English : Unit 4 : Supplementary : The Cat and the Painkiller – by Mark Twain
Warm up
There has always been a close bonding between children and animals. Studies have revealed that living with pet animals increases empathy, compassion and self-esteem among children.
* Do you have a pet at home?
* If yes, what animal is it and what is its name?
* Did you have any humourous moments with it? If yes, what was it?
* How do you care for your pets?
Glossary
infatuated (v) : inspired with an intense but short- lived passion or admiration for someone or something
plunges (n) : act of casting or thrusting forcibly or suddenly into something liquid
quack (n) : a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill
professing (v) : claiming often falsely, that one has a quality or feeling
frenzy (n) : a state of uncontrolled excitement
somersaults (n) : an acrobatic movement either forward or backward in which the body rolls end over end, makes a complete revolution
petrified (adj.): extremely frightened
A. Choose the most suitable option.
1. Tom was disturbed because _____________
a. he didn’t sleep well.
b. his scores were low at school.
c. his friend Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to school.
d. he had picked up a fight with Becky Thatcher.
2. Aunt was an experimenter in _______________
a. trying new recipes.
b. designing fashionable frocks.
c. modern gardening techniques.
d. trying out new medicines.
3. Tom used the pain-killer to ___________________
a. take care of his health.
b. mend the crack on the sitting room floor.
c. cure Becky Thatcher.
d. help his aunt.
4. Peter sprang a couple of yards in the air as __________
a. he had a teaspoon of the pain-killer.
b. his tail was caught in the mouse trap.
c. Tom threw him out of the window.
d. Aunt gave him a push.
5. Finally Aunt Polly said to Tom that he __________________
a. need not take any more medicine.
b. has to go to school regularly.
c. should not meet any of his friends.
d. must take medicines every day.
B. Identify the character or speaker of the following lines.
1. He banged against furniture, upsetting flower-pots and making general havoc. Answer: Peter, the cat
2. She stood petrified with astonishment peering over her glasses. Answer: Aunt Polly
3. ‘That is, I believe they do.’ Answer: Tom
4. ‘What has that got to do that with it?’ Answer: Aunt Polly
5. ‘I done it out of pity for him.’ Answer: Tom
C. Based on your reading, rearrange the following sentences in the correct sequence.
1. Since all her methods failed, finally she gave him a pain-killer.
2. He told his aunt that Peter had no aunt, so he gave him the medicine.
3. The pain-killer triggered adverse reactions on Peter.
4. It jumped out of the open window.
5. Tom was dull and depressed.
6. This incident upset Aunt Polly and she questioned him.
7. But, Tom gave that painkiller to the cat Peter.
8. So, Aunt Polly tried different types of remedies on him.
Ans. Correct sequential arrangement: 3, 8, 5, 6, 1, 7, 4, 2
The pain-killer triggered adverse reactions on Peter.
So, Aunt Polly tried different types of remedies on him.
Tom was dull and depressed.
This incident upset Aunt Polly and she questioned him.
Since all her methods failed, finally she gave him a pain-killer.
But, Tom gave that pain-killer to the cat Peter.
It jumped out of the open window.
He told his aunt that Peter had no aunt, so he gave him the medicine.
D. Based on your understanding of the story, write the answers for the following questions in a sentence or two.
1. Why did Tom lose the charm of his life?
Tom lost the charm of his’life because there was nothing but boredom left.
2. Why did Aunt Polly try different remedies on Tom?
Aunt Polly was an incurable experimenter in these things. So she began to try all manners of remedies on Tom.
3. How did the medicine diminish?
The boy was mending the health of a crack in the sitting room floor with the medicine. So the medicine diminished.
4. Did Tom compel Peter to have the painkiller?
No, Tom did not compel Peter to have the pain killer.
5. Why did Peter wish to taste the painkiller?
Peter was greedy. So he wished to taste the pain-killer.
