Here is a new blog post in Class 7th English. “I Want Something in a Cage” is Chapter 6 taken from the newly introduced textbook Let’s Read English textbook for students of Class 7th of JKBOSE and An Alien Hand English for NCERT students. An American science fiction and fantasy author L.E. Greeve wrote this. This post concerns I Want Something in a Cage Summary and Question Answers. In my previous post, you read about Golu Grows a Nose Chapter 5 Summary and Question Answers. So, let’s not waste any more time and get started with today’s post.
I Want Something in a Cage Summary and Question Answers
Introduction
The story is written by L.E. Greeve and tells us the importance of Freedom. This story is about an owner of a pet shop named Mr Purcell who meets a strange customer one day. The text narrates an unusual encounter in Mr. Purcell’s pet shop, where a recently released ex-convict purchases doves not as pets but to experience a sense of freedom by setting them free.
I Want Something in a Cage Word Meaning
| Word | English Meaning | Hindi Meaning | Urdu Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abruptly | suddenly | एकाएक | اچانک |
| Ailing | ill, sick | बीमार | بیمار |
| Balls of fluff | something which was soft and fluffy and had a ball-like shape | फुलाना की गेंदें | فلف کی گیندیں۔ |
| Beam | smile radiantly | खुशी से उछलना | بیم |
| Bewildered | shocked, perplexed, confused | हक्का-बक्का | حیران |
| Blurted | said abruptly | उगल दिया | دھندلا ہوا |
| Briskly | fastly | तेजी से | تیزی سے |
| Canary | a small, bright yellow bird noted for its singing | एक गानेवाला पक्षी | ایک گانے والا پرندہ |
| Clasped | held | पकड़ना | جکڑ لیا |
| Close-cropped hair | very short haircut | बहुत छोटे बाल कटवाने | بہت مختصر بال کٹوانے |
| Cocked | tilted | उठा हुआ | اٹھا ہوا |
| Constant | continuous, never-ending, endless | स्थिर | مستقل |
| Crestfallen | disappointed | हतोत्साहित | مایوس |
| Custom | habit | रिवाज़ | اپنی مرضی کے مطابق |
| Digest | read and understand fully | संक्षेप | مرتب کرنا |
| Distinct | unique, different | विशिष्ट | الگ |
| Emphatically | in an understanding way | प्रभाव से | زور سے |
| Filmed | become or appear to become covered with a thin layer of something | फिल्माया | فلمایا |
| Flicker | small and sudden movements | झिलमिलाहट | ٹمٹماہٹ |
| Frantic | distraught with fear, anxiety, or other emotion, hysterical | पागल | پاگل |
| Frost | deposit of small white ice crystals formed on the ground or other surfaces when the temperature falls below freezing | पाला | پال |
| Fussy | showing excessive or anxious concern for details | बात का बतंगड़ बनाने वाला | گڑبڑ |
| Genial | friendly | मिलनसार | سبکدوش ہونے والے |
| Get you | annoy you, divert your attention | ||
| तुम्हें खीझ दिलाता है | آپ کو تنگ کرتے ہیں | ||
| Gilded | covered thinly with gold leaf or gold paint | सोने का पानी चढ़ा हुआ | سنہری |
| Glared | stared angrily | गुस्से से घूरा | غصے سے دیکھا |
| Gravely | seriously | गंभीरता से | سنجیدگی سے |
| Halted | stopped | रुका | روک دیا |
| Hastened | hurried | जल्दी करना | جلدی کی |
| Humour | entertain | हास्य | مزاح |
| Hunched | raise (one’s shoulders) and bend the top of one’s body forward | झुके | جھکے |
| Instinctively | automatically | स्वाभाविक बुद्धि से | فطری طور پر |
| Linger | stay in a place longer than necessary because of a reluctance to leave | दीर्घ काल तक रहना | دیر کرنا |
| Lovelorn | unhappy because of unrequited love | एकतरफा प्यार के कारण दुखी | بے حساب محبت کی وجہ سے ناخوش |
| Magnanimously | generously (He gave a broad smile.) | उदारता से | بڑی شان سے |
| Magnified | made to appear big | आवर्धित | بڑھا ہوا |
| Materialise | (of a ghost, spirit, or similar entity) appear in bodily form | शारीरिक रूप में प्रकट होते हैं | جسمانی شکل میں ظاہر ہوتا ہے |
