NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (First Flight) Chapter 6: Mijbil the Otter
Complete solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 6 – “Mijbil the Otter” by Gavin Maxwell: an original summary, theme, word meanings and every textbook exercise (Oral Comprehension Check, Thinking about the Text and Thinking about Language) answered in full. The questions are reproduced exactly as in the NCERT book, and all answers are written originally in exam-ready style.
Gavin Maxwell (1914–1969) was a Scottish naturalist, traveller and writer best known for his deep love of wild animals and the West Highlands of Scotland. He lived in a remote cottage called Camusfearna, ringed by water, where he kept and observed otters. His most famous book, Ring of Bright Water (1960), describes his life with these otters and made him world-renowned. “Mijbil the Otter” is an extract from this book. Maxwell’s gentle, humorous and closely observed writing reflects both a scientist’s eye for detail and a deep affection for the creatures he cared for.
Summary
After the death of his dog, Gavin Maxwell felt lonely and decided he would rather keep an otter than another dog. His cottage at Camusfearna, surrounded by water, seemed a perfect place for the experiment. While travelling in Southern Iraq in early 1956, a friend suggested he get an otter from the Tigris marshes, where they were common and often tamed by the Arabs. After a frustrating wait for his delayed mail in Basra, two Arabs delivered an otter to him in a sack, along with a note from his friend.
Maxwell named the otter Mijbil. It belonged to a previously unknown species, later named Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, or Maxwell’s otter. At first aloof, Mij soon grew affectionate and playful. He loved water, turned on bathroom taps himself, and spent hours playing with balls and marbles. He followed Maxwell like a dog and showed surprising intelligence.
Transporting Mij to England proved difficult. As the British airline would not carry animals, Maxwell flew via Paris and London. Packed into a box for an hour, Mij injured himself trying to escape. On the plane he broke free, causing chaos before returning to nuzzle Maxwell affectionately. In London, Mij invented his own games and developed amusing compulsive habits during walks. Londoners, unable to recognise an otter, made the funniest guesses about what kind of creature he was — from a baby seal to a brontosaur.
Theme & message
The story celebrates the warm bond between humans and animals and the joy, humour and responsibility that come with keeping a pet. Through close, affectionate observation, Maxwell shows that animals have distinct personalities, intelligence and emotions. The chapter also gently raises the question of caring properly for an animal far from its natural habitat, reminding us that keeping a wild creature is a serious commitment that demands love, patience and understanding.
Word meanings
Word
Meaning
crossed my mind
(a thought) came into my mind
a stone’s throw
a very short distance
eminently
highly; perfectly suitably
cabled
sent a message by telegraph
squirmed
twisted about
thraldom
being under the control of
fixation
a very strong attachment or feeling
aloof and indifferent
keeping a distance; not interested
apathy
absence of interest
christened
named
fumbling
trying to do something in a clumsy manner
flick
a quick, light movement
appalling spectacle
a shocking scene
whipped off
quickly took off
infuriated
very angry
ricochetting bullet
a bullet that changes direction after hitting a surface
portly
stout
nuzzle
to rub gently with the nose
engrossed
completely interested in
ambush
to attack suddenly from a hidden position
compulsive habits
habits impossible to control
barrage of conjectural questions
a stream of questions filled with guesses
Oral Comprehension Check
(Page 83 – after the opening sections)
1. What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
ANSWERMaxwell thought Camusfearna, his cottage ringed by water, would be a perfectly suitable place for the experiment of keeping an otter instead of a dog as a pet.
2. Why does he go to Basra? How long does he wait there, and why?
ANSWERMaxwell goes to the Consulate-General in Basra to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He has to wait there for several days because his mail had not arrived. He cabled and tried to telephone England, but the line was out of order, the exchange was closed for a holiday and there was a breakdown. His mail finally arrived five days after his friend left.
3. How does he get the otter? Does he like it? Pick out the words that tell you this.
ANSWERWhen his mail finally arrived, Maxwell carried it to his bedroom and found two Arabs squatting on the floor beside a sack that squirmed from time to time. They handed him a note from his friend that said, “Here is your otter.” Yes, he likes it very much. Words such as “otter fixation”, “thraldom to otters” and his close, affectionate observation of Mij show his deep fondness for the creature.
4. Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’?
ANSWERThe otter belonged to a race or species previously unknown to science. When zoologists examined it, they classified it as a new sub-species and named it Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, or ‘Maxwell’s otter’, after Gavin Maxwell.
