NCERT Solutions Class 8 English (Honeydew)
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 8 English (Poetry) (Honeysuckle) Poem – 3 Macavity: The Mystery Cat has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English (Honeydew – Poem)
- Poem – 1 : The Ant and the Cricket
- Poem – 2 : Geography Lesson
- Poem – 4 : The Last Bargain
- Poem – 5 : The School Boy
- Poem – 6 : When I Set Out for Lyonnesse
- Poem – 7 : On the Grasshopper and Cricket
Poem – 3 (Macavity: The Mystery Cat)
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw —
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air —
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square —
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
– T.S. ELIOT
Working with the Poem
1. Read the first stanza and think.
(i) Is Macavity a cat really?
Answer – Macavity, a mysterious character, is not a cat in reality.
(ii) If not, who can Macavity be?
Answer – Macavity can be a master or expert criminal
2. Complete the following sentences.
(i) A master criminal is one who ___________________
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because ___________________
(iii) ___________________ because Macavity moves much faster than them.
Answer –
(i) A master criminal is one who can defy the law.
(ii) The Scotland Yard is baffled because they could not catch Macavity from the scene of the crime.
(iii) The Flying Squad is in despair because Macavity moves much faster than them.
3. “A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through”. (Jules Verne)
Which law is Macavity breaking in light of the comment above?
Answer – Here, Macavity is breaking the law of gravity.
4. Read stanza 3, and then describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.
Answer – Macavity is a cautious cat. He is very tall and thin. He is the master criminal. He defies the law of gravity even. He wears a dusty coat and has sunken eyes. In fact, he is a mysterious cat.
5. Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat.
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do.
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers.
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright.
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one.
Answer –
(i) Macavity is not an ordinary cat. (True)
(ii) Macavity cannot do what a fakir can easily do. (False)
(iii) Macavity has supernatural powers. (True)
(iv) Macavity is well-dressed, smart and bright. (False)
(v) Macavity is a spy, a trickster and a criminal, all rolled in one. (True)
6. Having read the poem, try to guess whether the poet is fond of cats. If so, why does he call Macavity a fiend and monster?
Answer – The poet is fond of cats. He is so crazy about them. It seems that he has a pet cat Macavity who is mischievous. She does lawless things. The poet calls him a monster.
7. Has the poet used exaggeration for special effect? Find a few examples of it and read those lines aloud.
Answer – Yes, the poet has used exaggerations such as the cat’s defiance of gravity and it being called a ‘monster of depravity’ and a ‘fiend’ in order to enhance the mystery surrounding the cat. Since the cat is shown to be super-fast as nobody from the Scotland Yard to the Flying Squad can catch it on the scene of crime, these exaggerations have been used by Eliot to lay stress on this monstrous s as well as surprising and mysterious nature of Macavity.
Examples:
(i) ‘He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair’.
(ii) ‘He breaks the law of gravity’.
(iii) ‘His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare’.
(iv) ‘He’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity’.
