NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6 Mijbil the Otter

Summary of Mijbil The Otter (Quick Revision Notes and Word Meanings) First Flight Class 10

Summary of the Chapter

After the death of the dog, the author thought to have another pet. Early in 1956, he travelled to Southern Iraq. He saw there some Arab people having an otter. Then, he also thought of having an otter. He told this to his friend. His mail was due; therefore, with a friend he went to Basra to receive his mail. His friend collected his mail and went away. After he had left, he received a sack in which there was something. The sack was for the narrator and there was an otter in it. The narrator christened it, Mijbil. First the otter slept on the floor but soon he entered the bed till the servant bought tea. When it went to bathroom it plunged and rolled in the bath tub joyfully. The narrator was extremely surprised when he found it struggling with the water tap. It had learnt how to turn on the tap. It spent most of its time playing with the rubber ball and marbles.

He was staying at Basra while he had to move to England and then to Camusfearna. But the problem was that some of the airlines did not allow transporting animals. Therefore, the narrator had to choose a different flight that allowed animals on board. As a result, Mijbil was packed in a box of its size. Then the narrator went for the meals. When he returned to his room, he noticed blood coming out from the air holes. He got frightened. He hurriedly opened it and saw that Mij was almost unconscious. He removed all the sharp edges from the box and placed it again into the box. The time was passing and he managed to hire a taxi. There were only ten minutes in his flight. So he sat at the back seat of the taxi and placed the box on his lap. Somehow he managed to catch the flight and he boarded the plane. The air hostess was somewhat friendly and she allowed the narrator to place the otter on his lap. But as soon as the narrator opened the box the otter disappeared in the plane. This frightened the passengers. But the airhostess helped him to find out Mij again.

In London people did not recognize otters. They used to make blind guesses to recognize the animal. The most surprising event was when the labourer was digging his hole in the street. On seeing the animal, he placed down his tools and when the narrator neared him, he shouted, what is that supposed to be.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6 Mijbil the Otter

Oral Comprehension Check Pg-106

Q.1 What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfeama would be suitable for?
Ans.: Maxwell thought about keeping an Otter as a pet after the death of his dog. Camusfeama, ringed by water a very short distance from its
door, he thought would, therefore, be a suitable spot for this experiment he had in mind.

Q.2 Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there and why?

Ans.: He went to Basra, to Consulate-General, to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He had to wait there for five days because his mail did not reach on time. At first, he sent a telegraph to England but nothing happened for three days. Then he had to book an international call 24hours in advance and on the very first day the line was not working properly. On the second day, it was a public holiday followed by another breakdown on the third day. However, after a tedious time of five days, his mail finally arrived.

Q.3 How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.
Ans.: When he received his mail, he carried it to his bedroom to read it. There, he saw two Arabs with a sack. They handed him a note from his friend saying that he had sent him an other.
Yes, he liked it very much. The sentence from the text, ‘It is, in effect, a thraldom to otters, an otter fixation, that I have since found to be shared by most other people, who have ever owned one’ throws light on the strong feeling of happiness that he had.

Q.4 Why was the otter named “Maxwell’s Otter”?
Ans.: The otter belonged to a race previously unknown to science and was at length christened by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, or Maxwell’s otter.

Q.5 Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was-

• aloof and indifferent
• friendly
• hostile

Ans.: In the beginning, the otter was aloof and indifferent.

Q.6 What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?
Ans.: When Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom, it was plunging and rolling in the bathtub, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo.
After two days, it escaped from the bedroom to the bathroom. By the time he got there, Mijbil was fumbling at the chromium taps with its paws and in less than a minute, it had turned the tap enough to produce some water and after some time, achieving full flow.

Oral Comprehension Check Pg-108

Q. 1 How was Mij to be transported to England?
Ans.: Maxwell booked a flight to Paris and then to London. The airline insisted that Mij should be packed in a box (not more than eighteen inches square) that was to be placed on the floor.

Q.2 What did Mij do to the box?
Ans.: Mij did not sit silently in the box and found it very uncomfortable. It kept on moving round and round and in an attempt to escape; he tore the metal lining of the box. As a result, Mij had hurt himself and started bleeding.

Q.3 Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?
Ans.: Maxwell put the otter back in the box because he was left with no other option at the last moment. Only ten minutes were left for the flight to take off and the distance of airport was about five miles. When he did
this, he must have felt pity for the way the otter was hurt as well as worried at the same time.

