Class 7 English An Alien Hand Chapter 9: A Tiger in the House

Class 7 English – Chapter 9: A Tiger in the House

NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English – Chapter 9: A Tiger in the House – An Alien Hand Supplementary Reader

Comprehension Check (Page 60)

Question 1:
“He had the distinction of being the only member of the party to have bagged any game.., The phrase in italics means
(i) Grandfather was the most distinguished member of the party.
(ii) Grandfather was, the only spoftsperson in the party.
(iii) Grandfather was the only successful member of the hunting party.
Mark the right answer.
Answer:
(iii) Grandfather was the only successful member of the hunting party.

Question 2:
Complete the following sentences.
(i) Toto climbed up the curtains when_______________________________________
(ii)_____________________________________________________________________________________ :_____________________________ .______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________ , I became one of the tiger’s favourites.
(iii) Timothy had clean habits,_________________________________________________________
Answer:
(i) Timothy lost his temper.
(ii) When I came to live with my Grandfather.
(iii) he would scrub his face with his paws exactly like a cat.

Comprehension Check (Page 64)

Question 1:
Grandmother’s prophecy was that the tiger
(i) would prefer Mahmoud’s bed to sleep in.
(ii) and the cook would disappear together from the house.
(iii) would one day make a meal of Mahmoud.
Mark the right answer.
Answer:
(iii) would one day make a meal of Mahmoud.

Question 2:
When Timothy was about six months old, a change came over him.
The phrase in italics means that
(i) Timothy had grown to his full size.
(ii) Timothy grew more friendly.
(iii) Timothy grew less friendly, in fact more dangerous.
Answer:
(iii) Timothy grew less friendly, in fact more dangerous.

Question 3:
Write “True ’ or ‘False ’ against each of the following statements.
(i) Timothy and Grandfather went to Lucknow in a special compartment.___________.
(ii) The compartment in which Grandfather and Timothy travelled had no other passenger ___________.
(iii) Timothy and Grandfather travelled in a first class compartment._________________.
(iv)All passengers in the compartment thought that Timothy was a well-fed and civilized tiger. _________________.
Answer:
(i) False (ii) True (iii) True (iv) False

Question 4:
Grandfather suggested that Timothy should be put in another cage. The reason was that
(i) the tiger had become very bad tempered.
(ii) a leopard, in the next cage would constantly rush at Timothy.
(iii) the cage was too small for a full grown tiger,
Answer:
(ii) a leopard in the next cage would constantly rush at Timothy.

Question 5:
The tiger was still licking his arm, with increasing relish The phrase in italics sug­gests that Timothy
(i) was good natured.
(ii) recognised an old friend.
(iii) smelt fresh food.
Answer:
(iii) smelt fresh food.

Exercise (Page 65)

Answer the following questions:

Question 1:
Where was the tiger cub hiding when Grandfather found him?
Answer:
The tiger cub was hiding among the intricate roots of a banyan tree in the Terai jungle near Dehra.

Question 2:
(i) What did Toto do to entertain Timothy?
(ii) What did he do when Timothy lost his temper?
Answer:
(i) Toto used to pull Timothy by the tail.
(ii) Toto climbed up the curtain if Timothy lost his temper.

Question 3:
“I became one of the tiger’s favourites.” Who is T in the statement? Why did he think so?
Answer:
T stands for the narrator, Ruskin Bond. He thought so because Timothy would come closer to him, roll over on his feet and pretended to bite his ankles.

Question 4:
Where was Timothy most comfortable during the day? Where was he during the night?
Answer:
During the day, Timothy was most comfortable on the long sofa in the drawing room. He slept at night in the cook’s quarters.

Question 5:
What was Grandmother’s prophecy about the cook? Did it come true?
Answer:
Grandmother’s prophecy was that Timothy would one day kill the cook Mahmoud, and make a meal of him. No, it did not come true.

