Orient BlackSwan

Owls in the Family – Unit 1 Class - 5

1 MORE READING

The Otter’s Tale

Gavin Maxwell

In this adapted extract from ‘The Otter’s Tale’ by Gavin Maxwell,

the author describes the lives of his pet otters. They are
affectionate and amusing descriptions and, together with the many
photographs, create a rich and vivid picture of life with these
intelligent and but affectionate animals.

Otters reared by people need affection and human company, affection, and constant amusement Without this
they become moody and difficult to manage. In this extract, the author describes his experiences in looking after
his pet otter when he moved from a spacious bungalow in Iraq to a small flat in England.

The large tile-floored bedroom of the bungalow at Basra, with its few items of furniture had not prepared
me for the problems that my crowded apartment would present. Exhausted as he was that first night, Mij,
my otter, had not been out of his box for five minutes before he set out to explore his new quarters. I had
gone to the kitchen to find fish for him, but I had hardly got there before I heard the first crash of something
breaking in the room behind me. The fish and the bath solved the problem for a while, for when he had
eaten he went wild with joy in the water and romped for a full half hour. But it was clear that I would have
to make several changes in the flat if it was to remain a home for both of us. Meanwhile, sleep seemed long
overdue and I saw only one solution; I laid a sleeping-bag on the sofa, and tied Mij to the sofa-leg by his lead.

Mij seemed to watch me closely as I lay down on my back with a cushion under my head; then as if he knew
exactly what to do, he clambered up beside me and worked his body down into the sleeping-bag until he lay
flat on his back inside it, with his head on the cushion beside mine and his fore-paws in the air. In this position,
he heaved an enormous sigh and was asleep at once.

When he was loose in the studio, he would play for hours at a time with his favourite toys, ping-pong balls,
marbles, India rubber fruit and a terrapin shell that I had brought back from his native marshes. He could
throw the smaller among these objects right across the room with a flick of his head, and with a ping-pong
ball he invented a game of his own which would keep him happy for up to half an hour at a time.
An expanding suitcase that I had taken to Iraq had become damaged on the journey home. The lid, when
closed, remained at a slope from one end to the other. Mij discovered that if he put the ball on the high end
it would run down the length of the suitcase. He would dash round to the other end to ambush its arrival,
hide from it, crouching, to spring up and take it by surprise as it reached the drop to the floor, grab it and
trot off with it to the high end once more.
These games were enough for perhaps half of all the time he spent indoors and awake, but several times a day
he needed a long romp with a human playmate. Hiding under the carpet and imagining that he had become
invisible, he would shoot out with a squeak if a foot passed within range; or he would dive inside the loose
cover of the sofa and play tigers from behind it; or he would simply trap people as a puppy does, bouncing
around one in a series of excited chirps and squeaks.

I soon found a way to take his attention away if he became too excited. I would take the terrapin shell, wrap
it in a towel, and knot the loose ends tightly across. He came to know these preparations, and would wait
absolutely still until I handed him the bundle; then he would hold it with his fore-arms, sink his teeth in the
knots, and begin to hump and shuffle round the room. No matter how difficult the knots he would have them
all undone in five or ten minutes, and then bring the towel and the terrapin shell to be tied up again.
He brought the towel first, dragging it, and then made a second trip for the terrapin, shuffling it in front of
him down the room like a football.

At night he slept in my bed, at this time, on his back with his head on the pillow, and in the morning he
shared my bath. He would plunge ahead of me into water, still too hot for me to enter, and while I shaved he
would swim round me playing with the soapsuds or rubber ducks and ships.

Outside the house I took him for walks on a lead, just as if he had been a dog.

Glossary:

terrapin: a small turtle

ambush: lie in wait for (usually, a prey)

A. Answer these questions.

1. Why is it difficult to keep Mij in the flat?

2. How did Mij keep busy with the ping-pong ball?

3. Where did Mij sleep during the day?

4. What games did Mij play with human beings?

5. Complete the table comparing Mij, the otter, with a dog and a cat.

Characteristics Mij dog cat

For example:
Appearance whiskers,
short legs,
pointed nose

Nature

Abilities

Eating habits
B. ‘Outside the house I took him for walks on a lead, just as if he had been a dog.’

Write a paragraph describing the walk.

Remember to include these points:

• how the leash was tied

• an amusing incident
• how you felt
2 GRAMMAR IN COMMUNICATION

Main and auxiliary verbs

WORKSHEET 2

An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used with a main verb.

When an auxiliary is combined with a verb or more than one verb it is called a verb group.
Auxiliary verbs help other verbs to form different tenses. Words like

• am, is, are, was, were are the ‘Be’ forms of auxiliary verbs
• have, has, had are the ‘Have’ forms
• do, does, did, done are the ‘do’ forms
• shall, should, will, would, can, cold, may, might, must, ought, need, dare and used to are
also auxiliaries.

A Underline the auxiliary verbs and rewrite the sentences with only the main verbs in the present tense.
Notice that the present tense is used to express future intentions or habitual actions.

