Summary: Doctor Dolittle
Doctor Dolittle is a good doctor but his practice is not going too well. He is not
very good at dealing with human beings. He is, however, very good with
animals, and has even written books about them. One day, the man who
provides meat for his cat tells him to be a vet instead. Doctor’s parrot,
Polynesia, also agrees and tells him to give up being a people’s doctor and be
an animal’s doctor instead. The parrot then tells the doctor how the animals
can talk in their own language. She gives an example of how parrots can talk in
both human language and bird language. The doctor is fascinated to learn this.
He sits down with a notebook as Polynesia teaches him the bird and animal
words. He soon gives up treating people, and becomes an animal doctor.
One day, a horse comes to Doctor Dolittle and is very glad to find that the
doctor can speak the horse-language. The horse tells him that he needs
spectacles, as he is going blind in one eye. The horse complains that the other
vet that he had been visiting did not understand the problem at all, and kept
treating the poor horse for spavins—an illness that he didn’t even have. The
doctor promises to arrange for a green pair of spectacles for the horse. Just as
the horse is leaving, he tells the doctor that it’s very easy to be a people
doctor, but it takes a much cleverer person to become an animal doctor,
because animals don’t complain.
Doctor Dolittle gets the horse a nice, big pair of spectacles. Soon, it became
quite a common sight to see animals roaming around in spectacles, thanks to
Doctor Dolittle.
UNIT 9: DOCTOR DOLITTLE
Embedded questions
1. (Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)
I think the Doctor loves animals, and has observed them and their behaviour closely all his life.
That is why he understands them so well, even though he does not know their language yet.
2. (Free response.)
3. (Free response.)
Comprehension
A. 1. Doctor Dolittle was not successful as a people’s doctor probably because he did not know how to
behave well with other people. He seems more comfortable around animals than human beings.
2. The Cat’s-meat-man advised Doctor to give up being a people’s doctor and become an animal’s
doctor instead.
3. Polynesia the Parrot had never spoken to Dr Dolittle in bird-language before because she knew
that he would not have understood it.
4. Dr Dolittle learned the language of animals with the help of his pet parrot Polynesia. She knew
people’s language as well. Doctor took down notes as she taught him.
5. The horse who had come to Doctor Dolittle for treatment said this to the Doctor.
B. 1. Yes, I think Polynesia and the Doctor often had such long conversations before, because the doctor
does not seem surprised at all when Polynesia starts advising him about being a vet. Also, when
Polynesia tells the doctor that the parrots also know the bird-language, the doctor is surprised and
asks her why she only used human-language to speak to him.
2. Dr Dolittle gave up being a people’s doctor because he was not doing very well with his human
patients. He did not have very good social skills when it came to human beings. So, as per the
advice of the Cat’s-meat-man and his pet parrot Polynesia, he became a vet instead, and gave up
treating human patients.
3. The horse was upset with the vet over the hill because the vet kept treating him for the disease
that he did not even have. The horse was going blind, but when he went to the vet over the hill,
the vet did not understand the horse at all, and kept giving him big pills to treat spavins.
4. a. The horse patient said it to Doctor Dolittle.
b. (Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)
Yes, I think it takes a cleverer person to treat animals than it takes to treat humans. That is
because humans can always tell the doctor if the treatment is working or not. People can tell
their doctor where it hurts and how much. But a vet has to understand the animal and its body
language to understand the ailment and how to treat it.
C. 1. (Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)
I think the most important quality for a vet to have is the love for animals, and the ability to
understand their needs. As animals cannot talk in human language, it is important for a vet to
understand the animal’s body language, and find out what the illness is and if the medicines are
working.
2. (Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)
Yes, Doctor Dolittle is a better vet than the vet over the hill. But that could also be because Dolittle
has learned the animal’s language. However, even before Dolittle learned the language, he was
fond of animals and understood them well. The vet over the hill, on the other hand, doesn’t even
try to understand the horse’s illness. He also does not stop the wrong treatment even when the
horse does not show any improvement.
Grammar
A. 1. on 2. under 3. since 4. at 5. for 6. into
B. 1. Swati and Divya are doctors.
2. It was raining, so the game was postponed.
3. Jatin could not hear the doorbell because he was sleeping.
4. I want to make a sandwich but I am out of bread.
5. Do you want to watch a film or a cartoon show?
6. Mohan will participate in the event and sing for the audience.
Vocabulary
1. hole 2. two 3. knew 4. week 5. nose 6. sail
Dictionary Work
A. 1. helpful (adjective)
2. language (noun)
3. kindness (noun)
4. grow (verb)
5. year (noun)
6. understand (verb)
7. spectacles (noun)
8. interesting (adjective)
B. (Free response.)
Writing
(Sample answer. Accept all logical answers.)