Q.4 Why does Maxwell say the air hostess was ‘the very queen of her kind’?
Ans.: Maxwell said that the air hostess was ‘the very queen of her kind’ because she was very friendly and helpful. When Maxwell took her into confidence about the incident with the box, she suggested him to keep his pet on the knees. The author, therefore, developed a profound admiration for the cooperative lady who could understand his pain and trouble

Oral Comprehension Check Pg-110

Q. 1 What game had Mijbil invented?
Ans.: Mijbil had invented a game of his own which he played with a ping-pong ball. There was a slope on one end of the suitcase. Mij placed the ball on one end of the sloping lid, and then grab it as it ran down to the other-end.

Q.2 What are ‘compulsive habits’? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of

(i)school children

(ii)Mij?
Ans.: ‘Compulsive habits’ are strange acts of behaviour which one does without a particular reason.
School children on their way to school and back placed their feet on the center of the each paving block. Similarly, Mijbil would tug the author to the two feet high wall of a school when he walked with him. On his way home, he made it a habit of jumping on to the wall and go galloping all along its length of thirty yards.

Q.3 What group of animals do otters belong to?
Ans.: Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines shared by badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.

Q.4 What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?
Ans.: According to Maxwell, the average Londoner could not recognize an otter. They made varied guesses about who he was considering him to be a baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard and a brontosaur.

Thinking about the Text

Q. 1 What things does Mij do which tells you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun loving animal who needs love?
Ans.: Mij was an intelligent animal. It invented a game of his own out of the ping-pong balls. It was able to screw the tap till water began to flow and then it would play and splash underwater. Though it was aloof and indifferent in the beginning, it soon became very friendly and developed a special attachment with Maxwell. It gradually began responding to him when he called Mij. It grew extremely desperate when Maxwell left him in a box and clung to his feet as soon as he came out. Mij was also a fun loving animal who liked to play all kinds of games including toys, ping- pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell.

Q.2 What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
Ans.: Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines shared by 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 as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwell or Maxwell’s Otter. In accordance with the text, Mijbil was a very friendly, intelligent and fun loving animal who developed his own sliding game and also liked to play ping-pong balls and going up and down the bathtub underwater. He possessed an exquisite way of enjoying his free life and surroundings. We can thus conclude that not only otters but all kinds of animals posses a hilarious as well as caring attitude and tend to build a very healthy and affectionate relationship with whomsoever they live.

Q.3 Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
Ans.: Maxwell’s Otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwell or Maxwell’s Otter.

Q.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.

Q.5 Read the story and find the sentences where Maxwell describes his pet otter. Then choose and arrange your sentences to illustrate those statements below that you think are true. Maxwell description
i. Makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy.
ii. Shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does.
iii. Shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does.
iv. of Mij’s antics is comical.
v. Shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully.
vi. Shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter.
vii. Shows that he thinks the otter is very unusual.
Ans.:
i. The following instances show that Mij seems almost human, like a small boy.

ii. He plunges and rolls in the water. He shoots up and down the bathtub underwater. He makes enough slosh and splash and turns the water tap enough to produce a trickle of water. He plays and juggles small objects between his paws lying on its back. He nuzzles the author’s face and neck.
iii. Mij turned the tap enough to produce a trickle of water, followed by full flow in less than a minute with the help of his paws.

(v) Mij developed his own game from the damaged suitcase of the author. He discovered that if he would place the ball at the high end, it would slide down to the lower end. He always dashed around from one end of the suitcase to another and would grab the ball and trot it off to the high end again and again.

(vii) He did not believe that the otter is an unusual animal. However, the variety of guesses Londoners made about who Mij was what came as a surprise to the author.

Mijbil the Otter Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Mijbil the Otter Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
When did Gavin Maxwell decide to have an otter as a pet?
Answer:
When Gavin Maxwell was in southern Iraq, he thought that he should keep an otter as a pet instead – of a dog. The place where he was living was suitable for that experiment.

Question 2.
What are the exclusive features/habits of an otter?
Answer:
An otter is a fun loving animal. They are found in abundance near the fresh water. They love the flowing water. An otter is an intelligent animal and capable of inventing new games.

