Raintree 5 Monkey Trouble

Summary: Monkey Trouble

This story is narrated by a young boy whose grandfather keeps unusual

pets. One of these pets is Tutu, a small girl monkey whom Grandfather

bought from a street entertainer. She is a very mischievous monkey. While

the speaker and his grandfather love her, many others find her

troublesome, such as Aunt Ruby, whose petticoats Tutu puts on, or Uncle

Benji, whose hairbrush Tutu uses to scratch her armpits. One day,

Grandfather travels to Meerut and takes the speaker and Tutu with him.

Tutu is carried inside a bag. When they arrive at the station, Tutu looks out

of the bag and grins at the ticket collector. The surprised ticket collector

demands Tutu’s fare from Grandfather since she is as big as a cat, and cats

and dogs have to be paid for. Grandfather argues that Tutu is not the same

as a cat or a dog, but he finally has to pay her fare. Then, to teach the ticket

collector a lesson, Grandfather asks what he should pay for the tortoise he

is carrying in his pocket. But the ticket collector says there’s no fare for it,

as it is not a dog.

The story is a compilation of different events that show how mischievous

Tutu the monkey is. It is told from the point of view of the first person

narrator, who is a young boy. It is because he tells the story that the

troubles caused by the pet monkey sound very funny—the young speaker

is more amused than annoyed by the monkey’s antics. There are several

adult characters in the story, like Grandfather, Grandmother, Uncle Benji,

Aunt Ruby and the ticket collector, but apart from Grandfather, most of

them are annoyed or shocked by Tutu the monkey. Grandfather is an

exception because he loves animals. The other things that sets Grandfather

and the speaker apart from the others is that these two have a sense of

humour—they can see the funny side of Tutu’s tricks when others are

simply exasperated by them. It is only in the end that Grandfather faces

some trouble that is indirectly caused by Tutu. The story shows the

different way human beings respond to and relate with animals. 

UNIT 1 MONKEY TROUBLE

Embedded Questions 1:

● Tutu is smaller and more mischievous than the other monkeys.

● Grandfather also has a goat, several white mice and a small tortoise.

Embedded Questions 2:

● We know that Tutu likes shaking hands because she insists on doing this with everyone who visits

the house. She even climbs onto Major Malik’s shoulder if he does not shake hands with her before

entering the drawing room.

● Tutu’s tail works as a third hand and adds to her good looks.

Embedded Questions 3:

Not true

Embedded Questions 4:

…the ticket collector is shocked to suddenly see Tutu’s head coming out of the bag.

Comprehension

A. 1. Grandmother didn’t want to keep Tutu because there were already enough pets in the house.

2. Grandmother changed her mind about keeping Tutu when she heard that Tutu was a girl. She

wanted a little girl in the house because she thought that girls were less mischievous than boys.

3. a. Tutu would climb onto Major Malik’s shoulders.

 b. She would do this if Major Malik did not shake hands with her before entering the drawing

room.

4. In the train, Tutu was carried inside a large black travelling bag as hand baggage.

5. The ticket collector wanted a ticket for Tutu because Tutu was as big as a cat, and cats and dogs

had to be paid for.

6. Grandfather was also carrying a small tortoise in his pocket.

B. 1. The speaker describes Tutu as a pretty little monkey. Her bright eyes sparkled with mischief. She

had pearly white teeth which could be seen when she grinned widely. Her tail worked as a third

hand and added to her good looks.

2. Aunt Ruby did not know that Tutu had arrived. When she entered her room, she saw a white

bundle with no face jumping up and down on the bed. It was Tutu trying on some petticoats,

which were too large for her. Aunt Ruby could not understand what was happening, so she was

shocked and started screaming.

3. a. The speaker said this to Uncle Benji.

 b. The speaker said this because when he took Uncle Benji’s brush from Tutu and gave it back

to him, Uncle Benji threw it away. Tutu had been scratching her armpits with the brush. The

speaker thought that Uncle Benji threw the brush away because he was afraid that Tutu may

have fleas which would get into the brush.

4. Tutu was carried inside a travelling bag. This way, she could not move around inside the train. She

could look out of the bag, and eat bananas and biscuits. But she could not get her hands through

the opening or bite open the bag.

5. The ticket collector thought that Grandfather should pay Tutu’s fare as she was as big as a cat and

cats had to be paid for. Grandfather thought that he should not pay any fare for Tutu as she was a

baby and there was no charge for babies. In the end, Grandfather had to pay five rupees as Tutu’s

fare.

6. The ticket collector gave Grandfather a triumphant look when Grandfather showed him the

tortoise and asked what he must pay for it. The ticket collector recognised the new animal and

knew that as it was not a dog, it did not need a ticket. He had been arguing with Grandfather

about Tutu’s fare and whether Tutu was the same as a dog. He was triumphant because now there

was no confusion about what the new animal was.

C. Suggested answers (accept any logical answer):

1. We know that Grandfather liked animals and was kind to them because he had several unusual

pets in the house, like white mice and a tortoise. He saw Tutu with a street entertainer, who kept

the mischievous little monkey tied up most of the time. Tutu looked miserable with a collar and

chain, and Grandfather wanted her to be free, happy and cared for, so he took her home.

2. Grandfather wanted to get his own back because he had not been able to make the ticket

collector agree that Tutu did not need a ticket. He had lost the argument and had to pay her

fare. So he wanted to teach the ticket collector a lesson. It does not seem as if he was successful

because when the ticket collector saw the tortoise, he was triumphant. He did not understand that

Grandfather was trying to teach him a lesson.

