1. What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and
fun-loving animal who needs love?
2. What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
3. Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
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 |
Answers:
1.Mij was an intelligent animal. It invented its own game out of the ping-pong balls. It screwed the tap till water began to flow and then it would play and splash in the water.
Though it was aloof and indifferent in the beginning, it soon became very friendly. It formed a special attachment with Maxwell. It responded when Maxwell called out his name. It grew desperate when Maxwell left it in a box and it got hurt while trying to come out of it.
It was a fun-loving animal. It enjoyed playing all kinds of games. It would play with a selection of toys, ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit, and a terrapin shell.
2.Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines, shared by the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others. Maxwell's otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell's otter. They are found in large numbers in marshes. They are often tamed by the Arabs. It is characteristic of otters that every drop of water must be extended and spread about the place; a bowl must at once be overturned, or, if it would not be overturned, be sat in and splashed in until it overflowed. For them, water must be kept on the move. Otters love playing various games, especially with a ball.
3.Maxwell's otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell's otter.
| What Mij does | How Mij feels or thinks |
|---|---|
| plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash | Went wild with joy |
| Screws the tap in the wrong way | irritated and disappointed |
| Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane | distressed chitter of recognition and welcome |
I. 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 | Be fond of musical evenings. | |
| Every evening we | Take long walks on the beach. | |
| Fifty years ago, very few people | Would Used to | own cars |
| Till the 1980s, Shanghai | have very dirty streets | |
| My uncle | spends his holidays by the sea |
Answer:
1. Look at these examples from the text, and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns, or adjective plus noun.
Answer:
2. 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.)
temple three girls triangle dresses
person thoughts boys roar
gifts scream farewell
time subject landscape handkerchief
crossing flight chatterbox profession
physique coffee view celebration
Answer:
III.
1. 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.
Answer:
2. 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.
Answer: