CBSE Study Notes for Class 9 English Chapter 9 The Bond of Love and Poem The Snake Trying

The Bond of Love

Short Questions (2 Marks)

Question 1 : Who was Bruno and how was
it caught by the narrator?
Answer : Bruno was caught in an accident.
Bruno was a sloth bear. Once the narrator
and his friends were passing through the
sugarcane fields near Mysore. Bruno’s
mother was shot dead and the narrator
captured Bruno from the sugarcane field and
put it a gunny bag.

Question 2 : How did Bruno become
attached to the family of the author?
Answer : When Bruno came to author’s
house then, Bruno got love and affection from
the family of the narrator. So, he slowly got
attracted to the narrator’s family and their
two Alsatian dogs and to all the children of
their tenants. He became a play thing for all
the residents of the house.

Question 3 : Bruno once got paralysis.
Why? How was he cured?
Answer : Bruno once got paralysis when he
ate some of the poison which the author had
kept to kill the rats in his library. The author
rushed him to a vet who gave Bruno two
injections of an antidote. After 30 minutes,
Bruno was able to walk on his legs. He had a
great feed after the incident.

Question 4 : What were the activities that
Bruno did in the story?
Answer : In the story, ‘Bruno’ performed
activities like wrestling, boxing, pointing a
bamboo stick as a gun and cradling a stump
like a baby when he would be asked to do
them. He played with dogs and children also .
He was just a perfect entertainer for them.

Question 5 : Describe the food habits of
Bruno as told in the story.
Answer : Bruno was fond of eating porridge,
vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, rice, eggs and
loved to drink tea, milk, coffee, beer, liquor or
anything liquid. He would be delighted to eat
anything.

Question 6 : Why was it decided to send
Bruno to the zoo?
Answer : When Bruno was brought to the
house, he was just a cub. After a few months,
Bruno had grown very huge. He had become
too big to be kept at home. Moreover, it was
dangerous for children. So, it was decided to
send Bruno to the zoo.

Question 7 : How did Bruno and the
narrator’s wife feel after getting
separated?
Answer : Both Bruno and the narrator’s wife
felt very sad, worried and did not eat for a
few days as they were very close to each
other and shared a great bond of love. The
narrator’s wife also cried and was
inconsolable (heart-broken) . The separation
was too painful for both of them.

Question 8 : Why did the narrator’s wife
urge the curator to give Baba back to her?
Answer : The narrator’s wife urged the
curator to give Baba back to her because both
of them were fretting and couldn’t bear the
separation as they were deeply attached to
each other. Moreover, Baba had got very thin
as he didn’t eat food.

Question 9 : What special arrangements
were made for Bruno at the narrator’s
house when he was brought back to home
from the zoo?
Answer : When Bruno was back to the house,
then an island was made in the courtyard of
the narrator’s house. It was surrounded by a
moat. Every item that belonged to Bruno was
kept inside the island. Since, he had grown in
size; so it was necessary to make these
arrangements.

Question 10: What do we learn from the
story ‘The Bond of Love’?
Answer : The story ‘The Bond of Love’
teaches us to be kind, loving and caring
towards animals. It brings out the fact that
animals too have emotions like us and are
ready to share love with anyone who loves
them. They pay back their love in the same
way as we do to them.

Long Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1 : ‘Love is natural’. Illustrate
with reference to the story ‘The Bond of
Love’.
Answer : Love is what comes as an emotion,
an affinity and an association of thoughts
between two or more living beings. It is an
association based on the mutual
understanding. Since, love has a universal
language despite it having no language. Love
demands nothing but your heart. It you put
your heart out, then love comes
spontaneously. It is true that love between
Bruno, a bear, and the narrator’s wife reflects
an emotional bonding. The narrator’s wife
loved him dearly. She cooked a variety of
food dishes for him and made all efforts to
please him. In return, the bear also
performed many playful tricks to please her.
Both of them enjoyed each other’s company.
When they got separated after his departure
to the zoo, both of them fretted (worry or be
anxious) and did not eat properly .So, the
narrator decided to reunite them. This shows
that love is natural to all whether it is a
human being or an animal.

