In this page you can find The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive, Extra Questions for Class 9 English will make your practice complete.
The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Class 9 English Beehive
The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type
Question 1.
The sound was a familiar one. What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was?
Answer:
The doctor heard the sound of the snake. He thought it was the sound of rats. He called it a familiar sound because he knew that there were a lot of rats in his house.
Question 2.
What two important and earth-shaking decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
Answer:
The doctor was an eligible bachelor. While he was looking into the mirror he took two important and earth-shaking decisions. He decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin mustache and would always keep an attractive smile on his face.
Question 3.
How did the doctor react when he encountered the snake?
Answer:
The doctor encountered the snake which had landed on his shoulder. He was scared but showed a great presence of mind. He neither jumped nor cried. He sat on the chair holding his breath. His mind was active though his body was still.
Question 4.
Why did the doctor feel that he was quite near death?
Answer:
A snake had landed on doctor’s shoulder. It had coiled his left arm above the elbow. Its hood was spread out. it was only four inches away from his face. He could not think of any anti-snakebite medicine to the thought he was quite near death.
Question 5.
What did the doctor think of doing if the snake bit him?
Answer:
The doctor had a snake landed on his shoulder. He felt as if he was going to be bitten by the snake. He thought of some anti-snakebite medicine. But he could not. He knew that there was no medicine available for him. He called himself a stupid, foolish doctor.
Question 6.
What did the doctor think when the snake was looking into the mirror?
Answer:
The snake left the doctor and sat in front of the mirror. He looked into it. The doctor thought that the snake was admiring its beauty. If it was a male snake, he might be thinking of growing moustache. If it was a female, it might be thinking about using eye shadow, mascara or wear a vermilion on her forehead.
Question 7.
Why could the doctor not sleep in his room? What did he do then?
Answer:
The doctor lived in a rented room. It had no electricity. It was a hot summer night. He got up from his bed and went out to veranda. But he could not sleep there too. He tried to read a book but got no relief.
Question 8.
Why did the doctor say that he had to make his presence felt?
Answer:
The doctor was unmarried. He was a great admirer of beauty. He believed in making himself handsome. While looking into the mirror, he adjusted his hair many times. He also decided to shave daily but keep a thin moustache.
Question 9.
What did the doctor think about his future wife?
Answer:
The doctor decided to marry a lady doctor who should have a good medical practice. She should have a plenty of money. She should be fat as well for if he made any silly mistake, she won’t be able to chase and catch him.
The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
Did the doctor find his encounter with the snake humorous or frightening or both? What aspects- of human nature are revealed here?
Answer:
The incident in the story is both frightening and humorous. When the snake landed on his shoulder, the doctor was so frightened that he could neither jump nor utter a cry.The element of humour in the story is that the doctor thinks of marrying a woman doctor with good medical practice. He wishes her to be fat so that in case a silly mistake is made by the doctor, she Would not be able to run after him.
When the doctor realises that there was no medicine for snakebite, he calls himself a foolish and stupid doctor. The reader smiles when the doctor saw the snake looking into the mirror. He wondered if it was admiring its own beauty. He guessed if it was trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eyeshadow and mascara. It shows that some people have a tendency of keeping their calm even in the worst of situations.
Question 2.
Describe the reaction of the doctor when he confronted the snake. Patience and presence of mind are revealed from his behaviour. Discuss.
Answer:
When the doctor confronted the snake, he behaved in a very balanced way. He did not jump or tremble in fear. He did not even cry. He sat like a statue. He retained his presence of mind as well as his sense of humour. He prayed to God and wrote in bright letters outside his little heart the words, “O God”. He forgot his danger and smiled feebly at himself. Soon the snake unwound itself from his arm.
The doctor got up from the chair and went out quietly, and ran away to hi§ friend’s house. He did not panic. He had great patience and did not move. Soon he found the snake looking into the mirror. The doctor had presence of mind and soon came out of the trouble. Yes, patience and presence of mind always help us in any dangerous condition. One should never panic and should always try to find out a way out of the trouble. Keeping one’s cool even in adverse conditions can help a lot.
Question 3.
Was the doctor rich? What was his economic condition? Was he happy? Do you think wealth and happiness go together?
Answer:
No, the doctor was not rich. His economic condition was not good. He lived in a rented house. His room was very small. It was not electrified. His room was tiled and it had no ceiling. He had only a few things. He had a few clothes, currency and books. He always wanted to be rich. He dreamed of marrying a rich lady doctor. He always wanted to live a comfortable life but his poverty did not allow him.
He had a meagre income from his practice. The doctor used a kerosene lamp to light his room. All this shows that the doctor led a simple and modest life. Though the doctor was not rich yet he was happy. He had a good sense of humour. He wanted to improve his economic condition but was never sad. In my opinion, happiness is a state of mind and it has nothing to do with wealth.
Question 4.
What was the final insult? Why did the doctor feel insulted? What should he have done to avoid the insult?
Answer:
The doctor moved after the snake had unwound itself and crept towards the mirror. The doctor moved out of his room and ran towards his friend’s house to escape from the snake without securing his possessions in the room. He rubbed oil and took a bath. Next morning when he came back with some people to find the snake and take his luggage away, he did not find the snake. In fact, he found nothing there.
Some thief had cleaned his room completely. But the thief left his vest behind. It was a soiled undergarment that the fastidious their that thought below his dignity to take away.It appeared that the thief had a better sense of cleanliness than the doctor. The doctor should have taken care of hygiene in order to avoid the insult at the hands of a thief.
Question 5.
Why did the doctor, according to you, keep on looking into the mirror? How important is appearance in your opinion? Should we spend time in making ourselves look handsome?
Answer:
Being a bachelor, the doctor always wanted to look handsome. He was a great admirer of beauty. I think this was the reason why the doctor kept on looking into the mirror. Not only this, he thought of various ways to look handsome. In my opinion, appearance is very important in one’s life.
One should keep oneself presentable. Personal hygiene 1s very important. People don’t like dirty, shabby people. But at the same time we should not waste much time in making ourselves look handsome. There is no point in visiting parlours or salons for artificial make-up. Along with appearance, the beauty of character is also very important.
Question 6.
Do you think keeping a smile on the face makes a person more handsome? How?
Answer:
Yes, in my opinion, keeping a smile on the face makes a person more handsome. In the story, the doctor wanted to look more handsome, so he decided to shave daily and keep a smile on his face. He believed that wearing an attractive smile on his face all the time would make him look more handsome.
In fact, he was an admirer of beauty. People are impressed if you have a smiling face. Face is the index of mind, so smile on a face is an ornament. It sends positive vibes all around. Even an angry person gets positive energy if he smiles. It makes work easy and helps in winning over the people. One should always wear a smile on one’s face.
The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Reference-to-Context
Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
The sound was a familiar one. One could say that the rats and I shared the room. I took out my box of matches and lighted the kerosene lamp on the table. The house was not electrified; it was a small rented room. I had just set up medical practice and my earnings were meagre.
(a) The familiar sound was that of the ………..
Answer:
movement of rats
(b) The author was a …………… by profession.
Answer:
doctor
(c) The author had a small rented room that was not electrified. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) The word that is antonym of ‘abundant’ in the above passage is
Answer:
‘meagre’
Question 2.
It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. There was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. I made my bed and pulled it close to the wall. I lay down but I could not sleep. I got up and went out to the veranda for a little air, but the Wind God seemed to have taken time off.
(a) In the doctor’s rented room there was no ………..
Answer:
roof/ceiling
(b) The rats could easily move to and fro the room because of the ………….
Answer:
beam
(c) The author had gone out to get some fresh air because he did not have any fan or cooler in his room. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) The phrase ‘the Wind God seemed to have taken time off means
Answer:
The wind God must have taken a holiday.
Question 3.
One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near one. I took a look. In those days I was a great admirer of beauty and I believed in making myself look handsome. I was unmarried and I was a doctor. I felt I had to make my presence felt. I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat.
(a) In order to make his presence felt, the doctor
Answer:
adjusted his hair.
(b) ‘I’ took a look
Ans.
into a mirror
(c) As an old man, the doctor was a great admirer of beauty. (True/False)
Answer:
False
(d) The synonym of ‘Some one who regards with wonder or pleasure’ in the passage is
Answer:
‘admirer’
Question 4.
With such thoughts in my mind, I resumed my seat in the chair in front of the table. There were no more sounds from above. Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground… surely nothing to worry about. Even so I thought I would turn around and take a look. No sooner had I turned than a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on my shoulder. The snake’s landing on me and my turning were simultaneous.
(a) The sound of a ‘thud’ was as if a .r had fallen.
Answer:
rubber tube
(b) Suddenly a ………….. came down on the author’s shoulder.
Answer:
snake
(c) The author turned at the same time when the snake perched upon him. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) The word in the passage that means ‘to quickly turn and twist’ is ……………
Answer:
‘wriggled’
Question 5.
At my slightest movement the snake would strike me! Death lurked four inches away. Suppose it struck, what was the medicine I had to take? There were no medicines in the room. I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.
(a) ‘I’ in the above lines refers to the ………..
Answer:
doctor
(b) He addresses himself as a …………
Answer:
poor, foolish and stupid doctor
(c) His distance from death was just two inches. (True/False)
Answer:
False
(d) Pick the word in the passage which means the same as ‘something hidden’.
Answer:
‘lurked’
Question 6.
‘Phew!’ Each of us heaved a sigh of relief, somebody asked, “Doctor, is your wife very fat?” “No”, the doctor said, “God willed otherwise. My life companion is a thin reedy person with
‘ the gift of a sprinter.”
(a) …………. is an expression which shows a strong reaction of relief.
Answer:
Phew!
(b) The phrase that means the same as ‘to suddenly feel happy as something unpleasant didn’t happen’ in the passage is
Answer:
heave a sigh of relief
(c) The Doctor’s wife was very thin and active. (True/False)
Answer:
True
(d) …………… is the word that means same as ‘a person who takes part in races’.
Answer:
‘sprinter’
Question 7.
The doctor replied, “I ran and ran till I reached a friend’s house. Immediately I smeared oil all over myself and took a bath. I changed into fresh clothes. The next morning at about eight-thirty, I took my friend and one or two others to my room to move my things from there. But we found we had little to carry. Some thief had removed most of my things. The room had been cleaned out! But not really, the thief had left behind one thing as a final insult!”
(a) The doctor had little to carry from his room because his things
Answer:
were removed/stolen
(b) Before the author took a bath, he covered himself with
Answer:
oil
(c) The room was neat because it was swept and mopped by the thieves. (True/False)
Answer:
False
(d) The antonym of the word ‘fresh’ is …………..
Answer:
‘stale’