(I)
I got him for her by accident. (Textual)
(a) Who says this?
The narrator Kenneth Anderson says this.
(b) Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to?
‘Him’ refers to the young sloth bear cub that the narrator had captured in the fields in Mysore. ‘Her’ refers to the narrator’s wife.
(c) What is the incident referred to here?
The incident referred to here is the capture of the bear cub after its mother had been killed accidentally by one of narrator’s companions.
(II)
Some were shot and some escaped. We thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear came out panting in the hot sun.
(a) Who does ‘we’ refer to in the above extract?
We refers to the narrator of the story and his companions.
(b) Who were shot at and why?
The wild pigs who had entered the fields and were destroying the crops, were shot at to make them run away.
(c) What does the author mean by his remark, ‘Everything was over’?
The author means that the shooting had stopped and no animal was around. They had either run away or had been killed.
(d) What happened suddenly?
Suddenly, a black sloth bear appeared on the scene panting in the hot sun.
(III)
The little creature ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise.
(a) Who is the ‘little creature’ referred to in the above line?
The little creature referred to is the young cub of a sloth bear.
(b) Which of his parents lay prostrate and why?
His mother lay prostrate because she had been shot dead by one of the narrator’s companions.
(c) What did the little creature do?
The little creature ran around the body of his mother which lay flat on the ground.
(d) Why was the creature making a pitiful noise?
The little creature made a pitiful noise because it was terrified and shocked and did not know what to do as his mother lay dead there.
(IV)
She was delighted! She at once put a coloured ribbon around its neck, and after discovering the cub was a ‘boy’ she christened it Bruno.
(a) Who is ‘she’?
She is the narrator’s wife.
(b) Why was ‘she’ delighted?
She was delighted because her husband presented her a young sloth bear as a pet.
(c) What does this extract reveal about her character?
This extract reveals that she had a tender and affectionate heart that was full of love for animals.
(d) Why, do you think, she put a coloured ribbon around its neck?
She put a coloured ribbon around Bruno’s neck probably to adorn him and to express happiness at receiving such a wonderful and unique gift.
(V)
Paralysis set in to the extent that he could not stand on his feet. But he dragged himself on his stumps to my wife, who called me. I guessed what had happened.
(a) Who is ‘he’?
‘He’ is Bruno, the pet sloth bear in the narrator’s family.
(b) Why did paralysis strike him?
Paralysis struck him because he had accidentally consumed the rat-poison, barium carbonate.
(c) What was the effect of the paralysis?
Paralysis left him unable to move and soon he was breathing heavily and vomiting.
(d) How did ‘he’ manage to reach the narrator’s wife in spite of the paralysis?
Inspite of the paralysis, he dragged himself on his stump narrator’s wife who then called the narrator.
(VI)
He promptly drank the lot. But it had no ill effects whatever.
(a) Whom does ‘he’ refer to in the above lines?
‘He’ refers to Bruno, the pet sloth bear in the narrator’s home.
(b) What was ‘it’ that ‘he’ drank?
He drank the engine oil which the narrator had drained out from the sump of his car.
(c) What had the narrator kept ‘it’ for?
The narrator had kept the engine oil to use against the termites if they attacked.
(d) What was its effect?
It had no effect at all on Bruno, the pet bear.
(VII)
But was just as sweet, just as mischievous, just as playful. And he was very fond of us all. Above all, he loved my wife, and she loved him too! She had changed his name from Bruno, to Baba, a Hindustani word signifying ‘small boy’.
(a) Who is Bruno being compared with here?
Bruno is being compared with the two Alsatian dogs in the narrator’s home.
(b) For which traits is he being compared to them?
He is being compared to them for traits like sweet nature, playful temperament and mischievous behaviour.
(c) What kind of relationship was there between the narrator’s wife and Bruno?
The narrator’s wife and the pet bear Bruno had reciprocal love for each other.
(d) Why did the narrator’s wife change his name from Bruno to Baba?
In Hindustani language, ‘Baba’ is a name of endearment for a small boy in the family. For the narrator’s wife, Bruno was nothing less than a dear son. Therefore, she changed his name from Bruno to Baba.
(VIII)
After some weeks of such advice she at last consented. Hastily, and before she could change her mind, a letter was written to the curator of the zoo.
(a) Who is ‘she’?
‘She’ is the narrator’s wife.
(b) What advice was given to her and who gave it?
She was adviced that Bruno, the pet sloth bear should be sent to a zoo as he was too big to be kept at home. This advice was given by the narrator, their son, and their friends.
(c) Did ‘she’ readily agree to the advice? Why/Why not?
