Characters in Brief

He didn’t get annoyed by Mijbil’s mischief.

Maxwell never panicked in di cult situations.

He was an animals lover. He was a

Maxwell was a patient person who didn’t get
responsible and caring pet owner. When his
irritated or lose his cool when people made
pet dog. Jonnie, died, Maxwell chooses an
queries about Mijbil.
unusual animal like an otter to keep as a pet.

Maxwell looked after Mijbil, the otter with a great

sense of dedication. He trained Mijbil with love.

Chapter in Detail
An Otter as a Pet
• Gavin Maxwell had travelled to Iraq, and planned to keep an otter as a
pet.
• His friend had mentioned that the Tigris marshes were a good place to
find one.
• On coming back with his mail from Basra, Maxwell found two Arabs
waiting in his room.
• They handed him a note from his friend saying the otter had been delivered
to him.
• On the floor lay a sack that had something curling up and squirming in it.
Character's Mood
 Nostalgic; happy
Example 1. What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be
suitable for? (Remember) [NCERT]
Evaluation Points
Marks
(As per CBSE marking scheme)
State the 'experiment' that the author wanted to try.
ü Content: Write what the author wanted to try in Camusfearna.
3 (2m)
ü Expression: Use words like and, thought, as, etc.
(1m)
Ans. Camusfearna was a place close to water. It would be an ideal place for
an otter and so Maxwell thought of keeping an otter as a pet for an
‘experiment’.

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First Impressions
• On taking it out of the sack, the otter resembled a small, rounded, medieval
dragon.
• Its scaled body was covered with mud with soft velvet fur between them.
• That particular species of otter had not been discovered yet and came to
be known as Maxwell’s otter.
• Maxwell named the otter Mijbil.
• For the first twenty-four hours, Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly but
stayed indifferent and away from Maxwell.
• On the second night, Mijbil joined the author in bed late at night, settling
between the crack of his knees.
• Maxwell made a body-belt for him and took Mijbil on a lead to the
bathroom.
• Mijbil went crazy in the water, rolled and sloshed around, and shot up and
down the length of the bathtub.
• Otters are very fond of water, and for them every drop of water they find
had to be sloshed around and played with.
The Otter Always Played
• Two days later, Mijbil ran out of the author’s room towards the bathroom.
• He had started to open the chromium taps by the time Maxwell reached
there.
• At other times, Mijbil would turn the tap the other way around, and ended
up chittering in disappointment and annoyance.
• Soon, Mijbil followed him around without a leash and responded to his
name.
• Mijbil spent most of his time in play.
• He dribbled a small rubber ball with all four of his paws, and could also
flick it powerfully with his neck to a surprising height and distance.
• The real play of the otter was to lie on its back and juggle small objects
with its paws.
• Mijbil could roll two or more marbles on his belly without dropping any of
them to the floor.
Character's Mood
 Amazed; surprised

Mijbil the Otter 3

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 •
•
•

Dictionary
Word Meaning Synonyms Antonyms
Eminently extremely or much highly, greatly shortly, humbly
Thralldom to be a slave or subjugated bondage, liberty,
to an owner enslavement freedom
Christened to be named baptized, unnamed,
entitled anonymous

•
•
•

4 English Language & Literature Class X

 OBJECTIVE Type Questions
[ 1 mark ]
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Maxwell looked after Mijbil, the otter with a great sense of dedication.
This shows that Mijbil was a:
(a) veterinary doctor (b) animal lover
(c) timid person (d) jobless man
Ans.(b) animal lover
Explanation: Maxwell loved animals as only a person who loves animals
can be so dedicated towards the wellness of their pet. Hence, (b) is the
right answer.

EXTRACT Based Questions

[ 5 marks ]
2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
It is not, I suppose, in any way strange that the average Londoner
should not recognise an otter, but the variety of guesses as to what kind
of animal this might be came as a surprise to me. Otters belong to a
comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines, shared by the
badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.
(A) ‘It is not, I suppose, in any way strange that the average Londoner
should not recognise an otter’. Why would a Londoner not
recognize an Otter?
(B)Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called
Mustellines, NOT shared by:
(a) mongoose(b) weasel
(c) mink (d) beaver
(C)The narrator was ................. by the guesses Londoners made about
his pet.
(D)Which of the following option DOES NOT relate to a ‘guess’?
(a) I think otters are ferocious animals.
(b) They might not get comfortable with other pets.
(c)Perhaps, they can be friends with everyone.
(d) They belong to a group called ‘Mustallines’.
(E)Which word is NOT similar to ‘strange’?
(a)Unusual (b) Uncanny

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 (c)Conventional (d)Odd
Ans.(A) O
 tters are usually found in places which are surrounded by water.
This is why the species of otters aren’t known to Londoners as they
aren’t normally seen there.
(B)(d) beaver
Explanation: It is written in the extract that otters belong to a
comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines, shared by (a)
mongoose, (b) weasel, (c) mink but not a (d) beaver. Hence, (d) is the
right answer.
(C)Amused
Explanation: It is clearly mentioned in the extract that the variety of
guesses as to what kind of animal the narrator’s pet might be ‘came
as a surprise’ to him. He was amused to hear their guesses.
(D)(d) T
 hey belong to a group called ‘Mustallines’.
Explanation: Words like (a) I think, (b) They might and (c) perhaps
indicates guesses while (d) They belong to a group called ‘Mustallines’
is an affirmation. Hence, (d) is the right answer.
(E)(c) Conventional
Explanation: The term ‘strange’ means surprising or extremely
different. Here, the term (a) unusual, (b) uncanny and (d) odd are
similar to ‘strange’ while (c) conventional means common. Hence, (c) is
the right answer.

SHORT ANSWER Type Questions (SA)

[ 3 marks ]
Answer the following questions in 40-50 words:
3. When did Gavin Maxwell decide to have an otter as a pet?
[Delhi Gov. QB 2022]
Ans. Gavin Maxwell had a pet dog named Jonnie. Unfortunately, his pet
died. He was too sad to think of keeping a dog again. Also, he felt lonely
after losing his pet. So, he decided to have an otter as a pet for he was
posted in Iraq in those days where he could find an otter easily.

LONG ANSWER Type Questions (LA)

[ 6 marks ]
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

6 English Language & Literature Class X

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 4.Comment on how Maxwell learnt that an otter can’t resist water.
Ans. M
 axwell made a body-belt for Mij to lead him to the bathroom. On
seeing water, Mij got excited and plunged into the bathtub. Observing
Mij’s behaviour in water, he learnt that playing with water is a vital
characteristic of an otter. It can’t resist the sight of water. Maxwell was
amused to see that just after two days, Mij was able to get into the
bathtub and open the tap by himself.

Mijbil the Otter 7