The Snake and the Mirror - Reading Comprehension

AP/ NCERT Board-Based Reading Comprehension Passages Grade 9 Beehive

Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror

Reading Comprehension 1

It was a hot summer night; about ten o’clock. I had my meal at the restaurant and returned to my room. I heard a noise from above as I opened the door. The sound was a familiar one. One could say that the rats and I shared the room. I took out my box of matches and lighted the kerosene lamp on the table.

The house was not electrified; it was a small rented room. I had just set up medical practice and my earnings were meagre. I had about sixty rupees in my suitcase. Along with some shirts and dhotis, I also possessed one solitary black coat which I was then wearing.

I took off my black coat, white shirt and not-so white vest and hung them up. I opened the two windows in the room. It was an outer room with one wall facing the open yard. It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. There was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. I made my bed and pulled it close to the wall. I lay down but I could not sleep. I got up and went out to the veranda for a little air, but the wind god seemed to have taken time off.

1. Why did the narrator open the two windows in the room?

A) To let in more rats

B) To enjoy the view

C) To improve ventilation

D) To scare away intruders

2. What does the narrator's possession of only one black coat imply about his financial situation?

A) He is extravagant.

B) He is fashion-conscious.

C) He has limited resources.

D) He is a minimalist.

3. How does the absence of an electrified house impact the narrator's living conditions?

A) Increases comfort

B) Causes inconvenience

C) Enhances security

D) Improves energy efficiency

4. Why did the narrator observe a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam in the room?

A) They were attracted to the kerosene lamp.

B) The room had a food source.

C) Rats were his pets.

D) The room was infested with insects.

5. How does the narrator's decision to set up medical practice relate to his financial circumstances?

A) It is a sign of wealth.

B) It indicates a passion for medicine.

C) It reflects the need for additional income.

D) It suggests a desire for a luxurious lifestyle.

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Reading Comprehension 2

I went back into the room and sat down on the chair. I opened the box beneath the table and took out a book, the Materia Medica. I opened it at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror; a small comb lay beside the mirror.

One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near one. I took a look. In those days I was a great admirer of beauty and I believed in making myself look handsome. I was unmarried and I was a doctor. I felt I had to make my presence felt. I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat.

Again I heard that sound from above.

1. What did the narrator take out from the box beneath the table?

A) Money

B) Food

C) A book (Materia Medica)

D) Clothes

2. Where did the narrator open the book, Materia Medica?

A) On the bed

B) On the floor

C) At the table with the lamp

D) In front of the mirror

3. What tempted the narrator to look into the mirror?

A) A desire to fix his hair

B) The presence of a large mirror

C) A need for self-reflection

D) The influence of the Materia Medica

4. Why did the narrator feel the need to make himself look handsome?

A) He was going out for an event

B) He was meeting someone special

C) He was a doctor and unmarried

D) He wanted to impress his patients

5. State True or False:

The narrator's admiration for beauty led him to believe in maintaining a neat appearance.

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Reading Comprehension 3

I took a close look at my face in the mirror. I made an important decision — I would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor!

I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. I made another earth-shaking decision. I would always keep that attractive smile on my face ... to look more handsome. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it!

Again came that noise from above.

I got up, paced up and down the room. Then another lovely thought struck me. I would marry. I would get married to a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice. She had to be fat; for a valid reason. If I made some silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after me and catch me!

1. What decision did the narrator make after looking at himself in the mirror?

A) To stop shaving

B) To shave daily and grow a thin mustache

C) To change his profession

D) To wear a disguise

2. Why did the narrator decide to maintain an attractive smile on his face?

A) To impress his patients

B) To look more handsome

C) To please his family

D) To become a comedian

3. What additional decision did the narrator make while contemplating his reflection?

A) To quit being a doctor

B) To change his hairstyle

C) To remain single forever

D) To get married

4. What specific qualities did the narrator desire in his future wife?

A) Slim and wealthy

B) Fat with a good medical practice and wealth

C) Intelligent and athletic

D) Young and beautiful

5. What does the term "earth-shaking" mean in the context of the passage?

A) Causing earthquakes

B) Affecting the entire world

C) Making a significant decision

D) Creating a loud noise

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Reading Comprehension 4

With such thoughts in my mind I resumed my seat in the chair in front of the table. There were no more sounds from above. Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground ... surely nothing to worry about. Even so I thought I would turn around and take a look. No sooner had I turned than a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on my shoulder. The snake’s landing on me and my turning were simultaneous.

I didn’t jump. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out. There was no time to do any such thing. The snake slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm above the elbow. The hood was spread out and its head was hardly three or four inches from my face!

It would not be correct to say merely that I sat there holding my breath. I was turned to stone. But my mind was very active. The door opened into darkness. The room was surrounded by darkness. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.

