The Snake and the Mirror

Discuss in pairs and answer each question

below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

1. “The sound was a familiar one.” What sound

did the doctor hear? What did he think it was?
How many times did he hear it? (Find the
places in the text.) When and why did the
sounds stop?

A. The sound that the doctor heard was a

scuttling sound made by rats skuring through
the beams of the roof.

The house in which the doctor lived was full of

rats. He thought that the sound was being
made by the movements of rats on the beam
overhead. So he was not bothered about the
noise as he was used to that sound.

He heard the sound thrice. The places in the

text which indicate this are as follows –
“I heard a noise from above as I opened the
door”.
“Again I heard that sound from above”.
“Again came that noise from above”.
When the doctor sat on the chair, the sound
stopped suddenly as the rats had seen a snake.
Then the snake fell from the roof with a dull
thud.

2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking”

decisions did the doctor takewhile he was
looking into the mirror?
A. When the doctor looked at himself in the
mirror, he decided to improve his looks in order
to appear more handsome. So, he made two
“important and “earth – shaking” decisions.
Firstly, he would shave daily and grow a thin
moustache. Secondly, he would always keep
smiling as he looked attractive when he smiled.

3. “I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says

the doctor. A little later he says,“I forgot my
danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is
the doctor’s opinion about himself when:

(i) he first smiles, and

(ii) he smiles again?

In what way do his thoughts change in

between, and why?
A. (i) When the doctor smiled for the first time,
he thought that he was a valuable man as he
was a handsome, unmarried doctor. He was
looking at himself in the mirror, admiring
himself and planning to improve his looks.He
decided to keep a smile on his face to look
more handsome. He was proud both of his
good looks and his profession
(ii) In the second instance, the doctor smiles at
his foolishness and helplessness. Earlier,he had
thought that the noise was created by rats.
Since they were no danger to him and did not
bother him he kept admiring his good look He
was proud of both his good looks and his
profession.However, later he had a snake sitting
on his shoulder and that is when he realized the
gravity of the situation.He knew that the snake
would strike him but he had no medicines in his
room. He then realised that he was but a poor,
foolish, and helpless doctor and neither his
good looks nor his profession could save him
from death lurking four inches away. At that
time he smiled feebly at himself, forgetting his
danger.
His thoughts change after his encounter with
the snake.From being a proud doctor he moves
on to accept his stupidity.

Page No 60:
Question 2:
This story about a frightening incident is
narrated in a humorous way. What makes it
humorous? (Think of the contrasts it presents
between dreams and reality. Some of them are
listed below.)

1. (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money,

possessions)
What makes this frightening story humourous is
the interspersion of humorous and witty
comments of the narration. Besides, the
presentation of contrasts between dreams and
reality also contribute to the humour element
in the story. Some such contrasts are discussed
below.
A:The doctor had just started his practice and
he was not earning much. That is why he could
not afford to live in a more comfortable house.
So he lives in a small unelectrified rented room.
He had only sixty rupees in his suitcase. Apart
from a few shirts and dhotis, he had one
solitary black coat. His house was full of rats. So
he was not a man of positions or money. The
vest he wore was so dirty that even a thief
didn't take it.
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be
(appearance, ambition)
A:The doctor's earnings were meagre.However,
his dreams and ambitions were in contrast to
reality. He was a great admirer of his beauty
and he wanted to make his presence felt while
looking handsome. He laid great emphasis on
the fact that he was unmarried and a doctor. He
decided to shave daily and grow a thin
moustache to look more handsome. The
manner in which he decided that this decision
is an 'important' one is quite funny. Later, he
also made an 'earth-shaking decision' to always
keep smiling in order to look more handsome.
In spite of his meagre possessions he is still
proud of his looks and his profession.

2. (i) The person he wants to marry

A:The doctor wants to marry a rich woman
doctor who has plenty of money and a good
medical practice because he doesn't have any
of those. He also wants his wife to be fat, who
will not be able to catch hold of him if someday
he does something silly and has to run away
from her.
(ii) The person he actually marries
A:There is also a contradiction between the
kind of wife the doctor aspires for and the lady
he finally marries. He ends up getting married
to a slim lady who could run like a “sprinter”.
3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror
A:When the doctor looks into the mirror, he is
full of admiration for himself and thinks of ways
to make himself more appealing. He decides to
shave daily and keep a thin moustache to look
even more handsome. He regards his smile
quite attractive and resolves to always smile.

