NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5
NCERT solutions for Class 9 English Beehive
Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror – complete answers & explanations
Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 5 The Snake and the Mirror is a humorous yet thrilling story written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The chapter describes a frightening incident in the life of a young doctor and presents it in a light, humorous manner. This lesson teaches students about fear, self-realisation, humour, and irony. This blog provides complete NCERT solutions strictly based on the worksheet content, following the exact order of questions.
What this NCERT chapter covers?
1. A humorous narrative about fear and self-reflection.
2. Character traits of the doctor and contrasts between dreams and reality.
3. Themes of vanity, fear, humour, and irony.
4. Grammar topics such as reported questions.
5. Vocabulary related to fear and expressions.
6. Creative writing, speaking, dictation, and translation exercises.
7. Understanding poetry through “A Legend of the Northland”.
How to use these NCERT solutions?
1. First read the chapter carefully and attempt all questions on your own.
2. Use these NCERT solutions to check your answers.
3. Compare your responses with the answer key given below.
4. Parents and teachers can guide students in understanding themes and grammar usage.
5. The solutions follow the exact worksheet order for easy reference.
Important tips & tricks for students
1. Write answers in short paragraphs where word limits are given.
2. Use clear and simple language.
3. For open-ended questions, understand that “Answers may vary.”
4. Follow correct tense changes in reported speech.
5. For speaking and writing tasks, focus on creativity while staying within instructions.
6. Revise vocabulary and expressions related to fear carefully.
NCERT solutions – complete answer key
Thinking about the Text
I. Discuss in pairs and answer each question below in a short paragraph (30–40 words).
1. “The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sounds stop?
The doctor heard the sound of rats moving above. He thought it was the regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. He heard it several times. The sounds stopped when the snake fell with a dull thud.
2. What two “important” and “earth-shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?
He decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome. He also decided that he would always keep an attractive smile on his face.
3. “I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when: (i) he first smiles, and (ii) he smiles again? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?
When he first smiles, he feels proud of his appearance and considers himself handsome. When he smiles again, he feels foolish and realises his helplessness in front of death. His thoughts change because of the snake coiled around his arm.
II. This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous?
1. (i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
He is poor and has very few possessions.
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
He wants to look handsome and successful.
2. (i) The person he wants to marry
He wants to marry a rich, fat woman doctor.
(ii) The person he actually marries
He marries a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.
3. (i) His thoughts when he looks into the mirror
He thinks about his beauty, smile and marriage.
(ii) His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm
He thinks about death and prays to God.
Thinking about Language
I. Say which of them tell you that the author:
1. I was turned to stone. – (a)
2. I was no mere image cut in granite. – (d)
3. The arm was beginning to be drained of strength. – (a)
4. I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’. – (a)
5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out. – (a)
6. I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. – (b)
7. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood. – (d)
8. I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it! – (b)
9. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness...! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water. – (c)
10. Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead. – (c)
II. Expressions used to show fear
1. I was turned to stone.
2. I sat there holding my breath.
3. In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.
III. Match the meanings
1. very frightened
2. frightened by something that happens suddenly
3. frightened by something that happens suddenly
4. makes another feel frightened
5. is very frightened
6. is too scared to move
7. is too scared to move
IV. Reported questions
1. Meena asked her friend if she thought her teacher would come that day.
2. David asked his colleague where he would go that summer.
3. He asked the little boy why he was studying English.
4. She asked me when we were going to leave.
5. Pran asked me whether I had finished reading the newspaper.
6. Seema asked her how long she had lived there.
7. Sheila asked the children if they were ready to do the work.
Speaking
Answers may vary.
Dictation
The Indian cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognised by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. Obviously the best prevention is to avoid getting bitten. This is facilitated by the fact that humans are not the natural prey of any venomous snake. We are a bit large for them to swallow whole and they have no means of chopping us up into bite-size pieces. Nearly all snakebites in humans are the result of a snake defending itself when it feels threatened. In general snakes are shy and will simply leave if you give them a chance.
Writing
1. Answers may vary.
2. Answers may vary.
Translation
Answers may vary.
Thinking about the Poem
I.
1. Answers may vary.
2. Saint Peter asked the old lady for a single cake. She made small cakes but refused to give him any.
3. He punished her by changing her into a woodpecker.
4. The woodpecker gets her food by boring into hard, dry wood.
5. Answers may vary.
6. Answers may vary.
7. A legend is an old traditional story. This poem is called a legend because it narrates a traditional story.
8. Answers may vary.
II.
1. Answers may vary.
2. Answers may vary.
Why NCERT solutions help students?
NCERT solutions help students understand concepts clearly and prepare effectively for exams. They ensure answers are aligned with Class 9 English NCERT expectations and build confidence through structured practice.
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