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CBSE Class 9 English Question 9 of 30

The Snake and the Mirror — Question 13

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13
Question
Read the description given alongside this sketch from a photograph in a newspaper (Times of India, 4 September 1999). Make up a story about what the monkey is thinking, or why it is looking into a mirror. Write a paragraph about it. The fairest of them all A monkey preens itself using a piece of mirror, in the Delhi ridge. (‘To preen oneself ’ means to spend a lot of time making oneself look attractive, and then admiring one’s appearance. The word is used in disapproval.)
Answer

It was a sunny day. A monkey was walking in the garden. Fortunately he came to the comer of the garden and found a piece of miiTor. The monkey started looking in the mirror. First of all he looked his face in the mirror and was very happy. He thought that God has given him a human face. Again he looked his hands and fingers in the mirror. He was very proud because he realised that his hands were long and he could hold things easily. At last he decided to look his body in the mirror. This time he was not so much happy because it was full of hair. The monkey was sad and his hands started trembling. Unfortunately, the mirror fell down from his hand and broke into several pieces. When he tried to look his face in the pieces of mirror, he saw his cut faces. This time he became angry and left the place.
Translation
(Page 64)
The text you read is a translation of a story by a well-known Malayalam writer, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
In translating a story from one language to another, a translator must keep the content intact. However, the language and the style differ in different translations of the same text.
– Here are two translations of the opening paragraphs of a novel by the Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami. Read them and answer the questions given below :
A
B
When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spa­ghetti and whistling along with FM broad­cast of the overture to Rossini’s The Thiev­ing Magpie, which has to be the perfect music for cooking pasta.
I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because the spaghetti was nearly done, but because Claudio Ab- bado was bringing the London Symphony to its musical climax.
I’m in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the woman calls. Another moment until the spaghetti is done ; there I am, whistling the prelude to Rossini s La Gazza Ladra along with the FM radio. Perfect spaghetti­cooking music!
I hear the telephone ring but tell myself, Ignore it. Let the spa­ghetti finish cooking. It’s almost done, and besides, Claudio Ab- bado and the London Symphony Orchestra are coming to a cre­scendo.
Compare the two translations on the basis of the following points :
the tense of narration (past and present tense)
short, incomplete sentences
sentence length
Which of these translations do you like? Give reasons for your choice.
Answer:
The tense of narration (past and present tense)
Opinion:
In Column A, sentences are written in the past tense whereas in Column B, they are written in the future tense.
Short, incomplete sentences Opinion: In Column B short sentences are used. They are framed in the present tense.
Sentence length
Opinion :
The Column B has short sentences. They are simple and easily comprehensible. Besides, they are framed in the present tense.
Reason :
I like the paragraph marked as B. The sentences are framed in the present tense. They give out clear-cut ideas in its simple form. We can easily remember the facts expressed in the present tense.
Extract Based Questions (3 marks each)
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Overview: The Snake and the Mirror

A young homeopathic doctor, living alone in a small room, sits before a mirror one night admiring his appearance and making plans about his future wife. A cobra falls from the ceiling and coils around his arm. Terrified and frozen, he cannot move. The snake eventually slides off and moves towards the mirror, apparently admiring its own reflection. The doctor escapes. When he returns, his room has been robbed — everything taken except a dirty vest. The story uses self-deprecating humour to explore vanity and fear.

Key Points

  • Narrator is a young, vain homeopathic doctor living alone
  • Sits before a mirror admiring himself; plans to find a wife
  • A full-blooded cobra falls from the ceiling onto his shoulder
  • The snake coils around his arm — he freezes in terror
  • He reflects on the irony: he was thinking about beauty while facing death
  • The snake slides off and moves towards the mirror
  • The snake appears to admire its own reflection — comic irony
  • The doctor escapes; returns to find room robbed
  • Only a dirty vest was left — thieves took everything else
  • Themes: vanity, fear, humour in adversity, self-awareness

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the narrator doing when the snake appeared?
The narrator was sitting before a mirror, admiring his appearance. He was thinking about how to make himself more handsome and was planning what kind of wife he would marry — one who would be fat so she could not run after him if he made mistakes.
What is the significance of the mirror?
The mirror symbolises vanity. The narrator admires himself in it, and later the snake appears to do the same. The story gently mocks human (and perhaps even animal) vanity.

Common Mistakes

  • Not reading the text carefully before attempting questions.
  • Giving vague answers without specific textual references.
  • Confusing characters, events, or themes from different chapters.
  • Writing too much for short-answer questions (should be 30-40 words).

Scoring Tips

  • For extract-based MCQs: read the passage carefully; eliminate wrong options systematically.
  • For short answers: be concise (30-40 words), use key vocabulary from the text.
  • For long answers: structure with introduction, body, conclusion. Quote from the text.
  • Always identify the chapter/poem name and author when answering.