Extra Questions
1.When Kari was given to the narrator to take care of, what was
Kari’s age and what was the age of the narrator? How did both of them grow?
~ Kari
the little elephant was five months old when he was given to the narrator to
take care of and the narrator was nine years old.
The narrator could reach Kari’s back when he stood in tiptoe. They grew old
together.
2. Where did Kari live? How was the place?
~
Kari, the little elephant lived in a pavilion.
Kari’s the pavilion was built of a thatched roof that lay on thick tree stumps because it was
very high and would not fall when Kari bump against the poles.
3. Why did the narrator take Kari to the river every day? What and how
much of the food would be consumed everyday?
~ The narrator used to take Kari to the river every day for his bath. He would lie
down on the sandbank while the boy rubbed him with the clean sand of the river.
Kari
needed forty pounds of twigs a day to chew and play with.
4. What is the easy way to lead an elephant? What kind of food would
Kari eat?
~
While bathing Kari would lie down on the sandbank while the boy rubbed him with
the clean sand of the river. He used to lie in the water for a long time. On
coming out his skin would be shiny and he would squeal with pleasure. The boy
would take him by his ears as it was the easy way to lead Kari.
Kari
used to eat luscious twigs at dinner.
5. How would the narrator gather food for Kari?
~ Finding good twigs for Kari took a long time because his friend had to
climb all kinds of trees to get the most delicate and tender twigs. Kari was
fond of young branches of banana trees. He had to be very sharp hatchet to cut
down these twigs which took half an hour to sharpen it. It was not an easy job.
6. One day Kari shouted for the narrator, On reaching what did the
narrator find?
~ Near
the edge of the water the boy found black something struggling above the
surface of the water. It rose higher, he realized it was the trunk of his
elephant.
7. What was the initial thought of the narrator as he found Kari in the
water? Why did he think that it was impossible for him to save Kari?
~ As
the boy found Kari in the water, he thought that Kari was drowning. He felt
helpless.
He
thought that it was impossible for him to save Kari as he was not a good
swimmer and he also could not jump into the water and save four hundred pounds
of him as he was much higher.
8. When Kari pushed the narrator in the water, what did he see? How
was he unsuccessful for the first time in saving the boy?
~ When
Kari pushed the boy in the water, he saw a boy lying flat on the water. He had
not altogether touched bottom but was somewhat afloat.
He
dived into the water and pulled the body of the drowning boy to the r surface.
But not being a good swimmer, he could not swim ashore and the slow current was
dragging down.
9. How did Kari save the boy and as well as the narrator?
~ Kari
moved fast like a hawk and came half into the water. He gave his trunk to hold
but the boy slipped and went into the water again. He sank to the bottom of the
water still was holding the drowning boy with his hand. As his body rose above
the water, he found lasso around his neck. He thought some water animal but it
was Kari, he held him by his neck with his trunk and pulled both of them
ashore.
10. How did Kari develop a great love for bananas?
~ Kari
was a little baby. He had to be trained to be good, or else would turn more
mischief. Someday someone gave him banans to eat and soon he developed a great
love for ripe bananas.
11.First time on disappearing of the fruits who was blamed? Second
time who was blamed?
~ On
disappearing from of the fruits the narrator was blamed at first. He was very
mad at his parents as he knew he had not done anything.
As the
boy realized that Kari was the thief, he took him to his parents and showed
that it was Kari who used to steal fruits from the table.
12. What did the narrator think about the banana stealing when he
was blamed?
~ On
disappearing from of the fruits the narrator was blamed at first. He was very
mad at his parents and his servants too as he was that that it was them who
took the fruits away.
13. Why did the narrator think the third time it to be a big snake?
How did he react?
~
While he was sitting in the dining room and wondering whether he should take
some fruit without his parent’s permission a long black thing like a snake,
suddenly came through the window and disappeared with all the bananas.
He was
very frightened as he never heard that snakes eat bananas. He thought it to be
a terrible snake. He crept out of the house with great fear.
14. Why did the narrator follow Kari to the Pavillion? What did he
find there?
~ He
was frightened, he wanted Kari’s company to cheer up. So, when he saw Kari
disappearing towards his pavilion he started following him.
He
found Kari eating bananas. He stood with astonishment when he saw bananas lying
strew all around.
15. How did the narrator realized that it was Kari who stole the
bananas?
~ When
he saw Kari disappearing towards his pavilion he ran after him as he was
frightened. He wanted Kari’s company to cheer up. There he found Kari eating
bananas. He stood with astonishment when he saw bananas lying strew all around.
He stretched out his trunk and reached for one far away from where he was
standing. That instant the trunk looked like a black snake and he realized that
Kari was the thief, who stole the bananas.
16. What did the narrator do when he found the real thief?
~ Realizing
that Kari was the real thief, the narrator pulled him out by the ears and
joyously showed his parents that it was Kari who had stolen the fruits. He
scolds him and says that from the next time he will be whipped.
17.What special quality of the elephant did the narrator share with
us?
~ The
narrator says that an elephant always wills to be punished for anything wrong
they have done. But if they are punished without any reason they will remember
and pay it back in their own coin.
18. How did Kari behave after he was scolded?
~
After being scolded his pride was so hurt that he never stole anything from the
dining room. And from them, if anyone gave him any fruit he always squealed as
if to thank them.
19. What is Dhat? How did Kari learn Dhat?
~ Dhat
is a command for an elephant to sit.
By
pulling his ears and saying Dhat, he gradually learns to sit down.
20. What is Mali? How did Kari learn Mali?
~ Mali
is a command for an elephant to walk.
By
saying Mali whenever the narrator pulls the trunk forward of Kari, he gradually
learns to walk.
21. Why is it important that an elephant must be taught Dhat?
~ It is important to teach an elephant to sit
as it grows taller and taller than the one who takes care of him. When an
elephant is of 2 or 3 years old one can only reach his back with a ladder. So,
therefore it is necessary to teach him to sit so that one can climb his back.
22. What is the most difficult thing to teach an elephant? How much
time does an elephant take to learn that? How is the sound of it when it is
used?
~ The
most difficult thing to teach an elephant is ‘master call’.
An
elephant generally takes five years to learn it properly.
The master call is a strange hissing, howling sound when used.
23.In what situation a master call is given?
~ The master call is used if anyone is lost in the jungle and there is no way out,
everything is black except the stars above. It is a strange hissing, a howling
sound made to give a signal to the elephant that he or she is in problem, one
master call will bring the elephant near him to help him.
24. What does an elephant do when a master call is given?
~ Once a master call is made, the elephant
realizes that he or she is in trouble. At once the elephant pulls down the tree
with his tree trunk this frightens all the animals away. As the tree comes
crashing down, monkeys wake up and run from branch to branch. Even the tiger
gets frightened, he growls in the distance. The elephant than pulls another tree,
then another in this way he makes a road in the jungle straight to the house.