Detailed explanation of “The Snake and the Mirror”, including definitions of difficult words. In addition, the explanation is followed by a lesson summary. Also, NCERT Question and Answers are also provided to help students understand this Chapter and do well in their exams.
Introduction
In this story, the narrator is a homeopathic doctor. He narrates his encounter with a snake in a frightening and humourous way. One night, the doctor was sitting in his room and admiring himself in the mirror. Suddenly, a snake falls on his shoulder and coils itself around his left arm. Luckily, the snake turns its head and looks into the mirror. Then, it uncoils itself from the doctor’s arm and moves closer to the mirror. The doctor, thus, gets an opportunity to escape.
Summary
The narrator was a homeopathic doctor. He had just started his practice those days. He lived in a small rented room which did nor have an electricity connection. He had just started his medical practice and his earning was small. The narrator describes his experience with a snake to his friends. It was a hot summer night. The doctor had returned to his room at about ten o’clock after having meal at the restaurant. When he opened the door, he heard a noise from above. As his room had a lot of rats in it, he ignored the noise. He lighted the Kerosene lamp and took off his clothes. He then opened the two windows and lay down on his bed but was unable to sleep as it was very hot. He got up and went to the veranda to get some fresh air.
After coming back into his room, the doctor sat on a chair. He took out a medical book and opened it on the table. A lamp and a large mirror were kept on the table. A small comb also lay beside the mirror. The doctor was a bachelor and believed in making himself look handsome. The doctor again heard the same sound but ignored it. He looked closely at his face in the mirror and made two important decisions. First, he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache. Second, he would always keep an attractive smile on his face. Sudden he heard the same noise again. The doctor also thought that he would marry a women doctor who had a lot of money and a good medical practice, She had to be fat because if he made some silly mistake a needed to run away, she would not be able to catch him.
For sometime, the doctor did not hear any sound from above. Suddenly there was a dull thud (sound of something heavy falling). A fat snake landed on his shoulder. The snake coiled around the doctor’s left arm above the elbow. His hod was spread out. Its head was only 3-4 inches away from the doctor’s face. The doctor did not move as if he had turned into stone. He felt pain in his left arm. The doctor prayed to God for help and then realised that he was a foolish and stupid doctor as he did not have any medicine for snakebite with him. He forgot his danger and smiled at himself. The snake turned his head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection. Then it uncoiled itself from the doctor’s arm and slowly moved towards his lap. From there, the snake crawled over to the table and moved towards the mirror as if it liked to see its reflection more closely. The doctor, thus, got an opportunity to escape from the house. He got up from the chair and quietly went out through the door into the veranda. Then he ran as fast as he could into the yard.
The doctor ran till he reached his friend’s house. He took a bath and changed his clothes there. He decided to shift to a different place. So, the next morning at about eight thirty the doctor went to his room with his friend to shift his belongings. However, the doctor and his friends found that some thief had taken most of his things. From that day, the doctor never saw that snake again.
Extra Questions
(1) Describe the room in which the narrator lived?
(2) What did the narrator do for his livelihood? What was his condition ?
(3) What happened when the narrator returned home? What did he do?
(4) What did the narrator do after lighting the Kerosene lamp?
(5) What did the narrator do after looking closely at his face in the mirror?
(6) What kind of women did the doctor think of marrying?
(7) What happened to the doctor while he was sitting in his chair?
(8) Where had the snake landed on the narrator ?How dangerous was the whole situation?
(9) Give the character sketch of the doctor in the story ‘ The snake and the Mirror”?
(10) Describe in detail the Doctor’s reaction when he saw the snake coiled round his arm?
(11) How did the doctor show presence of mind when he encountered the snake?
(12) Why did the snake leave the doctor’s arm?
(13) What was the condition of narrator’s left arm at that time?
(14) What made the Doctor think “Death lurked four inches away”?
(15) How did the narrator escape from the snake’s grip?
(16) Why did the narrator want to remove his things from his room?
(17) What did narrator do after his miraculous escape from the snake?
(18) Describe the incident that took place in the doctor’s room one night?
(19) Justify the title of the story ‘The Snake and the mirror”?
(20) While looking into the mirror ,what important decision did the doctor make?
(21) the story “The snake and the Mirror” is humorous? Give example in support of your answer?
(22) After reading the story what according to you , should one do in an extremely dangerous situation?
Word Meaning |
|
| Page 56 | |
| electrified | having an electricity connection |
| meagre | small in quantity |
| gables | upper parts of walls below a sloping roof |
| Page 57 | |
| tempted | to want to do something |
| paced | walked |
| resumed | went back to |
| Page 57 | |
| wriggled | twisted and turned quickly |
| slithered | moved with a twisting motion |
| leaden | made up of heavy metal |
| lurked | waited in hiding |
| Page 59 | |
| vermilion spot | red spot put on center of forehead by women |
| at closer quarters | from near |
| reedy | tall |
| the gift of a sprinter | having the ability of running quickly |
| Page 60 | |
| smeared | spreaded |
| cleaned out | all belongings were sloten |
| taken with | attracted by |
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