Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
What are the mysterious ways in which Macavity acts?
Advertisements
Solution
Macavity is an elusive master criminal who leaves no evidence after he commits a crime. He baffles Scotland Yard police and the flying squad as he disappears before their arrival at the scene of the crime. He defies the law of gravity and his powers of levitation make me fakir stare with wonder. Macavity loots the larder. He ransacks the jewel case. He is an elusive criminal who escapes from the spot of crime before the flying squad or Scotland Yard reaches there. He breaks every human law and law of gravity. He breaks greenhouse glasses. He steals stealthily into. the kitchen and empties milk. When an important treaty in the embassy is missing or. when the admiralty loses some plans or drawings, the investigation terms conclude that it is the work of Macavity. But Macavity, as a wonder of wonders, would be miles away relaxing somewhere.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
How does the poet compare his face with dresses?
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
There will be no thrice.
‘Face is the index of the mind.’ Does this adage concur with the views of the poet?
Why does the poet feel glad that he does not play any game?
The poet does not wish to exchange position with the runners. Why?
Are the athletes conscious of the feelings of others? Why do you say so?
Read the poem again and complete the summary using the words given in the box.
In the poem ‘Confessions of a Born Spectator,’ Ogden Nash talks about how people choose different sports in their lives or decide to become athletes. While admiring the talents of athletes and sportsmen, the poet (i)______he is glad that he is neither a sportsman nor an athlete. Children have different (ii)______and wish to play various games. Each child has in mind something in particular, but the narrator is (iii)______he is not one of the players. Though the narrator (iv) ______the talents of all athletes, he derives satisfaction from watching them, but does not wish to (v) ______places with them. He also sometimes regrets that (vi)______athletes play rough games without caring for the feelings of their sporting rivals. He feels that good sense and caution win over ego. The narrator wholeheartedly offers (vii) ______the modest (viii) ______of athletes. Ultimately the narrator is (ix)______that he himself is not an athlete.
|
thanksgiving exchange glad confesses physiques zealous satisfied aims admires |
Explain the following with reference to the context in about 50–60 word each.
Athletes, I’ll drink to you, Or eat with you, Or anything except compete with you…
What sort of encouragement should an athlete in India be given? Give a few suggestions.
Read the poem once again. Identify the rhyme scheme and pick out the rhyming pairs of words.
How does the poet feel while enjoying the beauty of Nature?
How do people bring grief and sorrow to one another?
The poem speaks of ______.
Work in groups of 4−6. Discuss how you would preserve the environment and protect Nature. One or two representatives may share their ideas with the class.
‘Nature can nurture’. Describe how this process happens.
Why is the Flying Squad frustrated?
Which law does Macavity break?
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 |
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake
Explain the following line with reference to the context.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare
Identify the following personalities and their fields of achievement.
| Name | Field | |
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
![]() |
||
![]() |
- Mention a remarkable achievement of any of these personalities.
- What quality do you admire the most in each of these achievers?
- What are the qualities that you may share with them?
- Name a few more popular personalities who have made our nation proud.
- ______.
- ______.
- ______.
- ______.
Discuss the following topics in groups of five and choose a representative to sum up the views and share them with the class.
To succeed in life, one must have a single-minded devotion to duty.
The historical background:
The poem is an extract from William Shakespeare’s play King Richard the Second. The play is based on true events that occurred towards the end of the 14th century.
Richard II was crowned the King of England in the year 1367. He continued to be the British Monarch until 1399, when he was deposed by his cousin, Henry of Bolingbroke, who crowned himself King Henry the Fourth in the same year. Shakespeare’s play is a dramatic rendition of the last two years of King Richard II’s life. In this brief span of time, he was ousted from his royal position and sent to prison, where he died in captivity.
The following extract is set in the Coast of Wales. King Richard and some of his followers awaited the arrival of the Welsh army [after facing defeat at the hands of his cousin, Bolingbroke], of about 10000 warriors. But to their shock and surprise, they received the message that the army was not coming to their rescue. His followers tried to boost their King’s courage against the news, only in vain. When Richard came face to face with the reality of his terrible fate, he spoke the following verse, famously known as the “Hollow Crown” speech in theatrical circles. In it, King Richard is reminded of the power of Death that overshadows everything else, including the power of rulers, and renders them as powerless as any commoner at a moment’s notice.
Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:
Shravan never keeps his promises. His friends know that his words are ______.
What do the three words, ‘graves, worms and epitaphs’, refer to?
What does the executor mentioned in the poem do?
Who is Bolingbroke? Is he a friend or foe?
Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:
“Keeps Death his court, and there the antic sits,…”