(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled

around his arm

ANSWER: When the snake reached his

shoulders and coiled itself around his arm he
did not jump or tremble; he held his breath and
became as still as a stone. The snake was
already coiled tightly around the narrator's
upper arm. He knew that the snake would strike
him if he made any movements since the hood
of the snake was only 4 inches away from his
face. At this moment, he felt the presence of
God near him.The doctor lost all arrogance and
was reminded of the existence of god. In his
imagination, he tried to write 'O God' in bright
letters. He experienced some pain as if his arm
was being crushed by a rod made of molten
fire. He lost all strength and felt very weak. Face
to face with death he recalled that there was no
medicine in his room to cure him of a snake
bite. That was when he realized that he was a
poor, foolish, and helpless doctor. Neither his
good looks nor his profession could save him
from death. Then he smiled. This time it is at his
foolishness and futility of his vanity. That
encounter with the snake transforms the doctor
from a vain and foolish person into a humble
and god fearing man.

Grammar Exercises
Here are some sentences from the text. Say
which of them tell you, that the author: (a) was
afraid of the snake, (b) was proud of his
appearance,(c) had a sense of humour, (d) was
no longer afraid of the snake.

1. I was turned to stone.

2. I was no mere image cut in granite.

3. The arm was beginning to be drained of

strength.

4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright

letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O
God’.

5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.

6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an

attractive smile.

7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.

8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on
top of it!

9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…!

The rascal could have taken it and used it after
washing it with soap and water.

10. Was it trying to make an important decision

about growing a moustache or using eye
shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion
spot on its forehead.

A.
S. No

(a) was afraid of the snake

(b) was proud of his appearance

(c) had a sense of humour

(d) was no longer afraid of the snake

I was turned to stone.

2
I was no mere image cut in granite.

The arm was beginning to be drained of

strength.

I tried in my imagination to write in bright

letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O
God’.
I tried in my imagination to write in bright
letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O
God’.

I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.

I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an

attractive smile.

7
I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.

I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on

top of it!

The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…!

The rascal could have taken it and used it after
washing it with soap and water.

10
Was it trying to make an important decision
about growing a moustache or using eye
shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion
spot on its forehead.

Can you find the expressions in the story that

tell you that the author was frightened? Read
the story and complete the following
sentences.

1. I was turned
_______________________________ .
2. I sat there holding
_______________________.

3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like

______________________________ .

A.

1. I was turned to stone.

2. I sat there holding my breath.

3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone
image in the flesh.

Match the meanings with the

words/expressions in italics,and write the
appropriate meaning next to the sentence. The
first one has been done for you.

1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared

out of my wits. (very frightened)
2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was
to the cliff edge.

3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he

saw the bull coming towards him.

4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up

behind me like that.

5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your

hair stand on end.

6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his

abductors.
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a
muscle.

A.

1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared

out of my wits. (very frightened)

2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was

to the cliff edge. (frightened by something that
happens suddenly)

3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he

saw the bull coming towards him.(very
frightened)
4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up
behind me like that.(frightened by something
that happens suddenly)

5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your

hair stand on end. (makes another feel
frightened)

6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his

abductors. (too scared to move)

7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a

muscle.(too scared to move)
Report these questions using If/whether or
why/when/where/how/which/what.

(Remember the italicised verbs change into the

past tense.)

1.Meena asked her friend, “Do you think your

teacher will come today?”

2.David asked his colleague, “Where will you go

this summer?”

3.He asked the little boy, “Why are you

studying English?”
 4.She asked me, “When are we going to
leave?”

5.Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading

the newspaper?”

6.Seema asked her, “How long have you lived

here?”

7.Sheila asked the children, “Are you ready to

do the work?”

A.

1. Meena asked her friend if she thought the

teacher would come that day.
2. David asked his colleague where he would go
that summer.

3. He asked the little boy why he was studying

English.

4. She asked me when we were going to leave.

5. Pran asked me if I had finished reading the

newspaper.

6. Seema asked her how long she had lived

there.
7. Sheila asked the children if they were ready
to do the work.
Page No 56:
Question 1:
Do you like to look at yourself in the mirror?
What do you think about at such times? Have
you ever seen a dog, a cat or a bird look into a
mirror? What do you think it sees?

ANSWER:
Yes, I like looking at myself in the mirror. At such
times, I often think about the ways to make
myself look more presentable to others.

Though I have not seen a dog, I have seen cats

and some birds look into a mirror. However, I
have seen birds looking at their reflection in
water. I think when they see their own
reflection they think it's another cat or bird like
them. They can't realise it's their own image.

Page No 60:
Question 1:
Discuss in pairs and answer each question
below in a short paragraph (30 − 40 words).

Page No 61:
Question 1:
Here are some sentences from the text. Say
which of them tell you, that the author: (a) was
afraid of the snake, (b) was proud of his
appearance, (c) had a sense of humour, (d) was
no longer afraid of the snake.

