The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Who narrated his encounter with a snake? To whom? Why did he narrate the incident?
Answer:
The narrator of the incident was a homeopathic doctor. One day, when the narrator and some
others were discussing snakes, the doctor was reminded of his own encounter with a snake
and he narrated the incident.
Question 2.
When and where did the incident with the snake take place?
Answer:
The incident took place in the narrator’s room after he had taken his meal in a restaurant and
had returned to his room at about ten o’clock in the night.
Question 3.
Why did the narrator have to light the kerosene lamp on reaching his room?
Answer:
The narrator had to light the kerosene lamp because it was ten o’clock and it was very dark.
The room did not have electricity and the narrator had limited money and could not afford a
better place.
Question 4.
Describe the narrator’s room?
Answer:
The narrator lived in a small, poorly furnished rented room infested with rats. It was an outer
room, its one wall facing the open yard. The room had two windows and its tiles were
supported by gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. The room
was not electrified. Outside the room there was a veranda. The room was meagrely furnished;
among the few pieces of furniture, there was his bed, a chair, a table with his medical books,
usual accessories, a kerosene lamp and a mirror on it.
Question 5.
What circumstances prompted the doctor to live in a small, poor house?
Answer:
The doctor had just started his practice and his earnings were meagre. Therefore, he lived in a
small, poor house because he could not afford to rent a better and more comfortable
accommodation. Besides, he was not married at that time so he could manage in a small
rented room until the time he got married.
Question 6.
The doctor was not a man with many material possessions. Elaborate.
Answer:
The doctor had just started his practice. Therefore, his earnings were meagre. He lived in a
small rented room, which was not electrified. He had only sixty rupees in his bag. Apart from
a few shirts and dhotis, he had one solitary black coat. His room was full of rats.
Question 7.
Why was the narrator awake despite the lateness of the hour?
Answer:
It was about ten o’clock on a hot summer night when the narrator reached his room. He made
his bed and lay down on it, but he could not sleep due to the heat. He got up and went out to
the veranda for a little air, but there was no wind. So, he went back into the room and sat
down on the chair.
Question 8.
What did the doctor do after coming back inside?
Answer:
The doctor sat on the chair and, opening the box beneath the table, took out a book, the
Materia Medica. He opened the book at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror.
At once he was tempted to look into the mirror and he set about making himself look
handsome.
Question 9.
“The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the narrator hear? What did he think it was?
How many times did he hear it? When and why did the sounds stop?
Answer:
The narrator heard the familiar sound of movement of some animals on the beam. He thought
that the sound was in fear being made by the scampering of rats as always. He heard the
sound thrice. After the third time, the sound stopped. This was probably because of the
appearance of the snake and the disappearance of the rats
Question 10.
What were the narrator’s feelings as he looked into the mirror?
Answer:
At that time the narrator, who was unmarried and a doctor, was a great admirer of beauty and
he believed in making himself look handsome. He felt he had to make his presence felt by
improving his appearance. He began to comb his hair, adjusting the parting so that it looked
straight and neat in order to appear more handsome.
Question 11.
As he looked at himself in the mirror, which two ‘important’ and ‘earth-shaking’ decisions
did the doctor make?
Answer:
The doctor made two important decisions while looking at himself in the mirror. The first
decision, an ‘important’ one, was that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to
look more handsome. The second decision the doctor made was an ‘earth-shaking’ one. It
was that he had an attractive smile and that he should keep that attractive smile on his face to
look more handsome.
Question 12.
What kind of a woman did the doctor decide to marry? Why?
Answer:
The doctor, who had just started his medical practice, decided to marry a doctor with a lot of
money and great medical practice. He also wanted her to be fat, so that in case he made a
silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after him and catch him.
Question 13.
How did the snake land on the doctor’s chair?
Answer:
The snake fell from the roof of the house with a thud. In no time it wriggled over the back of
the narrator’s chair and landed on him. The snake slithered along his shoulder and coiled
around his left arm above the elbow. To make matters worse, the snake spread its hood out
and its head was hardly three or four inches from his face.
Question 14.
What was the narrator’s reaction to the sight of the snake?