6. How did Aunt Polly discover the reason for Peter’s absurd behaviour?
Aunt Poliy bend down and took the teaspoon and held it out. Thus she discovered the reason for Peter’s absurd behaviour.
7. What was the reason given by Tom for giving the painkiller to the cat?
Tom told Aunt Polly that he gave the painkiller to the cat out of pity as he hadn’t any aunt.
8. Why did Aunt Polly’s eyes water?
Aunt Polly felt that she had done cruelty to the boy. She began to soften and felt sorry, so her eyes watered.
E. Answer the following questions in about 80–100 words.
1. Describe the different types of remedies tried by Aunt Polly on Tom.
Aunt Polly was infatuated with patent medicines and all new healing methods. She was an incurable experimenter. She tried all manners of remedies on Tom. The water treatment was new. Tom’s low condition was a windfall to her. She kept him out at day light, drowned him in cold water and then rubbed him hard with a file like towel. He was put under blankets. He became upset. She gave hot baths, sitz baths, shower baths and plunges; He remained bored. She added water with a slim oatmeal diet and blister – plasters. To his capacity, she filled him with quack cure-alls. He became fed up. He thought over various plans of relief. He preferred pain killer. He asked for it. It was a nuisance to aunt Polly. But finally she told him to help himself and quit bothering her.
“Too much of anything is good for nothing”
2. Narrate the funny sequence between Tom Sawyer and Peter, the cat.
One day Tom was dosing the crack to heal it. Aunt’s cat Peter noticed it and begged Tom for it. Tom gave it to Peter on his risk. When Tom poured it in his mouth, he sprang in the air and then delivered a war-whoop. He went round and round the room banging against furniture, upsetting flower pots and making general confusion. Next he danced on his hind feet in a frenzy excitement. He held his head over his shoulder and voice proclaiming his happiness. He went tearing around the house again spreading chaos. Aunt entered and saw him throw somersaults with mighty hurrah. He sailed through the window carrying the other flower pots with him. The old lady stood petrified with astonishment. Tom lay on the floor expiring with laughter.
“One’s torture is other’s laughter”
F. Complete the summary of the extract using the appropriate words from the box below.
pain-killer, stopped, cruelty, remedies, teaspoon, school, summersets, Peter, pretended, dejected, health, crack
Tom Sawyer felt dejected as Becky Thatcher had stopped coming to school. His Aunt Polly was very concerned about his health condition. So, she began to try various remedies on him. Tom became fed up with his Aunt’s brand of remedies and pretended to like the pain-killer. He started to ask for it very often. But, Tom used the medicine to mend the crack on the floor. One day, Tom gave the pain-killer to his Aunt’s cat, peter. The painkiller had an adverse effect on the cat and it started to jump around the room. Aunt Polly entered the room in time to see the cat throw a few summersets and sail through the open window. She found the teaspoon with a little pain-killer sticking to it and knew that Tom had treated the cat with it. She realised that, what was cruelty to the cat should be the same to the boy too and Stopped giving medicines to him.
G. In the story we find a lot of American slang usage of English. Complete the tabular column with standard English. One has been done for you.
Answer:
Finally hit ‘pon. : Finally hit upon
There ain’t anything mean about me. : There isn’t anything mean about me.
‘Deed I don’t know. : Indeed I don’t know.
Yes’m. That is, I believe they do. : Yes mam. That is. I believe they do.
‘She’d a roasted bowel out of me.’ : She had a roasted bowel out of me.
‘Oh, go ‘long with you, Tom.’ : Oh, go along with you, Tom.
H. Complete the mind map based on the inputs from the extract.
Answer:
1. stopped
2. disturbed and dejected
3. was concerned
4. all manners of remedies on Tom.
5. the pain killer.
6. Peter, the cat/his aunt’s cat named Peter.
7. feel sorry
Role play
I. Students can volunteer and take roles of Tom and Peter and enact the story in class. The other students who witness the role play can discuss the following.
a. How well did your classmates enact the story?