No, the narrator’s wife did not readily agree to the advice. She was so affectionately attached to the bear that she could not think of parting from him. It took her weeks to give her consent.
(d) Why was the letter to the curator of the zoo written hastily?
The narrator did not want to wait as he was afraid that his wife could change her mind about sending the bear to the zoo. Therefore, he hastily wrote a letter to the curator.
(IX)
We all missed him greatly; but in a sense we were relieved. (Textual)
(a) Who do ‘we all’ stand for?
‘We all’ stands to the narrator, his wife, his son and the children of the tenants.
(b) Who did they miss?
They missed Baba, the bear who had been sent away to the zoo in Mysore.
(c) Why did they feel relieved?
They felt relieved because Baba had grown very big and it could have been dangerous to keep him at home with the tenants’ children around him.
(X)
In a few days the coolies hoisted the cage on to the island and Baba was released. He was delighted; standing on his hindlegs, he pointed his ‘gun’ and cradled his ‘baby’.
(a) What ‘island’ does the narrator talk about?
The island was a piece of land in the narrator’s compound which was surrounded by a dry moat. This place was prepared to keep the bear, Bruno.
(b) Why was a separate island required?
Baba was quite grown up and could be dangerous for the children of tenants. Therefore, it was necessary that he should be kept on a separate island.
(c) Why was Baba delighted?
Baba was delighted because he had come back home after three months in the zoo where he had terribly missed the family, particularly the narrator’s wife.
(d) What were the ‘gun’ and the ‘baby’ of Baba?
Baba’s ‘gun’ was a piece of bamboo which he playfully used as a gun and the ‘baby’ was a piece of bamboo that he would cradle affectionately.
Additional Very Short Answer Type Questions
1. Who was Bruno ?
Ans. Bruno was the author’s wife’s pet sloth bear.
2. Where did the author find the bear cub?
Ans. The author found the bear cub when he was passing through the sugarcane fields near mysore.
3. Who did the author present the bear cub to ?
Ans. The author presented the bear cub to his wife.
4. What was Bruno brought upon?
Ans. Bruno was brought up on bottlemilk, fruit, rice and potatoes.
5. What did the bear become very attachea to ?
Ans. The bear became very attached to the author’s two Alsatian dogs.
6. Why did the author put barium carbonate poison in home ?
Ans. He put this poison in home to kill rats and mice.
7. what ‘was the effect of poison on Bruno?
Ans. Bruno suffered a paralysis attack and he could not stand on his feet.
8 What new name did the author’s wife give to Bruno ?
Ans. She gave him a new name ‘Baba’.
9. Where did the author send ‘Baba’ to ?
Ans. The author sent ‘Baba’ to Mysore zoo,
10. What request did the author’s wife make to the superintendent to the zoo ?
Ans. She requested the superintendent of the zoo to return ‘Baba’ to her.
11. Why was a squad of coolies engaged ?
Ans. A squad of coolies was engaged to take down ‘Baba’s box from the top of the car.
Short Answer Type Questions (30 to 40 words)
Q.I. Bruno once got paralysis. Why? How was he treated?
Ans. Once the author kept barium carbonate in his library for killing rats. Bruno ate most of it. It was a poison. So he got paralysis. He was taken to a veterinary doctor. He gave Bruno two injections of antidote. It cured Bruno.
Q.2.”The hear became attached to the dogs, to the children in the neighbourhood.” Which qualities of the bear arc highlighted in this statement?
Ans. It shows that the bear had human qualities. Like human beings it also needed love and knew how to respond to love. He developed friendship not only with animals but with human beings also.
Q.3. Bruno was sent off to Mysore zoo. What happened to (i) the author’s wife, (ii) Bruno after this? Why?
Ans. (i) The author’s wife felt very sad. She wept bitterly. She was uneasy and inconsolable. For the first few days, she refused to take food.
(ii) Bruno’s condition was similar. He also refused food. He became thin and sad. Both of them missed each other badly.
Q.4. Why did Bruno become very special after he returned from Mysore zoo ?
Ans. The author’s wife wanted to make Bruno feel at home. They made a special island for him. She would sit there for hours and Bruno would sit in her lap. Thus he became special after his return from the Mysore zoo.
Q.5. “Oh, please, sir,” She asked the curator, “May I have my Baba back ?”
(a) Who is ‘she’ in the above line?
(b) Who is the curator?
(c) What is Baba’s other name?
(d) Why does she want Baba back?
Ans.(a) ‘She’ is the author’s wife.
(b) The curator is the manager of the Mysore zoo
(c) Bruno.
(d)Because she could not bear his absence.
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