Beehive.

Chapter 9
The Bond of Love

Q-1. Meanings :

1. Panting: taking short, quick breaths

2. Wantonly: for no good reason

3. Prostrate: lying on the ground facing downwards

4. Scooted: ran away

5. Scruff of the neck: take hold of the back of the neck or collar suddenly and roughly

6. Christened it: named it

7. Condiments: spices

8. Relish: great enjoyment

9. Floundering: struggling to move

10. Heaving: taking deep breaths

11. Gaping: wide open

12. Squeals: screams

13. Antidote: a medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison

14. Stertorous: noisy

15. Disdainfully: disapprovingly

16. Studebaker: an old American car

17. Concealed: hidden

18. Fretting: not relaxed , worried

19. Curator: a person in charge of the zoo

20. Restrain: stop

21.Conjectured: formed an opinion by guessing

22. Hoisted: raised by means of ropes or pulleys

23. Accomplished: completed

24. Squad: team

25. Delighted: happy

Q-2. Answer the following questions in short:

1. With whom did the baby bear get attached in narrator’s house and his surroundings?

Ans : The baby bear soon got attached with the narrator’s two Alsatian dogs and to all children of
the tenants living in his bungalow.

2. What was the advice given to narrator’s wife from everybody?

Ans : The narrator, his son and friends advised her to give Bruno or Baba to the Zoo of Mysore,
because he was getting too big to keep at home.

3. How was Bruno, the baby bear, fed initially? What followed within a few days?

Ans : Initially, the little Bmno was given milk from a bottle. But soon he started eating all kinds of
food and drank all kinds of drinks. He ate a variety of dishes like porridge, vegetables, nuts, fruits,
meat, eggs, chocolates etc., and drank milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, buttermilk, even beer and
alcoholic liquor.

4. How did Bruno come to be called ‘Baba’?

Ans : Bruno came to be called ‘Baba’ which in Hindustani means a ‘young boy’ after the narrator’s
wife developed a special bond of affection for him. She loved him as she loved her son and started
calling him ‘Baba’.

5. Why had Bruno to be kept in chains most of the time?

Ans : Bruno had grown up very fast. Therefore, it was felt that it could be dangerous to let him move
about freely around the children of the tenants. Therefore, it was decided to keep Bruno in chains.

Q-3. Answer the following questions in brief :

1. On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten/ drunk. What happened to
him on these occasions?

Ans: In the first incident, Bruno ate the poison Barium carbonate which had been kept to kill rats. He
was struck by an attack of paralysis. The narrator took him to a veterinary doctor who injected
medicines twice to revive Bruno.

In the second incident, Bruno drank the old engine oil which the narrator had drained out of the
sump of his old car in order to fight a termite attack. This did not have any adverse effect on Bruno.

2. Was Bruno a loving and playful pet? Why, then, did he have to be sent away?

Ans: Yes, Bruno was a loving and playful pet. He was sent away because as he had grown into a big
bear, it was not safe to keep him in an inhabited area as he could harm people. The narrator, his son
and their friends convinced his wife who was particularly attached to Bruno and finally, it was sent
to the zoo at Mysore.

3. How was the problem of what to do with Bruno finally solved?

Ans: The problem of what to do with Bruno was finally solved by sending him off to the zoo at
Mysore. They wrote a letter to the zoo incharge at the zoo at Mysore. Upon his consent, Baba was
packed in a cage and was sent away.

4. What used to be Bruno’s activities at the author’s home?

Ans : In the beginning, Bruno was left free. He spent his time in playing, running into the kitchen and
going to sleep in author's bed. As he grew older, he became more mischievous and playful. He learnt
to do a few tricks too. At the command, ‘Baba, wrestle’, or ‘Baba, box,’ he vigorously tackled anyone
who came forward for a rough and tumble. If someone said ‘Baba, hold gun’, he would point the
stick at the person. If he was asked, ‘Baba, where’s baby?’ he immediately produced and cradled
affectionately a stump of wood which he had carefully concealed in his straw bed.

5. ‘Love is mutual’.illustrate this with reference to the story ‘The Bond of Love’.

Ans. The Bond of Love’ is the story of love and friendship between an animal and a human being.
One day the author found a bear cub in a field. He took it home and presented it to his wife. The
bear and the author’s wife developed a great love for each other. When the bear grew up, it was
sent to the zoo at Mysore. She became very sad. After three months, she visited the zoo. The bear,
whose name was Baba, at once recognized her and danced with happiness. She came back. But she
could not live without the bear. So she got the permission of the zoo superintendent to get the bear
back. A special place was made at home for the grown-up bear. Now both the bear and the writer’s
wife were happy. The story shows that animals too have as much love and affection as human
beings have. Thus, the title of the story is very appropriate.

Q-4. Choose the correct option from the following :

1- Who is the author of this lesson?

A) Kenneth Anderson

B) Smith

C) Jack Smith

D) Charles

Ans : (A) Kenneth Anderson

2- Where did the author find the sloth bear?

A) in the fields
B) in the forest

C) in the sugarcane field near Mysore

D) in the dense forest

Ans : (C) in the sugarcane field near Mysore

3- What made Bruno weak and paralysed?

A) his disease

B) eating less food

C) eating vegetables

D) drinking poison meant for rats

Ans : (D) drinking poison meant for rats

4- What were the farmers driving out from the fields?

A) cows

B) bears

C) goats

D) pigs

Ans : (D) pigs

5. What was the name of the poison that Bruno drank?

A) Sodium carbonate

B) Bicarbonate

C) Barium Carbonate

D) Carbonate

Ans : (C) Barium Carbonate

6- Which zoo was Bruno kept in ?

A) 87 km away at Mysore zoo

B) in Bangalore

C) in Karnataka

D) none
Ans : (A) 87 km away at Mysore zoo