NCERT Solutions for Macavity: The Mystery Cat(Poem) Class 8 Honeydew English
Book Solutions1
Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really?
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?
Answer
(i) No, Macavity is not a cat really.
(ii) Macavity is just a fictional character created by the
poet whose actions resemble those of a crook's, the master criminal.. He is so
cunning that he can't be caught by the Scotland Yard Police.
2
Complete the following sentences.
(i) A master criminal is one who _______.
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because _______.
(iii) ________ because Macavity moves much faster than
them.
Answer
(i) A master criminal is one who can defy the law and is
able to escape from the clutch of police.
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because whenever they
reach the scene of crime, they cannot find Macavity.
(iii) Nobody can catch Macavity at the scene of crime
because Macavity moves much faster than them.
3
"A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without
coming through". (Jules Verne) Which law is Macavity breaking in the light
of the comment above?
Answer
In the light of the above comment, Macavity is breaking the
law of gravity. It means no trace or evidence is found from the place of crime
about Macavity. He vanishes in the thin air.
4
Read stanza 3, and then, describe Macavity in two or
three sentences of your own.
Answer
Macavity is a ginger cat who is very tall and thin with
sunken eyes and brow deeply lined with thought. Maybe as it keeps panning for
his next crime. While its head is highly domed, its coat is dusty and whiskers
are uncombed. It sways its head from side-to-side and it is always wide awake
even when one thinks that it is half-asleep.
5
Say 'False' or 'True' for each of the following
statements.
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all
rolled in one.
Answer
(i) True
(ii) False
(iii) True
(iv) False
(v) True
6
Having read the poem, try to guess whether the poet is
fond of cats. If so, why does he call Macavity a fiend and monster?
Answer
Yes, it seems like the poet is fond of cats as he seems to praise
him by showing that he is bafflement of Scotland Yard. He calls Macavity a
'fiend' and a 'monster' because he might have wanted to portray an evil side.
But at the same time he praises all his techniques He might have used a cat in
order to create a negative character who is a criminal and escapes easily from police.
The quick movements of a cat and its mysterious eyes might have influenced him
to create this evil character in the form of a cat.
7
Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? Find a
few examples of it and read those lines aloud.
Answer
Yes, the poet has used exaggerations such as the cat's
defiance of gravity and it being called a 'monster of depravity' and a 'fiend'
in order to enhance the mystery surrounding the cat. Since the cat is shown to
be super-fast as nobody from the Scotland Yard to the flying squad can catch it
on the scene of crime These exaggerations have been used by Eliot to lay stress
on this monstrous as well as surprising and mysterious nature of Macavity.
Examples:
(i) 'He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying
Squad's despair'.
(ii) 'He breaks the law of gravity'.
(iii) 'His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare.'
(iv) 'He's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.'
(v) 'He is the Hidden paw'