1. Chapter Introduction
Hello students! Today we will explore a very humorous and thrilling story, Class 9 English Chapter 5: “The Snake and the Mirror” written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Have you ever looked into a mirror and admired your looks? Well, in this story, a young homeopathic doctor does exactly that, but his vanity is interrupted by a terrifying, uninvited guest—a large cobra! The story is a brilliant mix of fear, humor, and a surprising twist involving the snake’s own fascination with a mirror.
2. Characters Detail
- The Doctor: A young, unmarried homeopathic doctor who is quite poor but very proud of his looks and profession. He makes grand plans to look handsome.
- The Snake (Cobra): The frightening creature that falls from the roof and coils around the doctor’s arm. Surprisingly, it gets captivated by its own reflection in the mirror.
- The Thief: An unseen character who breaks into the doctor’s empty room at night and steals almost everything, except for a dirty vest.
3. Full Summary
The Doctor’s Poor Living Conditions
The story is narrated by a homeopathic doctor to his friends. He recalls a hot summer night when he lived in a small, rented room with no electricity. The room had a tiled roof and was heavily infested with rats. After having his meal at a restaurant, he returned to his room, lit a kerosene lamp, and sat on a chair since it was too hot to sleep. He took out a medical book to read, but his attention was quickly drawn to a large mirror on the table.
Vain Thoughts in Front of the Mirror
Being young and unmarried, the doctor was quite conscious of his looks. Looking into the mirror, he made two “important” decisions to enhance his handsome appearance. First, he decided to shave daily and grow a thin moustache. Second, he decided to always keep an attractive smile on his face. He also dreamed of marrying a wealthy, fat lady doctor so that if he ever made a silly mistake, she wouldn’t be able to run and catch him!
The Unwelcome Guest
While he was lost in his vain thoughts, the regular noise of rats scurrying above suddenly stopped. He heard a dull thud, like a rubber tube falling to the ground. Before he could even turn to look, a fat cobra slithered over the back of his chair and quickly coiled itself around his left arm, just above the elbow. The snake’s hood was spread out, and its head was hardly three or four inches from his face.
Turning into Stone
The doctor was terrified. He didn’t jump, tremble, or cry out. He held his breath and sat there like a statue carved of stone. In that moment of extreme fear, he remembered God and realized how foolish and poor he actually was. He didn’t even have any medicine in his room if the snake bit him! His vanity vanished entirely, and he felt helpless.
The Escape and the Aftermath
Suddenly, the snake turned its head and saw its reflection in the mirror. Fascinated by its own image, the snake uncoiled from the doctor’s arm and slowly moved onto the table, creeping closer to the mirror. Seizing this golden opportunity, the doctor quietly got up, rushed out the door, and ran as fast as he could to a friend’s house. The next morning, when he returned to his room to pack his belongings, he found that a thief had stolen everything—his clothes, his medical books, and his money. The only thing the “insulting” thief left behind was the doctor’s dirty vest!
4. Multiple Choice Questions (10 MCQs)
Q1. Who is the author of “The Snake and the Mirror”?
(a) Ruskin Bond | (b) Vaikom Muhammad Basheer | (c) William Butler Yeats | (d) R.K. Narayan
Answer: (b) Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Q2. What was the narrator’s profession?
(a) Teacher | (b) Engineer | (c) Homeopathic Doctor | (d) Lawyer
Answer: (c) Homeopathic Doctor
Q3. Which animal shared the room with the doctor?
(a) Cats | (b) Dogs | (c) Rats | (d) Bats
Answer: (c) Rats
Q4. What did the doctor decide to do to look more handsome?
(a) Buy new clothes | (b) Shave daily and grow a thin moustache | (c) Wear a hat | (d) Exercise daily
Answer: (b) Shave daily and grow a thin moustache
Q5. What kind of woman did the doctor want to marry?
(a) A thin, poor woman | (b) A beautiful model | (c) A rich, fat lady doctor | (d) A teacher
Answer: (c) A rich, fat lady doctor
Q6. Where did the snake coil itself?
(a) Around his neck | (b) Around his left arm | (c) Around his right leg | (d) Around his waist
Answer: (b) Around his left arm
Q7. How close was the snake’s head to the doctor’s face?
(a) Three or four inches | (b) One foot | (c) Touching his nose | (d) Two feet
Answer: (a) Three or four inches
Q8. What saved the doctor’s life?
(a) He killed the snake | (b) He ran away immediately | (c) The mirror | (d) His friend came to help
Answer: (c) The mirror
Q9. Where did the doctor run away to?
(a) To the police station | (b) To his clinic | (c) To a friend’s house | (d) To the roof
Answer: (c) To a friend’s house
Q10. What was the only thing the thief left behind in the room?
(a) The mirror | (b) A dirty vest | (c) The medical book | (d) A chair
Answer: (b) A dirty vest
5. Short Answer Questions (30-40 Words)
Q1. Why did the doctor decide to marry a fat lady?
Ans. The doctor wanted to marry a wealthy, fat lady doctor so that if he ever made a silly mistake and needed to run away, she wouldn’t be able to run fast enough to catch him.
Q2. What were the two “earth-shaking” decisions the doctor made while looking in the mirror?
Ans. Looking into the mirror, the doctor decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look handsome. Secondly, he decided to always keep an attractive smile on his face.
Q3. How did the doctor react when the snake coiled around his arm?
Ans. The doctor was terrified. He did not jump, tremble, or cry out. He held his breath and sat perfectly still, turning into a statue carved of stone, knowing that any movement could cause the snake to strike.
Q4. How did the mirror save the doctor’s life?
Ans. The snake turned its head and saw its reflection in the large mirror. Fascinated by its own image, it uncoiled from the doctor’s arm and moved closer to the mirror, allowing the doctor to escape.
Q5. What did the doctor discover when he returned to his room the next morning?
Ans. When the doctor returned with his friend to pack his things, he found his room empty. A thief had broken in and stolen all his belongings, leaving behind only his dirty, unwashed vest.
6. Long Answer Questions (60-80 Words)
Q1. Describe the doctor’s room. What kind of life was he leading?
Ans. The doctor was living a life of poverty. He lived in a small, rented room that had no electricity; he had to use a kerosene lamp. The room had a tiled roof supported by gables that rested on the beam. It was heavily infested with rats that constantly ran up and down the beam. His earnings were meager, and he had only sixty rupees in his suitcase, along with a few shirts, dhotis, and a black coat.
Q2. Contrast the doctor’s thoughts when he was looking in the mirror versus when the snake coiled around his arm.
Ans. When the doctor was looking in the mirror, he was filled with vanity and pride. He admired his looks, planned to grow a moustache, and dreamed of marrying a rich, fat lady. He felt like an important bachelor. However, when the snake coiled around his arm, his arrogance vanished instantly. Confronted with death, he realized he was just a “poor, foolish, and stupid doctor.” He remembered God and felt helpless, knowing he didn’t even have medicines for a snakebite.
Q3. The story “The Snake and the Mirror” is a humorous tale. Discuss the elements of humor in the story.
Ans. The story is full of humor. The doctor’s reason for wanting to marry a fat woman—so she couldn’t catch him if he ran—is very comical. Humor arises again when the terrifying snake gets distracted by its own reflection in the mirror, acting as vain as the doctor himself. The final funny twist happens when the doctor returns to his room only to find that a thief has stolen everything except his dirty, unwashed vest, feeling “insulted” that the thief didn’t take it too.
