Summary
The story is about a man, Grandfather, who buys a monkey named Toto from a tonga-driver for five rupees and decides to keep him in his private zoo. Toto’s presence is kept a secret from Grandfather’s wife, Grandmother, and is initially kept in a closet in the narrator’s bedroom. However, Toto manages to escape and causes destruction to the room. Toto is then transferred to a cage in the servants’ quarters, but causes trouble for the other animals there. Grandfather eventually takes Toto with him on a trip to Saharanpur, but Toto is classified as a dog by the railway ticket collector and Grandfather has to pay extra fare for him. Eventually, Toto is accepted by Grandmother and given a home in the stable with the family donkey, Nana.
Summary in 300 words
The story is about a man, Grandfather, who buys a monkey named Toto from a tonga-driver for five rupees and decides to add him to his private zoo. Grandfather and the narrator, who is not named, keep Toto’s presence a secret from Grandfather’s wife, Grandmother, and initially keep him in a closet in the narrator’s bedroom. However, Toto manages to escape and causes destruction to the room. Toto is then transferred to a cage in the servants’ quarters, but causes trouble for the other animals there. Grandfather eventually takes Toto with him on a trip to Saharanpur, but Toto is classified as a dog by the railway ticket collector and Grandfather has to pay extra fare for him. Toto’s clever escape attempt and his mischievous behavior is described throughout the story, providing an entertaining read. Despite the trouble Toto causes, Grandfather is pleased with his intelligence and quick wit. Eventually, Toto is accepted by Grandmother and given a home in the stable with the family donkey, Nana. The story paints a humorous picture of Toto’s adjustment to his new home, and the various challenges faced by Grandfather in accommodating his new pet monkey.
Multi-choice Question And Answers;
Q1. Who buys Toto from a tonga-driver?
a) Grandmother
b) The narrator
c) Grandfather
d) The ticket collector
Answer: c) Grandfather
Q2. What does Toto look like?
a) Ugly and scruffy
b) Bright eyes and deep-set eyebrows
c) Small and weak
d) Unremarkable
Answer: b) Bright eyes and deep-set eyebrows
Q3. Where is Toto kept initially?
a) A big cage in the servants’ quarters
b) A big black canvas kit-bag
c) A little closet in the narrator’s bedroom
d) A stable
Answer: c) A little closet in the narrator’s bedroom
Q4. How does Toto escape from the closet?
a) He bites through the walls
b) He ties the torn pieces of the narrator’s blazer into a rope
c) He wrenches the peg from the wall
d) He manages to untie himself
Answer: c) He wrenches the peg from the wall
Q5. How does Grandmother react when she finds out about Toto?
a) She is pleased
b) She is angry
c) She is indifferent
d) The text does not say
Answer: d) The text does not say
Q6. Where is Toto moved to after he escapes from the closet?
a) A big cage in the servants’ quarters
b) A big black canvas kit-bag
c) A stable
d) The narrator’s bedroom
Answer: a) A big cage in the servants’ quarters
Q7. What kind of animal is Toto classified as by the railway ticket collector?
a) A monkey
b) A dog
c) A rabbit
d) A tortoise
Answer: b) A dog
Q8. How much extra fare does Grandfather have to pay for Toto on the railway?
a) Five rupees
b) Three rupees
c) No extra fare
d) The text does not say
Answer: b) Three rupees
Q9. Who is Toto’s companion in the stable?
a) A tortoise
b) A rabbit
c) A tame squirrel
d) The family donkey, Nana
Answer: d) The family donkey, Nana
Q10. What is Toto’s tail described as?
a) Ugly and unkempt
b) A third hand
c) A hindrance
d) An appendage
Answer: b) A third hand
Q11. How does Grandfather feel about Toto’s performance?
a) He is disappointed
b) He is pleased
c) He is indifferent
d) He is angry
Answer: b) He is pleased
Q12. What does Toto do when he sees the ticket collector?
a) He bites him
b) He gives him a wide grin
c) He runs away
d) He hides
Answer: b) He gives him a wide grin
Q13. What does Grandfather do when the ticket collector asks him to pay extra fare for Toto?
a) He argues with him
b) He takes out their pet tortoise and asks the collector to charge him as well
c) He agrees to pay without protest
d) He runs away
Answer: b) He takes out their pet tortoise and asks the collector to charge him as well
Q14.What does Toto’s fingers look like?
a) Dried-up as though they had been pickled in the sun for many years
b) Soft and delicate
c) Thick and strong
d) Scaly
Answer: a) Dried-up as though they had been pickled in the sun for many years
Q15. What does Grandfather do when he leaves Dehra Dun for Saharanpur?
a) He leaves Toto behind
b) He takes Toto with him
c) He gives Toto away
d) He sells Toto
Answer: b) He takes Toto with him
Q16. How does Toto feel about his companions in the servants’ quarters?
a) He is friendly with them
b) He is indifferent to them
c) He is aggressive towards them
d) He is scared of them
Answer: c) He is aggressive towards them
Q17. What does the narrator wonder when he finds Toto missing from the closet?
a) How Toto managed to escape
b) What Grandmother would say
c) How he will explain the destruction to his parents
d) How he will get Toto back
Answer: b) What Grandmother would say
Q18. Why is Toto’s presence in the house kept a secret from Grandmother?
a) Grandfather wants to surprise her
b) Grandmother always fusses when Grandfather brings home new animals
c) Toto is too wild to be around people
d) Toto is too expensive
Answer: b) Grandmother always fusses when Grandfather brings home new animals
Q19. What is the narrator’s reaction when he sees the destruction caused by Toto in his room?
a) He is scared
b) He is angry
c) He is amused
d) He is sad
Answer: c) He is amused
Q20. What is the overall tone of the story?
a) Serious
b) Sad
c) Amusing
d) Frightening
Answer: c) Amusing
Prose Passage 1
GRANDFATHER bought Toto from a tonga-driver for the sum of five rupees. The tonga-driver used to keep the little red monkey tied to a feeding-trough, and the monkey looked so out of place there that Grandfather decided he would add the little fellow to his private zoo. Toto was a pretty monkey. His bright eyes sparkled with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows, and his teeth, which were a pearly white, were very often displayed in a smile that frightened the life out of elderly Anglo-lndian ladies. But his hands looked dried-up as though they had been pickled in the sun for many years. Yet his fingers were quick and wicked; and his tail, while adding to his good looks (Grandfather believed a tail would add to anyone’s good looks), also served as a third hand. He could use it to hang from a branch; and it was capable of scooping up any delicacy that might be out of reach of his hands. Grandmother always fussed when Grandfather brought home some new bird or animal. So it was decided that Toto’s presence should be kept a secret from her until she was in a particularly good mood. Grandfather and I put him away in a little closet opening into my bedroom wall, where he was tied securely — or so we thought — to a peg fastened into the wall. A few hours later, when Grandfather and I came back to release Toto, we found that the walls, which had been covered with some ornamental paper chosen by Grandfather, now stood out as naked brick and plaster.
Q1. What does Toto’s smile do to the elderly Anglo-Indian ladies?
a) it impresses them
b) it frightens them
c) it makes them happy
d) it confuses them
Answer: b) it frightens them
Q2. How does Grandfather feel about Toto’s tail?
a) He finds it unappealing
b) He believes it adds to Toto’s good looks
c) He thinks it is a hindrance
d) He is indifferent to it
Answer: b) He believes it adds to Toto’s good looks
Q3. What does Grandfather do when he sees the destruction caused by Toto in the closet?
a) He becomes angry
b) He is pleased with Toto’s performance
c) He scolds Toto
d) He scolds the narrator
Answer: b) He is pleased with Toto’s performance
Q4. What does Grandmother always do when Grandfather brings home a new animal?
a) She accepts it
b) She fusses over it
c) She ignores it
d) She gets angry
Answer: b) She fusses over it
Q5. What does the narrator do when he sees the destruction caused by Toto in his room?
a) He gets angry
b) He is amused
c) He is sad
d) He is scared
Answer: b) He is amused
Passage-02
Unfortunately I could not accompany Grandfather on that trip, but he told me about it afterwards. A big black canvas kit-bag was provided for Toto. This, with some straw at the bottom, became his new abode. When the bag was closed, there was no escape. Toto could not get his hands through the opening, and the canvas was too strong for him to bite his way through. His efforts to get out only had the effect of making the bag roll about on the floor or occasionally jump into the air — an exhibition that attracted a curious crowd of onlookers on the Dehra Dun railway platform. Toto remained in the bag as far as Saharanpur, but while Grandfather was producing his ticket at the railway turnstile, Toto suddenly poked his head out of the bag and gave the ticket collector a wide grin. The poor man was taken aback; but, with great presence of mind and much to Grandfather’s annoyance, he said, “Sir, you have a dog with you. You’ll have to pay for it accordingly.” In vain did Grandfather take Toto out of the bag; in vain did he try to prove that a monkey did not qualify as a dog, or even as a quadruped. Toto was classified a dog by the ticket collector; and three rupees was the sum handed over as his fare.
