Topic: Achilles - Prose - Notes

(Suggested Answers)
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Reference to context:

Read these lines and answer the questions that follow:

Q2 He held up both hands, fingers spread out. I shook my head firmly and
held up two fingers, unconsciously imitating him.

a) Who are the two people referred to here? What were they doing?

Ans: The two people being referred to here are the narrator and the Rose
Beetle Man. They were bargaining over the price of the small turtle.

b) Why were they not having a verbal conversation?

Ans: They were not having a verbal conversation as the Rose-Beetle Man
couldn’t speak and the narrator was so mesmerized by the small
turtle and the Rose-Beetle-Man that he too started imitating him
without knowing it (unconsciously).

c) What was the result of their interaction?

Ans: During this interaction, the Rose-Beetle-Man closed his eyes in

horror at the thought that he held up nine fingers but the narrator
held up only three fingers. The result of this was that the narrator
got the small turtle at a very good rate.

Q3 But the fruit that Achilles liked the best was strawberries.

a) How did the narrator know that Achilles liked this fruit the best?

English - Writing Genres

 Topic: Achilles - Prose - Notes
Ans: The narrator loved his pets very much and wanted to make sure
that they were comfortable with him. He observed that Achilles was
eating the wild strawberries in one gulp and he became hysterical
at the mere sight of this fruit.

b) How did Achilles eat this fruit, both the small and big ones?

Ans: Achilles would devour the small ones at a gulp, for they were the
size of a fat pea. He would grab the bigger ones firmly in his
mouth, stumble off at top speed until he reached a quiet spot where
he would eat it at leisure.

c) What would Roger do to Achilles after he was fed?

Ans: If the narrator didn’t keep an eye on Achilles, Roger would creep up
to him and lick him vigorously to get the grape-juice Achilles had
dribbled down himself while eating grapes. Even when they were
being fed, Achilles would sit mumbling the grapes in his mouth, the
juice running down his chin and Roger would lie watching him, his
mouth drooling saliva.

Q4 …. the family wandered about the olive-groves, shouting, ‘Achilles….

strawberries, Achilles….’ At length we found him.

a) How had Achilles escaped?

Ans: The garden gate was left open one day and Achilles had escaped
from there.

b) Explain why the family shouted ‘strawberries’ during their search.

Ans: The family shouted out ‘strawberries’ during their search for
Achilles as this was his favourite fruit and definitely attracted him.

English - Writing Genres

 Topic: Achilles - Prose - Notes
c) Where did the family finally find Achilles? What happened to him?

Ans: The family finally found Achilles in a well. He had fallen into it
as the wall of which had long since disintegrated. He was, to
the family’s regret, quite dead.

Read, reflect and write:

Q5 The Rose-Beetle-Man had a fox-like face with large eyes. His dress was
fantastic. On his head was a hat with a wide, floppy brim. His shirt was
worn. Round his neck dangled a cravat of startling blue satin. The
pockets of his coat bulged, the contents almost spilling out. His patched
trousers dropped over a pair of leather shoes with upturned toes. On his
back he carried cages full of pigeons and young chickens, and several
mysterious sacks.

Q6 After the narrator realized that the Rose-Beetle-Man could not speak,
standing in the middle of the road, he carried on a conversation with him
and the Rose-Beetle-Man replied with a clever pantomime. The narrator
is observant and adapts to the method of communication used by the
Rose-Beetle-Man.

Q7 Roger felt happy about the death of Achilles as he was wagging his tail
during the funeral although his owner tried to stop him.

Q8 The narrator is an animal lover but he doesn't know how to take care of
the animals properly. And his carelessness of leaving the gate open is
the reason why the poor little tortoise died. He must not be allowed
another pet unless he learns to take care of them.And at the end of the
story he bought a pigeon which hopefully will survive.

Q9 Extended Writing:

English - Writing Genres

 Topic: Achilles - Prose - Notes
We know that Achilles was very special to the narrator from the very
beginning as he appealed more to the narrator than the other tortoises.
Another example is the narrator protecting Achilles from Roger and
loving Achilles for having a personality.

English - Writing Genres