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“You wicked animal! You have killed my baby,” she screamed hysterically. She was blind with rage and with all her strength brought down the heavy basket full of groceries on the blood-smeared mongoose and ran inside to the child’s cradle.
The baby was fast asleep. But on the floor lay a black snake torn and bleeding. In a flash she realised what had happened. She ran out looking for the mongoose.
“Oh! You saved my child! You killed the snake! What have I done?” she cried touching the mongoose, who lay dead and still, unaware of her sobbing. The farmer’s wife, who had acted hastily and rashly, stared long at the dead mongoose. Then she heard the baby crying. Wiping her tears, she went in to feed him.
Explanation:
She believed that the mongoose killed her baby. She screamed violently with uncontrollable emotion. She threw the basket full of groceries on the mongoose. After that, she ran inside to the baby's cradle.
She saw the baby sleeping, but there was a black snake lying dead on the floor. The snake was covered with blood. At that moment, she understood what had happened. Then she ran out and looked at the mongoose. But the mongoose was already dead.
Mongoose attacking the snake
She realised everything that she had done. She cried noisily and touched the dead mongoose because it had saved her baby's life by killing the snake.
Farmer's wife in sorrow
Meanings of difficult words:
Numbers | Words | Meanings |
1. | Wicked | Acts in an evil way |
2. | Scream | High-pitched sound |
3. | Hysterically | With wildly uncontrolled emotion |
4. | Rashly | Impatiently |
5. | Sobbing | Crying noisily |
6. | Rage | Violent uncontrollable anger |
7. | Asleep | Sleeping |
8. | Torn | Cut/ Split |
9. | Unaware | Without knowing |
10. | Hastily | Quickly/Carelessly |
11. | Stare | Look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something |
12. | Wipe | Clean |
13. | Tears | Cry one's eyes out/cry one's heart out |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2007). The Friendly Mongoose (pp. 4-6). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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