Important Question and Answers
Q. Why was Mr. Purcell compared to an owl?
Ans. Mr. Purcell was compared to an owl because of the way he looked through his glasses.
Q. Why did Mr. Purcell not hear the noises?
Ans. Mr. Purcell did not hear the noises as he had gotten so used to them.
Q. Do you think the atmosphere of Mr. Purcell’s shop was cheerful or depressing? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans. Mr. Purcell’s shop had a very dull and cheerless atmosphere. There was a lot of noise of birds and pet animals. Mr. Purcell had got used to that noise and did not even listen to but the stranger who came to the shop thought how he could tolerate that much noise.
Q. Describe the stranger who came to the pet shop. What did he want?
Ans. The stranger who came to the shop of Mr. Purcell one day had just been released from jail after ten years of imprisonment. He wore a cheap, ill-fitted suit and his hair was closely cropped. His eyes were scanning the whole shop as he wanted to buy something in a cage.
Q. Do you think the man was fond of birds?
Ans. No, the man was not fond of birds though he insisted to buy some. He just wanted anything in a cage so that he could set it free.
Q. How had he earned the five dollars that he had?
Ans. The man had spent ten years in the jail. There he had to work hard. He earned fifty cents a year for the work that he undertook there.
Q. Why, according to you, did the man set the doves free?
Ans. The man had spent ten years in the jail and probably understood what it meant to loose one’s freedom. Therefore he set the doves free.
Q. Was the customer interested in taking care and feeding the birds? Why?
Ans. The customer was not interested in taking care of and feeding the birds because he did not intend to keep them. Therefore he did not listen to what Mr. Purcell told about the process of taking care of the birds.
Q. Why did Mr. Purcell feel insulted?
Ans. Mr. Purcell felt insulted because the man who had spent zero years in jail and earned some dollars had spent all his money in giving freedom to those birds whereas Mr. Purcell had been making profit by imprisoning and selling them.
Q. What is the difference between Mr. Purcell and the customer?
Ans. Mr. Purcell and the customer were very different from each other. Mr. Purcell did not give much importance to freedom as he sold pets in cages and earned money. The customer was different from Mr. Purcell because he realized the importance of freedom as he had spent zero years in jail and therefore he set the two birds free after spending his hard earned money in purchasing them.
Q. Is there any moral the story reflects. If yes, what is it?
Ans. There surely exists a moral of this story. It is that, animals need love, care and compassion and most importantly, freedom. They should not be kept in cages but should be freed to have their own self-governed lives.
Q. Why did the shopkeeper agree to give away the doves at a lesser price?
Ans. Mr. Purcell being a professional man could see that even a 50 cent reduction in the price that he is giving for the doves, would reap him with a major profit. So he decided lo sell the birds at the reduced price.
Q. Discuss the peculiarity about the customer who bought the doves.
Ans. The man purchased some birds from the shop and, after stepping out of the shop, he stared at his purchase for a few moments and then let loose both the doves. Mr. Purcell was quit stunned at this act as this was quite a peculiar act for him as he had never seen this before, he had bought them at a reduced price by showing his eagerness for them, but then he suddenly let them fly in the air.
Q. They give you five dollars …….. and tell you not to get caught again.” Who advised this and why?
Ans. This is an advise given to the prisoner by police as, “not to get caught again” is usually an advice given by police to the prisoners, who are released after having completed their term in the jail. The man also had completed his term so now he was released. He also earned five dollars with his ten years’ hard labour. This was the money which is given to the prisoners for their work in prison.
Q. Discuss the atmosphere in the pet shop of Mr. Purcell.
Ans. The atmosphere in pet shop of Mr. Purcell was a sense of foreboding. The movement of the birds in his shop is described as frantic, frightening, bewildered and unusual. The light in the shop was not sufficient, the visit of the strong customer in the shop is described as casting a gaze around the “shadowy shop.” When the customer had departed from the shop it seemed to Mr. Purcell that the uncanny act of the customer had added to the haunted aspect of the shop. Thus, the atmosphere is a little but mysterious.