Grammar

A. 2. collective 3. common; proper 4. abstract 5. collective; common 6. collective

7. abstract

B. 2. C 3. C 4. UC 5. UC 6. C

C. 2. subject: Mita; object: dinner 3. subject: I; object: a swim

4. subject: Vijay; object: motorbikes 5. subject: The kitten; object: Alisha

6. subject: You; object: the result

Vocabulary

1. gave in 2. give up 3. give, away 4. gives off 5. give back 6. gave out

Writing

Suggested answer (accept any logical answer):

 Yesterday, I went to my friend Tanu’s house. Tanu has a kitten called Caramel. He is white with brown

patches. He has beautiful blue eyes. Caramel is very fluffy, almost like a rabbit, and is very lively. At first,

he ran away when he saw me, but soon, he was playing near me, and was ready to play with me, too.

 Caramel is a funny little kitten because he is always jumping, running, rolling around and getting into

places where he should not go. For example, he goes under cupboards where no one can reach him,

and then everyone has to call him for a long time before he comes out. Once, he fell asleep under a

cupboard and Tanu’s family became worried. They thought that he was lost.

 Caramel loves to bite and chew things as well. I had left my shoes near the door and Caramel went

and sat inside my shoe, chewing one of the straps. Tanu scolded him, but he still would not stop. I did

not scold the kitten. He looked so funny that I could not stop laughing. I wish I had a kitten as sweet

and funny as Caramel.

Listening

Listening text

Grandfather: Hello, is that Rusty?

Rusty: Yes, is that Grandpa?

Grandfather: Yes. Listen, Rusty, I will be home a little late. Can you take care of the pets while

I am away?

Rusty: Sure, Grandpa. Tell me what I have to do.

Grandfather: The goat must be in the garden. Take him inside the shed and close the door. Then,

find Tutu. If she is sleeping somewhere, then don’t wake her up. But if she is roaming

around the house, then keep her in the shed with the goat. They’ll be fine together.

Rusty: Tutu was in the kitchen a while ago. Then I heard the cook scold and chase her out.

She must be asleep now.

Grandfather: Oh dear, I wonder what she did now. Please go to the kitchen and see if the cook

needs any help to clean up anything. Also, ask him to keep a slice of bread for the

mice.

Rusty: All right, Grandpa. Should I feed the parrot?

Grandfather: Yes, please. Give her some sunflower seeds and fresh water. But do not give her any

chocolate, as you did last time. It’s bad for her.

Rusty: Ok, Grandpa. Should I feed the tortoise, too?

Grandfather: No, I’ll feed him when I come back. Can you remember to do everything I said?

Rusty: I think so, Grandpa.

Grandfather: Good boy. I’ll see you soon. Bye, Rusty.

Rusty: Bye, Grandpa.

Answer:

1. b 2. b 3. a 4. b 5. a 6. b

MONKEY TROUBLE

A. Answer in brief.

1. Why did Grandfather bring Tutu home?

 Ans: Grandfather was fond of pets and liked to keep unusual pets. He found Tutu with a street

entertainer who kept her tied up most of the time. Grandfather took pity on her and brought her

home as he thought she would be happier in his home and could take care of her well.

2. Why was the ticket collector shocked?

 Ans: Grandfather and the narrator had taken Tutu to Meerut in a bag. Tutu stayed in the bag till

they reached Meerut but when Grandfather was showing the tickets at the turnstile, Tutu got a bit

restless in the bag and poked his head out of the bag grinning at the ticket collector. This shocked

the ticket collector.

B. Answer in detail.

Describe Tutu’s first journey in the train.

 Ans: The narrator and Tutu accompanied Grandfather to Meerut where Grandfather had to collect his

pension. Tutu was inside a large travelling bag that prevented her from moving about in the train and

disturbing other passengers. There was enough space for Tutu to look out of the bag and she enjoyed

eating bananas and biscuits from that space. But she could not get her hands through the opening.

The otherwise mischievous Tutu behaved well till the train reached Meerut. Only at the station she

got restless and poked her head out of the bag and scared the ticket collector.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. “Ah, but Tutu isn’t a boy,” said Grandfather.

 a. Who is Tutu? Who is Grandfather talking to?

 b. Why is he making that remark?

 c. Did that remark help Grandfather?

 Ans: a. Tutu is a monkey, Grandfather’s new pet. He is talking to Grandmother.

 b. Grandmother did not want a monkey in the house and that too a male monkey as she

thought they were very mischievous.

 c. Yes, it did because Grandmother was always fond of girls. This remark that the monkey

was a girl made her agree for Grandfather to keep Tutu at home.

2. “No charge, sir. It is not a dog!” (Monkey Trouble)

 a. Who speaks the above line and to whom?

 b. What is he talking about?

 c. Why did he not charge him?

 Ans: a. The above lines are spoken by the ticket collector to Grandfather.

 b. Grandfather showed a small tortoise to the ticket collector and asked if he had to pay

for it.

 c. It was not a big animal like the monkey, so it did not require a ticket.

D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)

1. Did Grandfather do the right thing by taking Tutu along with him in the train? Give a reason.

 [Free response] Suggested Answer: I think Grandfather should not have taken Tutu along with

him in the train. He loved her a lot but he did not realise that stuffing an animal into the travel

bag would be uncomfortable for a free animal such as a monkey. Though the monkey could

look out of the bag, its hands were tight inside. No animal would feel happy to be in that state

for long.

2. Do you think Grandfather should have bought a ticket for Tutu before boarding the train instead

of arguing with the ticket collector?

 [Free response] Suggested Answer: Yes, I think Grandfather should have bought a ticket for Tutu.

After all, he was taking another passenger, though Tutu was in the hand baggage. Grandfather’s

argument that she was a baby may not be accepted by the Railways. A monkey is as big as a dog

or a cat. The ticket collector was only doing his duty.

E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

How do pets make life different? Is a monkey an unusual pet?

Ans: [Free response]