Macavity The Mystery Cat Class 8
Question 1: Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really?
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?
Answer: (i) Macavity is a cunning cat.
(ii) If not a cat, he can be an expert thief or criminal or a mysterious creature.
Macavity The Mystery Cat Class 8
Question 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 defies the law, evades arrest and escapes from the clutches of policemen.
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because whenever they reach the scene of crime, they cannot find Macavity.
Question 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 Newton’s Law of Gravitation.
Question 4: Read stanza 3, and then describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.
Answer: Macavity is a very cunning and cautious cat. He is tall and thin. His eyes are sunken in, his forehead is wrinkled, and his head is dome like. His coat is soiled. Hair on his cheeks is not combed.
Question 5: Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat – True
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do – False
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers – True
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright – False
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one – True
Answer: The poet admires the cat for his swift movement, expert criminality and the way he gives a slip to the police. But he is a law breaker at the same time, so the poet calls him a devil and giant.
Macavity The Mystery Cat Class 8
Question 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.
