Mijbil the Otter - First Flight - Class 10 - CBSE English

Mijbil, as I called the otter, was, in fact, of a race previously unknown to science, and was at length christened by zoologists Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli, or Maxwell's otter. For the first twenty- four hours Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly; he was simply aloof and indifferent, choosing to sleep on the floor as far from my bed as possible.
a. Who was Mijbil? b. How did the otter behave for the first twenty-four hours? c. How did he behave after the first twenty four hours?

I made a body-belt for him and took him on a lead to the bathroom, where for half an hour he went wild with joy in the water, plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo. This, I was to learn, is a characteristic of otters. a. What is the peculiar character of the otter? b. What did the otter do inside the bathroom? c. Find the exact word from the extract which means 'moving irregularly with splash sound'.

Very soon Mij would follow me without a lead and come to me when I called his name. He spent most of his time in play. He spent hours shuffling a rubber ball round the room like a four-footed soccer player using all four feet to dribble the ball, and he could also throw it, with a powerful flick of the neck, to a surprising height and distance. a. What was the lead? b. How did he spend his time? c. Give another word for “a quick, light movement”

The British airline to London would not fly animals, so I booked a flight to Paris on another airline, and from there to London. The airline insisted that Mij should be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square, to be carried on the floor at my feet. a. Where was Mij being taken? b. How was Mij being taken? c. Why was transporting Mijbil a dread?

When I returned, there was an appalling spectacle. There was complete silence from the box, but from its air holes and chinks around the lid, blood had trickled and dried. I whipped off the lock and tore open the lid, and Mijbil, exhausted and blood spattered, whimpered and caught at my leg. a. What was the appalling spectacle? b. What was the condition of the box when the narrator returned? c. What did the author do?

I sat in the back of the car with the box beside me as the driver tore through the streets of Basra like a ricochetting bullet. The aircraft was waiting to take off; I was rushed through to it by infuriated officials. Luckily, the seat booked for me was at the extreme front. I covered the floor around my feet with newspapers, rang for the air hostess, and gave her a parcel of fish (for Mijbil) to keep in a cool place. I took her into my confidence about the events of the last half hour. a. Why were the airport officials infuriated? b. How did the narrator take the airhostess in his confidence? c. Give another word for “very angry”

What 'experiment' did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

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

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

Why was the otter named 'Maxwell's otter'?

Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was (i) aloof and indifferent (ii) friendly (iii) hostile

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

How was Mijbil transported to England?

What did Mij do to the box?

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

Why does Maxwell say the airhostess was "the very queen of her kind"?

What happened when the box was opened?

What game had Mijbil invented?

What are 'compulsive habits'? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of (i] school children [ii] Mijbil?

What group of animals do otters belong to?

What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mijbil was?

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

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

Why is Mij's species now known to the world as Maxwell's otter?

How was Mij to be transported to England?

What did the otter look like?

How did the otter behave in the first few days with the author?

What, according to the writer, is the' real play' of the otter?

How did Mij spend his time?

In the name of rules and regulations, basic values are ignored but people like the airhostess in 'Mijbil the Otter' are a ray of hope. What virtues do we find in the airhostess?

The narrator called the airhostess the queen of her kind. This shows how caring and supportive she was. Do you find such people these days? Are people having a change in their values?