1. The homeopath in the story, The Snake and the Mirror’ is an interesting character with a good sense of humour. Prepare a character sketch of the homeopath.
The short story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ was written by the famous Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
In this story we come across a homeopath, who was shifted to his new house. He is a great admirer of his own beauty. He took the earth - shaking decision that he would shave daily and fix a smile on his face for enhancing his beauty. When a snake coiled around his left arm, he became scared and stood like a statue. He prayed to God at that moment. His action and conversation display a sense of humour throughout the story. When the snake moved from his arm to the table, he became a man of flesh and ran to his friend’s house. His dialogue when thieves stole his belongings from his home ‘They can use my vest after washing them ‘ is really a humorous one.
In this story we come across a homeopath, who was shifted to his new house. He is a great admirer of his own beauty. He took the earth - shaking decision that he would shave daily and fix a smile on his face for enhancing his beauty. When a snake coiled around his left arm, he became scared and stood like a statue. He prayed to God at that moment. His action and conversation display a sense of humour throughout the story. When the snake moved from his arm to the table, he became a man of flesh and ran to his friend’s house. His dialogue when thieves stole his belongings from his home ‘They can use my vest after washing them ‘ is really a humorous one.
2. Imagine that you meet the homeopath of the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’. You enquire of him about his encounter with the snake. Write the likely conversation between you and the homeopath.
I : Hello doctor, I read your story recently.
Homeopath : Thank you. Hope you liked it.
I : Yes of course. Were you afraid when you saw the snake?
Homeopath : Yes, I thought that was my last day on earth.
I : Then why didn’t you call out for help.
Homeopath : I was shocked and my voice didn’t come out
I : Any way I appreciate your courage and common sense.
3. Read the following passage from ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ and answer the questions that follow. Each question carries one score.
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!’
‘What was that?’ I asked. The doctor said, ‘My vest, the dirty one. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.’
‘Did you see the snake the next day, doctor?’
‘The doctor laughed, ‘I’ve never seen it since. It was a snake which was taken with its own beauty!’
a. What did the doctor do immediately after reaching his friend’s house?
b. What was the doctor’s intention in taking his friend and one or two others to his room?
c. Why did the doctor say that ‘The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...!’?
d. ‘But we found we had little to carry.’ Why?
e. How was the snake described by the doctor?
Answers:
a. The doctor smeared oil all over himself and took a bath.
b. The doctor’s intention was to move his things from there.
c. The thief had not taken his vest because it was dirty. For the doctor said that the thief had a great sense of cleanliness.
d. It is said because the thief had taken almost all materials from the room except the dirty vest.
e. The doctor said that the snake was attracted by its own beauty.
4. Fill in the blanks using the phrasal verbs given in brackets.
(taken aback, made up his mind, put on, put forward)
The homeopath ____(a)____ to look handsome. He ____(b)____ the idea that his wife had to be rich and fat. Suddenly an unwelcome guest entered the room. It was a snake. The doctor was ____(c)____ when it coiled around his arm. The snake suddenly saw its reflection in the mirror and got fascinated. It slowly uncoiled itself and moved on to the table. The doctor ___(d)____ his shirt and ran to his friend’s house.
Answers:
a) made up his mind
b) put forward
c) taken aback
d) put on
5. Pick out the noun phrase in the subject position from the following sentences.
a) A fat snake coiled around the doctor’s arm.
b) The owners of the dogs made a lot of money from just one film.
Answers:
a) A fat snake
b) The owners of the dogs.
I : Hello doctor, I read your story recently.
Homeopath : Thank you. Hope you liked it.
I : Yes of course. Were you afraid when you saw the snake?
Homeopath : Yes, I thought that was my last day on earth.
I : Then why didn’t you call out for help.
Homeopath : I was shocked and my voice didn’t come out
I : Any way I appreciate your courage and common sense.
3. Read the following passage from ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ and answer the questions that follow. Each question carries one score.
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!’
‘What was that?’ I asked. The doctor said, ‘My vest, the dirty one. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.’
‘Did you see the snake the next day, doctor?’
‘The doctor laughed, ‘I’ve never seen it since. It was a snake which was taken with its own beauty!’
a. What did the doctor do immediately after reaching his friend’s house?
b. What was the doctor’s intention in taking his friend and one or two others to his room?
c. Why did the doctor say that ‘The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...!’?
d. ‘But we found we had little to carry.’ Why?
e. How was the snake described by the doctor?