Answer:
The narrator was frightened at the sight of the snake slithering down his shoulder and coiling
itself around his arm. He could not breathe for a while. He was frightened, yet he didn’t
jump, didn’t tremble, didn’t cry out as he did not wish to make any sudden movement that
would provoke the snake.
Question 15.
How did the narrator show presence of mind when he faced with the snake?
Answer:
When the doctor found a snake on his shoulder, he did not jump, tremble or cry out. He held
his breath and became as still as a stone. He knew that the snake would get provoked and
strike him if he made any movement since the hood of the snake was only four inches away
from his face.
Question 16.
How did the doctor feel when the snake coiled itself around his arm?
Answer:
When the snake coiled itself around the arm of the doctor, he felt some pain as if his arm was
being crushed strongly with a rod made of molten fire. His arm lost all strength and felt very
weak.
Question 17.
What did the writer think of when the snake was coiled around his arm?
Answer:
The doctor felt like a foolish and weak person when the snake was coiled around his arm.
There was a distinct possibility of the snake biting him and the doctor thought of the various
medicines he had in his room and cast his mind about to think if any medicine was good
enough to save him if the snake did bite him. He felt that God had punished him for being so
proud and arrogant. The vanity and pride he had moments ago had vanished. He felt helpless
and frightened and smiled feebly at his stupidity and ill-luck.
Question 18.
What made the doctor say “Death lurked four inches away”?
Answer:
The snake was coiled around the doctor’s left arm and its hood was spread and just three or
four inches from the doctor’s head. He sat motionless as a statue, his body inactive but his
mind thinking of a way out anxiously. He knew very well that the snake would get provoked
and bite him at the slightest movement and that the bite would well be fatal. This is what
made him utter these words,
Question 19.
How did the snake change the writer’s opinion about himself?
Answer:
The writer was proud of being a doctor and a handsome one at that. To boot, he was a
bachelor. He was rather vain and arrogant. Coming face-to-face with the snake made him
humble. He thought he was only a poor and stupid doctor who should not be proud of his
profession.
Question 20.
What thoughts crossed the doctor’s mind when he saw the snake looking into the mirror?
Answer:
When the doctor saw the snake looking into the mirror, he thought that perhaps it too was
admiring its beauty or was trying to make some important, actually frivolous decisions like
growing a moustache, or, if it were a female snake, using eye shadow and mascara or wearing
a vermilion spot on its forehead.
Question 21.
Why did the snake leave the doctor’s arm?
Answer:
The snake left the doctor’s arm because it saw its reflection in the mirror and was fascinated
by it. Perhaps it wanted to enjoy its own reflection by having a closer look.
Question 22.
How was the doctor freed of the hold of the snake?
Answer:
The snake happened to look at its reflection in the mirror on the table. It uncoiled itself from
the arm of the doctor, slipped into his lap and then crawled towards the mirror. Perhaps, it too
got fascinated by its looks like the doctor had a while ago.
Question 23.
What did the doctor do as the snake sat in front of the mirror?
Answer:
When the snake slithered from the narrator’s arm into his lap, crept onto the table and then
moved towards the mirror, the narrator at once availed of the opportunity. He changed from a
man cut in granite to a man of flesh and blood. Still holding his breath, so as not to disturb the
snake, he got up from the chair and quietly went out through the door into the veranda. From
there he leapt into the yard and ran for all he was worth to his friend’s house to save his life.
Question 24.
What did the doctor do when the snake was absorbed in looking at the mirror?
Answer:
As the snake was absorbed in looking at the mirror, the doctor and holding his breath, rose
from the chair and quietly slipped out of the room. From there he passed through the veranda
and the yard and ran as fast as he could to the house of a friend.
Question 25.
What did the doctor do as soon as he reached his friend’s house? Why?
Answer:
Immediately after reaching his friend’s house, the doctor applied oil to his entire body, took
a- bath and put on fresh clothes. He did so because the snake had slithered over his back,
shoulder and arm. He wanted to get rid of his creepy feeling and any possible ill-effects of a
snake’s touch.
Question 26.
Why does the doctor remark that the snake was “taken with its own beauty”?
Answer:
The doctor remarks that the snake was “taken with its own beauty” because it kept looking-
into the mirror just like the doctor had done earlier, the snake sat in front of the mirror
looking into it. This led him to conclude that the snake was admiring itself as he had done.
Question 27.
What was the similarity between the doctor and the snake?
Answer:
There was a similarity between the doctor and the snake. Both of them admired of their own
beauty. The doctor sat on the chair to read his book but forgot everything as he looked into
the mirror and admired himself. He was oblivious to his surroundings and realised the
presence of the snake too late. The snake too spotted the mirror, and slithered off to look at its
reflection. He, too, was so enamoured with its own looks that it forgot reason why it was
there, probably hungry and chasing some rats.
Question 28.
Why did the doctor decide to leave the room?
Answer:
The doctor was already unhappy with the poor condition of his room that did not have
electricity and was infested with rats. On top of it all his encounter with the snake, that could
have nearly killed him, made him decide to leave the room.
Question 29.
What did the doctor and his friends find when they went to remove things from the room?
Answer:
The doctor and his friends found that there was nothing in the room except for a dirty vest.
All the other things had been stolen away by some thief.
Question 30.
Did the doctor marry a fat woman as he had wished?
Answer:
No, the doctor did not marry a fat woman. On the contrary, his wife was a thin and lean
person who could run very fast like a sprinter.
Question 31.
What did the thief leave behind? What does the narrator feel about it?
Answer:
The thief had left behind his dirty vest. The vest was so dirty that even the thief did not feel
like taking it. The narrator found it insulting because it appeared as the thief wanted to tell the
narrator that he had a better sense of cleanliness than the doctor himself.
The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
Question 1.
What kind of room was the doctor living in and why did he decide to leave that room?
Answer:
The doctor was living in was a small, uncomfortable room that was actually an outer room
with one wall facing the open yard and two windows. The room was not electrified and he
had to depend on a kerosene lamp for lighting. The roof was tiled and had long supporting
gables which rested on a beam over the wall. The room did not have any ceiling and it was
infested with rats that kept squeaking all the time.
Since his medical practice was yet not well-established, the doctor did not earn much and
could not afford a better place. He was not happy with this poor accommodation but it was all
he could afford on his meagre earnings. However, it was only after his encounter with the
snake that he decided to leave it. The frightening experience left him shaken and he decided
not to live in the room any longer.
Question 2.
What kind of a person was the doctor? What kind of a person did he want to be?
Answer:
The doctor had just started his practice. His earnings were, therefore, meagre. He lived in a
small rented room, which was not electrified. He had only sixty rupees in his bag. Apart from
a few shirts and dhotis, he had one solitary black coat. He lived alone in a house that was full
of rats.
On the other hand, the doctor laid great emphasis on the fact that he was unmarried and a
doctor. He was a great admirer of beauty and he believed in making himself handsome. He
was pleased with his appearance. He decided to shave daily and grow a thin moustache to
look more handsome. He also decided to smile more as it improved his appearance.
Question 3.
What kind of woman did the doctor want to marry? Whom did he get married to?
Answer:
The doctor took pride in his handsome looks and the fact that he was a doctor and a bachelor.
He had just started his practice and had very little money, wanted to marry a woman doctor
who had plenty of money and . a good medical practice. He wanted a fat wife so that
whenever he would make a silly mistake and run away from his wife, she would not be able
to run behind him or catch him. The woman he married was quite unlike the one he wanted to
marry. She was a thin and slender person who could run like a sprinter.
Question 4.
Describe the doctor’s feelings when the snake coiled round his arm.
Answer:
The doctor was petrified when the snake landed on his shoulder. He didn’t jump, tremble or
cry out. He sat there holding his breath, turned to stone. He thought his end was near, so he
remembered the Almighty and prayed to God for his safety. However, he retained his
presence of mind as well as his sense of humour. He forgot his danger and smiled feebly at
himself. From admiring himself and vainly thinking of ways of making himself appear more
handsome and arrogantly declaring he was a doctor and a bachelor, the doctor thought of
himself as “a poor, foolish and stupid doctor.”