1. Shivani is dancing at the Machkhowa auditorium.

2. They are working in the field.
3. The aircrafts are getting ready to take off.
4. The school is closing down for the Summer Holidays soon.
5. They are playing the drums at the concert.
6. The ships were sailing down the river.
7. The policemen were directing the traffic.
8. It is raining every evening now.

B Pick out the auxiliaries from the box to complete these sentences. Read all the sentences before you begin.

might did had could ought will shall may

1. You ______ to try harder. Only then will you get the best result.
2. We ______ win the game this time. We are determined.
3. I ______ go and see the movie after all.
4. They _______ worked steadily on the project. That is why it has turned out so well.
5. We _____ be going to Dehradun for the festival.
6. It _______ snow in the hills in the next two days. It is not certain.
7. They ______ come again if the principal gives them leave.
8. The entire school _____ turn up for the fete. Everyone is very excited. However, parents may
not like the idea.
3 WORDS IN COMMUNICATION

Expressions with ‘look’

WORKSHEET 3

A phrasal verb is formed when a verb combines with a preposition and its meaning changes; ‘look into’ is a
phrasal verb. It means to investigate or to do some research. The meaning is quite different from the
meaning of the word ‘look’, which means ‘to see’ or ‘watch’.

A. Match the expressions with their meanings.

1. look after a. watch something without

helping
2. look back
b. take care of
3. look forward
c. think about things that
4. look on happened in the past
5. look up to d. respect and admire
e. search or examine carefully
6. look through
f. anticipate with pleasure
7. look out for g. search for something
8. look for h. keep a watch till you notice
it

B. Use the phrasal verbs from A to fill in the blanks. You may need to make some changes.

1. Kajal was really sweet; she offered to _________ my dog in my absence.

2. When I _________ at the days that I spent in Dehradun during the holidays I am filled with happiness.

3. We are all __________ to out trip to Dubai during the winter break.

4. The crowd just ___________ and did not help the lady when the thief snatched her chain and ran away.

5. We_______________ our principal and really respect him as he is very wise and kind.

6. If we ___________ all the papers once more, perhaps we will find the missing bills.

7. Keep a sharp ___________ her or you may miss her in the crowd.

8. I was __________ my friend in the cinema hall, but I could not find her.
4 COMMUNICATION

Stating an inference
WORKSHEET 4

When we make an inference, we use the information available to guess at something which is not explicitly
stated. We use words like ‘so’, ‘therefore’, ‘it can be’, ‘it is clear that’, ‘it must be true that’, ‘it can be
inferred that’ to state our inferences.

A. Read the statements. Mark  for inferences that are correct and  against the incorrect ones.

1. It is very hot inside.

a. It was hot yesterday also.
b. It is cooler outside.

2. All birds have eyes. Pauline is a bird.

a. Pauline has eyes.
b. Pauline has two eyes.

3. This tree is tall. It is taller than all other trees. It gets a lot of sunlight.
a. Trees that get a lot of sunlight grow tall.
b. This tree gets a lot of sunlight because it is tall.

4. Anything that is pink is an orange. This fruit is pink.

a. This fruit is an orange.
b. This fruit may or may not be an orange.

B. Use these words and rewrite the correct sentences from Exercise A.

1. It can be inferred that_______________.

2. Therefore Pauline __________.

3. It is clear that this tree _______________.

4. It must be true that _______________________.

5 PRONUNCIATION

even; window
WORKSHEET 5

Read these words out loud.

even aware
seven waving
vile wire
vendor wonder
vanish worship
veil well
vast waste
vague wag

Work with your partner. Look up eight words in the dictionary that begin with the letters ‘w’ and eight

that begin with the letter ‘v’. Write the words on small slips of paper. Place them in a box. Pick one up and

read the word out. Ask your partner to decide whether it begins with a ‘w’ or ‘v’. Ask your partner to put

all the words that begin with the letter ‘v’ into one pile, and those that begin with the letter ‘w’ into

another pile.

Your partner should also pick out eight words of each letter from the dictionary for you and you should

make similar piles.

6 WRITING

Writing a factual essay

WORKSHEET 6

Read these 2 paragraphs about the Olive Ridley turtle.

The Olive Ridleys, are the smallest known sea turtles. When they are full grown their weight is less than
45 kg and their shell is about 65 cms long. When they are born, these turtles are grey and black. As they grow
older their shell becomes grayish-olive. These turtles are nearing extinction. One of the main reasons for this
is that the beaches on which they nest have become tourist spots. People destroy the eggs or take them away
to eat them. Another important reason is that many turtles die getting caught in the nets meant for shrimps
and fish.

Some countries have already taken steps to save these turtles from extinction, but a great deal still needs
to be done.

Now use the points given below to write a similar essay of about 2 paragraphs about the Emu.

