Question

1. “It was to be a battle of champions.” (8)

(i) What qualities did the two champions have? Pick out words and phrases from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.

Mongoose	Cobra
(a) ___________	(a) ___________
(b) ___________	(b) ___________
(c) ___________	(c) ___________

(ii) What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the fight?

2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or did they join in the fight?) (10)

3. Read the descriptions below of what the snake did and what the mongoose did. Arrange their actions in the proper order. (11, 16)

(i)	Ceased to struggle		Grabbed the snake by the snout
(ii)	Tried to mesmerise the mongoose		Dragged the snake into the bushes
(iii)	Coiled itself around the mongoose		Darted away and bit the cobra on the back
(iv)	Struck the crow		Pretended to attack the cobra on one side
(v)	Struck again and missed		Refused to look into the snake’s eyes
(v)	Struck on the side that the mongoose pretended to attack		Sprang aside, jumped in and bit

4. (i) What happened to the crow in the end? (16)

(ii) What did the myna do finally? (17)

Answer 1

1.

(i)

Mongoose	Cobra
(a) superb fighter	(a) skilful
(b) clever	(b) experienced
(c) aggressive	(c) swift

(ii) To show its readiness for the fight, the cobra hissed defiance, its forked tongue darting in and out. It raised three of its six feet off the ground, and spread its broad, spectacled hood. The bushing of its tail and the standing up of the long hair on its spine showed that the mongoose was also ready for the fight.

2. The other two spectators were a crow and a myna. They settled on a cactus to watch the outcome. But they did not just watch. They tried to join the fight by hurling themselves at the cobra.

3.

Snake	Mongoose
(ii) Tried to mesmerise the mongoose	Refused to look into the snake’s eyes
(vi) Struck on the side that the mongoose pretended to attack	Pretended to attack the cobra on one side
(v) Struck again and missed	Sprang aside jumped in and bit
(iv) Struck the crow	Darted away and bit the cobra on the back
(iii) Coiled itself around the mongoose	Grabbed the snake by the snout
(i) Ceased to struggle	Dragged the snake into the bushes

4.

(i) In the end, the crow was flung nearly twenty feet across the garden by a blow from the cobra’s snout. The crow fluttered about for a while and then lay still.

(ii) Finally, the myna dropped cautiously to the ground, hopped about, peered into the bushes from a safe distance, and then, with a shrill cry of congratulation, flew away.