| Monotonous | dull, tedious, and repetitious; lacking in variety and interest | नीरस | نیرس |
| Mopped | wiped | पोंछना | صاف کرنا |
| Mount | move on to a raised surface | चढ़ना | چڑھنا |
| Musty | having a stale, mouldy or damp smell | बासी | باسی |
| Muttered | said in a low voice | धीरे से कहना | بڑبڑایا |
| Oddly | weirdly, strangely | विचित्र रूप से | عجیب طور پر |
| Ornate | elaborately or highly decorated | अलंकृत | مزین |
| Perch | sit | बसेरा | مرغ |
| Perplexity | confusion | उलझन | الجھن |
| Pervade | be present and apparent throughout | व्याप्त होना | پھیلنا |
| Prescribe | advise and authorise the use of a medicine for someone, in written form | सलाह देना | نسخه لکهنا |
| Prompt | quick | शीघ्र | فوری طور پر |
| Proprietor | the owner of a business, or a holder of property | मालिक | مالک |
| Pucker | tightly gather or contract into wrinkles or small folds | तह | تہ |
| Pulsed | throb rhythmically | स्पंदित | نبض والا |
| Purse | pucker or contract, typically to express disapproval or irritation | ओठ सिकोड़ना | عام طور پر ناپسندیدگی یا جلن کا اظہار کرنا |
| Reap | produce, result in | फल भोगना | کاٹنا |
| Scamper | run with quick light steps, especially through fear or excitement | दौड़ | چھلانگ لگانے والا |
| Shoved | put something hurriedly without much care | बिना ज्यादा परवाह किए जल्दबाजी में कोई चीज डाल देना | زیادہ پرواہ کیے بغیر جلدی سے کچھ ڈالیں |
| Shuffled away | to walk away while dragging the feet | किनारा कर लिया | پاؤں گھسیٹتے ہوئے دور چلنا |
| Shuttling glance | constantly looking to and fro | लगातार इधर-उधर देखते रहना | ارد گرد دیکھتےرہنا |
| Slide off | to slip off of something and fall or stand | फिसलना | کهسکنا |
| Smirk | smile in an irritatingly smug, conceited, or silly way | मूर्खता की हँसी | مسکرانا |
| Snapped | said angrily | गुस्से से कहा | غصے سے کہا |
| Snowy | white | सफ़ेद | برفانی |
| Suspended | something that was hanging | लटकता हुआ | لٹکتا ہوا |
| Tottered | moved unsteadily | लड़खड़ाते हुए चलना | لڑکھڑاتے ہوئے چلنا |
| a series of short, high-pitched calls or sounds | चहकना | چہچہانا | |
| Uncanny | unusual | अलौकिक | انوکھا |
| Vaguely | slightly | थोड़ा | مبہم طور پر |
| Waddle | walk with short steps and a clumsy swaying motion | बत्तख की चाल चलना | بٹخ کی چال چلنا |
| Wintry | characteristic of winter, especially in feeling or looking very cold and bleak | शीत ऋतु का | موسم سرما کے |
I Want Something in a Cage Summary in English
Mr. Purcell, a pet shop owner, experienced a strange incident when a peculiar man with shiny shoes and a cheap, ill-fitting suit entered his shop. This man, recently released from prison after ten years, sought to buy an animal that would symbolize freedom. His gaze landed on a pair of doves, and despite their cost being all his hard-earned five dollars, he purchased them with the sole intention of setting them free.
The man’s disinterest in Mr. Purcell’s advice on caring for the doves indicated that he wasn’t acquiring them as pets. Instead, he craved the satisfaction of releasing animals into the wild. This unusual act left Mr. Purcell feeling uneasy, and he began to perceive his shop as haunted.
Mr. Purcell’s pet shop was well-stocked with various animals, each housed in cages that contributed to the constant background noise. While the customers found the caged animals adorable and charming, the man with the doves found the noise depressing. His discomfort led him to question Mr Purcell. He asked the owner if all the noise did not upset him.
Dressed in a new but mismatched outfit, the man’s appearance suggested his recent release from prison. His motives became clear – he craved a taste of freedom symbolized by the doves. Ignoring Mr Purcell’s attempts to offer advice on their care, the man quickly freed the doves outside the shop, flying them into the open sky.
