Complete Solutions and Summary of The Snake and the Mirror - NCERT Class 9, Beehive, Chapter 5 - Summary, Questions, Answers, Extra Questions...

Summary in English (200 words):

The story revolves around a homeopathic doctor who is fond of admiring his looks. One night, while looking into the mirror, the doctor is confronted with a terrifying situation: a cobra coils around his arm. As he sits motionless, fearing for his life, he watches the cobra seemingly admiring itself in the mirror. The snake eventually slithers away, and the doctor escapes unharmed. The humorous elements of the doctor’s vanity and the contrasting reality of the snake provide a light-hearted yet thought-provoking read.

Summary in Hindi (200 words):

'सांप और आईना' एक हास्यप्रद कहानी है जो एक होम्योपैथिक डॉक्टर द्वारा सुनाई जाती है। यह कहानी उस विचित्र और डरावनी घटना को बयां करती है जब एक कोबरा डॉक्टर के हाथ के चारों ओर लिपट जाता है। इस घटना में डॉक्टर के मन में आने वाले विचार, उसकी कल्पनाएँ, और फिर वास्तविकता के प्रति उसकी अचानक जागरूकता को बहुत सुंदर ढंग से प्रस्तुत किया गया है।

Thinking about the Text

1. 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?

      The doctor heard the sound of rats scurrying in his room, which he initially thought was a regular occurrence. He heard the sounds twice before it stopped when he noticed the snake slithering down from the roof.

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

      The doctor made two "earth-shaking" decisions: first, he would shave every day and keep a thin mustache to look handsome. Second, he would marry a woman with plenty of money and good looks.

   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?

      When the doctor first smiles, he is full of vanity and admires his appearance. Later, when he smiles again, he is weak and scared, realizing the danger of the snake coiled around his arm. His thoughts shift from self-admiration to fear of the snake.

2. 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.)
   1. (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions) (ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)

      The doctor is a poor, struggling homeopath who lives in a rented room full of rats. However, he wants to be a rich and handsome man, with lofty dreams of improving his appearance and marrying a wealthy woman. The contrast between his reality and dreams creates humor.

   2. (i) The person he wants to marry (ii) The person he actually marries

      The doctor wants to marry a rich, fat woman who cannot run fast so that he can control her. Ironically, he ends up marrying a thin, quiet woman, contrasting his absurd expectations with the reality of his marriage.

   3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror (ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm

      When the doctor looks into the mirror, he is full of self-admiration and dreams of improving his appearance. However, when the snake coils around his arm, his thoughts shift to survival, and he forgets about his vanity, focusing on staying still to avoid danger.

Thinking about Language

1. I. Here are some sentences from the text. Say which of them tell 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.
   • 1. I was turned to stone. (a)
   • 2. I was no mere image cut in granite. (b)
   • 3. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength. (a)
   • 4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’. (a)
   • 5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out. (d)
   • 6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. (b)
   • 7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. (d)
   • 8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it! (b)
   • 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)
   • 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)
2. 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.

   • 1. I was turned to stone.
   • 2. I sat there holding my breath.
   • 3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.
3. III. In the sentences given below some words and expressions are italicised. They are variously mean that one
   • 1. I knew a man was following me, I was scared out of my wits. (very frightened)
   • 2. I got a fright when I realised how close I was to the cliff edge. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
   • 3. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the bull coming towards him. (too scared to move)
   • 4. You really gave me a fright when you crept up behind me like that. (frightened by something that happens suddenly)
   • 5. Wait until I tell his story — it will make your hair stand on end. (makes another feel frightened)
   • 6. Paralysed with fear, the boy faced his abductors. (too scared to move)
   • 7. The boy hid behind the door, not moving a muscle. (too scared to move)
4. IV. Reported questions

   Report these questions using if/whether or why/when/where/how/which/what. Remember the italicised verbs change into the past tense.

   • 1. Meena asked her friend, “Do you think your teacher will come today?”
     Meena asked her friend if she thought their teacher would come that day.
   • 2. David asked his colleague, “Where will you go this summer?”
     David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.
   • 3. He asked the little boy, “Why are you studying English?”
     He asked the little boy why he was studying English.
   • 4. She asked me, “When are we going to leave?”
     She asked me when we were going to leave.
   • 5. Pran asked me, “Have you finished reading the newspaper?”
     Pran asked me if I had finished reading the newspaper.
   • 6. Seema asked her, “How long have you lived here?”
     Seema asked her how long she had lived there.
   • 7. Sheila asked the children, “Are you ready to do the work?”
     Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.

Speaking

Using some of the expressions given above in exercise III, talk about an incident when you were very scared. You may have a competition to decide whose story was the most frightening.

Dictation

The following paragraph is about the Indian cobra. Read it twice and close your book. Your teacher will then dictate the paragraph to you. Write it down with appropriate punctuation marks.

The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. Obviously, the best prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels threatened. In general, snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance.

1. Try to rewrite the story without its humour, merely as a frightening incident. What details or parts of the story would you leave out?

In this exercise, students are asked to remove the humour and focus solely on the frightening elements of the story "The Snake and the Mirror." They should focus on the tense moments, such as the snake coiling around the doctor's arm and the doctor’s fear, without including the humorous commentary about his appearance or ambitions.

2. Read the description given alongside this sketch from a photograph in a newspaper (Times of India, 4 September 1999). Make up a story about what the monkey is thinking, or why it is looking into a mirror. Write a paragraph about it.

This activity encourages students to use their creativity to imagine what the monkey might be thinking as it looks into a mirror. They could describe the monkey’s curiosity, self-recognition, or even wonder if the monkey mistakes its reflection for another monkey.

Translation

The text you read is a translation of a story by a well-known Malayalam writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.

In translating a story from one language to another, a translator must keep the content intact. However, the language and the style differ in different translations of the same text.

Here are two translations of the opening paragraphs of a novel by the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami. Read them and answer the questions given below.

• • the tense of narration (past and present tense)
• • short, incomplete sentences
• • sentence length

Compare the two translations on the basis of the points above. Which of these translations do you like? Give reasons for your choice.

About the Author (Topic - The Snake and the Mirror)

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908-1994) was a prominent Malayalam writer known for his simple, yet profound storytelling. Often regarded as one of the pioneers of Malayalam literature, Basheer's works reflect his deep humanism, humor, and insight into the lives of common people. His stories often revolve around the everyday struggles and dreams of ordinary individuals, with a rich mix of humor and tragedy. Basheer’s writing is also known for its colloquial tone and realistic portrayal of characters, which makes his work accessible to a wide audience. His celebrated works include Balyakalasakhi (Childhood Friend), Pathummayude Aadu (Pathumma's Goat), and Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu (My Grandfather Had an Elephant).