NCERT Solutions Class 7 English Unit 2 Wit and Humour Chapter 04 Animals, Birds, and Dr. Dolittle (Story)

Question 1. Do you have a pet or a domestic animals? If yes why? If not, why not? How do people usually spend time with a pet or domestic animal? Share your thoughts with your classmates and the teacher.
Answer: I own a pet dog named Bruno at home. He is very friendly and brings lots of joy to my life. I love having him because he keeps me company and makes me feel happy. People usually bond with their pets by playing games with them, going for walks, giving them food and talking to them as if they were friends. Pets end up becoming true members of the family.
In simple words: I have a pet dog called Bruno. He makes me happy and keeps me company. People spend time with pets by playing, walking, and talking to them.

Exam Tip: When answering personal questions about pets, always mention specific activities you do with them and explain why having a pet is meaningful to you.

Question 2. You must have read stories where animals and birds talk. If you had a chance to communicate with an animal or a bird, who would you like to speak to and why? Share your thoughts with your classmates and the teacher.
Answer: If I could talk to any animal, I would choose a parrot. Parrots are intelligent creatures with the ability to copy human words and sounds. I would find it fascinating to ask a parrot what flying high above the clouds feels like and what it's like to live among tree branches. Learning how they view the world from such heights would be truly amazing and exciting.
In simple words: I would talk to a parrot because they are smart and can copy what we say. I would ask them what flying feels like.

Exam Tip: Choose an animal that has interesting abilities and explain clearly why you would want to communicate with it and what you would ask.

Question 3. If we closely observe the body language of animals and birds, we can understand what they want to tell us. Work in pairs and study the pictures given below. Find out what emotions these animals and birds are trying to convey. Share your observations with your classmates and the teacher.
Answer:
(i) Angry
(ii) Shocked
(iii) Happy
(iv) Annoyed
In simple words: By looking at how animals hold their bodies, their facial expressions, and their movements, we can figure out how they are feeling and what they are trying to say to us.

Exam Tip: Always match the animal's body position, facial expression, and tail position with the emotion it shows - this helps identify feelings quickly and accurately.

Question 4. Complete the following sentence by selecting a suitable reason. The Cat's-food-Man suggests to Doctor Dolittle that he should become an animal doctor because he believes that Dolittle ______.
(a) earns less fee by treating human patients
(b) enjoys the company of animals as they speak less
(c) dislikes spending time with human patients
(d) knows more about animals than the local veterinarians
Answer: (d) knows more about animals than the local veterinarians
In simple words: The Cat's-food-Man believes that Doctor Dolittle has special knowledge about animals that other veterinarians do not have, so he should use this gift to become an animal doctor instead.

Exam Tip: Read the context carefully to understand the character's reasoning - the correct answer will match the speaker's motivation and the story's logic.

Question 5. Fill in the blanks by choosing the suitable option given in the brackets. Doctor Dolittle reacts to Polynesia's information about animal languages with both excitement and ____________ (certainty/curiosity). He rushes to ____________ (write/memorise) the bird words she provides and is interested in learning more.
Answer: Doctor Dolittle reacts to Polynesia's information about animal languages with both excitement and curiosity. He rushes to write the bird words she provides and is interested in learning more.
In simple words: Doctor Dolittle is both excited and eager to learn when Polynesia teaches him bird language, and he writes down the words carefully so he won't forget them.

Exam Tip: Pay attention to the context and the character's actions to choose the right word - here, his action of writing down words shows he wants to remember what he learns.

Question 6. Do you think Doctor Dolittle would be famous as an animal doctor? If yes, why? If not, why not?
Answer: Yes, Doctor Dolittle would surely become famous as an animal doctor. His special gift - the ability to speak and understand animal languages - sets him apart from all other veterinarians. This unique skill lets him find out exactly what is wrong with each animal by asking them directly and listening to their answers. Once he understands their problems, he can give them the right treatment and cure them. The story tells us that animals from distant places would come to visit him, and birds would carry news of his talent to animals living in faraway countries. This kind of word-of-mouth advertising would make him well-known and respected everywhere.
In simple words: Yes, Doctor Dolittle would become very famous because he can talk to animals. No other doctor can do this, so animals would come from everywhere to see him.