This act left Mr Purcell feeling vaguely insulted, as the man’s disregard for the well-being of the doves conflicted with the pet shop owner’s genuine concern for his animals. The contrast between the man’s shiny shoes, cheap suit, and dishevelled appearance hinted at his turbulent past.
After buying the doves, this new customer talked to Mr. Purcell for a little while. Mr. Purcell offered to advise him about the care and feeding of the doves. The man, however, was not interested in that. He said ‘Bah’ with disdain and went out of the shop. It was so because he was not interested in keeping the doves. As soon as he came out, he opened the cage. He let the doves fly high in the sky. Mr. Purcell saw it and felt vaguely insulted.
I Want Something in a Cage Question Answers
Intext Exercises
Comprehension Check Page No. 38
- Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following statements.
(i) Mr Purcell sold birds, cats, dogs and monkeys.
Ans. True
(ii) He was very concerned about the well-being of the birds and animals in his shop.
Ans. False
(iii) He was impressed by the customer who bought the two doves.
Ans. False
(iv) He was a successful shop owner, though insensitive and cold as a person.
Ans. True.
- Why is Mr Purcell compared to an owl?
Ans. Purcell appeared like an owl in appearance, with his glasses magnifying the size of his eyes. Owls, known for their large eyes relative to their bodies, drew a parallel to Mr. Purcell’s owl-like look.
- From the third paragraph pick out
(i) Words associated with cries of birds.
(ii) Words associated with noise.
(iii) Words suggestive of confusion and fear.
Ans. (i) Whispered twitters, squeals, cheeps.
(ii) Stir, rustling, scampered.
(iii) Bewildered, blindly seeking.
- Mr. Purcell heard it no more than he would have heard the monotonous ticking of a familiar clock” (Read para beginning with. “It was a rough day…………..”)
(i) What does it refer to?
(ii) Why does Mr Purcell not hear it clearly?
Ans. (i) ‘It’ refers to the chirping, squealing and moving of birds all around him.
(ii)It is because he was the owner and the shopkeeper of the pet shop and was used to the noise of the pets.
Comprehension Check Page No. 42
1. Do you think the atmosphere of Mr Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. I think the atmosphere in Mr Purcell’s shop was depressing, dull and cheerless. The shop was full of movements of noising birds and pet animals. The shop owner was professional about his work, but he did not understand the feelings of the pets nor he could hear their constant frantic noises. He was used to the noise made by animals. The animals did not like this place and the owner held no feelings for them.
2. Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want?
Ans. The stranger who came to the pet shop was an unusual person. He was released from jail after ten years of imprisonment. His suit though new looking was cheap and ill-fitting. He had close-cropped hair. His eyes moved all around in the shop. He was not at all interested in the shop owner but wanted to purchase something in a cage.
3. (i) The man insisted on buying the doves because he was fond of birds. Do you agree?
Ans. The man insisted on buying the doves not because fond of birds nor did he insist on buying the fair doves. He only wanted some birds in a cage. He wanted to see those caged birds fly and be free. Seeing a bird take off from a cage directly symbolises setting someone free from captivity.
(ii) How had he earned the five dollars he had?
Ans. He had been imprisoned for ten years, during which he had done hard labour while earning fifty cents per year. The total earnings of his ten years of hard labour was 5 dollars he had.
4. Was the customer interested in the care and feeding of the doves he had bought? If not, why not?
Ans. The customer was not interested in taking care of and feeding the doves because he was not buying them to keep them as pets. The man had no love or liking for the doves. He paid no attention to what Mr Purcell said about the feed and care of birds. He was just buying the birds to set them free.
Textual Exercises Page No. 42
Discuss the following topics in groups
- Why, in your opinion, did the man set the doves free?
Ans. The man set the doves free because he had got already the bitter taste of imprisonment. He understood what it felt like to be caged. He knew the value of freedom. It was his love for freedom that he spent his hard-earned money on buying the doves and setting them free.
- Why did it make Mr. Purcell feel “vaguely insulted”?
Ans. Mr Purcell felt insulted because he had reduced the price of the doves and still made a profit. He felt small to see the customer’s love for freedom and his great sacrifice. The stranger, who only had that money, spent it all just to set the two birds free from the cage.
That’s it about
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