NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English – Chapter 6: I Want Something in a Cage

NCERT Solutions For Class 7 English – Chapter 6: I Want Something in a Cage – An Alien Hand Supplementary Reader

Comprehension Check (Page 38)

Question 1:
Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of following statements.
(i) Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, d^as and monkeys,________________
(ii) He was very concerned about the well-being of the birds and animals in his shop.
(iii) He was impressed by the customer who bought the two doves.__________________
(iv) He was a successful shop owner, though insensitive and cold as a person.______________
Answer:
(i) True (ii) False (iii) False (iv) True.

Question 2:
Why is Mr. Purcell compared to an owl?
Answer:
Purcell appeared like an owl when he looked through his glasses.

Question 3:
From the third paragraph pick out
(i) Words associated with cries of birds.
(ii) Words associated with noise.
(iii) Words suggestive of confusion and fear.
Answer:
(i) Whispered, twitter, squeal, cheeps.
(ii) Stir, rustling, scampered.
(iii) Bewildered, blindly seeking.

Question 4:
Mr. Purcell heard it no more than he would have heard the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock” (Read para beginning with. “It was a rough day……………………………………………………………… ”)
(i) What does it refer to?
(ii) Why does Mr Purcell not hear it clearly?
Answer:
(i) ‘It’ refers to the chirping, squealing and moving of birds all around him.
(ii) He has become so used to those noises that he does not mind them.

Comprehension Check (Page 42)

Question 1:
Do you think the atmosphere of Mr Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your
Answer:
The atmosphere in Mr Purcell’s shop was dull and cheerless. The shop was full of movements of noising birds and pet animals. Mr. Purcell had become used to that noise. But the customer wondered how the owner put up with that noise.

Question 2:
Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want?
Answer:
The stranger who came to Mr. Purcell’s shop had been released from jail after ten years of imprisonment. His suit though new looking was cheap and ill-fitting. He had close-cropped hair. His eyes moved all around in the shop. He wanted to purchase something in a case.

Question 3:
(i) The man insisted on buying the doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?
(ii) How had he earned the five dollars he had?
Answer:
(i) No, the man was neither fond of birds nor did he insist on buying the fair doves. He only wanted some birds in a cage.
(ii) The man had spent ten years in prison. He had to work hard. He was paid only half a dollar per year. He left the jail with just 5 dollars and a cheap suit.

Question 4:
Was the customer interested in the care and feeding of the doves he had bought? If not, why not?
Answer:
No, the man had no love or liking for the doves. He did not mean to keep them as pets. So he paid no attention to what Mr. Purcell said about the feed and care of birds. Soon after stepping out of the shop, he freed the birds and dropped the cage.

Exercise (Page 42)

Discuss the following topics in groups:

Question 1:
Why, in your opinion, did the man set the doves free?
Answer:
The man set the doves free because he had got already the better taste of imprison­ment. He knew the need and value of freedom. It was his love for freedom that he spent his hard-earned money on buying the doves and setting them free.

Question 2:
Why did it make Mr. Purcell feel” vaguely insulted”?
Answer:
Mr Purcell felt insulted because he had reduced the price of the doves and still made profit. He felt small to see ‘the customer’s love for freedom and his great sacrifice.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What was Purcell’s source of earning?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell ran a pet shop. He sold cats, dogs, monkeys, and birds. He also sold fish food and bird seed. He also prescribed remedies for the sick animals. In this way, he earned his living.

Question 2:
Describe Mr Purcell’s daily routine at the shop.
Answer:
Mr Purcell opened his shop and sat on a high stool every morning. He unfolded the newspaper and read through it. He attended the customer if there was any. It was his daily routine.

Question 3:
What surprised Mr Purcell one day?
Answer:
Mr Purcell had hung a bell at the door of his shop. It began to ring on the arrival of a customer. That day it failed to ring. Mr Purcell was surprised. He felt that the customer appeared out of the air.

Question 4:
Why did the customer hate Mr. Purcell?
Answer:
The customer noticed that Mr. Purcell had imprisoned birds and animals to earn money. He had robbed them of their freedom. The customer loved freedom. So he hated Mr.Purcell.

Question 5:
Why did the customer free the imprisoned doves?
Answer:
The customer had suffered the pains of prison life. He was a jailbird a short while ago. So he tossed the doves into the air and freed them from their imprisonmant.

Question 6:
How did the customer feel after freeing the doves?
Answer:
The customer had freed two doves from their prison (cage). He had utilised his hard earned money. He longed to teach Mr.Purcell a good lesson. Therefore, he felt happy about his action.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What type of a shopkeeper was Mr. Purcell ?
Answer:
Mr. Purcell sold pets at his shop. They included both animals and birds. He displayed his birds (pet) in golden and beautiful cages. He also sold fish food and bird seed. He prescribed medicines for them. He knew how to treat the sick birds and animals. He advised his customer what to feed the birds on and how to look after the animals. He appeared to know everthing about birds and animals. He was a wise man. His behaviour with the customers was like that of a professional. He never thought about the value and importance of freedom. He deprived the birds of their freedom to gain money.

Question 2:
Bring out a contrast between Mr. Purcell and the customer.
Answer:
Purcell did not give much importance to freedom. He sold pets in cages and earned money. He took pleasure in encaging birds and animals. He was crazy about gaining money. But the customer was built of different stuff. His prison life had made him realise the value and meaning of freedom. He bought a pair of doves with the money he had earned in the jail. He drew out the doves from the cages and tossed them into the air. He took pleasure in freeing the encaged birds. Thus, we can say that both Mr. Purcell and the customer were shortly different from each other.