Chapter 2 The Adventures of Toto

NCERT Solutions for The Adventures of Toto, Chapter 2 Class 9 English Moments

Question 1 How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?

Answer Grandfather was fond of animals. He buys Toto from a tonga-driver for the sum of five rupees. He had seen a little red monkey tied to a feeding trough with a tonga driver. The grandfather becomes sympathetic to the monkey and decides that Toto would be better off in his own private zoo. He felt that the monkey looked out of place there, So, he decided to buy him.

Question 2 “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?

Answer His sparkling eyes twinkled with mischief beneath deep-set brows, and his dazzling white teeth were frequently exhibited in a smile that scared the living daylights out of elderly Anglo-Indian ladies. His hands, on the other hand, appeared dried up, as if they had been pickled in the sun for years. His fingers, on the other hand, were swift and cunning and his tail, although adding to his fine appearance, also served as a third hand. He would use it to hang from branches and to pick up any dish that he was unable to reach by his hands.

Question 3 Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

Answer After Toto was shifted to the servant quarters with all other pets, he proved to be a problem for all. He would not let any animal sleep at night. As a result, grandfather decided to help the other animals at the zoo by transporting Toto to Saharanpur. To take Toto along with him, a black canvas kit bag was filled with straw. Toto was put in it and the bag was closed so that Toto could neither escape nor cause any mischief. He equated Toto with a dog because there seemed to be no regulation for adjusting a monkey’s meal. So, the ticket collector cleverly equated Toto with a dog and charged 3 rupees as his fare.

Question 4 How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?

Answer Toto would take a bath in a bowl of warm water given to him by narrator’  grandmother. First, he would check the temperature and then he would put his feet one by one in the water. When the water reached his neck, he would take the soap and rub it all over his body. As soon as the water became cold, Toto would run to the kitchen fire to dry himself. Toto had learnt bathing in this way by watching the narrator. One day, the water was boiling in the kettle for tea. Finding the water warm enough, he got into the kettle. When the water came to boil, Toto would lift himself from the heat but would sit down again since it was cold outside. He continued jumping up and down till grandmother found him and took him out of the kettle.

Question 5 Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?

Answer Toto was not the sort of pet anyone could keep tor long because Toto was a very naughty animal. He damaged a lot of things in the house. He tore wallpapers, curtains and dresses. He broke utensils and also scared the guests. He also did not get along with other animals in the house. Therefore, grandfather decided to sell Toto back to the tonga driver.