NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Poem - Macavity - The Mystery Cat

Working with Poem 

1. Read the first stanza and think.

(i) Is Macavity a cat really?

Ans: No, Macavity is not a cat really.

(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?

Ans: Macavity was the creation of the author’s pen. Its actions resembled a crook, the master criminal. The cat had a cunning mind and could not be caught by the Scotland Yard Police.

2. Complete the following sentences.

(i) A master criminal is one who ___________.

Ans: 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 the crime, they cannot find Macavity.

(iii) ____________because Macavity moves much faster than them.

Nobody can catch Macavity at the scene of the crime

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?

Ans: Macavity is breaking the law of gravity, which pulls everything towards the earth, in the above-presented comment. No evidence is found at the crime scene about Macavity and it appears as if he vanished through thin air.

4. Read stanza 3, and then, describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.

Ans: Macavity is a ginger cat whose brows are lined with thought over sunken eyes. He is tall and thin and his head is highly domed. He is always wide awake, panning for his next crime even when everyone thinks he is half asleep. His coat is dusky and whiskers remain uncombed.

5. Say 'False' or 'True' for each of the following statements.

(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.

Ans: True

(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.

Ans: False

(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.

Ans: True

(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.

Ans: False

(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one.

Ans: 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?

Ans: The poet calls Macavity the bafflement of Scotland and it seems like he is fond of cats. He praises him but calls him a ‘fiend’ and a ‘monster’ because he wanted to put light on his evil side too. He used an image of a cat to show an image of a criminal who escapes easily because a cat is sly and escapes without leaving a trace behind. The mystery that a cat beholds in its eyes also reminds us of an expert thief.

7. Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? Find a few examples of it and read those lines aloud.

Ans: There are various instances in the poem where the poet has used exaggeration for special effect. It provides the poem with drama and grandeur which enhances the poem. It's super-quick, according to the poet, so fast that no one can capture it, from Scotland Yard to the flying squad. These exaggerations provide the cat with a monstrous and mysterious aura that holds the readers in awe.

More examples of such exaggerations are:

(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.'

(iv) 'He is the Hidden paw'

An Overview of Class 8 English Honeydew Poem 3 - Macavity the Mystery Cat

Class 8 English Macavity the Mystery Cat, as the name suggests is about a mysterious cat named "Macavity” also known as “the hidden paw”. He is described to be a tall and thin ginger cat. The cat is by all means an evil wicked cat. He is up to no good anytime. He can escape any crime he has committed. So the police have been unable to catch him.

The Scotland Yard has been on his tail for a long time now, but unable to capture him. The cat is no ordinary cat, he is a mysterious one. He has broken every law humanity has ever known. The poet says that one can find him in the street roaming, but when you try to catch him, he will just vanish in thin air.

The poem has been written by T.S. Elliot. The poem includes 7 questions in working with the poem section in the book. All 7 questions have been answered in the Macavity the Mystery Cat Class 8 NCERT solutions pdf offered by Vedantu on this page. Also, some other general questions may be asked from the poem. Other such questions can be found in the resources from Vedantu. The solutions are available in pdf format. The benefit of the solutions being in a pdf format is that these can be downloaded and kept for quick access.

Benefits of NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew

NCERT solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 3 poems have been provided here. These solutions play a fine role in the learning of students. The solutions may provide a description of the chapter, so it provides a good insight into the chapter and gives a good understanding of the chapter. Other benefits of the NCERT solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter are:

• The solutions have been prepared in the word limit which is suitable for the final examination point of view.

• The solutions can be used to check a student’s understanding of the chapter.

• The best benefit of these solutions is that these solutions can be downloaded in a pdf format, which can be accessed anytime.

• The solutions have been curated by the best faculty from Vedantu.

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