The Emu

• largest bird

• lives in Australia

• soft feathers; brown; cannot fly

• adult 6.6ft tall

• run at 50km/ph

• eat plants and insects

• no longer very common in east coast of Australia

• meat, oil and leather used by people

• awareness campaign should be mounted to save this bird

Teacher Notes
MORE READING
Students should be given plenty of time to read the passage and understand the context. They need not write the
answers in their own words, but should find the sentence which helps them to infer the answer. A link can be made
with the inference exercise under communication.

GRAMMAR IN COMMUNICATION
Students should understand ‘be’ words and how they affect tenses.
The words ‘shall’ and ‘will’ often create confusion in the minds of students. In general, ‘shall’ is used more with ‘I’and
‘we’ to express determination and to ask questions.
For example:
Shall we leave?
We shall overcome.
The second exercise uses the ‘have’ and ‘do’ forms of the auxiliaries along with other auxiliaries. These forms should
be discussed before the students begin this task.

WORDS IN COMMUNICATION

The Main Coursebook deals with expressions with ‘keep’. Here, phrasal words with ‘look’ have been taken up as an
extension of the word ‘eye’. The word ‘look’ appears thrice in the passage that the student s have read for comprehension.
As a scanning exercise, students may be asked to locate the words and work out the meanings in the passage.
Phrasal verbs are often used as fixed expressions: for example, one cannot say ‘look problem into’.
In some cases though phrasal verbs can be broken up according to the context: for example ‘put them through a
course of gymnastics’.

COMMUNICATION
Inference requires lateral thinking and the exercises develop clarity of thought and imagination.

PRONUNCIATION
Care should be taken with the pronunciation of ‘v’ and ‘w’ sounds.

WRITING
A factual essay is about facts. To begin with ask your students to familiarise themselves with the facts thoroughly.
Tell them that if they have the time it is a good idea to do some research and jot down some facts from an
encyclopedia or fact book.
They should look for some unusual facts that will make their essay interesting.
Having compiled the information from the stimulus given in the question and from outside sources, they need to weed
out extraneous matter that they may have unwittingly collected. Encourage them to do so.
The facts now need to be organised. They can do so under the headings:
Introduction –Description
Body – Eating Habits, Habitat
Conclusion – Current status and what needs to be done.
Having done so, they can begin writing the essay.
Answers

1 MORE READING
WORKSHEET 1
A. 1. Mij needed plenty of room to play and move about and the flat was overcrowded.

2. How did the author keep Mij busy with the terrapin shell?
The author would take the terrapin shell, wrap it in a towel, knot the loose ends tightly across and hand Mij
the bundle. Mij would straddle it with his fore-arms, sink his teeth in the knots, and have them all undone in
five or ten minutes, and then bring the towel and the terrapin shell to be tied up again.

3. Where did Mij sleep during the day?

Mij slept in a sleeping-bag on the sofa,

4. What games did Mij play with human beings?

-- hiding under the carpet and, he would reach out if a foot passed within range;
-- he would hide inside the loose cover of the sofa and play tigers from behind it;
-- he would trap people as a puppy does,,not allowing them to move

2 GRAMMAR IN COMMUNICATION
WORKSHEET 2
A.
1. Shivani dances at the Machkhowa auditorium.
2. They work in the field.
3. The aircrafts get ready to take off.
4. The school closes down for the Summer Holidays soon.
5. They play the drums at the concert.
6. The ships sail down the river.
7. The policemen direct the traffic.
8. It rains every evening now.

B.
1. You ought to try harder. Only then will you get the best result.
2. We will win the game this time. We are determined.
3. I could go and see the movie after all.
4. They did work hard and steadily on the project. That is why it has turned out so well.
5. We shall be going to Dehradun for the festival.
6. It may snow in the hills in the next two days. It is not certain.
7. They might come again if the principal gives them leave.
8. The entire school had turned up for the fete. Everyone was very excited and wanted to man the
games and music stalls.
3 WORDS IN COMMUNICATION

1. look after i. take care of

2. look back j. think about things that
happened in the past
3. look forward k. anticipate with pleasure
4. look on l. watch something without
5. look up to helping
m. respect and admire
6. look through
n. take care of
7. look out for o. respect and admire
8. look for p. search or examine carefully
q. search for something

4 COMMUNICATION
WORKSHEET 4

A. Read the statements. Mark  for inferences that are correct and  against the incorrect ones.

1. It is very hot inside.

a. It was hot yesterday also. 
b. It is cooler outside. 

2. All birds have eyes. Pauline is a bird.

a. Pauline has eyes. 
b. Pauline has two eyes. 

3. This tree is tall. It gets a lot of sunlight.

a. Trees that get a lot of sunlight grow tall. 
b. This tree gets a lot of sunlight because it is tall. 

4. Anything that is pink is an orange. This fruit is pink.

a. This fruit is an orange. 
b. This fruit may or may not be an orange. 

B. Use these words and rewrite the correct sentences from Exercise A.

1. It can be inferred that it is cooler outside.

2. Therefore Pauline has eyes.

3. It is clear that this tree gets a lot of sunlight because it is tall.

4. It must be true that this fruit is an orange.