27 THE PARROT WHO WOULDN’T TALK || NIOS - SECONDARY COURSE || ENGLISH-202 CLASS-X

CHAPTER-27 THE PARROT WHO WOULDN’T TALK

INTEXT QUESTIONS 27.1 

Answer the following questions. 

1. ‘You’re no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!’ 

a. Who is saying these words and to whom? 

b. Which word is being repeated here? Why? 

Ans:  a. Aunt Ruby is saying these words to her pet parakeet. 

         b. ‘Can’t’ is being repeated. It is being repeated to emphasise what is being                    said.

2. Where was the parakeet’s cage kept? 

Ans:The parakeet’s cage was kept at one end of a long veranda of Granny’s bungalow in North India.

3. Where did Aunt Ruby get the parakeet from? 

Ans:Aunt Ruby had bought the parakeet from a bird-catcher selling various types of birds.

4. Why do you think neither Granny nor Grandfather were keen on keeping caged birds as pets? Tick the correct option. 

a. Caged birds were very noisy. 

b. They preferred to keep caged rabbits. 

 c. Birdcages were very expensive and Aunt Ruby wanted only ornate ones. 

 d. Caged birds were deprived of their freedom.✅

5. Tick the correct option. The parrot backed away from Aunt Ruby because: 

a. the sunlight was falling directly on it and it couldn’t see properly. 

b. Aunt Ruby had poked it with a chilli. 

c. it did not want to be kissed by Aunt Ruby. ✅

d. Aunt Ruby’s nephew (the author) threw a ball at it. 

6. Why did Aunt Ruby become hostile towards the parakeet?

Ans:Once, when Aunt Ruby was near the parakeet’s cage, it lunged forward and knocked off her spectacles. After that incident, Aunt Ruby became hostile towards the bird.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 27.2 

Answer the following questions. 

1. What all did Aunt Ruby’s nephew (the author) give the parrot to eat? 

Ans:The boy gave the parakeet green chillies, ripe tomatoes and sometimes, slices of mango.

2. Tick the correct option. He fed the parrot because: 

a. Aunt Ruby had become hostile towards her pet and someone had to feed it. 

b. Aunt Ruby had gone out of town and had asked him to look after the parrot. 

c. it gave him an opportunity to eat mango on the pretext that he was feeding the bird. 

d. ‘a’ and ‘c’ ✅

3. How did the parrot escape from the cage? 

Ans: One afternoon, when everyone was resting, Aunt Ruby’s nephew purposely left the cage door open. Soon, the parakeet flew away

4. Aunt Ruby didn’t want the goldfish because: 

a. It couldn’t fly. 

b. It couldn’t talk.✅

c. It couldn’t eat chillies. 

d. All the above 

5. The author thinks that the parrot came back because it missed the green chillies. Why do you think the parrot came back? 

Ans:I think, the parrot came back to eat mangoes which it liked the most.

6. Why did Aunt Ruby run inside when she heard the parrot talking?

Ans:As soon as the parrot saw Aunt Ruby, it screeched, "You’re no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!" Aunt Ruby was embarrassed and turned red when she heard these words. Therefore, she ran inside.

TERMINAL QUESTIONS 

1. Name all the birds that are mentioned in the story. 

Ans:The birds mentioned in the story are: parrot, parakeet, lovebird, budgerigar, munnia, sparrow and nightingale.

2. Can you think of another title for this story? Give reasons for your choice in 30 - 40 words. 

Ans:Ans. Another title for this story should be 'AuntRuby and her Parrot' because this story is based on the relationship between Aunt Ruby and her parrot. She always tried to teach the parrot to talk but the parrot did not take interest in her. Aunt Ruby became hostile towards her parrot and one day the parrot flew away. When it retured in the garden of Aunt Ruby, it began to speak what Aunt Ruby used to abuse it.

3. In the story, sometimes the author calls the bird parakeet and sometimes parrot. Is that a mistake? 

Ans:No, it’s not a mistake. The bird that Aunt Ruby had bought was a parakeet. But a parakeet is a type of parrot. So it can be called either a parrot or a parakeet.

4. Do you think Aunt Ruby’s method of teaching the parrot to talk was correct? If you were Aunt Ruby, how would you have taught the parrot? 

Ans: I don’t think Aunt Ruby’s method was correct. If I were Aunt Ruby, I would develop a bond (friendly relationship) with the parakeet and then try to teach it to talk. I would always speak to it gently and make sure it was comfortable in its surroundings. I would choose simple and short words to start with. I would repeat them clearly and with enthusiasm. I would be very patient and never get angry with my pet. I would not scold it if it didn’t learn well. I would praise it, give it a gentle pat or something special to eat if it learnt well.

5. Find phrases in the text that tell you that the parrot was not happy in the cage.

Ans:From phrases such as ‘unfortunate parakeet’, ‘glared morosely at everyone’ and ‘eyes getting smaller with anger’, we know that the parrot was not happy to be in the cage.

6. Suppose you were a parrot and somebody caged you and kept you as a pet. How would you feel? Give two reasons to support your answer. 

Ans:I would not like it at all. We usually see parrots in groups. If I were put into a cage I would be lonely and would miss my friends, the other parrots. I would not be able to fly like other birds.

7. Do you think Aunt Ruby’s nephew (the author) made the right decision when he left the cage door open? What decision would you make if you were Aunt Ruby’s nephew? Give at least two reasons for your answer.

 Ans: Yes, I think Aunt Ruby’s nephew made the right decision. I would also set the bird free because the bird was unhappy, Aunt Ruby was saying unkind things to it, she was not feeding it, she was unfriendly to it.

8. ‘You’re no beauty! Can’t talk, can’t sing, can’t dance!’ The story begins with these words. But when they are repeated at the end of the story, it adds humour to it and makes us laugh. Why?

Ans:At the beginning of the story, Aunt Ruby tries to teach the parakeet to talk. When it doesn’t learn to talk, she makes fun of it. The bird is locked up in a cage and forced to listen to her unkind words. At the end, the parakeet is free, but comes back to the garden one day. On seeing Aunt Ruby, it repeats the very same words which she used to say to it. The parakeet learns to talk, but what it says does not make Aunt Ruby happy. It makes her uncomfortable. It appears as if the parakeet says unkind words to her because she was unkind to it when it was in the cage. It seems as if the parakeet makes fun of her to teach her a lesson. The same words said in contrasting situations make the story humorous.