Question 6:
What made Grandfather decide to transfer Timothy to the zoo?
Answer:
When Timothy was about six months old, he grew less friendly and more dangerous. He chased the cats and ate up hens. He also followed Mahmoud with evil intentions. So Grandfather decided to shift him away to Lucknow zoo.

Question 7:
Why did Grandfather want Timothy to be put in another enclosure?
Answer:
Grandfather saw the leopard in the next cage rushing at and frightening Timothy every now and then. So he suggested the keeper to shift Timothy to some other cage.

Question 8:
What shocked Grandfather in the end?
Answer:
Grandfather was shocked to learn from the keeper that Timothy had died two months ago, and the tiger in the cage was very dangerous.

Discuss the following topics in groups.

Question 1:
Shoot animals with a camera, not with a gun.
Answer:
It is true that you cannot befriend all sorts of wild beasts. But that does not give you a licence to hunt them all for your pleasure. Animals and human beings have been sharing the earth for ages. They share our joys and sorrows. They play a very important part in our existence. But sometimes for our greed we kill them. This attitude destroys nature. Had there sbeen no animals, our life would have been worthless. Here we should not shoot them with gun. We should shoot them with camera to preserve their beauty and charm.

Question 2:
Keeping pets helps us become more loving and tolerant. It also helps us respect life in any form. Do you agree?
Answer:
Yes, man and his pets are our best friends. We often play with pets, and they lick our hands with affection. Keeping pets changes our fear of animals into tolerance. We learn to respect life in every form. We learn the great lesson – Live and let live.

Question 3:
Have you heard of the society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) ? What do they do?
Answer:
Yes, this organization SPCA is animal friendly. It aims at protecting the animals- even tigers and cobras, from needless cruelty and killing.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
How was the tiger cub fed?
Answer:
At first, the tiger cub was brought up totally on bottle milk. Thereafter the milk proved too rich for him. Then he was put on a diet of raw mutton and cod liver oil. Gradually, he was given the diet of pigeons and rabbits.

Question 2:
How was Timothy’s companionship with the puppy?
Answer:
The narrator’s grandfather found a small mongrel puppy. At first, Timothy felt afraid of it. He sprang back if the puppy came near him. He would dash at it rashly but son retreated to a safe place Gradually they became friends. He allowed the puppy to crawl on its back and even rest there.

Question 3:
How was Mahmoud, the cook, attached to the tiger Cub?
Answer:
Mahmoud was cook in the narrator’s house. He used to feed the tiger cub on bottle- milk. The tiger cub slept at night in the cook’s quarters.

Question 4:
When and how did Timothy become unfriendly ?
Answer:
Timothy grew unfriendly when he was about six months old. The narrator took him out for a walk. Timothy tried to stalk a cat or someone’s pet dog. He used to pull out the feathers of the poultry at night.

Question 5:
Why did the narrator’s Grandfather visit Lucknow ?
Answer:
His grandfather visited Lucknow both to meet his relatives there and to call to the zoo. He would see there how Timothy was getting on.

II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What did the narrator’s grandfather see at the zoo?
Answer:
The narrator’s grandfather arrived at the zoo in Lucknow. He went to the cage in which Timothy had been interned. He saw a tiger there. He said ‘Hello Timothy’. Then he put his arm through the bars of the cage. The tiger came to the bars. The narrator’s grandfather put both hands around the tiger’s head. He stroked the tiger’s forehead, tickled his ears and smacked him across the mouth.

Question 2:
What did the Keepers of the zoo reveal to the narrator’s grandfather?
Answer:
The tiger licked grandfather’s hands. A crowd gathered there. A keeper asked grandfather what he was doing. The grandfather told that he had gifted the tiger to the zoo six months ago. The keeper told the grandfather that he had joined the zoo newly. However, he knew that the tiger was was bad tempered. The grandfather wandered about the zoo. He returned to the cage after a little while. Again he stroked and slapped Timothy to bid him good bye. Another keeper recognized grandfather. He revealed that the tiger was not his Timothy. His Timothy had died two months ago.