18 September 2018
Tuesday
7.00 a.m.
I had the strangest dream last night. I was walking down the road near my house, when it started
raining. So, I ran towards the nearest shop to wait for the rain to stop. It was a bookstore from what
I can remember. When I entered the shop, I saw that the shopkeeper was a horse! The horse was
dressed in a suit and was wearing a pair of glasses. He spotted me and addressed me politely, “How
can I help you? Would you like to take a look at some of our bestselling titles?”
“I just wanted to wait here till the rain stops.”
“No problem. Please feel free to look around in the meantime. Our shop assistant Ruby will help you
out,” saying this he pointed at a small rabbit, who was dressed in t-shirt and skirt! ‘Ruby’ spoke to me
and said, “You look a bit pale. Would you like some coffee? Harry here can get you some,” and pointed
at a kangaroo at the back of the shop, who was wearing an apron!
I was too shocked to see all this. I turned around to see if the rain had stopped. That’s when I saw
my reflection in the shop glass door. I was wearing my normal clothes, but I looked like a panda! I
screamed and woke up! What a weird dream!
Listening
Two little kittens, one stormy night,
Began to quarrel, and then to fight;
One had a mouse, the other had none,
And that’s the way the quarrel begun.
“I’ll have that mouse,” said the bigger cat;
“You’ll have that mouse? We’ll see about that!”
“I will have that mouse,” said the eldest son;
“You shan’t have the mouse,” said the little one.
I told you before it was a stormy night
When these two little kittens began to fight;
The old woman seized her sweeping broom,
And swept the two kittens right out of the room.
The ground was covered with frost and snow,
And the two little kittens had nowhere to go;
So they laid them down on the mat at the door,
While the old woman finished sweeping the floor.
Then they crept in, as quiet as mice,
All wet with the snow, and cold as ice,
For they found it was better, that stormy night,
To lie down and sleep than to quarrel and fight.
DOCTOR DOLITTLE
A. Answer in brief.
1. What did Polynesia the parrot think of Cat’s-meat-Man’s advice and what did she tell the doctor?
Ans: The parrot thought that Cat’s-meat-Man was right and told the doctor to become an
animal-doctor and leave the silly people who had no brains to see that he was the best doctor
in the world.
2. What kind of spectacles did the horse want and why?
Ans: The horse wanted spectacles just like the ones Doctor Dolittle had, but only green in colour,
to keep the sun out of his eyes while he ploughed the field.
B. Answer in detail.
How did Doctor Dolittle’s life change forever?
Ans: Dr Dolittle’s practice was not going too well. He was good with animals, but not as good with
human beings. Cat’s-meat-Man advised him to become a vet instead. So, with the parrot’s help,
the doctor got to learn the language of the animals so well that he could talk to them himself and
understand everything they said. He became a vet and his life changed forever.
C. Read the lines and the answer the questions.
1. “Polly wants a cracker, you understand me. But hear this—Ka-ka oi-ee, fee-fee?”
a. Who said this to whom?
b. What did it mean in bird-language?
c. What did Polly do after that?
Ans: a. Polly the parrot said this to Doctor Dolittle.
b. It meant ‘Is the porridge hot yet?’ in bird language.
c. Polly taught the doctor to speak and understand the language of birds and animals.
2. “Certainly,” said the Doctor. “You shall have the green ones.”
a. Who was the doctor talking to?
b. What ‘green ones’ was he talking about?
c. Who wanted them and why?
Ans: a. Doctor Dolittle said this to the horse.
b. He was talking about green spectacles.
c. The horse wanted the spectacles as he was going blind in one eye and needed them to
keep the sun out of his eyes.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
1. Why does it take a much cleverer person to be a really good animal-doctor than it does to be a
good people’s doctor?
Ans: Animals cannot talk and explain what is wrong with them. A vet needs to be really clever to
understand their pain and illness and treat them accordingly.
2. What kind of person would make a good animal doctor?
Ans: A person who loves animals, is kind and compassionate towards them, and has knowledge of
the different sicknesses they have, will make a good animal doctor.
E. Answer in detail. (think and answer)
What do you understand about Doctor Dolittle’s character from the story?
Ans: Doctor Dolittle is good with animals, but not as good with human beings. He knows all about
animals—much more than other vets do. He has written a wonderful book about cats and the
way they think, that he might have been a cat himself. After he learns the language of animals, he
becomes a successful animal doctor.
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