NCERT English Moments Class 9 Chapter 2 - The Adventures of Toto

 Chapter 2 - The Adventures of Toto

Writer of the Story - Ruskin Bond
Question and Answers
Question 1: How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?
Answer: Toto was owned by a tonga-driver who used to keep him tied to a feeding-trough. Grandfather felt that the monkey was out of place there. So, he decided to add the little monkey to his private zoo. He bought Toto from the tonga-driver for sum of five rupees.

Question 2: “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?
Answer: Toto was a pretty monkey. He had bright eyes sparkled with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows. His teeth were pearly white which were very often displayed in a smile that frightened the life out of elderly Anglo-lndian ladies. His hands looked dried-up as though they had been pickled in the sun for many years. His fingers were quick and wicked; and his tail added to his good looks, also served as a third hand. He could use it to hang from a branch; and it was capable of scooping up any delicacy that might be out of reach of his hands.

Question 3: Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?
Answer: The grandfather takes Toto to Saharanpur along with him, because Toto was a mischievous monkey who wouldn’t let any of his companions to sleep at night. Grandfather had left Dehra Dun to collect his pension in Saharanpur. So, he decides to take Toto with him. Toto was kept in a big black canvas kit-bag. The ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog because he did not look like a human being but more like a dog. So, he decided to categorize it as a dog.

Question 4: How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?
Answer: Toto takes bath by first checking the temperature of the water with his hand. Then he would gradually put one foot in the water, then the other until he was in the water up to his neck. He would take the soap in his hands or feet and rub himself all over.
One day when a large kitchen kettle had been left on the fire to boil for tea, Toto decided to remove the lid. He found that water was just warm enough for a bath and he got inside the kettle, with his head sticking out from the open kettle. When the water started to boil, Toto got up a little and found outside cold and again sat down. He continued to hop up and down for some time, until when grandmother arrived and hauled him out of the kettle. This is how Toto almost boiled himself alive.

Question 5: Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?
Answer: Toto was a very mischievous monkey. He would tear things into pieces. When one of author’s aunts would come near him, he would try his best to tear a hole in her dress. One day, Toto was found stuffing himself with pullao. When author’s grandmother screamed, Toto threw a plate at her. He then picked up the dish of pullao and made his exit through a window. In order to spite grandmother, who had screamed at him, he threw the dish down from the tree and chattered with delight when it broke into a hundred pieces.
The author’s family was not a well-to-do one. They could not afford the frequent loss of dishes, clothes, curtains and wallpaper etc. This is the reason why the author says, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”.