Macavity : The Mystery Cat NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

Macavity : The Mystery Cat Working with the poem (Page 51)

Question 1.
Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really ?
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be ?
Answer:
(i) Of course, Macavity is not really a cat.
(ii) Macavity can be a master or expert criminal

Question 2.
Complete the following sentences :
(i) A master criminal is one who ……………
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because ……….
(iii) ……………. because Macavity moves much faster than them.
Answer:
(i) can defy the law.
(ii) they could not catch Macavity from the scene of the crime.
(iii) Macavity is never found by the Flying Squad.

Question 3.
“A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through”. (Jules Verne) Which law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above ?
Answer:
Here, Macavity is breaking the law of gravity.

Question 4.
Read stanza 3, and then, describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own
Answer:
Macavity is a cautious cat. He is very tall and thin. He is the master criminal. He defies the law of gravity even. He wears a dusty coat and has sunken eyes. In fact, he is a mysterious cat.

Question 5.
Say “False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one.
Answer:
(i) True
(ii) False
(iii) True
(iv) False
(v) True.

Question 6.
Having read the poem, try to guess whether the poet is fond of cats. If so, why does he call Macavity a fiend and monster?
Answer:
The poet is fond of cats. He is so crazy about them. It seems that he has a pet cat Macavity who is mischievous. She does lawless things. The poet calls him a monster.

Question 7.
Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect ? Find a few examples of it and read those lines aloud.
Answer:
(i) He is the master criminal who can defy the law.
(ii) He breaks the law of gravity.
(iii) His powers of hesitation would make a fakir stare.
(iv) He is a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.

Macavity : The Mystery Cat Introduction

A cat is a domestic as well as wild animal. She is full of mysterious acts. It is not easy to say whether every cat is a mystery, but Macavity is surely, a mysterious one. It is like a monster which can be seen anywhere, is a devil found everywhere.