Exam Tip: Support your opinion with specific examples from the text - mention his special ability and how it would help animals trust and recommend him.

Question 7. What became a common sight in Puddleby after Doctor Dolittle started treating animals?
(a) Humans talking to farm animals
(b) Farm animals wearing glasses
(c) Farm animals learning bird language
(d) Birds riding atop farm animals
Answer: (b) Farm animals wearing glasses
In simple words: When Doctor Dolittle treated animals in the town, one thing people saw often was farm animals wearing spectacles, just like the plough horse he gave glasses to for its eyesight.

Exam Tip: Remember specific details from the story like the plough horse who needed green glasses - these details help you pick the right answer in comprehension questions.

Question 8. What challenges do you think Doctor Dolittle might face if more and more animals come to him for help?
Answer: Doctor Dolittle would face several big challenges. First, handling so many animal patients at the same time would become very difficult - he would run out of hours in the day to treat them all. Second, he would need to keep enough medicines and medical supplies for many different kinds of animals, which costs money and space. Third, animals cannot pay him money for his services like human patients do, so he might face money troubles. Fourth, his house and garden would become too small to hold all the visiting animals. These are serious problems that could slow down or stop his work if he doesn't find solutions.
In simple words: If too many animals come, Doctor Dolittle would run out of time and space. He would also need lots of medicines and money to care for them all.

Exam Tip: Think logically about practical problems a doctor would face - time management, resources, and financial stability are key points to mention.

Question 9. How might he overcome these challenges to ensure that he provides good treatment?
Answer: Doctor Dolittle could solve these problems in several smart ways. He could build special separate doors for different types of animals - horses could use one entrance, cows another, sheep a different one, and so on - just as mentioned in the story. This would help organize his work better. He could also make a list system or appointment schedule so animals would come at different times instead of all at once. He could teach helpers and assistants to do basic care work so he would not have to do everything himself. Building bigger spaces - expanding his house or adding new rooms and areas to his property - would give more room for the animals. He could ask the local community and farmers for help and support. Finally, he could take gifts, food, or other things from grateful farmers instead of money payment, which would help his business survive.
In simple words: He could make separate doors for different animals, create a schedule so they don't all come at once, hire helpers, and get help and gifts from the community.

Exam Tip: Provide practical, realistic solutions based on the story - mention the separate doors example from the text and add logical ideas like scheduling and hiring assistants.

Question 10. Arrange the following events in correct order according to the story.
(i) A man with a stomach-ache visits Doctor Dolittle and suggests he should treat animals instead of people.
(ii) The parrot, Polynesia, encourages Doctor Dolittle to become an animal doctor, revealing that animals can talk.
(iii) Polynesia teaches Doctor Dolittle animal languages, and he starts understanding and communicating with animals.
(iv) Doctor Dolittle decides to stop being a doctor for people and becomes a doctor for animals.
(v) Word spreads, and people start bringing their sick pets and farm animals to Doctor Dolittle for treatment.
(vi) A plough horse with vision problems visits Doctor Dolittle, who prescribes green spectacles, to improve the horse's eyesight.
(vii) Doctor Dolittle's ability to communicate with animals helps him diagnose and treat their illnesses effectively.
(viii) Animals from near and far come to Doctor Dolittle for help, crowding his garden.
(ix) Doctor Dolittle installs special doors for different animals to enter his house for treatment.
(x) Doctor Dolittle gains fame among animals worldwide, and they come to him from various places for his help.
Answer: (ii), (i), (iv), (iii), (vi), (vii), (ix), (viii), (x), (v)
In simple words: The parrot first tells Doctor Dolittle he can help animals, then a sick man suggests it, then he decides to change jobs, then learns animal languages, then helps a horse with glasses, and finally becomes very famous with animals coming from everywhere.

Exam Tip: When ordering story events, look for cause-and-effect clues - something must happen before Doctor Dolittle can do the next thing, like learning the language before he can treat animals.