1. What sound did the narrator hear before the snake incident occurred?

A) Dull thud

B) Hissing

C) Laughter

D) Rattling

2. How did the snake land on the narrator?

A) It fell from the ceiling

B) It climbed up from the floor

C) It dropped from a rubber tube

D) It crawled down from above

3. How did the narrator react when the snake landed on his shoulder?

A) Jumped and cried out

B) Trembled and turned to stone

C) Held his breath and cried out

D) Sat still without any visible reaction

4. State True or False:

The narrator cried out when the snake landed on him.

5. Which statement is irrelevant to the events in the passage?

A) The room was surrounded by snakes.

B) The snake slithered along the doctor's shoulder.

C) The door opened into darkness.

D) He was turned to stone.

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Reading Comprehension 5

I felt then the great presence of the creator of this world and this universe. God was there. Suppose I said something and he did not like it . . . I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.

There was some pain in my left arm. It was as if a thick leaden rod — no, a rod made of molten fire — was slowly but powerfully crushing my arm. The arm was beginning to be drained of all strength. What could I do?

At my slightest movement the snake would strike me! Death lurked four inches away. Suppose it struck, what was the medicine I had to take? There were no medicines in the room. I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.

1. What did the narrator feel in his left arm?

A) Numbness

B) Pain

C) Warmth

D) Tingling

2. How did the narrator describe the sensation in his arm?

A) Thick leaden rod

B) Feather-light touch

C) Ice-cold sensation

D) Soft and comforting pressure

3. What did the narrator attempt to write in his imagination outside his heart?

A) A prescription

B) A prayer to God

C) The snake's name

D) A message to a friend

4. What danger did the narrator realize he was in?

A) Fire hazard

B) Snake bite

C) Heart attack

D) Suffocation

5. Why did the narrator smile feebly at himself?

A) To distract the snake

B) To express joy

C) As a sign of helplessness

D) As a sign of bravery

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Reading Comprehension 6

It seemed as if God appreciated that. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection. I do not claim that it was the first snake that had ever looked into a mirror. But it was certain that the snake was looking into the mirror. Was it admiring its own beauty? Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead?

I did not know anything for certain. What sex was this snake, was it male or female? I will never know; for the snake unwound itself from my arm and slowly slithered into my lap. From there it crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. Perhaps it wanted to enjoy its reflection at closer quarters.

I was no mere image cut in granite. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. Still holding my breath I got up from the chair. I quietly went out through the door into the veranda. From there I leapt into the yard and ran for all I was worth.

1. What caught the snake's attention and made it turn its head?

A) A sudden noise

B) The narrator's movement

C) God's intervention

D) The mirror's reflection

2. What is the narrator uncertain about regarding the snake's behavior in front of the mirror?

A) Admiring its own beauty

B) Making an important decision

C) Reflecting on life choices

D) Observing the narrator

3. What does the narrator wonder about regarding the snake's preferences in appearance?

A) Growing a mustache

B) Using eye shadow and mascara

C) Wearing a vermilion spot

D) All of the above

4. What did the snake do after unwinding itself from the narrator's arm?

A) Slithered away

B) Climbed onto the table

C) Coiled around the chair

D) Hissed at the narrator

5. State True or False:

The narrator remained in the chair after the snake unwound itself from his arm.

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Reading Comprehension 7

“Phew !” Each of us heaved a sigh of relief. Somebody asked, “Doctor, is your wife very fat?”

“No,” the doctor said. “God willed otherwise. My life companion is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.”

Someone else asked, “Doctor, when you ran did the snake follow you?”

The doctor replied, “I ran and ran till I reached a friend’s house. Immediately I smeared oil all over myself and took a bath. I changed into fresh clothes. The next morning at about eight-thirty I took my friend and one or two others to my room to move my things from there. But we found we had little to carry. Some thief had removed most of my things. The room had been cleaned out! But not really, the thief had left behind one thing as a final insult!’

“What was that?” I asked.

The doctor said, “My vest, the dirty one. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.”

“Did you see the snake the next day, doctor?”

The doctor laughed, “I’ve never seen it since. It was a snake which was taken with its own beauty!”

1. How did each person in the room react after the snake incident?

A) They laughed

B) They sighed in relief

C) They screamed

D) They ran away

2. What did somebody inquire about the doctor's wife after the incident?

A) If she was a good cook

B) If she was very fat

C) If she was a doctor

D) If she liked snakes

3. What did the doctor do immediately after running to his friend's house?

A) Took a shower

B) Applied oil and took a bath

C) Went to sleep

D) Called the police

4. What did the thief leave behind in the doctor's room?

A) Money

B) Clothes

C) Valuables

D) The doctor's dirty vest

5. State True or False:

The doctor saw the snake again the next day.

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