Answers:
a. The doctor smeared oil all over himself and took a bath.
b. The doctor’s intention was to move his things from there.
c. The thief had not taken his vest because it was dirty. For the doctor said that the thief had a great sense of cleanliness.
d. It is said because the thief had taken almost all materials from the room except the dirty vest.
e. The doctor said that the snake was attracted by its own beauty.
4. Fill in the blanks using the phrasal verbs given in brackets.
(taken aback, made up his mind, put on, put forward)
The homeopath ____(a)____ to look handsome. He ____(b)____ the idea that his wife had to be rich and fat. Suddenly an unwelcome guest entered the room. It was a snake. The doctor was ____(c)____ when it coiled around his arm. The snake suddenly saw its reflection in the mirror and got fascinated. It slowly uncoiled itself and moved on to the table. The doctor ___(d)____ his shirt and ran to his friend’s house.
Answers:
a) made up his mind
b) put forward
c) taken aback
d) put on
5. Pick out the noun phrase in the subject position from the following sentences.
a) A fat snake coiled around the doctor’s arm.
b) The owners of the dogs made a lot of money from just one film.
Answers:
a) A fat snake
b) The owners of the dogs.
5. Read the extract from the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ and answer the questions that follow:
One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near. 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 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. Again I heard that sound from above. I took a close look at my face in the mirror. I made an important decision - I would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. I was, after all, a bachelor, and a doctor!
a. ‘One feels tempted to look into a mirror.’ Why does the doctor say so?
b. What impression do you get about the character of the doctor?
c. What decision did the doctor take?
d. ‘I heard a sound from above.’ Begin the sentence with ‘A sound’.
e. Read the following sentence.
He was unmarried and was a doctor.
Now, frame a sentence of the same pattern in which ‘and’ connects two verb phrases.
Ans:
a. The doctor was a great admirer of beauty and believed in making himself look handsome.
b. Great admirer of beauty/proud of his appearance/ liked to make his presence felt.
c. To shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome.
d. The sound was heard from above.
e. I went to the market and bought a dozen oranges.
6. Rewrite the sentences given below and fill in with the phrasal verbs given in bracket.
The Doctor : I ____(a)____ a problem tonight.
Neighbour : What happened?
The Doctor : A snake coiled around my arm. It happened so unexpectedly that I was
_____(b)_____.
Neighbour : Is the snake still there? Did you _____(c)_____ it?
The Doctor : I don’t know, I’m afraid. I still haven’t ___(d)____ the shock.
Neighbour : You relax for a while.
(taken aback, run into, get over, look out for, give in)
Ans:
a. ran into
b. taken aback
c. look out for
d. got over
7. Edit the passage given below. The errors are underlined.
Then another lovely thought struck me. I would marry. I would got (a) married to a woman doctor who had plenty of money and an (b) good medical practice. She had to been (c) fat; for a valid reason. If I made some silly mistake and needed to run away she shall (d) not be able to run after me and catch me!
Ans:
a. get
b. a
c. be
d. should
8. Supply the missing words in the passage where / is given.
The snake turned its head. It looked / (a) the mirror and saw its reflection. I do not claim that it was / (b) first snake that had ever looked into / (c) mirror. But it was certain that the snake was looking into the mirror. Was it trying to make / (d) important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow?
(a, into, an, the, by, at)
Ans:
a. at b. the
c. a d. an
9. In the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’, the doctor narrates his experience to his friends. Imagine you are one of the friends who heard the story. You return home and narrate the same to your family members. Prepare the likely narrative.
Ans: It was a small rented room which was not electrified. Entering the room, the doctor heard a noise. He sat down on the chair. He was a bit beauty conscious. He looked into the mirror on the table. He took the comb and combed his hair. He took a decision that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache. He was a bachelor too. Then he decided to marry a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice. He heard the noise again. At that time, a cobra wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulder. He did not move. The snake moved along his shoulder and coiled around his left arm. The head of the snake was spread out. He was not able to move. He felt as if he had turned into a stone. His arm was losing strength. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection. It seemed it was admiring its own beauty. At last the snake unwound itself from his arm and moved into his lap, and then onto the table and towards the mirror. As soon as he was free, he got up and ran to his friend’s house and took a bath. When he came to his room with his friends the next day, he realized that a thief had taken most of his belongings.
nice
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