Class 9 English Chapter 5 NCERT Solutions | The Snake and The Mirror Class 9 English Beehive

I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).

Question 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?

Answer: 

The doctor heard some noise from above when he opened the door.

He thought that the sound was of rats.

He heard it four times, including the sound he heard when he opened the door:

“Again I heard that sound from above.”

“Again came that noise from above.”

“Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground…”

The sounds stopped when the snake appeared in front of the doctor.

Question 2: What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?

Answer: 

The two important and earth-shaking decisions that the doctor took while he was looking into the mirror are:

i. He would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome.

ii. He would always keep that attractive smile on his face.

Question 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?

Answer: 

(i) When the doctor smiled first, he was thinking that his smile was very attractive.

(ii) When he smiled again, he was thinking that he was a poor and stupid doctor.

His thoughts changed from being a handsome doctor to being a stupid doctor between the two situations. His thoughts changed because his life was now in danger.

II. 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.)

Question 1:  (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)

(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)

Answer: 

(i) The doctor is a person whose earnings were meagre. His house was a small rented room. He only had 60 rupees, some shirts, dhotis and a black coat.

(ii) He believes in making himself look handsome. He decides that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache.

Question 2:  (i) The person he wants to marry

(ii) The person he actually marries

Answer: 

(i) He wants to marry a fat woman doctor who had plenty of money.

(ii) He marries to a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.

Question 3:  (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror

(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm

Write short paragraphs on each of these to get your answer.

Answer: 

(i) When he looks into the mirror, he thinks that he has a very attractive smile. He decides to keep that smile on his face always and to shave daily. He seems contented when he looks into the mirror.

(ii) When the snake is coiled around his arm, he keeps sitting there holding his breath. He thinks that he is a poor and stupid doctor. He is terrified by the snake’s presence.

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