Haryana Board 7th Class English Solutions An Alien Hand Chapter 6 I Want Something in a Cage
HBSE 7th Class English I Want Something in a Cage Textbook Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Write True and False against each of the following statements:
(i) Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, dogs and monkeys. [ ]
(ii) He was very concerned about the well-being of birds and animals in his shop. [ ]
(iii) He was impressed by the customer who bought the two doves. [ ]
(iv) He was a successful shopowner, though insensitive and cold as a person. [ ]
Answer:
(i) Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, dogs and monkeys. [True]
(ii) He was very concerned about the well-being of birds and animals in his shop. [False]
(iii) He was impressed by the customer who bought the two doves. [False]
(iv) He was a successful shopowner, though insensitive and cold as a person. [True]
Question 2.
Why is Mr. Purcell compared to an owl?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell has been compared to an owl because the way he looked through the glasses gave him an appearance of an owl.
Question 3.
From the third paragraph pick out:
(i) words associated with cries of birds.
Answer:
Whispered, twitters, shy, rustling, squeals, cheeps and sudden squeaks.
(ii) words associated with noise.
Answer:
Scampered, frantic, frightened.
(iii) words suggestive of confusion and fear.
Answer:
Bewildered and blindly seeking.
Question 4.
Mr Purcell heard it no. more than he would have heard the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock.
(i) What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer:
It refers to the chirping and squealing and mewing all around him.
(ii) Why does Mr Purcell not hear ‘it’ clearly?
Answer:
The sounds are all vibrating around him which he cannot hear clearly.
Comprehension Check
Question 1.
Do you think the atmosphere of Mr Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
Atmosphere around the shop of Mr. Purcell was very monotonous. The shop was filled with frantic circles and frightened voices. The owner of the shop showed the least reaction to the entering of the customer and reacted in an indifferent manner.
Question 2.
Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want?
Answer:
The stranger who come inside the shop was wearing a cheap ill-fitting suit. He had a shuttling glance and close-cropped hair.
Question 3.
(i) The man insisted on buying the doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?
Answer:
The man did not insist on buying doves because he was not fond of birds but instead he wanted doves to make them realize the importance of freedom. He himself loved freedom and wished to experience it.
(ii) How had he earned the five dollars he had?
Answer:
The man had earned five dollars in a long period of ten years hard labour. He had earned fifty cents a year.
Question 4.
Was the customer interested in the care and feeding of the doves he bought? If not, why not?
Answer:
The customer did not interested in the care and heeding of the doves because he set them free.
Exercises
Discuss the following topics in groups:
1. Why in your opinion did the man set the doves free?
Answer:
The men set the doves free because it is possible that he might have been imprisoned and he values freedom more than anything else. It was this love for freedom which inspired him to spend his hard earned money on buying of the doves. After buying the doves, he did not even pause for a moment to set the doves free.
2. Why did it make Mr. Purcell ‘feel vaguely insulted’?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell felt vaguely insulted as he had made a quick calculation and given the pair of doves at a good discount. He failed to understand why the man who had bargained for the best pair had set them free.
HBSE 7th Class English I Want Something in a Cage Important Questions and Answers
Question 1.
How did Purcell earn his living?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell ran a pet shop. He sold cats, dogs, monkeys and birds. He also sold fish food and bird seed. He also prescribed remedies for the sick animals.
Question 2.
Describe one of daily habits of Purcell.
Answer:
Purcell would perch on a high stool behind the counter. He would read all the columns of morning newspaper. He did not leave even the columns like advice to the lovelorn and the columns of advertisements. .
Question 3.
“You mean-some sort of pet?”
(а) Who said this to whom?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell said this to strange customer.
(b) Why did he ask this?
Answer:
He asked this because the customer did not clear what he wanted. He just told he wanted something in cage.
Question 4.
“I have some very nice white rats.”
(а) Who said this to whom?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell said this to the strange customer.
(b) Why did he say this?
Answer:
He said this because the customer told him that he wanted something in a cage which is small.
Question 5.
“I mean all this caged stuff”. Drives you crazy doesn’t it?”
(а) Who said this to whom?
Answer:
The customer said this to Mr. Purcell.
(b) Why did he say this?
Answer:
He said this because the continuous noise of pets bewildered him.
Question 6.
“From the first instance he knew instinctively, unreasonably, that the man hated him”.
(а) Who is ‘he’ here?
Answer:
‘He’ is Mr. Purcell here.
(b) Why did the man hate him?
Answer:
The man hated him because he saw many birds in cages and he hated being imprisoned.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
Tick (✓) the correct option.
Question 1.
