📖 Chapter 5: The Snake and the Mirror

Answer: The doctor heard the sound of rats moving above the ceiling. He thought it was made by rats with whom he shared the room. He heard it three times — once when he opened the door, again when he was combing his hair, and a third time after he had made his decisions. The sounds stopped when a dull thud was heard, as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground. This was the sound of the snake falling from the ceiling.

Answer: The doctor took two "important" and "earth-shaking" decisions. First, he decided to shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. Second, he decided to always keep an attractive smile on his face to look more handsome. Both decisions were made because he was a bachelor and a doctor who wanted to make his presence felt.

Answer:
(i) When the doctor first smiled, he was proud and vain. He thought he was a handsome young bachelor and doctor. He admired his own smile and decided to keep it always to look more attractive.

(ii) When he smiled again, the snake was coiled around his arm and death lurked four inches away. He smiled feebly at himself because he realised he was a "poor, foolish and stupid doctor." There were no medicines in the room to save him if the snake struck.

His thoughts changed because he suddenly realised his helplessness and foolishness. From vanity and pride, he was brought face to face with the reality of death. This contrast between his dreams and reality is what makes the story humorous.

Answer: The doctor is a poor man with meagre earnings. He has about sixty rupees in his suitcase, some shirts and dhotis, and one solitary black coat. He lives in a small rented room with rats. However, he wants to be a handsome, attractive, and successful doctor. He wants to grow a moustache and keep a smile to look more handsome. He dreams of marrying a fat woman doctor with plenty of money. This contrast between his reality and his dreams is humorous.

Answer: The doctor wants to marry a woman doctor who has plenty of money and a good medical practice. She has to be fat so that if he makes a silly mistake and needs to run away, she should not be able to run after him and catch him. However, he actually marries a thin, reedy person with the gift of a sprinter. This contrast between his dream and reality is humorous.

Answer: When the doctor looks into the mirror, his thoughts are full of vanity. He thinks about shaving daily, growing a moustache, keeping an attractive smile, and marrying a rich, fat woman doctor. He feels proud and confident. But when the snake is coiled around his arm, his thoughts become very different. He thinks of God, of death lurking four inches away, and of his own foolishness. He realises he is a "poor, foolish and stupid doctor" with no medicines to save himself. This sudden change from vanity to humility is humorous.

1. I was turned to stone. → (a) was afraid of the snake

2. I was no mere image cut in granite. → (d) was no longer afraid of the snake

3. The arm was beginning to be drained of all strength. → (a) was afraid of the snake

4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, 'O God'. → (a) was afraid of the snake

5. I didn't tremble. I didn't cry out. → (a) was afraid of the snake

6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. → (b) was proud of his appearance

7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. → (d) was no longer afraid of the snake

8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it! → (b) was proud of his appearance

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. → (c) had a sense of humour

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. → (c) had a sense of humour

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.

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. → is frightened by something that happens suddenly

3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. → is very frightened

4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that. → makes another feel frightened

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. → is too scared to move

7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle. → is too scared to move

1. Meena asked her friend, "Do you think your teacher will come today?"
→ Meena asked her friend if she thought her teacher would come that day.

2. David asked his colleague, "Where will you go this summer?"
→ David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.

3. He asked the little boy, "Why are you studying English?"
→ He asked the little boy why he was studying English.

4. She asked me, "When are we going to leave?"
→ She asked me when we were going to leave.

5. Pran asked me, "Have you finished reading the newspaper?"
→ Pran asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.

6. Seema asked her, "How long have you lived here?"
→ Seema asked her how long she had lived there.

7. Sheila asked the children, "Are you ready to do the work?"
→ Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.

This is a personal activity. Use expressions like "I was scared out of my wits", "My hair stood on end", "I was paralysed with fear", "I jumped out of my skin", etc.

Paragraph:
The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras' heads. Obviously the best prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels threatened. In general snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance.

Answer: To rewrite the story as a purely frightening incident, I would leave out all the humorous elements. I would remove the doctor's vain thoughts about his appearance, his "earth-shaking" decisions about shaving and smiling, and his funny dream of marrying a fat, rich woman doctor. I would also leave out the humorous ending where he jokes about the snake's "sense of cleanliness" and the snake being "taken with its own beauty." Instead, I would focus only on the terrifying details — the snake coiling around his arm, the pain, the fear of death, and his desperate escape.

Answer: The monkey sat on the branch, holding a piece of broken mirror in its hands. It looked at its own reflection with great curiosity. "Who is this handsome fellow?" it seemed to think. "He looks just like me, but he lives inside this shiny piece of glass. How strange!" The monkey turned the mirror this way and that, trying to find the other monkey. It preened itself, smoothing its fur and admiring its own face. It thought it was the fairest of them all. People passing by laughed at the sight, but the monkey was too busy admiring itself to notice.

Comparison:

Tense of narration: Translation A uses the past tense ("When the phone rang I was in the kitchen..."), while Translation B uses the present tense ("I'm in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the woman calls").

Short/incomplete sentences: Translation B uses more short and incomplete sentences like "Perfect spaghetti-cooking music!" and "Ignore it." Translation A uses more complete and flowing sentences.

Sentence length: Translation A has longer sentences, while Translation B has shorter, more broken sentences that create a sense of immediacy.

My choice: I like Translation B better because it feels more immediate and alive. The present tense makes the reader feel like they are right there in the kitchen with the narrator. The short sentences create a sense of urgency and realism. It feels more natural and conversational.