Question 11. Read the extract: "If I say, 'Polly wants a cracker', you understand me. But hear this: Ka-ka oi-ee, fee-fee? Good Gracious! cried the Doctor. What does that mean? That means, 'Is the porridge hot yet?' - in bird language. My! You don't say so! said the Doctor. You never talked that way to me before. What would have been the good? said Polynesia, dusting some cracker crumbs off her left wing. You wouldn't have understood me if I had. Complete the sentence by choosing the correct option. In the line, "Good Gracious!" cried the Doctor, the expression 'Good Gracious' can be replaced by ______________.
(a) Bravo
(b) Gosh
(c) Alas
(d) Hurray
Answer: (b) Gosh
In simple words: "Good Gracious" is an old-fashioned way to show surprise, just like saying "Gosh" or "Wow" when something amazes you.

Exam Tip: Look for expressions that show surprise or shock - "Gosh" works because the Doctor is surprised to learn bird language, while "Bravo" means praise and "Hurray" means celebration.

Question 12. Why had Polynesia never used bird language with the Doctor earlier?
Answer: Polynesia had never spoken in bird language to the Doctor before because he would not have understood what she was saying. She explains this by asking, "What would have been the good? You wouldn't have understood me if I had." There was no point in speaking to him in a language he did not know. It would have been a waste of effort since it would not have led to any real conversation or communication between them.
In simple words: Polynesia did not speak bird language to him earlier because there was no reason to - he could not understand it, so it would not help them talk to each other.

Exam Tip: Answer with the character's own reasoning from the text - "What would have been the good?" is the key phrase that shows why she didn't do it before.

Question 13. Identify whether the following statement is true or false. Polynesia had been munching on a food item while talking to Doctor Dolittle.
Answer: True. The text clearly states that Polynesia was "dusting some cracker crumbs off her left wing," which shows she had been eating crackers while speaking with the Doctor.
In simple words: This is true because the story says Polynesia was brushing cracker crumbs off her wing, which means she was eating while she talked.

Exam Tip: Look for small detail clues in the text like "dusting crumbs" - these prove what the character was doing at that moment in the story.

Question 14. How did Doctor Dolittle feel according to the extract?
(a) anxious
(b) surprised
(c) angry
(d) relaxed
Answer: (b) surprised
In simple words: Doctor Dolittle felt shocked and amazed when he learned that Polynesia could speak in bird language. His words "Good Gracious!" and "My! You don't say so!" both show his surprise.

Exam Tip: Find clues in the character's words and actions - expressions like "Good Gracious!" and his excited tone show the emotion he felt at that moment.

Question 15. Read the extract: "I would like a pair like yours," said the horse - "only green. They'll keep the Sun out of my eyes while I'm ploughing the field". "You know, the trouble is, Sir," said the plough horse as the Doctor opened the front door to let him out - "the trouble is that anybody thinks he can doctor animals - just because the animals don't complain. As a matter of fact, it takes a much cleverer man to be a really good animal doctor than it does to be a good people's doctor." Choose a word from the extract to complete the analogy. digging: flower bed:: ______________: field
Answer: ploughing
In simple words: Just like a person digs in a flower bed, a horse ploughs the ground in a field. Both are the same type of action in different places.

Exam Tip: Analogies compare relationships between words - find the action word that matches "digging" for the field, which is "ploughing" from the text.

Question 16. Choose the correct word to complete the sentence. Doctor Dolittle's attitude in the extract is ______________.
(a) respectful
(b) sentimental
(c) understanding
(d) careful
Answer: (c) understanding
In simple words: Doctor Dolittle listens to what the horse wants and takes his request seriously. This shows he understands and cares about the animal's needs and concerns.

Exam Tip: Look at how the character responds to others - Doctor Dolittle listens, acknowledges the horse's problem, and provides a solution, which shows understanding and compassion.

