CBSE Class 7 English An Alien Hand Chapter 6: I Want Something in a Cage NCERT Solutions

(i) True. Mr. Purcell's pet shop stocked a variety of animals, including birds, cats, dogs, and monkeys.

(ii) False. The text suggests Mr. Purcell was largely unaware of the constant noises from the animals, indicating he wasn't deeply concerned about their immediate well-being in terms of their distress or discomfort from the sounds.

(iii) False. Mr. Purcell found the customer to be strange and uncanny, rather than being impressed by him.

(iv) False. While he might have been a successful shop owner, the story implies he was not particularly sensitive or warm as a person, especially concerning the animals' welfare and his interaction with the peculiar customer.

Mr. Purcell is compared to an owl because his large spectacles magnified his eyes. This gave him an appearance that resembled a wise and genial owl, suggesting a certain observant yet perhaps detached nature.

(i) Words associated with cries of birds include: twitters, rustling, squeals, cheeps, squeaks.

(ii) Words associated with noise include: flicker, scampered. (Note: 'Flicker' might refer to rapid movement or light, and 'scampered' to quick running, both contributing to a sense of activity and noise in the shop).

(iii) Words suggestive of confusion and fear include: frantic, frightened, bewildered, blindly seeking.

(i) Here, 'it' refers to the collective sounds made by the birds and animals in Mr. Purcell's pet shop, such as chirping, squeaking, and mewing.

(ii) Mr. Purcell does not hear 'it' clearly because he is so accustomed to these noises from owning the pet shop. They have become a part of his daily environment, much like the constant, unnoticeable ticking of a familiar clock.

The atmosphere of Mr. Purcell's shop could be seen as both cheerful and depressing. On one hand, the presence of numerous chirping and squeaking animals might suggest a lively, cheerful environment. However, the fact that all these creatures were confined within cages introduces a somber element. Being caged is inherently unhappy, so the underlying atmosphere is also depressing due to the lack of freedom for the animals.

The stranger who visited the pet shop was described as wearing shiny shoes, a new suit that was cheap and ill-fitting, and having close-cropped hair with a restless, 'shuttling' glance. He appeared to be looking around the shop with a specific purpose. He wanted to purchase 'something in a cage'.

(i) No, it does not seem that the man insisted on buying the doves solely because he was fond of birds. His initial request was vague ('something in a cage'), and he only specified wanting something that flew later. This indirect approach doesn't strongly indicate a deep affection for birds; rather, it suggests a particular, perhaps symbolic, purpose for his purchase.

(ii) The stranger indicated that he had earned the five dollars over a period of ten years. He mentioned that he had been given five dollars and a cheap suit upon his release, with instructions not to get caught again. This implies he earned the money during his time in prison and had recently been freed.

No, the customer was not interested in the care and feeding of the doves he purchased. The reason for this lack of interest was his intention to set them free immediately after buying them. His focus was on granting them liberty, not on their ongoing upkeep.

In my opinion, the man set the doves free because he deeply understood and valued the concept of freedom, having recently experienced confinement himself. His ten years in prison, followed by his release with minimal resources, likely made him acutely aware of the preciousness of liberty. By releasing the doves, he was symbolically extending the freedom he had just regained to another living creature, perhaps as an act of empathy or a way to affirm his own newfound liberty.