5. Tick the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was
• aloof and indifferent • friendly • hostile
ANSWERaloof and indifferent. For the first twenty-four hours Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly; he was simply aloof and indifferent, sleeping as far from Maxwell’s bed as possible.
6. What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom? What did it do two days after that?
ANSWERIn the bathroom Mijbil went wild with joy in the water for half an hour, plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the bathtub underwater and splashing about. Two days later, Mij escaped from the bedroom and reached the bathroom on his own; there he managed to turn the chromium taps with his paws and produced a full flow of water.
Oral Comprehension Check
(Page 86 – after the journey to the airport)
1. How was Mij to be transported to England?
ANSWERSince the British airline would not fly animals, Maxwell booked a flight to Paris on another airline and from there to London. The airline insisted that Mij be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square, to be carried on the floor at Maxwell’s feet.
2. What did Mij do to the box?
ANSWERLeft alone in the box for an hour, Mij became frantic. He tore the lining of the box to shreds and injured himself; blood had trickled out and dried around the airholes and the lid, and he came out exhausted and blood-spattered.
3. Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this?
ANSWERMaxwell put the otter back into the box because there were only ten minutes left for the flight and the airport was five miles away — he had no choice if he was to catch the plane. He must have felt sad, anxious and guilty putting the miserable, injured Mij back into the box, which is why he held the lid down gently with his hand throughout the drive.
4. Why does Maxwell say the airhostess was “the very queen of her kind”?
ANSWERThe air hostess was extremely kind, calm and helpful. She kept the fish in a cool place, listened sympathetically and suggested that Maxwell keep his pet on his knee. Because she was so understanding and courteous in a difficult situation, Maxwell admired her greatly and called her “the very queen of her kind.”
5. What happened when the box was opened?
ANSWERAs soon as the box was opened, Mij shot out in a flash and disappeared at high speed down the aircraft. There were squawks and shrieks, a woman screamed “A rat! A rat!”, and in chasing Mij’s tail under an Indian passenger’s seat, Maxwell got his face covered in curry. Mij was eventually found and returned to him.
Oral Comprehension Check
(Page 88 – after the time in London)
1. What game had Mij invented?
ANSWERMij invented a game with a ping-pong ball using a damaged suitcase whose lid sloped from one end to the other. He would place the ball on the high end so that it ran down the length of the suitcase, then dash to the other end to ambush it — hiding, springing up to take it by surprise, grabbing it and trotting back to the high end to start again.
2. What are ‘compulsive habits’? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of (i) school children (ii) Mij?
ANSWER‘Compulsive habits’ are fixed little rituals or actions that one feels driven to repeat and finds almost impossible to control.(i) School children: on their way to and from school they must place their feet squarely on the centre of each paving block, touch every seventh upright of the iron railings, or pass to the outside of every second lamp post.(ii) Mij: on the way home (but never on the way out), Mij would tug Maxwell to a low school wall, jump on to it and gallop the full thirty-yard length of it, distracting the pupils and staff inside.
3. What group of animals do otters belong to?
ANSWEROtters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines, which also includes the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.
4. What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was?
ANSWERUnable to recognise an otter, Londoners guessed Mij to be a baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard (one that had changed its spots) and even a brontosaur. One labourer simply stared in surprise and growled, “Here, Mister — what is that supposed to be?”
Thinking about the Text
1. What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love?
ANSWERIntelligent: Mij learns to turn the bathroom taps with his paws and invents his own ball-and-suitcase game. Friendly: he soon follows Maxwell without a lead, comes when his name is called, sleeps in the crook of his knees and nuzzles his face and neck affectionately on the aeroplane. Fun-loving: he plays for hours with balls and marbles, dribbles a ball like a four-footed soccer player and juggles marbles on his belly. His need for love and company is shown by the distressed chitter of recognition and welcome when he finds Maxwell again on the plane.
2. What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text?
ANSWERWe learn that otters are found in large numbers in the marshes near Basra and are often tamed by the Arabs. They belong to a small group of animals called Mustellines (along with the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat and mink). Otters love water intensely — they will overturn or sit in any bowl of water and keep it on the move. They are playful, intelligent and affectionate, can be tamed easily, and form strong bonds with their owners.
3. Why is Mij’s species now known to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
ANSWERMij’s species was previously unknown to science. When zoologists studied it, they recognised it as a new sub-species and named it Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli — that is, Maxwell’s otter — in honour of Gavin Maxwell, through whom it became known to science.
4. Maxwell in the story speaks for the otter, Mij. He tells us what the otter feels and thinks on different occasions. Given below are some things the otter does. Complete the column on the right to say what Maxwell says about what Mij feels and thinks.
