Chapter – 8

Mijbil the Otter

In this post, we have given the Important Questions of chapter 8 “Mijbil the Otter”. It is the 8th chapter of the prose of Class 10th English.

Board	CBSE Board, UP Board, JAC Board, HBSE Board, UBSE Board, PSEB Board, RBSE Board
Textbook	NCERT
Class	Class 10
Subject	English First Flight
Chapter no.	Chapter 8
Chapter Name	Mijbil the Otter
Category	Class 10 English Important Questions
Medium	English

Chapter 8 Mijbil the Otter

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

Answer: The writer had gone to Southern Iraq in the year 1956. He took a fancy to the idea that instead of keeping a dog as a pet, he would go for an otter. Camusfearna was surrounded by water, so it would be an eminently suitable spot for this experiment.

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

Answer: The writer went to Basra to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He had to wait there for 5 days as his mail did not arrive.

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

Answer: His friend bought the otter for him and sent it to the place where he was staying. The author liked it. This is seen in “The second night Mijbil came on to my bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of my knees….” “ I made a body-belt for him…”.

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

Answer: The otter was named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli. Hence, it was called Maxwell’s otter in short.

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

• aloof and indifferent
• friendly
• hostile

Answer: What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that? In the beginning, the otter was aloof and indifferent.

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

Answer: When the author first took Mijbil to the bathroom, the otter first went wild with joy in the water. He plunged and rolled in it. He jumped up and down the length of the bathtub. He made enough slosh and splash. After two days, the otter suddenly disappeared and went to the bathroom to play in the water and opened the tap on his own.

Question 7. How was Mijbil transported to England?

Answer: Mijbil was packed in a box as the airlines had directed the author. As British airlines did not allow pets on board the author had to book a ticket on a different airline from Iraq to Paris and then Paris to London.

Question 8. What did Mij do to the box?

Answer: The box was lined with a metal sheet. Mij didn’t feel comfortable in the box and tried to escape. In his attempt to escape, Mij tore into the metal lining of the box and in the process hurt himself.

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

Answer: As there was no other way to carry Mij to London, Maxwell put in the box again. He must have felt pity on the way the otter hurt himself. Moreover, he must be worried as well.

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

Answer: The airhostess was very sympathetic after listening to Maxwell’s story. She understood how he might be feeling and then gave him permission to take the otter out of the box. Due to all this, Maxwell referred her as “the very queen of her kind”.

Question 11. What happened when the box was opened?

Answer: As soon as the box was opened, Mij ran out. Then it ran all over the place scaring all the passengers. It created a claos and most of the people in the plane got scared.

Question 12. What game had Mij invented?

Answer: Mij invented a game of playing with the ball in a unique way. One of the author’s suitcase was damaged and had a slope on the top part. Mij would put the ball on the high end and run to catch it as it slided to the lower end.

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

• school children
• Mij?

Answer: Compulsive habits are usually strange act or behaviour which a person does without clear reason. For example a cricket player may put on his right shoes first as he believes it would bring him good luck or a kid jumping over a fence, instead of going through the passage way. Usually compulsive beahviour of children are full of childhood mischief and those of adults are of incorrigible type.

• As per this story, children must place their feet squarely on the centre of each paving block; must touch every seventh upright of the iron railings, or pass to the outside of every second lamp post.
• Mijbil while on its way to home would jump over the boundary wall railing and run at full speed throughout its length.

Question 14. What group of animals do otters belong to?

Answer: Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines. The other animals of this group are badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.

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

Answer: As otters are not found in England so Londoners made the wildest possible guesses about Mij. Their guesses ranged from a baby seal, a squirrel, a hippo to a brontosaurus.

Answer the following Questions

Question 1. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did Mijbil do two days after that?

Answer. When Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom, it became wild with joy for about half an hour. Then it rolled and plunged into it. After two days it went itself and struggled with the chromium tap till it had a full flow. It was very much happier with the water.

Question 2. What special characteristic of Mijbil did Maxwell learn after he took him to the bathroom?

Answer. After taking Mijbil to the bathroom, Maxwell witnessed Mijbil being almost mad with excitement, plunging and rolling in water, splashing water all around. It shows his love for water as marshes and wetlands are their natural habitat.

Question 3. What is the most common characteristic of an otter?

Answer. The otter, which looked more like a dragon, loved to plunge and roll in water. He played in water like a hippo. Aloof at first, he started taking an interest in its surroundings, started responding to his name and loved playing games for hours with toys like ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit etc.

Question 4. What guesses did the Londoners make about Mijbil?

Answer. The Londoners made a variety of guesses as to what kind of creature Mijbil was, i.e., a baby seal, a squirrel, walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard or a brontosaurus.

