3.3 A Crow in the House
Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Seven English.
ShareAdvertisement
Margin Questions
The young crow was in danger of being crushed by a cart or a tonga, or being seized by a cat because it had fallen from its nest and was fluttering about on the road[cite: 16].
The other members of the author's family living in the same house were his Grandfather, Grandmother, and Aunt Mabel[cite: 16].
Yes, the author's Grandfather liked animals very much. We know this from the following examples:
- He helped the author to do their best to bring the injured crow round by gently feeding it[cite: 16].
- The text mentions "Grandfather's pets", which implies that he kept several other animals as pets in the house[cite: 16].
The fact that the story is from a book called "Grandfather's Private Zoo" also strongly suggests his love for animals[cite: 16].
This implies that Caesar the crow started behaving like the boss of the house. He did whatever he wanted, bothered everyone, ripped papers, overturned vases, and no one could stop him or get rid of him[cite: 16].
Caesar probably learnt to say 'Hello, hello' by constantly hearing the family members use the greeting, or by sitting outside the window and listening to people greeting each other[cite: 16]. Ravens and jungle crows are known to mimic human sounds[cite: 16].
It means that Aunt Mabel did not get along well with the pets, and the pets usually caused trouble for her[cite: 16]. This might be because she was easily frightened by them, got irritated quickly, or just didn't know how to handle animals properly, which made the pets misbehave around her[cite: 16].
Advertisement
This implies that Caesar had visited practically every neighbouring house and stolen at least one toothbrush from each of them, adding them to his large collection on top of the author's cupboard[cite: 16].
The author's love for Caesar is shown by several actions:
- He saved the helpless bird from the road and patiently fed him to bring him back to health[cite: 16].
- He taught him to sit on his arm and say 'Kiss, kiss' while the bird placed his head against his mouth[cite: 16].
- When Caesar's leg was broken, the author carried him home, washed and bandaged his leg[cite: 16].
- When Caesar died, the author dug a grave and respectfully buried him along with his prized collection of stolen toothbrushes and clothes pegs[cite: 16].
English Workshop
| Word | Antonym (from story) |
|---|---|
| motionless | fidgeting / restless[cite: 16] |
| dull | gleaming[cite: 16] |
| deep | shallow[cite: 16] |
| captivity | freedom[cite: 16] |
| gentle | fierce[cite: 16] |
| humble | snobbish[cite: 16] |
| frequent | occasional[cite: 16] |
| co-operated | objected[cite: 16] |
| Word | Synonym (from story) |
|---|---|
| disapproved | objected[cite: 16] |
| attracted | fascinated[cite: 16] |
| bits/pieces | shreds[cite: 16] |
| achievement | success[cite: 16] |
| nuisance | pest[cite: 16] |
| mishap | disaster[cite: 16] |
| rebuke | scold[cite: 16] |
| controlled | restricted[cite: 16] |
If the other pets could speak, the dogs would have barked and complained, "This bird is a menace! He sneaks up from behind and constantly tugs at our tails while we are trying to sleep." Harold the Hornbill would have grumbled loudly, "He is a terrible snob! He sits on top of my cage all day and pecks at my feet. It's my cage, not his, and I want him out of here!" The cats would likely hiss and refuse to enter any room where Caesar was sitting.
| Caesar's Pranks at Home | Caesar's Pranks Outside |
|---|---|
|
|
The correct sequence of the facts from Caesar's life is:
(a) One event from the story: Aunt Mabel's Visit
When Aunt Mabel came to visit the family, Caesar flew and sat on her arm. He then started saying, "Kiss, kiss!" in his croaky voice. Aunt Mabel felt very happy and flattered, thinking the bird was showing her affection. She leaned forward to accept the kiss. But Caesar wasn't interested in kissing her; he was attracted to her shiny spectacles! He quickly pecked at them and knocked them right off her face.
(b) A trait that makes me laugh:
Caesar's obsession with stealing toothbrushes makes me laugh the most. He didn't just steal shiny things like normal birds; he actively went to neighbours' houses just to take their toothbrushes. The fact that the author says "most of the neighbours were represented in our house by a toothbrush" and that "toothbrush sales went up that year" is incredibly funny.
This is a classroom speaking activity. Students should form groups and hold a debate. You can use Caesar's charm and intelligence to argue for "Pets", and use his destructive habits (tearing papers, stealing) to argue for "Pests".
My friend Rahul has a pet parrot named Mitthu. Mitthu is very clever but extremely mischievous. One day, Rahul's mother had prepared a large bowl of fresh fruit salad for guests who were coming over in the evening. She placed it on the dining table and went to get dressed. Mitthu, who usually stays in his open cage in the hall, quietly hopped onto the table. When the guests arrived and Rahul's mother proudly brought the bowl to serve them, everyone started laughing. Mitthu had carefully picked out all the grapes and pomegranate seeds from the salad and eaten them, leaving behind only the bananas and apples! From that day on, any fruit bowl in their house is kept strictly covered.