An Entertainment with Animals

I. Word meanings.

a. trestle tables – tables with boards kept on foldable stands.

b. raucous – sounding loud and rough.

c. murals – large paintings, usually made on a wall.

d. commemorate – mark or celebrate an event by a ceremony.

e. shingle – a small, smooth stone usually found on beaches or riversides.

f. sunstroke – fatigue and fever brought on by excessive exposure to sunlight.

g. ablutions – the act of washing oneself.

h. hamadryad – an exaggerated term for a snake.

i. throatily – in a low, rough voice.

j. malignant – dangerous and harmful.

k. maimed – seriously injured.

l. asunder – into pieces, apart.

m. belfry – a bell tower, sometimes found at the top of a church.

n. deprecatingly – showing disapproval.

o. desultory – with no specific purpose, aimless.

II. Answer these questions.

1. Describe the activities of the different family members while preparing

for the party.

Ans: Margo lay on the floor, drawing large and highly coloured murals in chalk

on huge sheets of brown paper. In the drawing room, Leslie was surrounded

by huge piles of furniture, working out the number of chairs and tables the

house could contain. Mother was in the kitchen, surrounded by clouds of

steam, sparkling fires and the soft bubbling and wheezing of pots. The author

and the dogs wandered from room to room giving advice and generally making

themselves useful. In his bedroom upstairs, Larry slept peacefully.

2. What do we learn about the parties that are usually thrown by the Durrell

family?

Ans: The parties thrown by the Durrell family were decided at a short notice

and given for no particular reason. They usually invited everyone they could

think of, including the people they cordially disliked. They invited people for

lunch, as well as to tea and dinner. They started organising so far in advance

that they would become exhausted and irritable by the time the day of the

festivities dawned. They organised the parties well. But in the end, the parties

never went according to plan.

3. What discovery stunned Gerald on the morning of the party?

Ans: On the morning of the party, Gerald was stunned to discover that two of

his goldfish had been killed and partially eaten by the terrapins and the water

snakes.

4. What change of plans had to be initiated by Gerald and why?

Ans: Gerald had to move the reptiles into kerosene tins. He found out that two

of his goldfish had been killed and partially eaten by the terrapins and the

water snakes. He had forgotten that both terrapins and the water snakes ate

fish occasionally. So, he was forced to move the reptiles until he could think of

a solution to the problem.

5. What did Gerald’s mother agree to and under what condition?

Ans: Gerald’s mother agreed to let the snakes be immersed in cold water in

the bath tub under the condition that everyone had finished their bath and

Gerald should not forget to disinfect it.

6. What has been described as the cry of a minotaur? What was the reason

behind the cry?

Ans: Leslie’s cry has been described as the cry of a minotaur.

Leslie had gone to a take a bath. That is when he noticed the water snakes

soaking in the bath tub. Seeing the snakes, Leslie had given out a cry.

7. How did Gerald’s mother try to save the situation and calm Leslie?

Ans: Gerald’s mother tried to save the situation and calm Leslie by admitting

that it was her fault that she allowed Gerald to put the snakes in the bath tub.

She did that as the snakes were suffering from sunstroke and almost dying.

She then instructed Gerald to remove the snakes and put them somewhere

else for the time being.

8. Comment on the reference to Saint Francis of Assisi.

Ans: Saint Francis of Assisi is known as the patron saint of animals. That

means that he loved all animals and liked being around them. The Durrell

household was full of all kinds of animals. All the animals were cared for. It

was the perfect place where the saint would feel at home.

III. Answer these questions with reference to the context.

1. “Could I put them in the bath for an hour or so?”

a. Who is the speaker and what does ‘them’ refer to?

Ans: The speaker is Gerald. “Them” refers to the water snakes.

b. Who is the listener? How has the person been described here?

Ans: The listener is his mother.

The mother has been described as hardworking. She loved to cook and

feed her guests. She indulged Gerald by allowing him to keep so many

animals in the house. She also tried to calmly resolve all disputes at home.

c. What reply does the speaker receive?

Ans: Gerald’s mother agreed to let the snakes be immersed in cold water

in the bath tub under the condition that everyone had finished their bath

and Gerald should not forget to disinfect it.

d. What happens later?

Ans: Later when all the guests had arrived and Leslie went to take a bath,

he was terrified to find the snakes in the bath tub and gave a loud cry.
2. The effect on the guests was interesting.

a. How many kinds of guests were present at the party?

Ans: There were two kinds of guests present at the party.

b. Which incident is being referred to here?

Ans: The incident where Leslie went for a bath and found the snakes in the

bath tub is being referred to here.

c. What was the effect on the guests?

Ans: The guests who knew the Durrells were following the whole scene

with avid interest. The others did not know whether to ignore the incident or

leap on Leslie before he attacked someone.

d. Who tried to save the situation and how?

Ans: Gerald’s mother tried to save the situation by admitting that it was

her fault that she allowed Gerald to put the snakes in the bath tub. She did

that as the snakes were suffering from sunstroke and almost dying. She

then instructed Gerald to remove the snakes and put them somewhere else

for the time being.

3. “Larry, dear, you do exaggerate.”

a. Who said this? How has the speaker been described here?

Ans: The mother said this.

The speaker has been described as a mediator here.

b. What is the speaker trying to ensure?

Ans: The speaker is trying to ensure that the situation is saved in front of

the guests and everyone calms down.

c. What had Larry been saying?

Ans: Larry had been saying that the house was a deathtrap. There were

malignant faunae in every corner of the house, waiting to pounce. He

exaggerated how he was attacked by a scorpion, a hideous beast that

dripped venom and babies all over the place. He described how his room

was destroyed by magenpies. There were snakes in the bath tub and flocks

of albatrosses flapping around the house.

d. What did Larry go on to add immediately after this?

Ans: Larry went on to add immediately that one night Quasimodo, the

pigeon, woke him up at half past three in the morning intent on pushing his

rectum into Larry’s eye.

4. “No! They’ve got to go right outside!”

a. Who said this and when?

Ans: Larry said this when his mother instructed Gerald to remove the

snakes and put them somewhere else for the time being.

b. Comment on the speaker’s mood at this point.

Ans: The speaker was irritated at this point.

c. What steps were taken thereafter and by whom?

Ans: The water snakes were removed from the bath tub and put in a

saucepan by Gerald.

d. What did the speaker decide to do right after and why?

Ans: The speaker decided to exaggerate the situation in the house by

saying that it was full of harmful animals. He did that because he was

irritated by the fact that Gerald’s animals moved around freely inside the

house.