Read the passage given below:
1. To ensure its perpetuity, the ground is well held by the panther both in space and in time. It enjoys a much wider distribution over the globe than its bigger cousins, and procreates sufficiently profusely to ensure its continuity for all time to come.
2. There seems to be no particular breeding season of the panther, although its sawing and caterwauling is more frequently heard during winter and summer. The gestation period is about ninety to hundred days (Whipsnade, ninety-two days). The litter normally consists of four cubs, rarely five. Of these, generally two survive and not more than one reaches maturity. I have never come across more than two cubs at the heels of the mother. Likewise, graziers in the forest have generally found only two cubs hidden away among rocks, hollows of trees, and other impossible places. 3. Panther cubs are generally in evidence in March. They are born blind. This is a provision of Nature against their drifting away from the place of safety in which they are lodged by their mother, and exposing themselves to the danger of their being devoured by hyenas, jackals, and other predators. They generally open their eyes in about three to four weeks.
4. The mother alone rears its cubs in seclusion. It keeps them out of the reach of the impulsive and impatient male. As a matter of fact the mother separates from the male soon after mating and forgets all about their tumultuous union. The story that the male often looks in to find out how the mother is progressing with her cubs has no foundation except in what we wish it should do at least.
5. The mother carries its cubs about by holding them by the scruff of their neck in its mouth. It trains them to stalk, and teaches them how to deliver the bite of death to the prey. The cubs learn to treat all and sundry with suspicion at their mother’s heels. Instinctively the cubs seek seclusion, keep to cover and protect their flanks by walking along the edge of the forest.
6. I have never had an opportunity to watch mother panther train its cubs. But in Pilibhit forests, I once saw a tigress giving some lessons to its little ones. I was sitting over its kill at Mala. As the sun set, the tigress materialised in the twilight behind my maghan. For about an hour, it scanned and surveyed the entire area looking and listening with the gravest concern. It even went to the road where my elephant was awaiting my signal. The mahout spotted it from a distance and drove the elephant away. F. When darkness descended upon the scene and all was well and safe, the tigress called its cubs by emitting a low haa-oon. The cubs, two in number and bigger than a full-grown cat, soon responded. They came trotting up to their mother and hurried straight to the kill in indecent haste. The mother spitted at them so furiously that they doubled back to its heels immediately. Thereafter, the mother and its cubs sat under cover about 50 feet (15 m) away from the kill to watch, wait, look, and listen. After about half an hour’s patient and fidgetless vigil the mother seemed to say ‘paid for’. At this signal, the cubs cautiously advanced, covering their flanks, towards the kill. No longer did they make a beeline for it, as they had done before.
7. The mother sat watching its cubs eat, and mounted guard on them. Che did not partake of the meal.
On the basis of your understanding of the passage complete the statements given below with the help of options that follow:
(a) To protect its cubs the mother panther hides them:
(i) among rocks
(ii) in the branches of the trees
(iii) behind the tree trunks
(iv) at its heels
(b) The male panther:
(i) is protective of its cubs
(ii) trains its cubs
(iii) watches the progress of the mother
(iv) is impulsive and impatient
Answer the following questions briefly:
(c) How many cubs does the mother panther rarely deliver?
(d) What may happen if the panther cubs are not born blind?
(e) Why did the mahaut drive his elephant away?
(f) Why did the tigress spit at its cubs?
(g) From the narrator’s observation what do we learn about the nature of the tigress?
(h) Why does the panther not face the risk of extinction?
(i) Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) moving aimlessly (para 3)
(ii) came down/fell (para F)
Answers
The correct answers are -
a) To protect the cubs the mother panther hides among the rocks.
b) The male panther was impulsive and impatient.
c) The mother panther rarely delivers around five cubs.
d) If the panther cubs are not born blind, they may drift away from the place of safety and risk being devoured by hyenas, jackals and other predators.
e) The mahout drove away his elephant, because he had distantly spotted the tigress. The tigress scanned the area and surveyed it, so she could give some lessons to her young ones.
f) The tigress spat at her cubs, so that they can double back to their heels.
g) The tigress is very protective of the cubs. She rears the cubs in solitary confinement and keeps them out of sight of greedy and impulsive males. The tigress also trains them to stalk, and guides them as they eat.
h) The panther is not facing the risk of extinction since it enjoys a wide distribution across the globe. It also procreates enough to ensure its continuity for the time ahead.
i) i - Drifting
ii - Descended
'To protect the cubs the mother panther hides among the rocks. '
Explanation:
Complete the statements:
a) 'To protect the cubs, the mother panther hides them 'among rocks.'
b) 'The male panther is impulsive and impatient' as the mother keeps the baby cubs away from their male.
Answer the question briefly:
c) 'The mother panther barely delivers five cubs as usually 'the litter comprises of four out of which only two survives.'
d) If the panther cubs are not born blind, they may alienate from the safe place which leads to the risk of being swallowed by other animals like jackals, hyenas, and other predators.
e) The mahout drove his elephant away because he had slightly noticed the tigress. The tigress examined the complete area and analyzed it to deduce if she could teach something to her young ones.
f) The tigress spat at the cubs so that the cubs immediately 'double back themselves to their heels.
'
g) The tigress is quite protective of the cubs. She rears them in seclusion to prevent them from the male panther's impatience and greedy sights. The tigress also prepares and trains the skill of stalking to the cubs and instruct them to eat.
h) The panther does not face the risk of extinction as it has a very widespread distribution around the world. It also reproduces sufficiently to to ensure that it continues for the upcoming time.
i) Moving aimlessly - Drifting
ii) Came down/fell - Descended
Learn more: answer the question according to the passage
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