Mr. Purcell owns a shop.
(а) pet
(b) garment
(c) textile
(d) grocery
Answer:
(а) pet ✓
Question 2.
Which of the following statements is not true?
(a) The strange customer rang the bell before entering the shop.
(b) The customer w anted birds who could not fly.
(c) Purcell did not intend to sell any bird to the customer.
(d) All of these.
Answer:
(d) All of these. ✓
Question 3.
What price did Mr. Purcell ask for the doves?
(a) fifty-five dollars
(b) fifty dollars
(c) forty-five dollars
(d) five dollars.
Answer:
(a) fifty-five dollars ✓
Question 4.
Which of the following birds did the customer choose?
(a) pigeons
(b) parrots
(c) crows
(d) doves
Answer:
(d) doves ✓
Question 5.
How much did the stranger earn per year in jail?
(a) five dollars
(b) fifty cents
(c) fifty dollars
(d) fifty-five cents
Answer:
(b) fifty cents ✓
Question 6.
“They give you five dollars and a cheap suit; and tell you not to get caught again.” Who are They’ referred to here?
(a) the shopkeepers
(b) the police authorities
(c) the customers
(d) none of these
Answer:
(b) the police authorities ✓
Question 7.
Which of the following words means ‘generously’?
(a) snowy
(b) crestfallen
(c) differently
(d) magnanimously
Answer:
(d) magnanimously ✓
Question 8.
What does ‘snapped’ mean?
(a) shuttling glance
(b) said angrily
(c) moved unsteadily
(d) obviously
Answer:
(a) shuttling glance ✓
Make Sentences
Use the following words in sentences of your own:
(i) displayed
(ii) whispered
(iii) magnified
(iv) advertisements
(v) presence
(vi) surprised
Answer:
(i) Displayed: The shopkeeper displayed all the selected designs of dresses in the show- window.
(ii) Whispered: I whispered the secret into my friend’s ear.
(iii) Magnified: The cell gives a magnified image of the object.
(iv) Advertisements: These days the companies depend upon advertisements for the sale of their products.
(v) Presence: The presence of moisture in the atmosphere is eseential for rainfall.
(vi) Surprised: The foreigners were surprised to see the beauty of the Taj Mahal.
I Want Something in a Cage Summary in English
Mr. Purcell owns a pet shop. He sold all kinds of pets as cats, dogs and monkeys. A constant stir of movement prevailed his shop. Twitters, squeals, covered the shop. Each morning he saw on a high stool to read the morning paper and whenever the customer entered, he glanced up.
The customer, who entered the shop had close-cropped hair. Mr. Purcell showed more concern about the weather. The customer asked Mr. Purcell for something in a cage, that flies. Mr. Purcell asked for a high bill which customer found difficult to pay. Finally he paid five dollars which he earned through great labour of ten years. Mr. Purcell wanted to give him advise about the care and feeding of his doves.
Bur Mr. Purcell was surprised to watch the customer half outside and draw out one of the doves. He drew out the second and tossed it after the first. Mr. Purcell could not understand that why had the man set the doves free.
I Want Something in a Cage Summary in Hindi
श्रीमान् पर्सेल की एक पालतू जानवरों की दुकान है। वह हर तरह के पालतू जानवर जैसे बिल्ली, कुत्ते और बंदर रखता है। हर समय लगातार कोई-न-कोई गतिविधि उसकी दुकान को घेरे रखती थी। हर तरह की आवाजें वहाँ से आती रहती थीं। हर सुबह वह ऊँचे स्टूल पर बैठकर अखबार पढ़ता और जब भी कोई ग्राहक आता तो वह नजरें उठाकर ऊपर देखता।
ग्राहक जो अंदर आया, उसके बाल छोटे-छोटे कटे थे। श्रीमान् पर्सेल मौसम के बारे में बहुत चिंतित थे। ग्राहक ने श्रीमान् पर्सेल से कुछ ऐसा माँगा जो उड़ सके। श्रीमान् पर्सेल द्वारा माँगे पैसे वह देने में समर्थ न था। अंत में उसने पाँच डालर दिए जो उसने दस साल की मेहनत से कमाए थे। श्रीमान् पर्सेल उसे कबूतर को खिलाने और देख-रेख के बारे में बताना चाहते थे पर श्रीमान् पर्सेल ग्राहक का रवैया देखकर हैरान रह गए।
उस ग्राहक ने कबूतर का जोड़ा निकाल कर हवा में उड़ा | दिया। श्रीमान् पर्सेल समझ नहीं पा रहे थे कि उस व्यक्ति ने कबूतर | को आजाद क्यों कर दिया।