Question 5. Give an example from the text to show that Mijbil is an intelligent animal.

Answer. Mijbil’s behaviour and reactions to the circumstances throw light on the trait of intelligence in the otters in general. They have basic congeniality. And it is portrayed in his behaviour that it took him mere a day to shed his inhibitions and familiarize himself with the new surroundings. Mijbil’s intelligence and sense of logic is reflected in his turning on the tap to get a flow of water.

Question 6. What game had Mijbil invented?

Answer. Mijbil enjoyed playing with marbles while lying on its back. He would lie and roll two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly.

Question 7. Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? What do you think how he felt when he did this?

Answer. Maxwell put the otter in the box because he was shifting from Basra to England and he wanted the otter to get used to it. He felt sad on putting it back because the otter did not like it and so, he was trying to get out of it. He had torn the lining of the box to shreds.

Question 8. The way Maxwell was worried about Mijbil when he had to take him to London shows that he was very concerned about him. Do you think, owning a pet is a life-time commitment? Elucidate.

Answer. Maxwell was very concerned about his pet. The British airline refused to fly the animal. So he booked a flight to Paris on another airline, and from there to London. The airline insisted that Mijbil should be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square, to be carried on the floor at his feet. He got the box made. He put Mijbil into the box so that he would become accustomed to the box, in which it had to travel. When Mijbil was injured in his attempt to come out of the box, the author was really concerned about his well being. He carried a parcel of fish for Mijbil on the flight. He carried Mijbil on his knee. The lesson definitely conveys the fact that when we decide to keep a pet, it is a commitment of lifetime. This is so because we are responsible for the well-being of that life and infact, keeping a pet at home is like bringing up and nurturing a child.

Question 9. What was Mijbil’s favourite game during Maxwell’s stay in London?
Answer. Mijbil invented a game with the ping-pong ball while his stay in London. One of Maxwell’s suitcase had got damaged its lid, when closed remained at a shope that Mijused as his game he would place the ping pong ball on the high end and allow the ball to slide down. Before the ball went down the slope he would dash around to the other end and spring up to grab it and trot off with it to the high end again. He would keep himself engrossed in the game for about half an hour at a stretch.

Question 10. How did otter behave in the beginning? How did he become familiar with the author?

Answer. In the beginning the otter was neither hostile nor friendly. He was simply aloof and indifferent. He preferred to sleep on the floor near the author’s bed. But soon he got familiar with the author and started taking keen interest in his surroundings. The second night he came on to the author’s bed and slept in the crook of his knees. Thereafter he became friendly with the author. Whenever he was in trouble, he rushed to the author for protection. When he was indoors he spent most of the time in play. He even escaped to the bathroom where it struggled with tap for water. In this way he became familiar with the author.

Question 11. What things did Mij do which tell you that he was an intelligent, friendly and fun loving animal who needed love?

Answer. Mij was an intelligent, friendly and fun loving animal who needed love. Mij was put into a box for transportation. When the author returned after meal, he saw blood from the airholes. He opened it, the animal whimpered and caught him by the leg. While travelling the box was opened in a flash. It disappeared down the aircraft. But very soon it was on his knees. It began to muzzle his face and neck. About his being funloving, the otter enjoyed galloping on the thirty yard wall near that of the author in London. It distracted the attention of school staff and the children. It was a fun loving animal. It enjoyed playing all kinds of game. It would play with a selection of toys, ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell. It required love and affection from Maxwell and it got
that readily.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1. What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?

Answer: Mij invented his own game out of ping-pong ball and a worn down suitcase. He loved water, and once he understood that on opening the tap water came out of it, he would get into the tub and played with water.

He had gradually formed a special attachment with Maxwell. It giyw desperate when Maxwell left it in a box and wanted to come out as soon as possible.

Question 2. What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?

Answer: Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines, shared by badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others. They are found in large numbers in marshes. Arabs keep them as pets and tame them. Otters love to spread water and splash in it. Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously . unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli.

Question 3. Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?

Answer: Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli, hence, it is known as Maxwell’s otter in short.

Question 4. 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.

What Mij Does	How Mij Feels or Thinks
Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash
Screws the tap in the wrong way
Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane

Answer:

What Mij Does	How Mij Feels or Thinks
Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash	He thinks it is a hippo and is very happy.
Screws the tap in the wrong way	He chitters with irritation and disappointment.
Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane	He feels much comfort and content after its distressed chitter.

Question 5. 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

• makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy.
• shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does.
• shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does.
• of Mij’s antics is comical.
• shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully.
• shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter.
• shows that he thinks the otter is very unusual.

Answer:

• True
• False
• True
• True
• True
• False
• True

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