A Short Monsoon Diary

 Questions:

1. Why is the author not able to see Bijju?
2. What are the two ways in which the hills appear to change when the mist comes up?

Answers:

1. The author could not see Bijju because of the mist that concealed the hills. He could only hear his voice but could not see him.
2. When the mist comes up, it covers the hills and spreads silence.

Questions:

1. When does the monsoon season begin and when does it end? How do you prepare to face the monsoon?
2. Which hill-station does the author describe in the diary entry?
3. For how many days does it rain without stopping? What does the author do on these days?
4. Where do the snakes and rodents take shelter? Why?
5. What did the author receive in the mail?

Answers:

1. The monsoon season in Mussorie begins from June 24/25. By August 2, the people are fed up with rain. It ends by August 31. Then begins winter rains which end by late March. We take out our rain coats and umbrellas to face the monsoon.
2. Mussoorie
3. It rains non-stop for eight or nine days. The author keeps pacing the room and looking out of the window.
4. The rodents and snakes take shelter in roofs, attics and godowns. They do so because their holes are flooded with rain water.
5. The author received a cheque in the mail.

Question 2:
Why did the grandmother ask the children not to kill the Chuchundar?
Answer:
The grandmother told the children not to kill the Chuchundars because they brought good luck and money.

Question 3:
What signs do we find in Nature which show that the monsoons are about to end?
Answer:
By the end of the monsoon the greenery is at its peak. The seeds of the cobra lily turn red. A rainbow is formed in the sky.

Question 4:
Complete the following sentences.

1. Bijju is not seen but his voice is heard because__________ .
2. The writer describes the hill station and valley as _________ .
3. The leopard was’ successful in________ but had to flee when
4. The minivets are easily noticed because _________ .
5. It looks like a fashion display on the slopes when_________.
6. During the monsoon season, snakes and rodents are found in roofs and attics because _________.

Answer:

1. dense mist covers and hides the hills.
2. ‘A paradise that might have been.’
3. killing a dog but had to flee when Bijju’s mother arrived crying curses.
4. of their bright colours.
5. they are covered by a variety of flowers.
6. their holes are flooded with water and these places provide them conve­nient shelter.

Question 7:
What is the significance of cobra lily in relation to the monsoon season, its beginning and end?
Answer:
At first cobra lily appears with the arrival of the monsoon. When the cobra seeds begin to turn red, it indicates the rains are coming to an end.