They enacted the story very perfectly. The dialogues were very excellent. The audience enjoyed it very much.
b. Which part did they do well?
They did the climax well.
c. Which part of their role play, according to you, could have been enacted better?
The cats role could have been made well.
d. If asked to give suggestions to improve their acting skill, what would you suggest?
They can improve their acting skill by standing before the mirror. They can act before a mirror and see their reflection and can perform better.
Read the passage and answer the questions:
1. Becky Thatcher, his friend had stopped coming to school. This disturbed Tom. He became unhappy. The charm of life was gone; there was nothing but boredom left. He put his hoop away and his bat; there was no joy in them anymore and so his aunt Polly was concerned. She was infatuated with patent medicines and all new methods of producing health or mending it. She was incurable experimenter in these things.
Questions:
1. Who is Tom’s friend?
Becky Thatcher is his friend.
2. Why did he become unhappy?
Becky Thatcher, his friend stopped coming to school. This disturbed him. So, he became unhappy.
3. Who was his aunt?
Polly was his aunt.
4. Why was she concerned?
He put his hoop away and his bat, there was no joy in them anymore. So she was concerned.
5. With what was she infatuated?
She was infatuated with patent medicines and all new methods of producing health or mending it.
2. The boy remained bored. She began to assist the water with a slim oatmeal diet and blister plasters. She calculated his capacity and filled him up everyday with quack cure – oils. He became fed up and so he thought over various plans of relief and finally hit upon that of professing to be fond of pain killer. He asked for it so often that he became a nuisance and his aunt ended by telling him to help himself and quit bothering her.
Questions:
1. How did Aunt Polly assist the water?
She began to assist the water with a slim oat meal diet and blister – plasters.
2. With what did Aunt fill Tom up?
Aunt Polly filled him up everyday with quack cure-alls.
3. Who became fed up with Aunt Polly’s activities?
Tom became fed up with Aunt Polly’s activities.
4. What did Tom ask for so often?
Tom asked for the Pain killer very often.
5. What did Aunt Polly tell Tom to do?
Aunt Polly asked Tom to help himself for the pain killer and quit bothering her.
Rearrange the following sentences in coherent order.
i) a. Peter was agreeable.
b. One day Tom was in the act of dosing the crack.
c. Tom opened his mouth and poured down the pain killer.
d. Peter sprang a couple of yards in the air and delivered a war-whoop.
e. Peter came along puring, eyeing the teaspoon greedily and begging for a taste.
Answer: 1-b, 2-e, 3-a, 4-c, 5-d
1. One day Tom was in the act of dosing the crack.
2. Peter came along puring, eyeing the teaspoon greedily and begging for a taste.
3. Peter was agreeable.
4. Tom opened his mouth and poured down the pain killer.
5. Peter sprang a couple of yards in the air and delivered a war-whoop.
ii) a. The charm of life was gone.
b. Becker Thatcher, his friend has stopped coming to school.
c. He put his hoop and bat away. There was no joy in them anymore.
d. That disturbed Tom and he became unhappy.
e. There was nothing, but boredom left.
Answer: 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-e, 5-c
1. Becker Thatcher, his friend has stopped coming to school.
2. That disturbed Tom and he became unhappy.
3. The charm of life was gone.
4. There was nothing, but boredom left.
5. He put his hoop and bat away. There was no joy in them anymore.
iii) a. Tom said, “Don’t ask for it unless you want it.
b. Peter was sure.
c. One day, Tom was in the act of closing the crack, when Peter came along purring and begging for a taste.
d. But Peter signified that he did want it.
e. You better make sure.
Answer: 1-c, 2-a, 3-d, 4-e, 5-b
1. One day, Tom was in the act of closing the crack, when Peter came along purring and begging for a taste.
2. Tom said, “Don’t ask for it unless you want it.
3. But Peter signified that he did want it.
4. You better make sure.
5. Peter was sure.