Q1. How does Toto behave when he is in the big black canvas kit-bag?
a) He is calm and quiet
b) He tries to escape
c) He sleeps
d) He gets sick
Answer: b) He tries to escape
Q2. What does Toto do when he sees the railway turnstile ticket collector?
a) He bites him
b) He gives him a wide grin
c) He runs away
d) He hides
Answer: b) He gives him a wide grin
Q3. How does the railway turnstile ticket collector classify Toto?
a) A monkey
b) A dog
c) A rabbit
d) A tortoise
Answer: b) A dog
Q4. How does Grandfather react when Toto is classified as a dog by the railway turnstile ticket collector?
a) He is pleased
b) He is annoyed
c) He is indifferent
d) He is happy
Answer: b) He is annoyed
Q5. How much does Grandfather have to pay as fare for Toto when he is classified as a dog by the railway turnstile ticket collector?
a) Five rupees
b) Three rupees
c) No fare
d) The text does not say
Answer: b) Three rupees
Passage-03
When Toto was finally accepted by Grandmother he was given a comfortable home in the stable, where he had for a companion the family donkey, Nana. On Toto’s first night in the stable, Grandfather paid him a visit to see if he was comfortable. To his surprise he found Toto sitting on Nana’s back, and both of them appeared to be deep in thought. Toto was quite at home, and seemed to have already formed a close friendship with Nana. He would often be seen riding on the donkey’s back, and they would go for walks together around the stable yard. Toto seemed to have finally found his place in the world and was happy with his new companions. Grandfather was also happy to see Toto finally settled and content. He had always wanted to provide Toto with a comfortable home, and it seemed that he had finally succeeded in doing so.
Q1. Where does Toto finally find a home?
a) A stable
b) A big cage in the servants’ quarters
c) A big black canvas kit-bag
d) The narrator’s bedroom
Answer: a) A stable
Q2. Who does Toto form a close friendship with in the stable?
a) The narrator
b) The family donkey, Nana
c) The pet tortoise
d) The rabbits
Answer: b) The family donkey, Nana
Q3. What does Toto do with Nana in the stable?
a) They ride together
b) They sleep together
c) They fight
d) They ignore each other
Answer: a) They ride together
Q4. How does Grandfather feel about Toto’s new home in the stable?
a) He is disappointed
b) He is happy
c) He is indifferent
d) He is angry
Answer: b) He is happy
Q5. What is the overall tone of the passage?
a) Sad
b) Amusing
c) Happy
d) Frightening
Answer: c) Happy
Questions And Answers;
Q1 How does Toto come to grandfather’s private zoo?
Ans; Toto comes to Grandfather’s private zoo through buying him from a tonga-driver for the sum of five rupees.
Q2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?
Ans; Toto is described as “pretty” in terms of his physical appearance. He has bright eyes, a sparkling smile and a tail that Grandfather believes adds to his good looks.
Q3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?
Ans; Grandfather takes Toto to Saharanpur by placing him in a big black canvas kit-bag. The ticket collector insists on calling Toto a dog because he poked his head out of the bag and gave the ticket collector a wide grin and the ticket collector classified him as a dog and charged accordingly.
Q4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?
Ans; The passage does not mention how Toto takes a bath or where he has learned to do so. Also, It does not mention Toto almost boiling himself alive.
Q5. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?
Ans; The author says, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long” because Toto was very clever and could escape from any confinement and he was also very mischievous and caused destruction.
Word Meaning
- Grandfather – the father of one’s parent
- Toto – a name of a monkey
- Tonga-driver – A driver of a horse-drawn carriage
- Mischief – behavior that causes minor trouble or annoyance
- Anglo-Indian – of or relating to the British people and the people of India
- deep-set – set deep in something
- dried-up – dried and withered
- pickled – preserved in vinegar or brine
- wicked – morally bad in principle or practice
- scooping – gather with a scoop
- fusses – to be overly concerned or worried
- securely – in a safe or stable manner
- wrenched – pulled or twisted suddenly and forcibly
- socket – a hollow in which a ball-and-socket joint fits
- ornamental – used or designed for decoration
- plaster – a mixture of lime or gypsum, sand, and water used for coating walls and ceilings
- peg – a small, thin, pointed piece of wood or metal that is used to hold things in place
- shreds – torn or cut into long thin pieces
- sociably – in a manner that is friendly and suited to social interaction
- tame – accustomed to being handled and cared for by people
- squirrel – a small rodent with a long bushy tail
- companionship – company; friendship
- abode – a place where one lives
- canvas – a heavy, closely woven fabric of cotton, hemp, or linen
- fare – the cost of a journey on public transport
- classified – grouped or categorized according to shared characteristics
- quadruped – an animal with four feet
- sociably – in a manner that is friendly and suited to social interaction
29. stable – a building where horses are kept and cared for
- companion – a person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels.