Chapter 5 of the Class 9 English Beehive textbook, The Snake and the Mirror is one of the most engaging and humorous stories in the Class 9 English syllabus. To help students prepare the chapter and score full marks, practising the Important Questions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 becomes important.
These questions help with understanding character traits, humour, plot, and key literary elements.
The chapter appears in exams because of its simple yet impactful narration. This makes The Snake and the Mirror important questions essential for revision.
These questions strengthen comprehension, improve answer-writing skills, and help students prepare confidently for school tests and final exams.
The Snake and the Mirror Important Questions
Below are Class 9 The Snake and the Mirror Important Questions for preparation:
1.What two important and earth-shaking decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
Ans. The doctor was an eligible bachelor. While he was looking into the mirror he took two important and earth-shaking decisions. He decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin mustache and would always keep an attractive smile on his face.
2. How did the doctor react when he encountered the snake?
Ans. The doctor encountered the snake which had landed on his shoulder. He was scared but showed a great presence of mind. He neither jumped nor cried. He sat on the chair holding his breath. His mind was active though his body was still.
3. What did the doctor think of doing if the snake bit him?
Ans. The doctor had a snake landed on his shoulder. He felt as if he was going to be bitten by the snake. He thought of some anti-snakebite medicine. But he could not. He knew that there was no medicine available for him. He called himself a stupid, foolish doctor.
4. What did the doctor think when the snake was looking into the mirror?
Ans. The snake left the doctor and sat in front of the mirror. He looked into it. The doctor thought that the snake was admiring its beauty. If it was a male snake, he might be thinking of growing moustache. If it was a female, it might be thinking about using eye shadow, mascara or wear a vermilion on her forehead.
5. Why could the doctor not sleep in his room? What did he do then?
Ans. The doctor lived in a rented room. It had no electricity. It was a hot summer night. He got up from his bed and went out to veranda. But he could not sleep there too. He tried to read a book but got no relief.
6. Why did the doctor say that he had to make his presence felt?
Ans. The doctor was unmarried. He was a great admirer of beauty. He believed in making himself handsome. While looking into the mirror, he adjusted his hair many times. He also decided to shave daily but keep a thin moustache.
The Snake and the Mirror Extra Questions and Answers Long Answer Type
1. Did the doctor find his encounter with the snake humorous or frightening or both? What aspects- of human nature are revealed here?
Ans. The incident in the story is both frightening and humorous. When the snake landed on his shoulder, the doctor was so frightened that he could neither jump nor utter a cry. The element of humour in the story is that the doctor thinks of marrying a woman doctor with good medical practice. He wishes her to be fat so that in case a silly mistake is made by the doctor, she Would not be able to run after him. When the doctor realises that there was no medicine for snakebite, he calls himself a foolish and stupid doctor. The reader smiles when the doctor saw the snake looking into the mirror. He wondered if it was admiring its own beauty. He guessed if it was trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eyeshadow and mascara. It shows that some people have a tendency of keeping their calm even in the worst of situations.
2. Describe the reaction of the doctor when he confronted the snake. Patience and presence of mind are revealed from his behaviour. Discuss.
Ans. When the doctor confronted the snake, he behaved in a very balanced way. He did not jump or tremble in fear. He did not even cry. He sat like a statue. He retained his presence of mind as well as his sense of humour. He prayed to God and wrote in bright letters outside his little heart the words, “O God”. He forgot his danger and smiled feebly at himself. Soon the snake unwound itself from his arm. The doctor got up from the chair and went out quietly, and ran away to hi§ friend’s house. He did not panic. He had great patience and did not move. Soon he found the snake looking into the mirror. The doctor had presence of mind and soon came out of the trouble. Yes, patience and presence of mind always help us in any dangerous condition. One should never panic and should always try to find out a way out of the trouble. Keeping one’s cool even in adverse conditions can help a lot.
3. Why did the doctor, according to you, keep on looking into the mirror? How important is appearance in your opinion? Should we spend time in making ourselves look handsome?
Ans. Being a bachelor, the doctor always wanted to look handsome. He was a great admirer of beauty. I think this was the reason why the doctor kept on looking into the mirror. Not only this, he thought of various ways to look handsome. In my opinion, appearance is very important in one’s life. One should keep oneself presentable. Personal hygiene 1s very important. People don’t like dirty, shabby people. But at the same time we should not waste much time in making ourselves look handsome. There is no point in visiting parlours or salons for artificial make-up. Along with appearance, the beauty of character is also very important.
Tips to Prepare Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror
The Snake and the Mirror is one of the most engaging and humorous chapters in Class 9 English Beehive. The story blends suspense, humor, and human psychology. Preparing this chapter properly helps you attempt long answers, character-based questions, theme-related questions, and inference-based questions with full confidence.
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This chapter has a clear sequence, i.e. doctor enters room, examines himself in the mirror, the snake appears, and then escape. Knowing the order helps you answer “describe the incident” and “how did the doctor react” type questions.
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The story revolves around the doctor’s personality, his pride, humor, fear, and self-realization. Make notes on how he changes from being vain and proud to becoming humble and thankful.
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The chapter uses humor and irony (the doctor admiring himself while a snake is behind him) mixed with fear. Understanding the themes helps in answering value-based, inference-based, and interpretation questions.
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Solve short and long answer questions from previous papers and sample papers.
Pay special attention to questions like: “Describe the doctor’s feelings when the snake landed on his shoulder”. “What is the role of humor in the story?” -
This chapter is narrative and descriptive. Reading it while imagining the setting, i.e. the small room, the mirror, the snake helps you recall details easily during the exam.
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