He did not have even the medicine to save himself in case he was bitten by the snake. As he
sat there, with Death lurking four inches away, the narrator did not panic. With great patience
he sat still, on the lookout for an opportunity to escape and as soon as the snake unwound
itself from his arm, the doctor got up from the chair and went out quietly, and ran away to his
friend’s house.
Question 5.
“I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor.” Justify.
Answer:
Initially, the doctor had a very high opinion of himself regarding both his appearance and
profession. He laid great emphasis on the fact that he was unmarried and a doctor. As an
admirer of beauty, he was conscious of his looks and wanted to look even more handsome.
He admired himself in the mirror and combed his hair this way and that and decided to grow
a moustache and smile more to look more attractive.
But an encounter with a snake – a cobra – cured him of his pride. When the snake wriggled
over his shoulder and coiled itself around his arm, the doctor lost all arrogance and was
reminded of the existence of God. Face to face with death, he realised what a weak and
foolish man he had been. When he recalled that there were no medicines in his room to cure
him of a snake-bite, he regarded himself to be a stupid and helpless person. Thus, the
encounter with the snake transformed the doctor from a vain and foolish person into a humble
and God-fearing man.
Question 6.
What are the similarities between the behaviour of the doctor and of the snake?
Answer:
Both the doctor and the snake display narcissistic tendencies. Both of them were enamoured
by their reflections in the mirror and stared at them as if enamoured. When he looked in the
mirror, the doctor was full of appreciation for his good looks. He was a great admirer of
beauty and believed in making himself look handsome. He took a close look at his face and
decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look even more handsome.
Then, he looked into the mirror and smiled. He decided to keep smiling as he considered his
smile very attractive. As he gazed at himself in the mirror, he was oblivious of his
surroundings. He heard the noise of the rats cease, he heard the snake drop to the ground with
a dull thud, but he paid no heed and found himself face to face with death.
In the same manner, the snake gazed in the mirror, oblivious of his surroundings. This makes
the doctor think , that perhaps it, too, was admiring its beauty or was trying to make some
‘important’ decisions just like him. Perhaps it was a male snake thinking about growing a
moustache or a female one deciding to use eye shadow and mascara or wear a vermilion spot
on its forehead. Just like the doctor’s obsession with his looks landed him in trouble, the
snake too seemed to be “taken with its beauty.” It released its victim to have a better look at
itself in the mirror.
Question 7.
This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it
humorous?
Answer:
The story presents a contrast between dreams and reality. This contrast has been depicted in a
humorous manner. The doctor had meagre earnings as he had just started his practice. He
lived in a small rented room, which was not electrified. He had only sixty rupees in his bag, a
few shirts and dhotis, and one solitary black coat. His house was full of rats. However, his
dreams and ambitions were in contrast to this. He was a great admirer of beauty and he
believed in making himself handsome. He laid great emphasis on the fact that he was
unmarried and a doctor. Pleased with his appearance, he decided to improve his appearance
by shaving daily, growing a thin moustache and always keep smiling.The doctor had thought
about the kind of person he would want to marry.
He wanted to marry a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice
because he did not have any of those. He wanted a fat wife so that whenever he made a silly
mistake, he could escape his wife by running away from her. However, the woman he
married was thin and could run like a sprinter. When the doctor looked into the mirror, he
was full of appreciation for his good looks. He also arrogantly declared that he was a doctor
and a bachelor.
However, later when the snake was coiled around his arm, he turned into a stone. He realized
that if the snake struck him, then he did not even have any medicines in his room for the
same. That was when he thought that he was a poor, foolish, and stupid doctor. This contrast
between reality and dreams lends humour to the story.
Question 8.
“I looked into the mirror and smiled”, says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot
my danger and smiled feebly at myself’. What is the doctor’s opinion about himself
when he smiles first and then later? In what way do his thoughts change in between,
and why?
Answer:
The doctor rated his looks quite high and smiled at his image when he looked at himself in
the large mirror on his table. He was narcissistic and the first time he looked in the mirror and
smiled, his opinion about himself was marked by self-adulation. He arrogantly declared he
was a doctor and a bachelor. He was vain enough to believe that he was handsome and
needed to stay well-groomed. He decided to shave daily, grow a moustache and smile more