Question 1:
Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, dogs and monkeys.
Answer:
TRUE
Question 2:
He was very concerned about the well-being of birds and animals in his shop.
Answer:
FALSE
Question 3:
He was impressed by the customer who bought the two doves.
Answer:
TRUE
Question 4:
He was a successful shopowner, though insensitive and cold as a person.
Answer:
TRUE
Question 5:
Why is Mr Purcell compared to an owl?
Answer:
Mr Purcell wore large glasses. His eyes looked very big through those glasses. That is why he is compared to an owl.
Question 5:
From the third paragraph pick out
words associated with cries of birds,
Answer:
twitters, rustling, squeals, cheeps
Question 6:
From the third paragraph pick out
words associated with noise,
Answer:
squeals and squeaks
Question 7:
From the third paragraph pick out
words suggestive of confusion and fear.
Answer:
frantic, frightened, bewlidered
Question 7:
“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…”)
What does ‘it’ refer to?
Answer:
‘It’ refers to the noise of the birds and animals.
Question 8:
“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…”)
Why does Mr Purcell not hear
‘it’ clearly?
Answer:
Mr Purcell does not hear it clearly because he is used to hearing this noise.
Question 9:
Do you think the atmosphere of Mr Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
The atmosphere of Mr Purcell’s shop was depressing. It gave out musty smell of an abandoned, haunted house. The frantic noises of birds and animals made one restless.
Question 10:
Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want?
Answer:
The stranger was pale-faced and had pinched features. He wore a new but cheap and ill-fitted suit and his shoes shone brightly. He was a lover of freedom. He wanted to buy caged birds to free them. He gave all his money to free a pair of birds.
Question 11:
The man insisted on buying the doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?
Answer:
No, I don’t agree with this statement. The man was not fond of birds. He was fond of freedom. He himself had been in prison for ten years. He knew the agony of captivity. He wanted to buy the caged birds to set them free.
Question 12:
How had he (the stranger) earned the five dollars he had?
Answer:
The stranger was in jail for ten years. He did hard labour there. He was given fifty cents every year. He got five dollars at the end of his term. Thus, he earned five dollars after hard labour of ten years.
Question 13:
Was the customer interested in the care and feeding of the doves he had bought? If not, why not?
Answer:
No, the customer was not interested in the care and feeding of the doves he had bought. He was interested in their freedom. He had been in a jail for ten years. So, he craved for freedom. He wanted to set the birds free as he realised the true value of freedom when he was imprisonment for ten years.
Question 14:
Why, in your opinion, did the man set the doves free?
Answer:
The man himself had been in prison for ten years. He knew the pain of captivity. He set the doves free because he knew the real value of freedom.
Question 15:
Why did it make Mr Purcell feel ‘vaguely insulted’?
Answer:
Mr Purcell felt vaguely insulted to see the man pay for the freedom of the birds while he earned money by keeping birds and other animals caged.