NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English: Chapter 5 – The Snake and the Mirror
Thinking About the Text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
Question 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? When and why did the sounds stop?
Answer: The doctor heard the sounds of rats in his room, which he thought were harmless. He heard the noise four times, as indicated by lines like “Again, I heard that sound from above.” The sounds stopped when the snake appeared, causing panic among the rats.
Question 2: What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
Answer: The doctor made two significant decisions while looking into the mirror: he decided to grow a thin moustache and shave every day to enhance his appearance. He also resolved to always keep a charming smile on his face.
Question 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?
Answer: (i) When the doctor first smiles, he feels proud and finds his smile attractive. (ii) After the snake coils around him, he smiles feebly, feeling foolish and vulnerable. His perspective shifts from confidence to fear as he confronts danger.
II. Discuss the contrasts in the following aspects:
Question 1: (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
Answer: The doctor is depicted as a poor man, living in a small, rented room with limited possessions—a black coat, a few shirts, and only sixty rupees to his name.
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
Answer: He aspires to be attractive and well-groomed. He desires to grow a thin moustache and maintain a smile, reflecting his ambition for a better social image.
Question 2: (i) The person he wants to marry
Answer: The doctor dreams of marrying a wealthy, plump woman doctor who won’t chase him around, emphasizing his humorous ideal.
(ii) The person he actually marries
Answer: Instead, he marries a thin, agile woman, creating a humorous contrast between his expectations and reality.
Question 3: (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror
Answer: The doctor feels content and attractive, admiring his own smile. He decides to keep smiling and shaving, believing he looks charming.
(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm
Answer: When the snake coils around him, he feels immobilized and frightened, perceiving himself as weak and foolish, contrasting sharply with his earlier confidence.
Thinking About Language
I. Here are some sentences from the text. Say which of them tells you that the author:
(a) was afraid of the snake
(b) was proud of his appearance
(c) had a sense of humour
(d) was no longer afraid of the snake
| Sentence | Category |
|---|---|
| 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 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. | (d) was no longer 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! | (c) had a sense of humour |
| 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 |
II. Expressions used to show fear
Can you find the expressions in the story that tell you that the author was frightened? Read the story and complete the following sentences.
- I was turned to stone.
- I sat there holding my breath.
- In the light of the lamp, I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.
III. In the sentences given below, some words and expressions are italicized. They variously mean:
- is very frightened.
- is too scared to move.
- is frightened by something that happens suddenly.
- makes another feel frightened.
- I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
- I got a fright when I realized how close I was to the cliff edge. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
- He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (very frightened)
- You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
- Wait until I tell this story — it will make your hair stand on end. (makes another feel frightened)
- Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors. (too scared to move)
- The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle. (too scared to move)
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