Question 17. Complete the sentence with an appropriate reason. Based on the extract, we can conclude that doctors take animals for granted because ______________.
Answer: doctors take animals for granted because animals do not complain or speak up about poor treatment. Unlike human patients who can describe their pain and discomfort in words, animals cannot express their feelings, so many people assume they don't need careful attention or skilled care. This silence makes it easy for doctors to be careless, thinking that treating animals is simpler and less important than treating people.
In simple words: Animals cannot tell doctors when something hurts or is wrong, so people think animals do not need good doctors to care for them.

Exam Tip: Use evidence from the text - the horse specifically says "animals don't complain" - to explain why this false belief exists among people.

Question 18. Do you agree with the concluding sentence of the extract? Why/why not? The sentence is: "As a matter of fact, it takes a much cleverer man to be a really good animal doctor than it does to be a good people's doctor."
Answer: Yes, I agree with this statement completely. Being a good animal doctor requires much more skill and intelligence than being a good people's doctor. When someone is sick or hurt, they can use words to tell the doctor exactly where the pain is, what symptoms they have, and how long they have been feeling ill. A human patient can also follow instructions and ask questions. But animals cannot speak or explain their problems using language. An animal doctor must figure out what is wrong by carefully watching the animal's behavior, body language, and physical signs without any help from the patient's own words. This means they need strong skills in observation, intuition, and deep knowledge about many different animal species. They must understand how each type of animal looks and acts when sick or hurt. They need the ability to guess what the problem might be from just body signals and symptoms. This requires more training, experience, and intelligence than treating people who can simply tell you what hurts.
In simple words: I agree because animal doctors must figure out what is wrong without the animal telling them. This is much harder than treating people who can explain their problems in words.

Exam Tip: When giving your opinion, always explain the reasoning behind it - compare what animal doctors and people doctors must do to show why one is harder than the other.

Question 19. How can we say that Polynesia was a good trainer of animal language?
Answer: Polynesia was an excellent teacher of animal language for many reasons. She had patience and took time to teach Doctor Dolittle the Birds' A.B.C. step by step. She did not just teach sounds - she also explained how animals use their bodies to send messages, showing examples like how dogs use their ears and noses to communicate. She was thorough in her teaching, covering many different types of communication. She spent an entire afternoon giving Doctor Dolittle bird words so he could write them down and keep them in a book for future learning. Her teaching method was effective because Doctor Dolittle, who was a beginner, eventually became skilled enough to understand and talk with all kinds of animals. A good trainer is someone whose student learns well and can use the knowledge independently, which is exactly what happened with Polynesia and the Doctor.
In simple words: Polynesia was a good teacher because she was patient, explained things clearly, gave lots of examples, and her student learned so well that he could talk to animals.

Exam Tip: To prove someone is a good teacher, show evidence of their methods (patience, clear explanation) and their success (the student learned and improved).

Question 20. Explain how Doctor Dolittle gave equal and individual attention to each animal who came to him for treatment.
Answer: Doctor Dolittle created a special system to make sure every animal received proper care. He built separate doors for different animal types - a door marked "HORSES" at the front of his house, another marked "COWS" at the side, and a door marked "SHEEP" at the kitchen entrance. For the tiniest animals like mice, he even dug a tiny tunnel that led down into the cellar so they could enter safely and easily. This clever organization had two major benefits. First, it meant that each type of animal had its own private space and did not have to mix with other animals, which reduced stress and confusion. Second, it allowed Doctor Dolittle to give each animal full attention one by one without being overwhelmed by a crowd. Additionally, because he could speak and understand each animal's language, he could listen directly to their complaints and problems. This way, a plough horse could ask for green glasses to help his eyesight, and the doctor could provide exactly what that specific animal needed.
In simple words: He made different doors for different animals so each one had its own space. He could also talk to each animal and understand exactly what they needed.

Exam Tip: When explaining a system, describe both the physical setup (separate doors) and how it helped the outcome (individual attention and care).

