The enclosure in which Kari lived had a thatched roof that lay on thick tree stumps. Examine the illustration of Kar’s pavilion in the book and say why it was built that way.
The enclosure in which Kari lived had a thatched roof that rested on thick tree stumps, so that the roof stayed intact when Kari bumped against the poles as he moved about.
Did Kari enjoy his morning bath in the river? Give a reason for your answer.
Yes, Kari enjoyed his morning bath in the river. The author has mentioned that Kari lay for a long time in the river and on the sand. Kari let the author rub his back and squealed with pleasure when the author rubbed water down his back.
Finding good twigs for Kari took a long time. Why?
Kari loved to eat only the most delicate and tender twigs and didn’t touch the twigs that got mutilated. Thus, the author had to climb all kinds of trees to get the best twigs and saplings for him.
Why did Kari push his friend into the stream?
Kari pushed his friend into the stream to save a drowning boy. Kari was unable to pull the boy from the river bed so he pushed the author into the stream to pull the boy who was somewhat afloat and had not touched the riverbed yet.
Kari was like a baby. What are the main points of comparison.
The author has compared Kari with a baby because his call was more like that of a baby than an elephant. He had to be trained to behave well. If he was not told when he was naughty, he did more mischief. He understood words like children do. He was trained to sit down, walk slow and fast just like a child is taught to sit and walk.
Kari helped himself to all the bananas in the house without any one noticing it. How did he do it?
Kari used his long trunk to steal the bananas from the table in the dining-room. The table was placed near the window so Kari would put his trunk through the window and disappear with the bananas without attracting anyone’s attention.
Kari learnt the commands to sit and to walk. What were the instructions for each command?
To make Kari sit, the author pulled him by his ear and said ‘Dhat’ and to make him walk, he pulled his trunk forward and said ‘Mali’. Kari learnt Mali in just three lessons but it took him three weeks to learn Dhat.
What is “the master call”? Why is it the most important signal for an elephant to learn?
The master call is a strange hissing, howling sound, as if a snake and a tiger were fighting each other which is to be made. It takes around five years to learn the master call.
It is the most important signal for an elephant to learn because it helps the elephant reach out to you when you are in trouble. If, say, you are lost in a jungle and you can’t find your way out, a master call makes the elephant pull down the trees in front of him which scares the other animals and they start running here and there so you know where not to proceed. Slowly, the elephant brings down all the trees and paves a way for you straight to your home.