ANSWER
What Mij does
How Mij feels or thinks
plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash
He feels wild with joy and delight; water excites him, and he loves to plunge, roll and splash about in it.
screws the tap in the wrong way
He feels irritated and disappointed; he chitters with annoyance at the tap’s failure to cooperate when no water comes out.
nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane
He feels relief, recognition and affection; he is happy and reassured to find his owner again, and shows his love and trust.
5. Read the story and find the sentences where Maxwell describes his pet otter. Then choose and arrange your sentences to illustrate those statements below that you think are true.
Maxwell’s description — (i) makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy; (ii) shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does; (iii) shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does; (iv) of Mij’s antics is comical; (v) shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully; (vi) shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary otter; (vii) shows that he thinks the otter is very unusual.
ANSWERThe statements that are true are (i), (iii), (iv), (v) and (vii). Statements (ii) and (vi) are not true — Maxwell is rarely irritated with Mij, and he clearly considers Mij a most unusual, not ordinary, otter.(i) Almost human, like a small boy: “he would lie on his back rolling two or more of them up and down his wide, flat belly without ever dropping one to the floor”; he played “like a four-footed soccer player”.(iii) Often surprised: “I watched, amazed; in less than a minute he had turned the tap… and achieved the full flow.”(iv) Comical antics: Mij galloping along the school wall “to the hopeless distraction both of pupils and of staff”.(v) Observes carefully: “the real play of an otter is when he lies on his back and juggles with small objects between his paws.”(vii) Very unusual: “Mijbil… was, in fact, of a race previously unknown to science.”
Thinking about Language
I. Describing a Repeated Action in the Past
From the table given, make as many correct sentences as you can using would and/or used to, as appropriate. (Hint: First decide whether the words in italics show an action, or a state or situation, in the past.) Then add two or three sentences of your own to it.
ANSWER (sample sentences)1. Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical evenings. (state — only ‘used to’)2. Every evening we would / used to take long walks on the beach. (action)3. Fifty years ago, very few people used to own cars. (state)4. Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets. (state)5. My uncle would / used to spend his holidays by the sea. (action)Your own sentences (sample): When I was young, I would read comics every Sunday. My grandmother used to be a teacher. We used to live in a small village near the hills.
II. Noun Modifiers
1. Look at these examples from the text, and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns, or adjective plus noun.
ANSWER(i) An otter fixation — noun(ii) The iron railings — noun(iii) The Tigris marshes — proper noun(iv) The London streets — proper noun(v)soft velvet fur — adjective plus noun (soft = adjective, velvet = noun)(vi) A four-footed soccer player — adjective plus noun (four-footed = adjective, soccer = noun)
2. Given below are some nouns, and a set of modifiers (in the box). Combine the nouns and modifiers to make as many appropriate phrases as you can.
ANSWER (sample phrases)a college farewell; a college crossing; a rough physique / a rough landscape; a hundred gifts / a hundred boys / a hundred girls; a stone temple; an ordinary person / an ordinary time; a love triangle; an uncomfortable crossing; a white handkerchief; a slang expression; a slack time; a bare physique; a railroad crossing; a tremendous roar / a tremendous scream; a family celebration; a marriage celebration; a plump physique; an invigorating coffee; a panoramic view / a panoramic landscape; a heartbreaking scream; a birthday celebration / birthday gifts; an incorrigible chatterbox; a ridiculous expression; a loud scream / a loud roar; the first flight; three dresses / three boys.
III. Quantity phrases (uncountable nouns)
1. Match the words on the left with a word on the right. Some words on the left can go with more than one word on the right.
ANSWER(i) a portion of — fried fish(ii) a pool of — blood / water(iii) flakes of — snow(iv) a huge heap of — stones(v) a gust of — wind(vi) little drops of — blood / water(vii) a piece of — gold / cotton(viii) a pot of — gold
2. Use a bit of / a piece of / a bunch of / a cloud of / a lump of with the italicised nouns in the following sentences.
ANSWER(i) My teacher gave me a bit of advice. (example)(ii) Can you give me a lump of clay, please.(iii)The bit of / The piece of information you gave was very useful.(iv) Because of these factories, a cloud of smoke hangs over the city.(v) Two stones rubbed together can produce a piece of / sparks of fire. (commonly: ‘sparks of fire’)(vi) He gave me a bunch of flowers on my birthday.
