SOMERVILLE SCHOOL NOIDA

CLASS VIII

ENGLISH COURSEBOOK

UNIT 13: THE MOUSE AND THE SNAKE

Only RTCs in the file sheets

A.2. Answer the following questions to understand the poem.

a. Why had the friend of the two small mice advised them not to go into the room
where the grain had been stored?

The friend of the two small mice had advised them not to go into the room
where the grain had been stored because no mice who had ever entered the
hole, came out alive.

b. Besides feasting, what else were the mice doing?

Besides feasting, the two mice were laughing loudly.

c. Why did the blood of the mice suddenly freeze?

The blood of the mice suddenly froze when they saw a long snake sliding
towards them.

d. How has the snake been described?

The snake was gold and shiny. It was long and looked vicious. It was venom-
fanged and looked strong and hypnotic.

e. What was the first thing the snake did? What happened next?

The snake slid towards the pair and gobbled one of the mice right away. After
that, it hissed at the other and sprang forward to kill it.

f. What made the snake go back into its hole?

The mouse dodged and saved itself from the snake. After several futile
attempts of catching the mouse, the snake grew tired and crept back to its
hole.

g. How did the mouse react on seeing the tail of the snake jutting out of the hole?

The mouse bit the tail of the snake jutting out of the hole not once or twice but
multiple times to avenge the death of its friend. The mouse clung to the
snake’s tail so hard that it got wild with pain.

h. Why did the snake come out of its hole? Why did it go back the second time?

After being bitten by the mouse, the snake got wild with pain. It hissed and came
of its hole to kill the mouse and swallow her.

The snake failed to catch its prey even the second time. After getting
exhausted, it went inside its hole once again.

i.How did the snake show that it was ready to give up the fight?

After failing miserably at catching the second mouse, the snake spat up the
dead mouse on the ground. This showed that snake was ready to give up the
fight.

A.3. think and answer these questions carefully. HOTS

a. What was the first act of fearlessness the mouse displayed once it got over its
initial fear?

After a moment of shock, the second mouse gathered all its might and decided
to fight back the snake. It glared at the snake and kept leaping and saving
itself from the snake’s grip.

b. Why did the snake leave its tail jutting out of the hole?

The snake had a long and overfed trunk, as it had just swallowed the first
mouse. So, it took time to get its entire body inside the hole.
c. Explain ‘hissing wrath’?

‘Hissing wrath’ refers to the hissing sound made by the snake in anger to frighten
his next target, the second mouse.

d. Why did the mouse not give up the fight?

The mouse did not give up the fight because it wanted the dead body of his
friend back. The little mouse did not want the snake to have an easy win.

e. Who saw the whole incident and who wrote the poem?

The incident was witnessed by Mr Yang. He later narrated the episode to his poet
friend Mr Chang. To commemorate the brave mouse, Mr Chang composed a poem
titled ‘The Faithful Mouse’.

(All the given RTCs to be done in file sheets)

Reference to the Context

1. But the two friends, unpoliced,

Broke in and began to feast;
And their laughter fell and rose,
Till their blood with horror froze.

a. Who are the two friends?

Ans. The two friends are the two small mice.

b. Where did they break in?

Ans. They broke into a room which was full of grain and it was undisturbed
for months.

c. Why did their blood freeze with horror?

Ans. Their blood froze with horror on seeing a big snake in the room.

2. Slid a snake towards the pair,

Swallowed one right then and there,
Hissed obscenely at the other:
 ‘That’s the first, and here’s another!’

a. Name the poem and the poet.

Ans. The poem is ‘The Mouse and the Snake’ and the poet is Vikram Seth.

b. Describe the snake.

Ans. The snake was golden and shiny, long and strong. It was a poisonous
snake and looked very dangerous.

c. What was the first thing the snake did?

Ans. As soon as the snake approached the mice, it swallowed one of them then
and there.

3. Down she clamped with might and main

On his tail till, mad with pain,
Yet again the snake emerged.
Thus the battle ebbed and surged
a. Who had died?

Ans. The mouse which the snake had swallowed had died.

b. Why did the second mouse fight so much for her dead friend?

Ans. The second mouse was a faithful friend. She could not save her friend
from the snake but she wanted to take revenge. So, she continued to fight till
the snake was battered and was forced to spit out the dead body of her friend.

c. According to the poet, who witnessed the fight?

Ans. According to the poet, Mr. Yang witnessed the fight.