Hi Everyone!! This article will share Tippitty The Flying Squirrel Questions & Answers.
In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Ranikhet’s Gift, What Katy Did and House With The Grey Gate so, you can check these posts as well.
Tippitty The Flying Squirrel Questions & Answers
Question 1: Read and answer the questions:
‘Tippitty was the means of my solving a problem in natural history regarding which a controversy raged for many months.’
(a) What was the mystery?
Answer: The mystery that the author wanted to solve was whether it was the Himalayan Nutcracker that was poking holes in the walnuts found in the Himalayas.
(b) How did the author solve the mystery?
Answer: The author placed walnuts under a tree where a pair of Nutcrackers used to come. The birds there turned over the nuts but did not attempt to break them. After this, he collected a few nuts in which Tippitty had already made holes and placed them under the same tree, watching carefully. After sometime, the birds came along and at once selected the bored walnuts and began pecking at them and working their beaks inside the holes. Thus, he solved the mystery of the Himalayan Nutcracker.
(c) Why did the author solve the mystery?
Answer: The author wanted to solve the mystery because a controversy regarding it had been raging on for many months.
Question 2: Describe Tippitty in your own words.
Answer: Tippitty was a large red flying squirrel with a two feet long bushy tail. She was very proud of her bushy tail and loved to show it off. She was nocturnal, that is, she slept during the day and was lively and active during the night. Tippitty would announce that she was awake by giving a low growl and doing around of long, but not very graceful, jumps. She loved to eat puddings, stewed fruit, walnuts, milk and custard.
Question 3: Why did the writer find Tippitty’s nocturnal nature to be a drawback?
Answer: The writer found Tippitty’s nocturnal nature to be a drawback because she was most active and lively when it was time for the author to go to bed at night.
Question 4: Why would Tippitty sometimes ‘sneeze and splutter’ while drinking milk?
Answer: When Tippitty would hurriedly sink her face into the saucer of milk to drink, some liquid would go up her nose, making her sneeze and splutter.
Question 5: Explain the phrase ‘would have done credit to an animal ten times her size.’
Answer: Tippitty’s growl was so loud and alarming that an animal much bigger in size than Tippitty would be proud to growl in that manner.
Question 6: Why was it in the writer’s interest to provide Tippitty with a good dinner?
Answer: It was in the writer’s interest to provide Tippitty with a good dinner because then she slept soundly, which ensured that the narrator slept through the night as well, without being woken up by her.
Question 7: Give two examples from the passage to show that Tippitty was not very choosy when it comes to eating.
Answer:
- Tippitty was quite happy on any tree or shrub and found something to eat on all.
- An oak or deodar tree invariably attracted her attention and she would make her way to the extreme end of a branch and nibble off the young leaves.
Question 8: How do we know that Tippitty wasn’t too keen to accompany the writer on his afternoon strolls?
Answer: We know that Tippitty wasn’t too keen to accompany the writer on his afternoon strolls because she had to be ruthlessly pulled out of her box when the author and the dogs got ready for the walk. When she would get tired during the walk, she would get upon author’s shoulder by climbing up his leg, or spring upon one of the dog’s backs for free ride.
Question 9: Why would Tippitty get tied up before meals? How did this practice ultimately lead to her death?
Answer: Tippitty was chained before dinner to keep her from hopping and jumping onto the dinner table so that everyone could eat peacefully. However, once when her chain broke, she stormed out to the verandah, where a fox killed her.
Question 10: Find out from the passage about the following.
(a) The colour of Tippitty’s fur.
Answer: Chestnut red
(b) The length of Tippitty’s tail
Answer: Two feet
(c) Any five things that made up Tippitty’s diet.
Answer: Puddings, stewed fruit, walnut, milk and custard.
(d) The breeds of Tippitty’s best friends.
Answer: Don, a field spaniel and Brook, a large shaggy Tibetan sheep dog.
So, these were Tippitty The Flying Squirrel Questions & Answers.