Lesson 38 – The Magic Kettle
rusty: old, covered with rust the reddish layer that forms on articles.
bounded about: jumped high here and there.
pedlar: an old iron person who sells things from door to door.
booth: small tent or building in a market.
merrily: in a happy, cheerful way.
Things to do
1. Answer the following questions:
(a) Why was the old man proud of his house? Describe his house.
Ans: The old man was proud of his house because it was beautiful. It was located high in the mountains. The house had white straw floors and pretty walls.
(b) What did the old man find in his house one day?
Ans: One day, a rusty old kettle was found by the old man in a corner of the room in his house.
(c) Why did he decide to keep the old kettle?
Ans: He decided to keep the old kettle because it looked like a good one and also because his old one was getting worn out.
(d) What happened to the kettle when it was put on the fire?
Ans: When the kettle was put on the fire, the handle slowly changed shape and became a head. The spout grew into a tail. The body of the kettle formed four paws. The kettle turned into a tanuki.
(e) What did the tanuki tell Jimmu?
Ans: The tanuki told Jimmu that it would stay with him and also make him very rich.
(f) Why did Jimmu decide to stop the shows?
Ans: Jimmu decided to stop the shows because he realized that Tanuki had made him very rich, and he and Tanuki can now live a comfortable life.
2. Describe the ‘Tanuki Show” in your own words.
Ans: Many people watched Tanuki’s shows. At Jimmu’s instructions, the kettle turned into a tanuki, to which the audience was amazed. On further instructions from Jimmu, the tanuki would walk, run, jump, or dance. People were both surprised and excited to see such stunts by the little animal. Jimmu and Tanuki had a very good bond. Jimmu arranged the shows, and Tanuki showed his skills. This made Jummu rich, and they both lived comfortable lives and stopped the show.
3. What reasons can you think of for the following:
The kettle turned into a tanuki when it was put on the fire
Ans: This may be because of the magical nature of the kettle, which could change its form when desired by the owner of the house where it stayed.
The tanuki decided to stay with Jimmu
Ans: This may be because Jimmu had picked up the tanuki lovingly and was very nice to it.
4. Find the smaller words hidden in the following words:
carefully
Ans: care, full, fare,
lovingly
Ans: love, long, lily
furry
Ans: fur, fry, fury
playful
Ans: play, full, lay, fall
somewhere
Ans: some, where, were, home, mere
5. What would have happened had the old man kept the tanuki? Write in short.
Ans: When the kettle was put on the fire, the handle slowly changed shape and became a head. The spout grew into a tail. The body of the kettle formed four paws. The kettle turned into a tanuki. The tanuki jumped off the fire and bounded about the room like a kitten. It ran along the very pretty papered walls and even across the ceiling. The old man did not catch it. He also called his neighbour for help. Then the old man didn’t want to keep these animals in his house, so he sold them off to Jimmu.