1. I was turned to stone.

2. I was no mere image cut in granite.

3. The arm was beginning to be drained of
strength.

4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright

letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O
God’.

5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.

6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an

attractive smile.

7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.

8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on
top of it!

9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...!

The rascal could have taken it and used it after
washing it with soap and water.

10. Was it trying to make an important decision

about growing a moustache or using eye
shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion
spot on its forehead?

ANSWER:
1. Was afraid of the snake
2. Had a sense of humour
3. Was afraid of the snake
4. Was afraid of the snake
5. Was afraid of the snake
6. Was proud of his appearance
7. Was no longer afraid of the snake
8. Was proud of his appearance
9. Had a sense of humour
10. Had a sense of humour

1.

I was turned to stone.

2.

I was no mere image cut in granite.

3.

The arm was beginning to be drained of

strength.
4.

I tried in my imagination to write in bright

letters outside my little heart the words, 'O
God'.
I tried in my imagination to write in bright
letters outside my little heart the words, 'O
God'.

5.

I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.

6.

I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an

attractive smile.

7.
I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.

8.

I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on

top of it!
9.

The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...!

The rascal could have taken it and used it after
washing it with soap and water.
10.

Was it trying to make an important decision

about growing a moustache or using eye
shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion
spot on its forehead.
Page No 61:
Question 2:
Expressions used to show fear

Can you find the expressions in the story that

tell you that the author was frightened? Read
the story and complete the following
sentences.

1. I was turned
_______________________________________
____________.

2. I sat there holding

_______________________________________
________.
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like
_______________________________.

ANSWER:
1. I was turned to stone.

2. I sat there holding my breath.

3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone

image in the flesh.

Page No 61:
Question 3:
In the sentences given below some words and
expressions are italicised. They variously mean
that one

• is very frightened.

• is too scared to move.

• is frightened by something that happens

suddenly.

• makes another feel frightened.

Match the meanings with the

words/expressions in italics, and write the
appropriate meaning next to the sentence. The
first one has been done for you.

1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared

out of my wits. (very frightened)

2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was

to the cliff edge.

3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he

saw the bull coming towards him.

4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up

behind me like that.
5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your
hair stand on end.

6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his

abductors.

7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a

muscle.

ANSWER:
1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared
out of my wits. (very frightened)

2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was

to the cliff edge. (frightened by something that
happens suddenly)
3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he
saw the bull coming towards him. (very
frightened)

4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up

behind me like that. (frightened by something
that happens suddenly)

5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your

hair stand on end. (makes another feel
frightened)

6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his

abductors. (too scared to move)
7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a
muscle. (too scared to move)

Page No 62:
Question 4:
Reported questions

Study these sentences:

• His friend asked, “Did you see the snake the

next day, doctor?”
His friend asked the doctor whether/if he had
seen the snake the next day.

• The little girl wondered, “Will I be home

before the TV show begins?”

The little girl wondered if/whether she would

be home before the TV show began.

• Someone asked, “Why has the thief left the

vest behind?”

Someone asked why the thief had left the vest

behind.
The words if/whether are used to report
questions which begin with: do, will, can, have,
are etc. These questions can be answered ‘yes’
or ‘no’.

Questions beginning with

why/when/where/how/which/what are
reported using these same words.

The reporting verbs we use in questions with

if/whether/why/when etc. are: ask, inquire and
wonder.

Remember that in reported speech,

• the present tense changes to past tense

• here, today, tomorrow, yesterday etc. change
to there, that day, the next day, the day before,
etc.

• I/you change to me/him/he, etc., as

necessary.

Example: • He said to me, “I don’t believe you.”

He said he did not believe me.

• She said to him, ‘I don’t believe you.’

She told him that she did not believe

him.
Report these questions using if/whether or
why/when/where/how/which/what.

Remember the italicised verbs change into the

past tense.

1. Meena asked her friend, “Do you think your

teacher will come today?”

2. David asked his colleague, “Where will you go

this summer?”

3. He asked the little boy, “Why are you

studying English?”
4. She asked me, “When are we going to
leave?”

5. Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading

the newspaper?”

6. Seema asked her, “How long have you lived

here?”

7. Sheila asked the children “Are you ready to

do the work?”

ANSWER:
1. Meena asked her friend if she thought her
teacher would come that day.
2. David asked his colleague where he would go
that summer.

3. He asked the little boy why he was studying

English.

4. She asked me when we were going to leave.

5. Pran asked me if I had finished reading the

newspaper.

6. Seema asked her how long she had lived

there.

