The Snake and the Mirror Class 9 Chapter 5 NCERT Solution ||Beehive||

The Snake and the Mirror Chapter 5 English NCERT Solution ||Beehive|| Class 9

Thinking about the Text (Page 60)

I. 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?
Answer : The doctor heard the sound of rats, thinking it was their usual movement. He heard it thrice. The sounds stopped when a snake fell, causing the rats to flee.

2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
Answer : While looking into the mirror, the doctor made two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions:
  1. He decided to shave daily and grow a thin mustache to look more handsome.
  2. He resolved to always keep an attractive smile on his face.

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?
Answer : (i) Initially, the doctor smiles confidently, admiring his appearance.
(ii) Later, he smiles feebly, realizing his vulnerability.
His thoughts shift from vanity to fear due to the snake’s presence.

II. This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous? (Think of the contrasts it presents between dreams and reality. Some of them are listed below.)

1. (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions) 
   (ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
Answer : (i) The doctor is a modest person with limited money and possessions, living in a small rented room with few amenities.

(ii) He aspires to be more attractive and successful, aiming to improve his appearance by shaving daily and growing a mustache, and to always maintain an appealing smile.


2. (i) The person he wants to marry 
    (ii) The person he actually marries
Answer : (i) The person he wants to marry: The doctor dreams of marrying a wealthy woman doctor with a good medical practice. He imagines her to be fat so that she cannot run after him if he makes a mistake.

(ii) The person he actually marries: Contrary to his dreams, he ends up marrying a thin, reedy woman who is quick and agile, with the gift of a sprinter

3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror (ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm

Answer : (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror: The doctor admires his appearance, feeling confident and vain. He contemplates his looks and dreams of enhancing his attractiveness by shaving daily and growing a mustache.

(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm: The doctor is gripped by fear and helplessness. His vanity vanishes, replaced by a desperate awareness of his vulnerability and the immediate danger posed by the snake.

Thinking about the LAnguage (Page 61)

I. Here are some sentences from the text. Say which of them tell you, that the author: (a) was afraid of the snake, (b) was proud of his appearance, (c) had a sense of humour, (d) was no longer afraid of the snake.

  1. I was turned to stone.
  2. I was no mere image cut in granite.
  3. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength.
  4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.
  5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.
  6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile.
  7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.
  8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!
  9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness … ! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.
  10. Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead.
Answer : 

(a) Was afraid of the snake:

  1. I was turned to stone.
  2. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength.
  3. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.
  4. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.

(b) Was proud of his appearance: 6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. 8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!

© Had a sense of humour: 9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water. 10. Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead.

(d) Was no longer afraid of the snake: 2. I was no mere image cut in granite. 7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.

II. 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 ………………

Answers:

  1. I was turned to stone.
  2. I sat there holding my breath.
  3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.

III. In the sentences given below some words and expressions are italicised. They are variously mean that on


  • is very frightened.
  • is too scared to move.
  • is frightened by something that happens suddenly.
  • makes another feel frightened

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,
  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.
Answer : 
 
  1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits, (very frightened)
  2. I got a fright when I realized how close I was to the cliff edge, (too scared to move).
  3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
  4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that, (made someone feel frightened)
  5. Wait until I tell his story—it will make your hair stand on end. (very frightened)
  6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors, (too scared to move)
  7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle, (too scared to move)