Question 21. How does Doctor Dolittle's readiness to follow the parrot's advice highlight the importance of listening to different viewpoints?
Answer: Doctor Dolittle's willingness to listen to Polynesia's suggestion shows why hearing different ideas from unexpected sources matters greatly. Polynesia advised him to leave his job as a people doctor and become an animal doctor instead - advice that came from a talking parrot, not from another human doctor or expert. Many people might have dismissed or ignored this idea because it came from an animal or seemed unusual. But Doctor Dolittle stayed open-minded and accepted the suggestion. This decision changed his entire life in a wonderful way. He discovered a rare gift - the ability to speak with animals - that made him incredibly successful and happy. His practice became famous around the world, and animals traveled from distant lands to see him. If he had rejected Polynesia's advice because it seemed strange or came from an unexpected source, he would have missed out on this amazing opportunity and career success. This teaches us that valuable knowledge and good ideas can come from anywhere and anyone - not just from people we expect to teach us. Being willing to listen and think seriously about different viewpoints, even surprising ones, can lead to discoveries and chances we never dreamed of.
In simple words: Doctor Dolittle listened to a parrot's idea, which changed his life for the better. This shows that good ideas can come from anyone, and we should listen to different viewpoints.

Exam Tip: Show cause and effect clearly - explain what happened because he listened, and what might have happened if he had refused to listen.

Question 22. Which qualities of Doctor Dolittle made him famous among the animals? Explain with evidence from the text.
Answer: Several key qualities made Doctor Dolittle beloved and famous throughout the animal world. First, he had the rare gift of communicating in animal languages. The story tells us that "every living thing for miles and miles got to know about John Dolittle, M.D." because word spread quickly about this special talent. Second, he showed genuine care and real love for animals. He went out of his way to build special entrances for different kinds of animals and patiently treated even the smallest creatures like mice, which shows his compassion. Third, he genuinely listened to the animals' concerns. The story states that "as soon as they found that he could talk their language, they told him where the pain was and how they felt," and the animals felt comfortable sharing their problems with him. Fourth, he was highly effective at treating illnesses. Once he could understand the animals' problems, "of course it was easy for him to cure them," which means animals got better quickly and safely under his care. Fifth, his reputation grew through word of mouth. "Birds who flew to other countries in the winter told the animals in foreign lands about Dolittle," carrying his fame across the world. Together, these qualities made him the most wanted animal doctor everywhere.
In simple words: Doctor Dolittle was famous because he could talk to animals, he really cared about them, he listened to their problems, he cured them well, and other animals spread news about him everywhere.

Exam Tip: Use direct quotes from the text as proof - "every living thing for miles and miles," "he could talk their language" - these show exactly why he became famous.

Question 23. What changes do you think would happen in the world if people suddenly gained the ability like Doctor Dolittle, to understand and communicate with animals?
Answer: If humans could suddenly speak with animals like Doctor Dolittle, the world would transform in profound ways. Animal medicine would improve dramatically. Veterinarians could ask animals directly about their symptoms and pain, leading to faster and more accurate diagnoses. Animals with health problems would receive better treatment. Conservation efforts would become far more effective. Scientists and environmentalists could ask endangered species directly what they need to survive and what threatens them, rather than guessing. This knowledge would help protect wildlife much better. Human-animal relationships would become deeper and more compassionate. Once people could hear what animals think and feel, many would develop stronger respect and love for them. Farms, zoos, and entertainment industries that use animals would change. Learning what animals actually think and feel about captivity and work might lead to much better treatment and new rules. Scientific knowledge would expand greatly. Researchers could learn directly from animals about their behavior, intelligence, thinking, and how they see the world. Training programs for working animals - like dogs helping police or people with disabilities - would become more effective and humane. New kinds of friendships between humans and animals might develop. Perhaps we would even find new ways to collaborate and work together. Finally, people would face new moral questions about how we should treat animals if we can hear their thoughts and feelings. Overall, understanding animals would make our world kinder, more informed, and more connected to nature.
In simple words: If people could talk to animals, we would treat them better, save endangered animals, understand them more, and change how farms and zoos work.

Exam Tip: Consider multiple areas of change - health, environment, relationships, science, and ethics - to show deep thinking about how this ability would affect different parts of society.