The Duck and the Kangaroo Important Questions Class 9 Beehive English
Short Answer Type Questions
Question 1. What did the Duck Wish?
Answer
The Duck wished that the Kangaroo should give him a ride on his back.
Question 2. What fear was there in the Kangaroo’s mind?
Answer
The Kangaroo feared that the wet and cold feet of the Duck would make him fall ill.
Question 3. Why was the Duck fascinated by the Kangaroo’s hopping?
Answer
The Duck was fascinated by the Kangaroo’s hopping because she herself could not hop. She had to lead a boring life swimming in a silly pond, so she admired the Kangaroo’s continuous hopping over the fields as well as water bodies.
Question 4. Why did the Duck want to take a ride on the Kangaroo’s back?
Answer
The Duck felt bored with his life in the pond. So, he wanted to see the whole world. He wanted to travel to places like Dee and Jelly Bo Lee. But he did not have that capability. So he wanted to take the Kangaroo’s help as he could hop far and wide.
Question 5. What different traits of the Duck’s character are revealed in the first stanza?
Answer
Optimism and aspiration are the traits of the Duck’s character revealed in the first stanza. She is very appreciative of the Kangaroo’s hopping skills. She aspires to go away. from her pond and go out into the world.
Question 6. Where did the Duck live and what did he long for?
Answer
The Duck lived in a pond which he considered nasty as he was bored of his life there. He wanted to leave that place and see the world beyond.
Question 7. What did the Duck promise the Kangaroo?
Answer
The Duck promised the Kangaroo that if he took her around for a ride she would fully cooperate with him. She would sit on his back very steadily and quietly so that he would neither be distracted nor lose his balance.
Question 8. What preparations did the Duck make for her ride on the Kangaroo’s back?
Answer
The Duck bought four pairs of worsted socks so that her cold and wet feet could be covered and protected from the cold. She also bought a cloak to keep the cold out. In addition, she decided to smoke a cigar daily to pass her time.
Question 9. How did the Kangaroo respond to the Duck’s request?
Answer
The Kangaroo said that he would have to ponder over his request. He first objected to the Duck’s wet and cold feet because he feared they would give him rheumatism. Later, he agreed to his request. In fact, he thought that it might bring him good luck. So he accepted the Duck’s request to give him a ride on his back.
Question 10. Why did the Kangaroo and the Duck hop around the whole world three times?
Answer
The Kangaroo and the Duck’s trip resulted in immense joy for both creatures. It made them the happiest pair of all. They hopped around the world three times which shows that it was a smooth sailing trip.
Question 11. How did the Duck and the Kangaroo go round the world?
Answer
The Duck sat at the end of the Kangaroo’s tail. He sat still and spoke nothing. The Kangaroo hopped and leapt. They went round the world three times. They enjoyed their journey and were very happy.
Question 12. What did the Duck do to remove the Kangaroo’s objection?
Answer
The Duck bought four pairs of worsted socks. She also bought a cloak to protect her from the cold. She promised to smoke a cigar every day. She would follow his directions.
Question 13. What do you learn about the Kangaroo from the poem?
Answer
The Kangaroo is a true friend. He agreed to take the Duck for a ride on his back, provided he did something about his cold and wet feet. He takes his friend around the world three times.
Question 14. How did the Duck express her intention to the Kangaroo?
Answer
She spoke to him most respectfully. She made a request to give her a ride so that she could also enjoy life on land. She promised to cover her wet-feet and smoke a cigar every day to fight against cold.
Question 15. Which quality of Kangaroo impressed the Duck very much?
Answer
The Kangaroo was able to move from place to place and cover long distances by hopping. This impressed the Duck very much. She also wished she could hop around like A Kangaroo.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question 1. Bring out the humour in the poem “The Duck and the Kangaroo”.
