CLASS 10 · FIRST FLIGHT · CHAPTER 6

Mijbil the Otter

Original concise and expanded answers for the comprehension checks, language activities, writing task, and animal-welfare discussion in Mijbil the Otter.

29 worked answersOriginal sample responses

Open the official NCERT chapter ↗← All chapters

29 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them

Mijbil the Otter

Textbook pages

Question Before You Read Activity 2

Besides food, what should a family learn before taking responsibility for a pet?

Steps only

Think of daily needs, health, behaviour, and long-term care.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Plan for safe space, exercise, grooming, training, companionship, veterinary care, and a long-term family commitment.

Question Before You Read Activity 3

What arrangements would be needed to move an otter from Iraq to London responsibly?

Steps only

Consider habitat, climate, diet, health, law, and the animal’s welfare.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Provide a suitable aquatic habitat, expert care, legal permits, health checks, and safe transport; consider whether moving a wild otter is appropriate.

Question Oral Comprehension Check 1

What experiment did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

Steps only

Identify the animal and the feature of the cottage.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He thought Camusfearna would be suitable for keeping an otter instead of a dog because water was nearby.

Question Oral Comprehension Check 2

Why did Maxwell go to Basra, how long did he wait, and why?

Steps only

State the purpose of the visit and the reasons for the delay.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He went to collect mail. His mail was delayed by communication problems, and he waited five days.

Question Oral Comprehension Check 3

How did Maxwell receive the otter, and what words show that he liked it?

Steps only

Describe how the otter arrived and find words showing affection.

Use the main detail.

Answer

His friend sent it with two Arabs in a sack. Maxwell’s affectionate name “Mij” and phrase “my otter” show his fondness.

Question Oral Comprehension Check 4

Why was the otter’s species named Maxwell’s otter?

Steps only

Connect the scientific discovery with the name.

Use the main detail.

Answer

It was a previously unknown race, and zoologists named it Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli after Maxwell.

Question Oral Comprehension Check 5

How did Mij behave during the first day with Maxwell?

Steps only

Choose the option supported by his actions.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He was aloof and indifferent, keeping his distance from Maxwell.

Question Oral Comprehension Check 6

What did Mij do in the bathroom, and what happened two days later?

Steps only

Recall first his play in water, then his later discovery of the taps.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He joyfully splashed and rolled in the bathtub; two days later he escaped and turned on the tap.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: Journey 1

How was Mij supposed to travel to England?

Steps only

Mention why the route changed and the airline’s condition.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He was to fly in a small box from Basra to Paris and then continue to London.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: Journey 2

What did Mij do to the travel box?

Steps only

Recall what Maxwell saw when he returned.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Mij tore the lining into shreds and injured himself on the box.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: Journey 3

Why did Maxwell put Mij back in the box, and how might he have felt?

Steps only

Consider the time pressure and Mij’s condition.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He had only minutes before the flight and needed to reach the airport; he likely felt anxious and sorry for Mij.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: Journey 4

Why does Maxwell call the air hostess “the very queen of her kind”?

Steps only

List the actions that helped Maxwell and Mij.

Use the main detail.

Answer

She is kind and helpful, suggesting that Mij sit on Maxwell’s lap and offering to find him.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: Journey 5

What happened after Mij was let out of the box on the plane?

Steps only

Follow Mij’s escape, the passengers’ reaction, and his return.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Mij ran down the aisle, alarmed passengers, and then returned to Maxwell and nuzzled him.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: London 1

What game did Mij invent with the ping-pong ball?

Steps only

Explain how the slope and Mij’s movements made the game.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He sent the ball down a sloping suitcase, ran to catch it at the bottom, and returned it to the top.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: London 2

What are compulsive habits? Give examples of the habits Maxwell describes in schoolchildren and Mij.

Steps only

Define the phrase and give examples for both children and Mij.

Use the main detail.

Answer

They are repeated actions that are hard to resist. Children follow rules about paving stones or posts; Mij ran along the wall on his way home.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: London 3

What group of animals do otters belong to?

