Mijbil the Otter

 1.     What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?

Maxwell had travelled Iraq in 1956 and he got the idea of keeping an otter as a pet instead of a dog. He thought Camusfearna was surrounded by water. So, it would be suitable spot for this ‘experiment’.

2.     Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?

Maxwell went to Basra to the Consulate-General to collect and answer his mail from Europe. His mail had not arrived. So he cabled to England and three days later, he even made a phone call which had to be booked 24 hours in advance. On the first day, the line was out of order; on the second day, the exchange was closed for a religious holiday. On the third day, there was another breakdown. His friend had left, and the writer arranged to meet him in a week’s time. Finally, after five days, his mail arrived. Hence, Maxwell had to wait for five days for his mail.

Question 3:

How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.

Answer:

When the writer’s mail arrived, he took it to his bedroom to read. He saw two Arabs squatting on the floor with a sack that squirmed from time to time. They handed him a note which was from his friend, which mentioned that he had sent him an otter.

Yes, Maxwell liked it. We know this from his words “An otter fixation” used to describe his feelings towards the otter. He felt the term was used to express his strong attachment towards otters like any other otter owner would feel.

Question 4:

Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’?

Answer:

An otter was typically called by zoologists as “Lutrogale Perspicillata Maxwelli”, so it was called Maxwell’s otter in short.

Question 5:

Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was

• aloof and indifferent

• friendly

• hostile

Answer:

In the beginning, the otter was aloof and indifferent.

Question 6:

What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?

Answer:

When Maxwell first took Mijbil to the bathroom, the otter first went wild with joy in the water for the first half an hour. He plunged and rolled in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo.

After two days, the otter suddenly disappeared from Maxwell’s bedroom and went to the bathroom to play in the water he was up on the end of the bathtub and fumbling at the chromium taps with his paws. The author watched in amazement how the little creature had turned the tap to produce a trickle of water slowly and, after a moment, achieved the full flow.