NCERT Solution for Class 10 English Prose 8: Mijbil the Otter

An otter is typically known to zoologists as “Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli,” but for short, it was referred to as Maxwell’s otter.

Otters belong to a small group of animals called Mustellines. Other animals in this group include badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, minks, and more.

Maxwell thought it would be interesting to have an otter as a pet instead of a dog. He had visited Southern Iraq in 1956 and got fascinated with the idea during his travels. When he saw that Camusfearna was surrounded by water, he felt it would be a perfect place for this unique experiment.

Maxwell traveled to Basra’s Consulate-General to pick up his mail from Europe. Although his friend’s mail had arrived, his hadn’t. He sent a cable to England and even made a phone call three days later, which needed to be booked 24 hours in advance. However, he faced several setbacks: the line was down on the first day, the exchange was closed for a religious holiday on the second, and there was another breakdown on the third. Consequently, his friend left, and they arranged to meet in a week. Maxwell’s mail finally arrived after five days of waiting.

When the writer’s mail finally arrived, he took it to his bedroom to read. There, he found two Arabs sitting on the floor with a sack that moved occasionally. They handed him a note from his friend, mentioning that he had sent him an otter.

Maxwell was fond of the idea. He expressed this by saying “An otter fixation,” which described his strong attachment to otters, much like any other otter owner might feel.

In the beginning, the otter was distant and uninterested.

When Maxwell initially introduced Mijbil to the bathroom, the otter exhibited sheer delight, frolicking in the water for nearly half an hour. With exuberance, he darted and tumbled, traversing the length of the bathtub with such fervor that it echoed the exuberance of a hippopotamus.

Two days later, to Maxwell’s surprise, Mijbil ventured away from his bedroom and made his way to the bathroom. There, he perched himself at the edge of the bathtub, attempting to manipulate the chrome taps with his paws. Maxwell observed in astonishment as the otter skillfully adjusted the tap, initially producing a mere trickle of water, which gradually escalated to a steady flow.

Maxwell made arrangements for his journey to Paris, with subsequent travel to England. However, the British airline policies didn’t permit pets on board. Consequently, Maxwell had to comply with the airline’s regulations, which required Mijbil to be placed in a compact eighteen-inch square box, positioned near Maxwell’s feet during the flight. With little time left, Maxwell hastily arranged for the creation of the box an hour before their departure. He gently placed Mijbil inside, allowing him time to acclimate to the enclosure, before quickly attending to his own meal arrangements.

The box Maxwell had prepared for Mijbil’s journey was lined with a metal sheet. However, Mijbil became distressed inside the box and attempted to escape. In his struggle, he tore into the metal lining, injuring himself and causing bleeding.

Maxwell realized that he had no alternative but to place Mijbil back into the box for their journey to London. He felt anxious and remorseful seeing the otter’s condition, knowing that Mijbil had injured himself while attempting to escape from the box.

The air hostess displayed kindness and understanding towards Maxwell upon hearing about the incident with the box. She respected his emotions and allowed him to take the otter out of the box and hold his pet on his knee during the flight. Maxwell was deeply impressed by her compassion and referred to her as “the very queen of her kind.”

Mijbil’s escape from the box caused chaos in the airplane, startling the passengers. He ran around, creating commotion, and even scared a woman who stood up on her seat. Despite Maxwell’s efforts to catch him, Mijbil eluded him. However, the air hostess promised to assist Maxwell in finding the otter. Eventually, Mijbil returned to Maxwell, clinging to his knee and showing affection by nuzzling his face and neck.

Mijbil invented a game involving a ping-pong ball and one of Maxwell’s damaged suitcases, which had a sloped lid. Mijbil would place the ball at the high end of the sloping lid and then chase after it as it rolled down towards the lower end. This playful activity amused Mijbil and provided entertainment during their journey.

(i) In the story, Maxwell exhibits compulsive habits similar to those of children who feel compelled to perform certain rituals on their way to and from school. For instance, Maxwell feels the need to place his feet squarely on the centre of each paving block, touch every seventh upright of the iron railings, or pass to the outside of every second lamp post.

(ii) Similarly, Mijbil the otter also displays compulsive behavior. On his way home, he jumps over the boundary wall railing and gallops the full length of its thirty yards. This behavior causes distraction to both pupils and staff within the vicinity.

According to Maxwell, Londoners don’t easily recognize otters because they’re not common in England. As a result, they made wild guesses about Mijbil’s identity. Some guessed he was a baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard, a hippo, or even a brontosaurus.

Mijbil showed his intelligence in various ways. He invented his own game with a ping-pong ball on Maxwell’s worn-out suitcase, displaying his creativity and adaptability. Another example of his intelligence was when he opened the tap in the bathroom and played with water, showing problem-solving skills. Although initially distant from Maxwell, he gradually became friendly and affectionate, as seen when he clung to Maxwell’s feet during the flight. Over time, he formed a strong bond with the author and demonstrated his playful nature by creating games and developing certain habitual behaviors during walks in London.

Otters are part of a small animal group called Mustellines, which includes badgers, mongooses, weasels, stoats, and minks. They are often found in marshy areas and are sometimes kept as pets by Arabs. Otters enjoy playing in water and splashing around. Maxwell’s otter, although of an unknown race to science, was named Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli by zoologists, also known as Maxwell’s otter for short. Otters are known for their intelligence and playful nature, often inventing their own games. They are also friendly towards humans.

Maxwell’s otter, initially unknown to science, was later identified and named by zoologists as Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli. As a result, it is often referred to as Maxwell’s otter in short.

1. True. The statement – “He spent most of his time in play.”

2. False

3. True. The statement – “I watched, amazed; in less than a minute he had turned the tap far enough to produce a trickle of water, and after a moment or two achieved the full flow.”

4. True. The statement – “Marbles were Mij’s favourite toys for this pastime: he would lie on his back rolling two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly without ever dropping one to the floor.

5. True. The statement – “A suitcase that I had taken to Iraq had become damaged on the journey home, so that the lid, when closed, remained at a slope from one end to the other. Mij discovered that if he placed the ball on the high end it would run down the length of the suitcase. He would dash around to the other end to ambush its arrival, hide from it, crouching, to spring up and take it by surprise, grab it and trot off with it to the high end once more.”

6. False

7. True. The statement – “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.”

1. Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical evenings.

2. Every evening we would take long walks on the beach.

3. Fifty years ago, very few people used to own cars.

4. Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets.

5. My uncle used to spend his holidays by the sea.

6. My uncle used to be fond of musical evenings.

7. My uncle would take long walks on the beach.

1. Noun

2. Noun

3. Proper Noun

4. Proper Noun

5. Adjective plus noun

6. Adjective plus noun