Answer
The Duck and the Kangaroo” is a Nonsense Verse and is full of humorous elements. The basic structure of the poem is a conversation between a Duck and a Kangaroo which is very amusing. The honest manner in which the Duck pays compliments to the Kangaroo for his hopping skills makes the reader smile. The imaginary names, ‘Dee and Jelly Bo Lee’, given to places that the Duck wishes to visit sound very funny. Distorting rheumatism to ‘roo-Matiz’ adds another funny element to the poem. The thoughtful manner in which the Kangaroo considers the Duck’s proposal is comical too. The Kangaroo’s objection to the Duck’s cold and wet feet and the Duck’s solution through the use of worsted socks, cloak and cigar tickle the reader’s ribs. Thus, the humour is subtle but well-woven in the fabric of the poem.
Question 2. The Kangaroo does not want to catch ‘rheumatism’. Why it is spelt differently. Why is it in two parts? Why does the second part begin with a capital letter?
Answer
The word ‘rheumatism’ is spelled differently and is in two parts so that it can rhyme with ‘kangaroo’ in the following line. As a result of splitting the word into two and changing its spelling, ‘roo’ rhymes with ‘kangaroo’. The second part ‘Matiz’ begins with a capital letter because it is the first word of the line. In a poem, every line begins with a capital letter even if it is in continuation with the previous line. Hence, this has been done in order to enhance the poetic effect of the lines.
Question 3. Briefly narrate the story of the Duck and the Kangaroo.
Answer
The Duck and the Kangaroo, both were very good friends. The Duck lived in a pond and was bored with his life. He wished to travel far and wide and see places like Dee and Jelly Bo Lee. So, he requested the Kangaroo to allow him to ride on his back and travel with him. The Kangaroo agreed to the Duck’s entreaty, but at the same time put a condition. He felt the duck’s feet were unpleasantly wet and cold and may cause with rheumatism.
The Duck assured his friend he had the remedy for the problem. He had already bought four pairs of woollen socks and a cloak to cover himself. He said he would also smoke a cigar for warmth. In this way both the Duck and the Kangaroo journey and went around the world thrice.
Question 4. What apprehension did the Kangaroo have about the Duck’s proposed ride? How does he convey this apprehension? How does the Duck allay his fear?
Answer
The Kangaroo was prone to bouts of rheumatism, a disease that causes stiffness, inflammation and pain in joints. When the Duck requested him to take her on a ride, he was a bit apprehensive and reluctant because her wet feet could increase chances of his getting rheumatism. He was frank and outspoken, so he did not mince his words while conveying his apprehension to the Duck. However, before objecting to the Duck’s proposal, he admitted that it could bring him luck. Still, he considered the entire matter carefully and told the Duck firmly but politely that her feet were unpleasantly wet which could probably give him the ‘roo-Matiz’. On her part, the clever and farsighted Duck had already foreseen the hurdle and had kept four pairs of worsted woollen socks ready to keep her feet dry and warm.
Question 5. Both the Duck and the Kangaroo are very sensitive creatures. Elucidate.
Answer
Both the Duck and the Kangaroo are very sensitive creatures. The Duck analyses the problem of monotony that she faces in her life in a rational way. She observes the Kangaroo hopping all about the land and the sea enjoying life. She contrasts this with her constrained life in the nasty pond and requests the Kangaroo to take her out of her boring life into the far and wide world. The Kangaroo too is sensible. He takes time to consider the Duck’s request and is very careful in his choice of words while putting forth his objection. The Duck again displays her cleverness and farsightedness when she reveals that she is already prepared with an effective solution to the Kangaroo’s objection. Hence, both the creatures enjoy each other’s company and their sensible decision dispels boredom from the Duck’s life and brings luck to the Kangaroo.
Question 6. Why does the Duck appreciate Kangaroo’s hopping?
Answer
As a matter of fact, the Duck wants to have a ride on the Kangaroo’s back. The Duck lives in a nasty pond and gets bored. She also wants to enjoy the beauty of the world. But she knows that she cannot go beyond the pond. When she sees the Kangaroo hopping on the land, she thinks how lucky the Kangaroo is that he can go anywhere on the land and enjoy the beauty of the world. She appreciates the Kangaroo’s hoping to make her happy and then requests him to let her sit on her back and visit the beautiful world. Due to her sweetness and politeness, the Kangaroo allows her to sit at the end of his tail. Though the Kangaroo tells the Duck to sit steady and quiet still so that he would not lose his balance.