Macavity The Mystery Cat Questions & Answers

Hi Everyone!! This article will share Macavity The Mystery Cat Questions & Answers.

This poem is written by T S Eliot. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of The Tsunami, Geography Lesson and The Ant and The Cricket so, you can check these posts as well.

Macavity The Mystery Cat Questions & Answers

Word Galaxy

  • Defy – disobey or resist openly
  • Scotland Yard – the headquarters of the London police force
  • Flying Squad – a group of police or soldiers ready to move into action quickly
  • Levitation – floating in the air without support
  • Fiend – devil
  • Feline – of, or relating to, a cat
  • Depravity – moral corruption

Question 1: Read the first stanza and think.

i. Is Macavity a cat really?

Answer: Macavity is a mysterious fictional character and not a cat in reality.

ii. If not, who can Macavity be?

Answer: Macavity is a fictional character of poet’s imagination. The poet portrays this character as a mysterious cat who is a law defying criminal and smart enough to escape from the hands law everytime.

Question 2: Complete the following sentences.

i. A master criminal is one who can defy the law.
ii. The Scotland Yard is baffled because when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!
iii. Flying Squad is in despair because Macavity moves much faster than them.

Question 3: “A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through”. (Jules Verne)

Which law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above?

Answer: Macavity is breaking the law of gravity in the comment above.

Question 4: Read stanza 3, and then, describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own.

Answer: Macavity is a mysterious ginger cat who is very tall, thin and has sunken eyes. His brow is deeply lined with thought and has a highly domed head. He wears a dusty coat and his whiskers are uncombed. He sways his head from side to side and moves like a snake. Although others might think that he is half asleep but he is always wide awake, which shows that Macavity is extremely alert.

Question 5: Say ‘False’ or ‘True’ for each of the following statements.

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

Question 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: Yes, it seems the poet is very fond of cats and admires Macavity when he defies the law and manages to escape from the clutches of police every time. He calls Macavity a ‘fiend’ and a ‘monster’ as he wants to portray an evil side of the cat. He uses these terms to describe the negative activities of a criminal character who is very quick in movement and evades arrest every time and vanishes in thin air before the police arrives. The mysterious and devil-like eyes might have influenced the poet to create an evil character in the form of a cat, who is corrupt and wicked by nature.

Question 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 many exaggerations in the poem, such as Macavity’s defiance of gravitational law and has used terms like ‘a fiend in feline shape and a monster of depravity’ to highlight the mysterious aura surrounding the cat. He often mentions in the poem that the Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad are in utter despair due to their inability to catch the criminal as he escapes the crime scene even before they arrive. All these exaggerations indicate the monstrous and mysterious nature of Macavity, the evil criminal.

A few examples of these exaggerations from the poem are listed below:

  • ‘He’s called the Hidden Paw.’
  • ‘He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair.’
  • ‘He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.’
  • ‘His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare.’
  • ‘For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.’

So, these were Macavity The Mystery Cat Questions & Answers.

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