⭐ Chapter 6 — Mijbil the Otter 

The author, Gavin Maxwell, went to Iraq. There he received a baby otter as a gift.
He named it Mijbil (Mij).
At first, Mij was shy and silent. Later he became friendly and playful.

Mij loved water and enjoyed splashing in the bathtub.
He was very intelligent — he could turn taps, play with balls, juggle marbles, and follow the author like a dog.

When Maxwell took Mij to England, the journey was very difficult.
The airline forced him to keep Mij in a small box.
Mij hurt himself inside the box.
On the plane, he escaped and made the passengers scream, but finally returned to the author.

In London, people could not recognize what animal Mij was.
They guessed he was a baby seal, a squirrel, a beaver—even a hippo!
Mij became a unique, lovable, friendly, intelligent pet.

⭐ HINDI 

लेखक गैविन मैक्सवेल इराक गए थे। वहाँ उन्हें एक छोटा ऊदबिलाव (otter) उपहार में मिला।
उसका नाम उन्होंने मिज़बिल (मिज) रखा।

शुरुआत में मिज चुप और शर्मीला था, लेकिन बाद में वह बहुत दोस्ताना और खेलखूद वाला हो गया।
उसे पानी से बहुत प्यार था। वह बाथटब में कूदता, छींटे उड़ाता और खेलता रहता था।

मिज बहुत होशियार था—
• नल खोल सकता था
• गेंद से खेलता था
• मार्बल्स को जोंग्लिंग करता था
• लेखक का पीछा कुत्ते की तरह करता था

जब लेखक मिज़ को इंग्लैंड ले जा रहे थे, तो यात्रा बहुत मुश्किल हुई।
एयरलाइन ने उसे छोटे बॉक्स में बंद किया। बेचारे मिज़ ने खुद को चोट पहुँचा दी।
विमान में मिज़ भाग निकला और यात्रियों ने उसे चूहे समझकर चीखें मारीं!
आखिर वह वापस आकर लेखक से लिपट गया।

लंदन में लोग नहीं पहचान पाए कि यह कौन सा जानवर है।
कोई कहता—यह सील है।
कोई कहता—यह गिलहरी है।
कोई इसे छोटा ‘हिप्पो’ कह देता!

मिज एक अनोखा, प्यारा, और बहुत बुद्धिमान पालतू था।

⭐ WORD MEANINGS 

⭐ VERY SHORT QUESTION ANSWERS (1 Mark)

Q1. What did the author name his otter?

Ans. Mijbil (Mij)

Q2. Where did the author get Mij from?

Ans. From the Tigris marshes in Iraq.

Q3. What was Mij’s favourite game?

Ans. Playing with a ball and juggling marbles.

Q4. What did the air hostess do?

Ans. She kindly helped the author catch Mij.

⭐ SHORT QUESTION ANSWERS (2–3 Marks)

Q1. How did Mij behave at first?

Ans. In the beginning, Mij was shy, quiet, aloof and indifferent.
He avoided coming close and slept far from the author.
After some time, he became friendly.

Q2. Why did Mij like water so much?

Ans. Otters naturally love water.
Mij enjoyed splashing, swimming, diving and overturning bowls of water.
He felt happiest while playing in water.

Q3. Why was the journey to England difficult?

Ans. The airline forced the author to put Mij in a small box.
Mij injured himself badly while trying to escape.
On the plane he ran away and scared the passengers.
It was stressful for both the author and Mij.

Q4. What funny guesses did people make about Mij in London?

Ans. People guessed that Mij was:
• a baby seal
• a squirrel
• a beaver
• a hippo
• a leopard cub
No one could guess he was an otter.

⭐ LONG QUESTION ANSWERS (5–6 Marks – CBSE Pattern)

Q1. Describe the friendship between Maxwell and his otter Mij.

Answer (Easy):
Maxwell and Mij shared a very close and loving bond.
Although Mij was shy at first, he soon became affectionate.
He trusted Maxwell completely and followed him everywhere.
Mij slept near the author, played games with him, and even searched for him in the airplane.
Their relationship was full of love, joy, and understanding.
Maxwell treated Mij like a family member, not an animal.
This shows how deep and beautiful a bond between a human and an animal can be.

Q2. What qualities of the otter Mij do you find most interesting? Explain.

Answer:
Mij was extremely intelligent.
He could open taps, play football, juggle marbles, and create his own games.
He was friendly and affectionate, especially toward the author.
He was playful, energetic, and loved exploring new things.
He was also funny — his actions made everyone laugh.
His intelligence and human-like behaviour make him a truly unique animal.

Q3. Describe the incident on the plane. Why is it humorous?

Answer:
When the author opened the box, Mij jumped out and ran through the aircraft.
Passengers screamed thinking it was a rat.
A woman stood on her seat shouting.
The author chased Mij but bumped into a man wearing a white turban, smearing curry on his face.
The air hostess finally found Mij and brought him back.
This scene is humorous because of the chaos, the passengers’ reactions, and the strange confusion created by Mij.

⭐ MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS (Repeated in Exams)

✔ Why did Maxwell decide to keep an otter as a pet?
✔ Describe Mij’s love for water.
✔ How was Mij different from normal otters?
✔ Describe the problems during the air journey.
✔ What games did Mij play?
✔ Why could people not recognise the otter in London?
✔ How did the air hostess help Maxwell?
✔ What do you learn about the author’s feelings for Mij?