NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English Chapter 6 - I Want Something In A Cage

Page No: 38

Comprehension Check

1. Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following statements.

(i) Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, dogs and monkeys.

Ans: True

(ii) He was very concerned about the well-being of the birds and animals in

his shop.

Ans: False

(iii) He was impressed by the customer who bought the two doves.

Ans: False

(iv) He was a successful shop owner, though insensitive and cold as a person.

Ans: False

2. Why is Mr Purcell compared to an owl?

Ans:

Mr Purcell is shown wearing large glasses that magnified his eyes which give him the appearance of a wise and genial owl. Thus, he is compared to an owl.

3. From the third paragraph pick out

(i) words associated with cries of birds,

Ans: whispered twitters, cheeps, squeaks

(ii) words associated with noise,

Ans: Rustling, squeals, squeaks

(iii) words suggestive of confusion and fear.

Ans: frantic, frightened, bewildered, blindly seeking.

Page No: 39

4. "...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?

Ans: Here, in this paragraph, 'It' refers to the chirping, squeaking and mewing of the birds and animals in the shop of Mr Purcell.

(ii) Why does Mr Purcell not hear 'it' clearly?

Ans: Mr Purcell does not hear 'it' clearly because it has now become a daily routine for him. He heard it no more than he would have heard the monotonous ticking of the clock.

Page No: 42

Comprehension Check

1. Do you think the atmosphere of Mr Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans: The constant stir of movement in the pet shop made the whole atmosphere depressing. The birds and animals moved in circles restlessly. They seemed to be unhappy in their cages and wanted to be free.

2. Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want? 

Ans: The stranger who came to the pet shop wanted something small with wings in a cage. He wore shiny shoes which squeaked forward. His suit, though new, was cheap and ill-fitting. He had a shuttling glance and close – cropped hair.

3. (i) The man insisted on buying the doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?

Ans: I do not agree with this statement that the man insisted on buying doves because he was fond of birds as he didn’t directly ask for birds. He simply expressed his wish to have a small creature with wings in a cage. This implies that he had sympathy for the birds and wished to see them flying freely.

(ii) How had he earned the five dollars he had?

Ans: Those five dollars were his earnings from hard labour that he did during ten years of imprisonment in the jail. He willingly gave those five dollars to set living creatures free from being imprisoned.

4. Was the customer interested in the care and feeding of the doves he had bought? If not, why not?

Ans: The stranger bought the doves to set them free from their cages. He wasn’t interested in the care and feeding of the birds. He wished to see them free and fly freely.

NCERT Solutions for Class 7 English An Alien Hand Chapter 6 I Want Something In A Cage

Class 7 An Alien Hand Chapter 6 - A Concise Review

Part-1

The story starts with how Mr Purcell felt about a strange customer who bought two doves from him. Mr Purcell was the proud owner of a pet shop. He used to sell animals like cats, dogs and monkeys. He also used to deal with bird seeds, fish foods and various types of ornamental cages. The cages had birds and small creatures captured inside them.

The creature trapped in a cage made noises throughout the day being frightened of their captor. The customers admired and appreciated Mr Purcell’s collection, which made him happy. The author has described Mr Purcell’s appearance as a wise owl, who considered himself to be of a professional calibre. Every morning after opening his pet shop at a stipulated time, he used to read every minute detail of the newspaper.

Part-2

On one such morning amidst the rough weather, Mr Purcell settled on his high stool and opened his morning newspaper. The noises made by the animals continued in the background and he was used to them. He had a bell installed over the door that jingled every time a customer entered the shop. On that very day, he was unable to hear the bell ring. 

A strange customer came inside the shop. Mr Purcell could feel a strange aura around the customer. His instincts told him that the customer hated him. The man wore a new but cheap, improperly fitted suit and shiny shoes. He was constantly looking around the shop, ignoring Mr Purcell. To start a conversation, Mr Purcell casually talked about the weather and asked what he wanted. The man replied that he wanted something small in a cage with wings.

Mr Purcell suggested that he can buy a bird. The customer then pointed to a suspended cage that had two Doves inside it.

Part-3

Mr Purcell quoted the price as fifty dollars and fifty cents. The man was disappointed upon hearing the price. Hesitantly, he took out a five-dollar bill and presented it to the shopkeeper.  After a quick mental calculation of the profit, he agreed to the deal.

He handed over the cage to his customer. The man listened to the noise those caged birds were making. He found the noise disturbing and asked Purcell if he felt the same about the noise. However, Purcell could not hear any noise.

Part-4

The strange customer then narrated how he had earned those five dollars after working for ten years in prison. The pay was fifty cents a year. Then, he walked out of the store. He opened the cage, drew out both the doves one after the other, and set them free.

The doves flew away like fluffy balls and disappeared into the smoky grey sky. The customer looked at the water, fed the birds and then dropped the cage. He walked away.

Mr Purcell was perplexed after seeing this act of the strange customer. He wondered why he bought them to set them free. He felt insulted.

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