Question 3.
Why did Gavin Maxwell stay in Basra for five days?
Answer:
Gavin Maxwell went to Basra to the Consulate General to collect and answer his mail from Europe. His mail did not arrive in time. He cabled to England, and when three days later, no response was received, he tried to telephone. But the exchange was closed for a religious holiday. His mail arrived five days later. So, he had to wait for a few days.

Question 4.
How did Maxwell get an otter?
Answer:
Maxwell expressed his desire to his friend to have an otter as a pet. His friend sent two Arabs with an otter at Basra. This is how he got an otter in Basra.

Question 5.
How did the otter look for the first time?
Answer:
The author got an otter through two Arabs who were sent by his friend. Initially, it looked very dirty due to mud. On the first day, the otter did not respond to any action of the narrator. It remained shy and indifferent. It remained aloof for twenty-four hours. It was only after twenty-four hours that the otter came closer to the author.

Question 6.
When did Maxwell realise that the otter loved water?
Answer:
One day Maxwell took the otter in the bathroom. The otter jumped with joy into the bathtub. It remained there for a long time. Seeing the otter’s movement, Maxwell realised that the otter loved water.

Question 7.
What did Mijbil, the otter, do in the bathroom after two days of his arrival?
Answer:
Mijbil, the otter, was a fun-loving intelligent animal. He loved water. On the first day, he went wild with joy in the water. Next day, Mijbil escaped from the bedroom and entered the bathroom. He struggled with the tap till it had a full flow of water.

Question 8.
What did Mijbil do to pass his time?
Answer:
Mijbil spent most of his time in playing with a rubber ball with its feet. He dribbled and threw it. He was a fun-loving animal. He played with a plastic ball too. He had invented his own game.

Question 9.
Why was Mijbil put in a box by Maxwell? Why was there silence in the box?
Answer:
The author had to come back to London. The British Airways did not allow the author to fly with an animal. So he had to go by another airline. This airline insisted that Mij should be packed in a box. When the author came, he found that there was complete silence in the box. He got scared. He saw blood coming out of the box. When he opened the box, he found Mij badly wounded. Mij had tried to come out of the box.

Question 10.
Why was the author not allowed to take a flight of the British airline?
Answer:
The British Airways had a rule that the passengers could not fly with their pets. Mijbil was an otter. The author could not be allowed to fly with Mijbil as the rules did not permit it.

Question 11.
How did Mijbil pass his time in London?
Answer:
In London, Mij played for hours with his toys. He had a ping pong ball, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell to play with. With a ping pong ball, he had invented his own game. Mij was happy now.

Question 12.
What routine did Mij follow every day while on the walk in London?
Answer:
While on the walk in London, Mijbil had developed certain compulsive habits. In the street, it placed its feet squarely on the centre of each paving block. It used to touch every seventh upright of the iron railings.

Question 13.
How did Mij invite the attention of the teachers and the students of a primary school in London?
Answer:
There was a primary school opposite to Maxwell’s house. It was a single storey building. It had a wall of thirty yards. It was only two feet in height. Mij used to jump and run over it with full speed. This always distracted the teachers and the students of the school.

Question 14.
What did the Londoners think about Mijbil the otter?
Answer:
Mijbil the otter was a new creature for the Londoners. They had never seen such a pet in their life. They guessed that it belonged to a small group of animals called mustellines. Some of them guessed it was a small walrus or a baby seal. Some called it a hippo and a brontosaur.

inhumane manner.

Jugglers keep monkeys and snakes captive to earn a living. All these practices are illegal according to law. Any animal, either wild or pet, is useful to us in one way or the other. Pet animals protect our houses, carry loads for us, provide us with milk and meat, entertain us, etc. Wild animals in a forest form a food chain that is essential to maintain a balance in the ecosystem. So we all must adopt a positive approach while dealing with animals.

Question 6.
For smooth and effective working we have to follow certain rules and regulations. Sometimes basic human values don’t go together with rules. It is painful. But there are some people like the air hostess in the story ‘Mijbil the Otter’, who tried to act against the rules in the name of humanity. What qualities do we find in the air hostess? What would you have done if you were in her place?
Answer:
It is true that for smooth and effective working, we have to follow certain rules and regulations. Sometimes basic human values don’t go together with rules. It is painful. But there are some people like the air hostess in the story Mijbil the otter, who tried to act against the rules in the name of humanity. The air hostess was the embodiment of good qualities. When Gavin Maxwell told her about the otter, she listened to his story very peacefully. She was the queen of her kind.