7. Sheila asked the children if they were ready

to do the work.
Page No 63:
Question 1:
1. Try to rewrite the story without its humour,
merely as a frightening incident. What details or
parts of the story would you leave out?

ANSWER:
1. One hot summer night, a doctor returned
home late at night. He heard a familiar scuttling
sound of rats from above while opening the
door. He heard the sound thrice. The doctor
was sitting at a table—on which stood a lamp
and a mirror—when he heard a dull thud as if a
rubber tube had fallen to the ground. At the
same time that the doctor turned his back to
find out the source of the thud, he found a
snake wriggling at the back of his chair. As the
snake slowly slid along the arm of the doctor,
he found himself paralysed with fear. The
doctor sat there without a muscle moving,
silently praying to God. The doctor felt helpless
and foolish at that time as he did not have any
medicine for snakebite. By chance, the snake
turned his head to the mirror and it slowly
slithered away towards it. Taking the
opportunity, the doctor ran till he reached his
friend's house, where he took bath and
changed into fresh clothes. Next morning, he
returned to his house to shift his belongings
only to find that his belongings had been stolen
by a thief.

To turn the story into just a frightening incident

without humour, I would leave out the
following elements from the story: the author's
description about his beauty and his admiration
of the same; his ambition to marry a fat and
rich female doctor; the part about the snake
admiring its beauty by looking into the mirror;
the doctor's remark about the thief leaving
back only his dirty vest.
Page No 63:
Question 2:
2. Read the description given alongside this
sketch from a photograph in a newspaper
(Times of India, 4 September 1999. Make up a
story about what the monkey is thinking, or
why it is looking into a mirror. Write a
paragraph about it.

ANSWER:
2. One day, a monkey was preening itself in a
broken piece of mirror that he had picked up
from a broken car in a garage. He looked at
himself for a long time and realised he was the
best looking monkey of the troops and the most
intelligent too. So jumping from tree to tree
didn't suit him. So he decided to perch the top
branch of a tall tree. When he looked around he
found there were only banana plants. He tried
to climb it but the plants could not take its
weight and bent downwards. Then he decided
to follow a diet to reduce some weight.
Page No 63:
Question 1:
Using some of the expressions given above in
exercise III, talk about an incident when you
were very scared. You may have a competition
to decide whose story was the most frightening.
ANSWER:
Once I went to my relative's house which was in
a village. It was a beautiful place and I was
enjoying a lot. I made some friends there too.
One afternoon I was on my way to a field where
we played everyday. On the sides of the road
there were thick plants. Suddenly I saw
something moving on the road. I was very
scared as it was long and sleek like a snake. I
couldn't move as I feared it might bite me if I
moved. I didn't know how long I stood there.
Then I saw it coming towards me . Being
terrified, I screamed. Hearing my scream my
friends who were in the nearby field ran up to
me. Hearing the whole story they looked at the
snake and burst into laughter. It was actually a
piece of jute fibres. The plants on the sides of
the road was jute plants. The fibre moved due
to windand i thought it to be a snake. Though
they laughed at me I felt much relieved.

Page No 64:
Question 1:
The text you read is a translation of a story by a
well-known Malayalam writer, Vaikom
Muhammad Basheer.

In translating a story from one language to

another, a translator must keep the content
intact. However, the language and the style
differ in different translations of the same text.
Here are two translations of the opening
paragraphs of a novel by the Japanese writer,
Haruki Murakami. Read them and answer the
questions given below.

When the phone rang I was in the kitchen,

boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along
with an FM broadcast of the overture to
Rossini’s The Thieving Magpie, which has to be
the perfect music for cooking pasta.
I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because
the spaghetti was nearly done, but because
Claudio Abbado was bringing the London
Symphony to its musical climax.

I’m in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the

woman calls. Another moment until the
spaghetti is done; there I am, whistling the
prelude to Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra along with
the FM radio. Perfect spaghetti-cooking music!

I hear the telephone ring but tell myself, Ignore

it. Let the spaghetti finish cooking. It’s almost
done, and besides, Claudio Abbado and the
London Symphony Orchestra are coming to a
crescendo.
Compare the two translations on the basis of
the following points.

• the tense of narration (past and present

tense)

• short, incomplete sentences

• sentence length

Which of these translations do you like? Give

reasons for your choice.

ANSWER:
On comparing the tense of narration used in
the two translations, we find that while
translation A uses the present tense, translation
B uses the past tense to narrate the events.
Besides, compared to those in translation B, the
sentences in translation A are lengthier, using a
number of conjunctions and modifiers.
Translation B uses sentences that are short and
conversational and, at times, incomplete.

I think translation A is better than translation B

because even though the sentences in this
translation are long, they are complete.