SEBA Class 9 English Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror

SEBA Class 9 English Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror Solutions As Per New Syllabus. to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse through different chapters SEBA Class 9 English Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror Notes and select need one. SEBA Class 9 English Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror Question Answers Download PDF. SEBA Class 9 English Solutions.

SEBA Class 9 English Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror

Also, you can read the SCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Book guidelines. SEBA Class 9 English Notes are part of All Subject Solutions. Here we have given SEBA Solutions For Class 9 English for All Chapters, You can practice these here.

The Snake and the Mirror

Chapter: 5

PROSE SECTION

Thinking about the Text

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

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?

Ans: The doctor heard the familiar sound of rats scurrying across the beams. He thought it was just the usual noise made by the rats he shared the room with. He heard it four times. The sounds stopped when the snake fell from the roof with a thud, as the rats likely fled in fear.

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

Ans: Looking into the mirror, the doctor made two “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 enhance his appearance.

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?

Ans: Initially, the doctor smiles out of vanity, feeling proud of being a handsome, bachelor doctor. Later, he smiles “feebly” at his own stupidity and helplessness. His thoughts change because the snake coiled around his arm makes him realize he is a “poor, foolish, and stupid doctor” facing death.

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

1. (1) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions).

Ans: The doctor is a poor man living in a small, un-electrified rented room. He has very meager possessions, including only sixty rupees in his suitcase and a few dhotis and shirts.

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

Ans: The doctor wants to be a handsome, wealthy, and respected gentleman. He is obsessed with his looks and dreams of a successful life, which contrasts humorously with his actual poverty.

2. (i) The person he wants to marry.

Ans: He wanted to marry a wealthy woman doctor who was fat. He logically reasoned that if he committed a mistake, a fat wife would not be able to run fast enough to catch him.