Chapter 3.3 - A Crow in the House
In Between the Lesson
Q1. What dangers were likely to befall the young crow?
Ans: The young crow was in danger of being crushed by a cart or a tonga or seized by a cat.
Q2. Who were the other members of the author’s family living in the same house?
Ans: The other members of the author’s family living in the same house were his grandfather, his grandmother, and Aunt Mabel.
Q3. Did the author’s Grandfather like animals? How do we know that? Give two examples from this page to support your answer.
Ans: Yes, the author’s grandfather liked animals. This is apparent from the fact that he helped the author restore the crow to life. Grandfather also had a lot of pets in the house, which shows that he liked animals.
Q4. What is implied in ‘He took over the administration of the house?
Ans: ‘He took over the administration of the house’ means that he did whatever he wanted to and made new rules in the house. The others accepted his behaviour.
Q5. Guess how Caesar learnt to say ‘Hello, hello’.
Ans: Caesar had been taught by the author to say ‘Hello, hello’.
Q6. What is meant by ‘Aunt Mabel never was a success with the pets’? Can you think of the reasons why it was so?
Ans: Aunt Mabel never was a success with pets’ means that pets did not like Aunt Mabel. This was probably because she too did not like them and objected to their presence in the house. Animals can sense it when someone dislikes them.
Q7. What is implied in the following sentence:
Most of the neighbours were represented in our house by a toothbrush.
Ans: It means that Caesar had stolen toothbrushes from the houses of most of the neighbours and made a collection of them on top of the cupboard in the author’s room.
Q8. What actions of the author show that he loved Caesar?
Ans: The author had taught him to sit on his arm and say “Kiss, Kiss” while he placed his head gently against the author’s mouth. When Caesar broke his leg, the author carried him home and looked after him with love and care. When he died, the author buried him in a grave along with all the toothbrushes and clothes pegs he had taken so much trouble to collect. All these actions show that the author loved Caesar.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. (A) Find antonyms for the following from the story.
motionless x
Ans: restless
captivity x
Ans: freedom
frequent x
Ans: occasional
dull x
Ans: gleaming
gentle x
Ans: fierce
co-operated x
Ans: objected
deep x
Ans: shallow
humble x
Ans: snobbish
(B) Now try to find out synonyms (words that mean the same) for the following : (You may use a dictionary/thesaurus)
disapproved :
Ans: objected
bits/pieces :
Ans: shreds
achievement :
Ans: success
attracted :
Ans: fascinated
nuisance :
Ans: pest
mishap :
Ans: disaster
controlled :
Ans: restricted
rebuke :
Ans: scold
2. Using your imagination, write how the other pets in the house could have objected to Caesar living in their house.
Ans: The other pets in the house could have objected in various ways. The dogs, whose tails Caesar pulled, could wait till Caesar was eating his food in his special bowl kept on the table. Then they could jump on the table and upset the bowl. They could pounce on Caesar and pull his leg.
Harold the Hornbill could try to catch Caesar’s legs through the bars. He could try to pull out Caesar’s feathers. He could scold him in bird language. Maybe he could fill his big beak with water and try to get Caesar wet.
3. Prepare a table to show ‘Caesar’s Pranks’ at home and outside.
Ans:
Caesar’s pranks at home:
(i) Dance about on the table.
(ii) Fidgeting about and investigating things.
(iii) Emptying a match-box of its content.
(iv) He would rip the daily paper to shreds.
(v) He would tug at the tail of a dog.
(vi) Overturning a vase of flowers.
(vii) He would squabble with the Hornbill and peck at his feet.
(viii) He knocked off Aunt Mabel’s spectacles.
Caesar’s pranks outside:
(i) Bang on the window glass with his beak.
(ii) Stealing pens, pencils, hair-ribbons, combs, keys, toothbrushes and shuttlecocks.
(iii) Snatching sweets from children.
(iv) Pecking at the neighbour’s beans.
4. Relate the life-story of Caesar, rearranging the facts in a proper sequence in the form of a flow chart :
Caesar begins to upset things at home
Neighbour flings a stick at Caesar
Young crow is saved by the narrator
Caesar begins to trouble neighbours
The crow is named Caesar
Caesar passes away
Caesar objects to being caged.
Ans:
5. Rewrite in your own words
(a) One event from the story
Ans: Caesar would often quarrel with Harold the Hornbill. He would sit on Harold’s cage and peek at Harold’s feet. Poor Harold could not come out of the cage to be caught. So he would try to catch Caesar through the bars and swear at him and scold him in his own language.
(b) One of Caesar’s traits that makes you laugh.
Ans: Caesar knew the meaning of the word “kiss,” and if someone he liked said “kiss kiss,” he would place his head gently against their mouth. But when Aunt Mabel–who Caesar disliked–leaned forward for a kiss, he cleverly thrust his beak at her spectacles and knocked them off.
6. Hold a debate on – ‘Pets or Pests?’
Ans: The difference between a pet and a pest is that a pet is an animal kept as a companion, while a pest is a plague, pestilence, or epidemic.
Pets are the most loving animals. They help us overcome depression. Pets are less demanding. Their presence adds energy to the environment. They are a blessing to have. If you own a dog, you know about his trademark, i.e., loyalty. When you come late from the office, they are there to welcome you at the gate. Pets are pests when it comes to food. They are choosier, e.g., cats are very picky. Pets demand a lot of time. They need to be trained properly. Not all pets are friendly. Guests are afraid to visit someone’s home if they learn that there is a pet (especially a dog) in it. It is very difficult to overcome sorrow if one loses a pet or if it dies.
7. Do you have pet animals? Write an interesting story about your own or your friends’ pet.
Ans: (Students must do this on their own.)
8. Language Study :
Complement : There are two types of complement : subject complement and object complement. Subject complement is a word or a phrase used after a verb that describes the subject. The underlined words and phrases in the following sentences are subject complements.
1. I am hungry.
2. My sister became a teacher.
The word ‘hungry’ and the phrase ‘a teacher’ describe the subjects of the verbs. Therefore, they are subject complements.
An object complement comes after the object of a verb and gives us information about the object. The underlined words and phrases in the following sentences are object complements.
3. The class made her the monitor.
4. The teacher found my answer correct.
The phrase ‘the monitor’ gives us information about the object ‘her’. The word ‘correct’ gives us information about the object ‘my answer’.