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Question
Read the poem once again and complete the summary using the words given in the box.
‘Macavity – The Mystery Cat’ is a humorous poem, where the poet T.S. Eliot describes the mysterious (a) _______of a shrewd vile cat. He commits a crime at every possible opportunity. He is an elusive master (b)______who leaves no evidence after he commits a crime. Even the Scotland Yard, the London (c) ______ agency is unable to arrest him. The Flying Squad is (d) ______ because every time they rush to the crime spot to seize Macavity, he is not there. He breaks the human law as well as the law of (e) ______. He baffles even a (f) ______ with his powers of levitation. Macavity appears tall and thin with (g)______ eyes. He is always preoccupied with some serious (h) ______. His coat is dusty and his (i)______are unkempt. Macavity is a (j) ______in the guise of a cat. He appears to be outwardly (k) ______ but his actions disprove it. Macavity loots the (l)______, ransacks the jewel-case, and breaks the (m)______glass but wonder of wonders he is not to be found anywhere there. He is always a mile away from the scene of crime, happily relaxing or doing difficult (n) ______ sums. He is clever at making up an (o) ______every time he plots a crime. All the notorious cats are nothing but the (p) ______Macavity, the Napoleon of Crime.
| larder | whiskers |
| respectable | criminal |
| devil | thought |
| sunken | division |
| agents | detective |
| alibi | desperate |
| fakir | qualities |
| gravity | greenhouse |
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Solution
‘Macavity – The Mystery Cat’ is a humorous poem, where the poet T.S. Eliot describes the mysterious (a) Qualities of a shrewd vile cat. He commits a crime at every possible opportunity. He is an elusive master (b) Criminal who leaves no evidence after he commits a crime. Even the Scotland Yard, the London (c) Detective agency is unable to arrest him. The Flying Squad is (d) Desperate because every time they rush to the crime spot to seize Macavity, he is not there. He breaks the human law as well as the law of (e) Gravity. He baffles even a (f) Fakir with his powers of levitation. Macavity appears tall and thin with (g) Sunken eyes. He has always preoccupied with some serious (h) Thought. His coat is dusty and his (i) Whiskers are unkempt. Macavity is a (j) Devil in the guise of a cat. He appears to be outwardly (k) Respectable but his actions disprove it. Macavity loots the (l) Larder, ransacks the jewel case, and breaks the (m) Greenhouse glass but the wonder of wonders he is not to be found anywhere there. He is always a mile away from the scene of the crime, happily relaxing or doing difficult (n) Division sums. He is clever at making up an (o) Alibi every time he plots a crime. All the notorious cats are nothing but the (p) Agents Macavity, the Napoleon of Crime.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
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hands search my empty pockets
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With all my heart I do admire
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They do not ever in their dealings Consider one another’s feelings…
Explain the following with reference to the context in about 50–60 word each.
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For this most modest physiques…
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For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity
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Explain the following line with reference to the context.
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s
Creative Activity
- Write eight words you associate with success.
- Use the words to write eight lines that mean success to you or how success makes you feel.
- Arrange your lines into a poem.
- Share your poem with the class and post a copy on the notice board.
Fill in the blanks using the words given in the box to complete the summary of the poem:
King Richard the Second, had surrendered to his (a)______cousin, Bollingbroke. He experienced deep distress at the horror of his circumstances. In that desperate situation, he speaks of (b)______, (c)______, (d)______and other things connected with death. He spoke of how people leave nothing behind and can call nothing their own, except for the small patch of (e)______, where they will be buried. King Richard yielded to dejection and talked of all the different ways in which defeated kings suffer how some had been deposed, (f)______in war, (g)______by their wives and so forth. He attributed this loss of lives to (h)______, who he personified as the jester who watches over the shoulder of every ruler, who mocks kings by allowing them to think their human flesh, was like (i)______brass. However, Death penetrates through the castle walls, silently and unnoticed like a sharp (j)______, thus bidding (k)______to him and all his pride forever. Finally, Richard appealed to his soldiers not to mock his mere flesh and blood by showing (l) ______and respect to him. He added that he too needed bread to live, felt want, tasted (m)______and needed (n)______. He concluded thus, urging his men not to call him a (o)______as he was only human, just like the rest of them.
| barren-earth | friends | graves | slain |
| rebellious | poisoned | worms | grief |
| impregnable | epitaphs | death | farewell |
| reverence | king | pin |
What do the three words, ‘graves, worms and epitaphs’, refer to?
Are all deposed kings slain by the deposer?
How does the king establish that he and his subjects are equal in the end?
Explain the following line with reference to the context in about 5 to 8 line:
All murdered – for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king Keeps Death his court, …”
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Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:
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Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
What are the causes for King Richard’s grief?
Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
Death has been cited in many ways in this monologue. Identify the poetic devices used in those references.
Based on your reading of King Richard’s speech, answer the following questions in about 100 - 150 words each. You may add your own ideas if required to present and justify your point of view.
Who does the future generations remember easily - the victor or the vanquished? Give reasons. Also, cite relevant references from King Richard’s speech.