Question 2 : Animals have the same pain
as humans of separation. Describe the
whole incident of separation in the story
‘The Bond of Love’.
Answer : One who lives alone does not know
the meaning of separation from one’s loved
ones. This meaning can only be understood
by the ones who have formed an association
ever with someone. It is of no matter that
separation afflicts only human beings and not
the meek animals. There are some feelings
that is universal in nature barring all the
limitations and constraints whatsoever. It is
natural for all living creatures to feel joy,
happiness, sorrow, pain and other feelings.
Animals do feel the same as humans. In the
story ‘The Bond of Love’ , the bear-Bruno was
very attached to the narrator’s wife and he
became very sad after he was separated from
her. He did not eat food properly, fretted and
became very weak. But, when the narrator’s
wife went to see him at the zoo, he at once
recognized her and became very happy. He
also ate the food brought by her. This shows
that animals feel the pain of separation as
humans.

Question 3 : Imagine yourself as the wife
of the author. After sending Bruno to zoo,
you are very upset. Write a page of your
diary expressing your feelings.
Answer :
Thursday, 2nd June, 20xx
Time : 9:30 pm
Dear Diary,
Today I am feeling very sad. I had never
imagined that my dear Bruno would have to
leave me one day. If things would have been
under my control , I would have made all
possible efforts to keep my dear Bruno with
me. I really miss him a lot and would love to
go to the zoo to meet him soon. I hope I am
able to do that. Bruno was a special gift for
me from my husband and I have taken care of
him as my child. Because of this, he holds a
special place in my heart. But, as
circumstances would have wished him to go
the zoo, I was nothing more than being
helpless. He was growing in the size but still I
think that he was just a small cub when he
was first brought to me. He was lovable,
playful and naughty but it was all so thrilling
that his impressions are still afresh on my
mind. I have been missing him sorely and
would soon see him.

Poem The Snake Trying

Poem The Snake Trying

Short Questions (2 Marks)

Question 1 : What was the snake trying to
do?
Answer : The snake was lying comfortably
enjoying the sunrays. Somebody tried to
disturb him with a stick. The snake was
trying to escape the pursuing stick by trying
to curve his thin long body.

Question 2 : How did the snake avoid
getting hurt?
Answer : The snake avoided getting hurt by
the gracious moves of its long thin body. It
entered the water ang glided away escaping
the stick.

Question 3 : How did the poet describe the
movement of the snake?
Answer : The poet described the movement
of the snake, by calling it graceful and
beautiful. Its movements captivate the poet’s
attention as it glides through the water to
hide itself and disappear into reeds.

Question 4 : How can it be said that the
snake was harmless?
Answer : “The snake was harmless even to
the children” gives the idea that snake was
harmless. Also, a green snake is not
venomous and hence not harmful. A snake
does not bite any one unless disturbed by
someone.

Question 5 : What does the poet appeal to
the readers?
Answer : The poet does not consider the
snake very harmful and dangerous.
According to the poet we should be
sympathetic to the snake and should not
disturb him unnecessarily.

Long Questions (8 Marks)

Question 1 : The poet has expressed his
emotions and his love for the snake. Love
is natural and understandable. Hoe do you
see love to be essential for all living
beings?
Answer : Of course, love is just natural and
easily understandable . We must understand
that it is a godly thing and should abide
ourselves with it. The poet has shown his
love and emotions for the snake in the poem
and this is a token of the fact that the
ordinary human beings should also show the
same tendency. Love is eternal and universal.
It can never be ignored. All the living beings
are connected to one another with the
common language of love. It spreads peace
and harmony all around and promotes
brotherhood. This is such a pious trait that
everybody should have it. Hence, love is an
essential part of our lives and it should
always be promoted.
Value based questions

Question 1.
Do you agree that a snake does not want to
bite a man, it bites a man only when it feels
that he is going to kill it?
Answer:
I agree with this statement that a snake
does not want to bite man, unless it feels
that a man is going to kill it. But people are
of the opinion that all snakes are poisonous
and it is their nature to bite a man. So, they
want to kill it.