Extra questions
Short answer
1. Why did Maxwell decide to keep an otter instead of a dog?
ANSWERAfter his dog Jonnie died, Maxwell was too sad to think of keeping a dog again. Wanting a pet but a different one, he decided to keep an otter, especially as his water-ringed cottage at Camusfearna seemed perfectly suited for it.
2. How did Mij show his love of water?
ANSWERMij went wild with joy in the bathtub, plunging, rolling and shooting up and down underwater. He overturned bowls of water or sat in them until they overflowed, and learned to turn on the taps himself. For Mij, water always had to be kept on the move.
3. What chaos did Mij cause on the aeroplane?
ANSWERMij escaped from his box in a flash and sped down the aircraft. Passengers squawked and shrieked, a woman stood on her seat screaming “A rat!”, and Maxwell, chasing Mij under a passenger’s seat, got his face covered in curry before the otter was found.
4. What were Mij’s favourite toys and games?
ANSWERMij loved ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell. He dribbled a ball like a footballer, juggled marbles on his belly, and invented a clever ambush game with a ball and a sloping suitcase.
5. Why could Londoners not identify Mij?
ANSWEROtters are uncommon pets, so the average Londoner had never seen one. Unable to recognise the creature, they made wild guesses, calling Mij a seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a beaver, a bear cub and even a brontosaur.
Long answer
6. Describe Maxwell’s difficult journey while transporting Mij from Iraq to England.
ANSWERThe journey was full of trouble. Because the British airline would not carry animals, Maxwell flew via Paris to London on another airline, which insisted Mij travel in an eighteen-inch box at his feet. Boxed for an hour beforehand, Mij injured himself badly, tearing the lining to shreds. With only ten minutes to a flight five miles away, Maxwell raced to the airport in a car that tore through Basra “like a ricochetting bullet”. A kind air hostess let him keep Mij on his knee, but the otter escaped, racing down the aircraft amid screams and covering Maxwell in curry, before finally returning to nuzzle him affectionately. The episode shows both Maxwell’s devotion to his pet and the real difficulty of transporting a wild animal.
7. What does the story tell us about the bond between Maxwell and Mij?
ANSWERThe story reveals a deep, loving bond. Maxwell watches Mij with patience and affection, describing his feelings as a parent might describe a child’s. He endures great inconvenience — a curry-covered face, a frantic dash to the airport — for Mij’s sake. Mij, in turn, follows Maxwell without a lead, comes when called, sleeps near him and nuzzles him in distress and relief. Their relationship is full of trust, play and mutual attachment, showing how animals and humans can share genuine companionship and how caring for a pet is a joyful but serious responsibility.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. Who is the author of ‘Mijbil the Otter’?
(a) Robert Frost (b) Gavin Maxwell (c) Carl Sandburg (d) Anne Frank
ANSWER(b) Gavin Maxwell.
2. Maxwell’s cottage was located at:
(a) Basra (b) Paris (c) Camusfearna (d) London
ANSWER(c) Camusfearna (in the West Highlands of Scotland).
3. Maxwell decided to keep an otter instead of a:
(a) cat (b) dog (c) parrot (d) rabbit
ANSWER(b) dog (after his dog Jonnie died).
4. The otter was delivered to Maxwell in:
(a) a cage (b) a basket (c) a sack (d) a box
ANSWER(c) a sack.
5. The scientific name given to Mij’s species was:
Remember key proper nouns and their spellings: Camusfearna, Basra, Tigris marshes, Mijbil/Mij and Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli.
For “does Maxwell like the otter?” type questions, always quote textual clues such as “otter fixation” and “thraldom to otters”.
Learn the meaning of ‘compulsive habits’ with both examples (school children and Mij) — a frequent 3-mark question.
In long answers, link Mij’s actions to the qualities they show (intelligent / friendly / fun-loving) and add a short concluding line on the human-animal bond.
Do not confuse this prose lesson with the poem ‘Fog’ that follows it in the book — they are answered separately.
FAQs
Who wrote ‘Mijbil the Otter’ and from which book is it taken?
It was written by the Scottish naturalist Gavin Maxwell and is an extract from his famous book Ring of Bright Water.
Why is Mij’s species called ‘Maxwell’s otter’?
Mij belonged to a race of otter previously unknown to science. Zoologists named the new sub-species Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, or Maxwell’s otter, after Gavin Maxwell.
What is the main message of ‘Mijbil the Otter’?
The chapter celebrates the loving bond between humans and animals and shows that keeping a pet is a joyful but serious responsibility requiring patience, care and understanding.
Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT First Flight textbook; summaries and answers are written originally by ClearStudy.
