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The enclosure in which Kari lived had a thatched roof that lay on thick tree stumps. Examine the illustration of Kari’s pavilion on page 8 and say why it was built that way.
The illustration of Kari’s pavilion on page 8 confirms that the thatched roof rested on four thick tree stumps. The pavilion was built in this way so that the elephant could move about freely inside the enclosure.
Did Kari enjoy his morning bath in the river? Give a reason for your answer.
Yes, Kari enjoyed his morning bath in the river. He would lie down on the sand bank while the narrator rubbed him with the clean sand of the river for an hour. After that he would lie in the water for a long time. His skin would shine like ebony on coming out from water, and he would squeal with pleasure as the narrator rubbed water down his back.
Finding good twigs for Kari took a long time. Why?
The narrator would climb all kinds of trees to get the most delicate and tender twigs for Kari. In order to cut down the twigs without mutilating them, the hatchet needed to be very sharp, and it would take half an hour to sharpen the hatchet. Therefore, it would take the narrator a long time to find good twigs for Kari.
Why did Kari push his friend into the stream?
Kari pushed his friend, the narrator into the stream because there was a boy lying flat at the bottom of the river and he wanted him to save the drowning boy.
Kari was like a baby. What are the main points of comparison?
Kari was like a baby as it had to be trained to be good and if it was not told when it was naughty, it was up to more mischief than ever.
Kari helped himself to all the bananas in the house without anyone noticing it. How did he do it?
Large plates of fruit used to be kept on a table near a window in the dining-room of the narrator’s house. Kari would put his trunk in through this window and pick up all the bananas kept in the plate. He would then eat these stolen bananas in his pavilion.
Kari learnt the commands to sit and to walk. What were the instructions for each command?
To make Kari sit down, the narrator would say ‘Dhat’ and pull him by the ear. To make him walk, the narrator would say ‘Mali’ and pull his trunk forward.
What is “the master call”? Why is it the most important signal for an elephant to learn?
The master call is a strange hissing, howling sound, as if a snake and a tiger were fighting each other, and this kind of noise has to be made in an elephant’s ear. It is the most important signal for an elephant to learn because if one is lost in the jungle and there is no way out, the only thing to do then is to give the master call. At once, the elephant pulls down the trees in front of it, one by one, with its trunk. This achieves two purposes. First, it frightens all the animals away, and second, a road is formed that leads straight to one’s house.
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