thoughts by watching him. Play the game of dumb charades. Take turns to express a feeling or thought silently, through gestures. Let the class speak out their guesses about the feelings or thoughts you are trying to express.

Explanation:

Activity to be done by yourself.


27. Write a description of a person or an animal (such as a pet) that you know very well and love very much. Questions (4) and (5) in ‘Thinking about the Text’ will have given you some idea about how to do this. Mention some things the person or animal does, what you think the person or animal feels, etc.

Explanation:

Activity to be done by yourself.