Lesson-3
Haroo the Croc
Question-Answers
B. Read these lines from the text given below and answer the following questions:
1. “No one heard the illegal splash of fishing nets at night anymore.”
(a) How did this happen?
Answer: This happened because Vikas Babu put Haroo in the pond. The anglers being scared of Haroo, did not dare to go near the pond.
(b) Why is it said to be “illegal”?
Answer: It was said to be “illegal” because it was Vikas Babu’s pond and the anglers fished there without his permission.
(c) How do we know that Vikas Babu was happy about this?
Answer: We know that Vikas Babu was happy about this because he said that finally he and his family would be able to taste some of the fish from the pond.
2. “It gained colour as it travelled.”
(a) What does “it” refer to?
Answer: “It” refers to the incident of the old man whose dhoti was caught by Haroo when he was trying to avoid being caught because he was travelling without a ticket.
(b) How does “it” travel?
Answer: “It” travels by word of mouth, from one person to another.
(c) How did that help Vikas Babu?
Answer: After people got to know about Haroo attacking an old man, who was travelling ticketless, all the travellers started buying tickets, as they had fear of Haroo. In fact, there started being a long queue in front of the ticket counter, and the income from that station increased a great deal. This is how it helped Vikas Babu.
C. Answer in detail.
1. What was the effect of Haroo’s presence in the pond?
Answer: Haroo’s presence in the pond made a lot of difference. The anglers who used to sit and fish stopped fishing in that pond. There was no sound of fishing nets being thrown into the pond at night to steal fish. The village girls who used to wash dirty clothes in the pond and buffalos that lazed in the water also stopped visiting the pond.
2. Pick lines from the text to show how Haroo behaved like a pet and was treated like a pet?
Answer: The lines that show that Haroo behaved like a pet are – he did not bare his teeth quite so often. Within a few weeks, Haroo became tame and friendly. After a few days, Haroo came up from the pond whenever anyone called his name. He soon learned to cross the railway lines and come home on his own.
The lines that show that Haroo was treated like a pet are – They stroked and patted him and fed him tidbits from home. After a few days, Haroo came up from the pond whenever anyone called his name and Shanto, Kanto and Khuku continue to climb on to Haroo’s back and play “Riding a Crocodile” with Haroo.
3. How did the travellers avoid getting caught for ticketless travel?
Answer: The travellers who travelled ticket less avoided getting caught by choosing the eastern end of the platform where the railings were broken to get out of the station and avoid being caught by the stationmaster.
4. Mention three ways in which Haroo’s presence helped the railway station?
Answer: After the incident of Haroo catching the dhoti of an old man travelling ticketless, his presence ensured that all travellers purchased tickets. His presence also drove away the loafers and crooks. Besides this, Haroo’s presence also scared the stray dogs that used to squabble on the railway platform.
