Henry
by Ruskin Bond
Given below are descriptions of some famous animal characters. Match to them to the animals they describe.
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MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. The story tells us some interesting facts about chameleons. Fill in the table to show the similarities and differences between house lizards and chameleons.
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|
House lizard |
Similarities |
Chameleon |
|---|---|---|
|
Does not have the ability to change the colour of the
body. |
Harmless creatures. |
Have the ability to change the colour of the body. |
|
Fingers and toes are less developed. |
Body structure is the same. |
Fingers and toes are more developed. |
|
Have smaller tongue. |
Throw their tongue to catch their prey. |
Have longer tongue. |
|
Lives in the nock and corners of our houses. |
|
Prefers to live in the bushes. |
|
|
|
|
2. State whether the following statements are true or false:
a) The chameleon is not a poisonous reptile.[T]
b) The gardener knew a lot about chameleons.[F]
c) Henry created no trouble at all.[F]
d) Henry got into the basket to frighten Mrs Ghosh.[F]
e) Miss Daniels rushed into the room on hearing the principal scream.[T]
Reference to context:
3. ''Grandfather was in time to save the Chameleon from certain death and brought the little reptile home.''
a) Where was the chameleon?
= The chameleon was at the garden gate sunning himself on a shrub.
b) What does the author tell us to show that the chameleon was harmless?
= The author tells us that the chameleon used to very swiftly took food from his hands. This shows that it was harmless.
c) Grandfather saved the reptile and brought him home. What does this tell us about the author's grandfather?
= This tells us that the author's grandfather was not only an animal lover but also he had great knowledge about them.
4. ''Mrs Ghosh screamed. Henry would probably have to blush a deep red, but he turned a bright green instead, as that was the colour of the papayas. Mrs Ghosh's assistant, Miss Daniels, rushed in, took one look at the chameleon and joined the screaming.''
a) Why did Mrs Ghosh scream?
= Mrs Ghosh screamed as she found the chameleon among the papayas.
b) Why do you think Henry turned a bright green?
= Henry turned a bright green because it was the colour of the papayas it was hiding in.
c) Which word in the given lines means 'someone whose duty is to help'?
= Assistant.
d) What did Henry do when Miss Daniel started screaming?
= Henry took fright and fled from the office running down the corridor and got into one of the classrooms.
Read, reflect and write:
5. What danger did grandfather save Henry from?
= Grandfather saved Henry from certain death. As the gardener declared that it was a thing capable of poisoning people at a distance of 20 feet and as a result the entire household had risen in arms.
6. When the children saw Henry, they ran in all directions. Why did they do this? What would you have done if you were in the classroom?
= The children saw Henry and they ran in all directions because some of them wanted to get away from Henry and some of them wanted to catch him.
If I were in the class, I would have tried to keep calm and quiet and let him go out of the class.
7. What do we learn about the writer's feelings for animals from this story? Do you share these feelings? Give reasons for your answer.
= The writer was very fond of Henry. He was very kind and helpful to him. This shows that he was also an animal lover like his grandfather. He used to feed Henry with his own hand and Henry was also very close to him. At the end of the story when the author thought that Henry would never come back, he found Henry on the garden wall to his utter surprise.
I also share the same feeling towards animals. They should be cared and preserved more.
About the Author :
Ruskin Bond (b. 1934) was born in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, India. He has written many poems and stories for children. Here is what he said in a recent interview: 'I'm shy. But it is easier to interact with children. Just the other day, a boy said he wanted to become a writer but couldn't manage to fill even a single page. I said, "Write one sentence, later another; go on adding; you'll find the page full." '