Though it was against the rules to carry the animal in that way yet she decided to help him. She even suggested that he could keep the pet on his knee. She was always kind hearted and considerate. She handled the whole situation calmly. When Mij created trouble with squeaks and shrieks, she maintained her charming smile. She displayed basic human qualities while on her duty. Yes, I would have done the same. If there is no risk to the life or property of others, we may compromise with rules for the sake of humanity

Mijbil the Otter Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight

Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]

Question 1.
When I casually mentioned this to a friend, he as casually replied that I had better get one in the Tigris marshes, for there they were as common as mosquitoes, and were often tamed by the Arabs. We were going to Basra to the Consulate-General to collect and answer our mail from Europe. At the Consulate-General we found that my friend’s mail had arrived but that mine had not.
(a) What was ‘they’?
(b) Where were they going to get the otter?
(c) Find the exact word from the extract which means ‘domesticated’.
(d) What did the author find at the Consulate-General?
Answer:
(a) ‘They’ refers to the otter.
(b) They were going to get the otter from Tigris marshes.
(c) ‘Tamed’ from the extract means ‘domesticated’.
(d) At the Consulate-General, the author found that his mail had not arrived while his friend’s mail had arrived.

Question 2.
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. [CBSE 2014]
(a) Who was Mijbil?
(b) How did the otter behave for the first twenty-four hours?
(c) Find the exact word from the extract’ which means ‘having no particular interest’.
(d) Why is the otter called ‘Maxwell’s otter’?
Answer:
(a) Mijbil was the name of the otter brought by the | narrator.
(b) The otter was indifferent and stayed as fat as possible from the narrator for the first 24 hours.
(c) ‘indifferent’ from the extract means ‘having no particular interest’.
(d) The otter was christened by zoologist Maxwell. So, in his honour, it was called Maxwell’s otter.

Question 3.
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 a particular characteristic of 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’.
(d) Why did the author make a body-belt for the himself?
Answer:
(a) Playing with water is a particular characteristic of otters.
(b) The otter played with water inside the bathroom.
(c) ‘Slashed’ from the extract means ‘moving irregularly with splash sound’.
(d) The author made a body-belt for himself to take otter on a lead to the bathroom.

Question 4.
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 favourite timepass of Mijbil?
(b) What did the otter do when the narrator called his name?
(c) Find the exact word from the extract which means ‘strike’.
(d) What has been referred as a four-footed soccer player?
Answer:
(a) The favourite timepass of Mijbil was to shuffle the rubber ball using all his four legs.
(b) The otter used to follow the narrator when he called his name.
(c) ‘dribble’ from the extract means ‘strike’.
(d) The otter has been referred as a four-footed player of soccer.

Question 5.
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) Which word in the extract means the same as ‘to demand something forcefully’?
(d) What did the airline insist upon?
Answer:
(a) Mij was being taken to London.
(b) Mij was being taken by packing him in a box.
(c) The word ‘insisted’ from the extract means ‘to demand something forcefully’.
(d) The airline insisted upon the fact that Mij should be packed in a box so that it can be carried.

Question 6.
When I returned, there was an appalling spectacle. There was complete silence from the box, but from its airholes and chinks around the lid, blood had trickled and dried. I whipped off the lock and tore open the lid, and Mij, exhausted and blood spattered, whimpered and caught at my leg.
(a) What was inside the box?
(b) What was the condition of the box when the narrator returned?
(c) Find the exact word from the extract which means ‘quickly took off’.
(d) Why did the author open the box?
Answer:
(a) Mij was lying exhausted and blood spattered inside the box.
(b) When the narrator returned, there was complete silence inside the box. Blood was coming out from the airholes and around the lid.
(c) ‘Whipped off” from the extract means ‘quickly took off’.
(d) The author opened the box because Mij was caged inside it.

Character sketch of Mijbil, the Otter

The otter, Mijbil, was in certainty, of a species formerly foreign to science. At the latter, it was dubbed Lutrogale perspicillata Maxwell by zoologists. He corresponded like an extremely small mythical dragon of the Middle Ages. It was like a chocolate brown mole where the major trait of an otter is to broaden and spread every drop of water. The actual game that Mijbil relished vastly was manipulating small objects with his paws lying on his back. His loved toys for playing were marbles