Steps only

Recall the group name and one or two related animals.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Otters belong to the Mustellines, a group that also includes weasels, badgers, and minks.

Question Oral Comprehension Check: London 4

What animals did Londoners guess Mij was?

Steps only

Recall several of the narrator’s humorous examples.

Use the main detail.

Answer

They guessed seal, squirrel, walrus, hippo, beaver, bear cub, leopard, and brontosaur, among others.

Question Thinking about the Text 1

Which actions show that Mij is intelligent, friendly, playful, and in need of affection?

Steps only

Choose examples for learning, play, companionship, and affection.

Use the main detail.

Answer

He learns to use the tap, invents games, follows Maxwell, responds to his name, and nuzzles him.

Question Thinking about the Text 2

What do we learn about otters from Maxwell’s account?

Steps only

Collect the repeated observations about water, play, learning, and bonding.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Otters enjoy water, play with objects, explore, learn, and can form close bonds, as Mij’s behaviour shows.

Question Thinking about the Text 3

Why is Mij’s species known as Maxwell’s otter?

Steps only

Connect the species’ discovery with the scientific name.

Use the main detail.

Answer

It was an unfamiliar race named Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli after Maxwell.

Question Thinking about the Text 4

What might Mij feel or think when he splashes in water, turns the tap the wrong way, and nuzzles Maxwell on the plane?

Steps only

Infer each feeling from what Mij does.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Water: excited and playful; tap: frustrated; nuzzling Maxwell: relieved and affectionate.

Question Thinking about the Text 5

Which descriptions show that Maxwell finds Mij unusual, surprising, funny, and almost human?

Steps only

Choose examples of surprise, humour, close observation, and human-like comparison.

Use the main detail.

Answer

The dragon comparison, soccer game, tap use, rituals, and comic guesses make Mij seem unusual and almost childlike.

Question Thinking about Language I

Use “would” or “used to” to describe past habits and states: Akbar’s musical evenings, long walks, car ownership, Shanghai streets, and an uncle’s holidays.

Steps only

Use “used to” for states and either form for repeated actions.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Akbar used to be fond; we would take walks; people used to own few cars; Shanghai used to have dirty streets; my uncle would spend holidays by the sea.

Question Thinking about Language II.1

Identify the type of modifier in “otter fixation,” “iron railings,” “Tigris marshes,” “London streets,” “soft velvet fur,” and “four-footed soccer player.”

Steps only

Look at the word before the main noun and decide whether it is a noun, name, or adjective.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Otter/iron/velvet/soccer are noun modifiers; Tigris and London are proper nouns; soft and four-footed are adjectives.

Question Thinking about Language II.2

Make suitable phrases by combining the nouns and modifiers given in the exercise.

Steps only

Pair modifiers with nouns in combinations that make sense.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Examples: stone temple; hundred dresses; loud roar; birthday gifts; marriage celebration; plump physique; panoramic view.

Question Thinking about Language III.1

Match the quantity expressions with suitable nouns: a portion of, a pool of, flakes of, a heap of, a gust of, drops of, a piece of, and a pot of.

Steps only

Pair each phrase with the substance or object it naturally measures.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Portion—fried fish; pool—water; flakes—snow; heap—stones; gust—wind; drops—blood; piece—cotton/gold; pot—water.

Question Thinking about Language III.2

Use “a bit of,” “a piece of,” “a bunch of,” “a cloud of,” or “a lump of” with clay, information, smoke, sparks, and flowers.

Steps only

Select a measure phrase that matches the material or group.

Use the main detail.

Answer

A lump of clay; a piece of information; a cloud of smoke; a shower/burst of sparks; a bunch of flowers.

Question Writing

Write a short description of a person or animal you know well, including actions and what you think they feel.

Steps only

Choose familiar actions, then explain what they suggest about the animal or person.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Describe a few observable actions and carefully infer feelings from them.

Question Things to Do

What should a class consider before deciding whether wild animals should be kept as pets?

Steps only

Look at the issue from the animal’s and the owner’s points of view.

Use the main detail.

Answer

Consider habitat, welfare, safety, laws, conservation, and whether the animal can meet its natural needs in captivity.