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I Want Something in a Cage
…. Mr. Purcell heard it no more than he would have heard the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock.” (Read para beginning with “It was a rough day…”)
(i) What does ‘it’ refer to?
(ii) Why does Mr. Purcell not hear ‘it’ clearly?
(i) Here, ‘it’ refers to the chirping, squeaking and mewing of the birds and animals in the shop.
(ii) Mr. Purcell did not hear the noise clearly because he owned the pet shop and thus, these noises seemed usual to him, like the monotonous ticking of a clock. He was used to the noise.
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Why is Mr. Purcell compared to an owl?
From the third paragraph pick out
(i) Words associated with cries of birds,
(ii) Words associated with noise,
(iii) Words suggestive of confusion and fear.
…. Mr. Purcell heard it no more than he would have heard the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock.” (Read para beginning with “It was a rough day…”)
(i) What does ‘it’ refer to?
(ii) Why does Mr. Purcell not hear ‘it’ clearly?
Why, in your opinion, did the man set the doves free?
Why did it make Mr. Purcell feel “vaguely insulted”?
Do you think the atmosphere of Mr. Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want?
(i) The man insisted on buying the doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?
(ii) How had he earned the five dollars he had?
Was the customer interested in the care and feeding of the doves he had bought? If not, why not?
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