Here you will find a complete chapter summary, unit-wise answers to all the Think It Out questions, and 20 important multiple-choice questions with answers.
"The Legend behind a Legend" is an insightful biographical piece written by Hariharan Balakrishnan. It describes his visit to Jashipur in the Similipal forests of Odisha.
The title refers to two famous personalities: Khairi, the famous domesticated tigress, and her foster father Saroj Raj Chaudhury, an officer of the Indian Forest Service and Director of Project Tiger in India.
After reading an article in The Statesman about Khairi, the author wrote a letter to Mr. Chaudhury expressing his desire to visit him. Although Mr. Chaudhury was reputed to be a stern and gruff man, he warmly invited the author.
The author arrived at Jashipur at around 4:00 a.m. A forest guard escorted him to a guest house. After an hour, he woke up terrified by the loud roar of a tiger outside his door. The bearer reassured him that it was only Khairi making friendly inquiries about the new guest.
When the author met Mr. Chaudhury, he found him sitting with a pet sloth bear named Jambu, who was hugging his waist. The author discovered that Mr. Chaudhury was a deeply humane person who loved and understood wild animals.
Mr. Chaudhury proved that different species of wild animals could live together peacefully. He also narrated an incident in which a baby krait bit him while he was observing Khairi's reaction to the snake. The incident left him suffering from a permanent blood condition called hypo-glycaemia.
Khairi was brought to him on October 5, 1974, by twelve Kharia tribals. She was a two-month-old, hungry and frightened cub. Mr. Chaudhury won her confidence by imitating the sounds of a mother tigress.
Although he had hunted animals in his younger days, he later dedicated his life to wildlife conservation. He introduced the Tiger Tracing Method of tiger census using pugmark measurements.
After three months, the author visited Jashipur again and found an eight-foot-long young python in the family. However, their meeting was short because Mr. Chaudhury had to travel to New Delhi for a World Wildlife Fund meeting.
Later, Khairi died, and Mr. Chaudhury passed away shortly afterwards. Khairi was a famous tigress, but Saroj Raj Chaudhury was the true human legend behind her fame.
💡 Central Idea: Love, affection, patience and understanding can create a special bond between human beings and wild animals. Wildlife conservation is an important responsibility.
🟣 Unit I – Think It Out
Questions and Answers
1. Who is Khairi?
Khairi was a famous domesticated tigress of Jashipur in the Similipal forests of Odisha.
2. How did the writer come to know about Khairi?
The writer came to know about Khairi by reading a small news item in The Statesman.
3. Who was the foster father of Khairi?
Saroj Raj Chaudhury, an officer of the Indian Forest Service, was the foster father of Khairi.
4. Which State does the writer belong to?
The writer belongs to Odisha.
5. What did he learn about Saroj Raj Chaudhury as a person?
He learned that Mr. Chaudhury was a gruff and tough man who "brooked no nonsense and suffered no fools."
6. How did he contact Mr. Chaudhury?
He wrote a letter to Mr. Chaudhury requesting permission to visit him at Jashipur.
7. Why did he refer some of his articles to Mr. Chaudhury?
He mentioned his articles published in Indian magazines to introduce himself as a writer.
8. Did Mr. Chaudhury reply to the author's letter? What did he write?
Yes, Mr. Chaudhury replied within a week. He warmly invited the author to Jashipur, gave him directions and asked about his arrival date.
🔵 Unit II – Think It Out
1. How did the writer come to Bhubaneswar?
The writer came to Bhubaneswar by train.
2. How did he go to Jashipur from Bhubaneswar?
He travelled to Jashipur from Bhubaneswar in an overcrowded bus.
3. How did the forest guard receive him?
The forest guard met him at 4:00 a.m., escorted him to the guest house, showed him his room and provided water.
4. Why was he terror-struck?
He was terror-struck because he woke up to the unmistakable roar of a tiger outside his room.
5. What did the bearer tell him about Khairi?
The bearer assured him that it was only Khairi making friendly inquiries about the new guest.
6. What was Mr. Chaudhury doing when the writer met him?
He was sitting on a large chair with a pet sloth bear holding onto his waist.
7. How did Mr. Chaudhury greet the author?
He asked the bear to get down by saying, "Get down, Jambu," and rose to greet the author warmly.
8. What was the name of the bear?
The sloth bear was named Jambu.
9. What was the physical appearance of Mr. Chaudhury?
He was a frail man in his fifties, slightly balding on top.
10. What kind of man did the author find Mr. Chaudhury to be?
The author found him to be one of the most humane human beings he had ever met.
🟢 Unit III – Think It Out
1. What theory did Mr. Chaudhury prove wrong?
He disproved the theory that different wild animal species cannot live together peacefully unless they are brought up together from infancy.
2. What was his first story about?
His first story was about testing young Khairi's reaction to a poisonous baby krait.
3. Why is it so unique and amazing?
It was unique because it showed Mr. Chaudhury's dedication to studying animal behaviour, even at great personal risk.
4. Why did Mr. Chaudhury allow Khairi to come near a krait?
He wanted to observe how a young tiger reacted to a snake.
5. What was Khairi's reaction to the presence of the krait?
Khairi was curious to know more about the strange creature.
6. How did the experiment affect him?
The krait bit his hand, and the incident left him suffering from a permanent blood condition called hypo-glycaemia.
7. What did the bear try to do with the writer?
Jambu, the sloth bear, tried to climb behind the writer and give him a bear hug.
8. What prevented the bear from doing so?
A stern "No" from Mr. Chaudhury stopped the bear immediately.
9. What kind of family did Mr. Chaudhury have?
He had an extraordinary family consisting of different wild animal species living together peacefully.
10. What was his relationship with different animals?
His relationship with animals was based on deep affection, mutual understanding and natural authority.
🟠 Unit IV – Think It Out
1. How and when did Mr. Chaudhury come across Khairi?
On October 5, 1974, twelve Kharia tribals of Similipal brought a two-month-old female tiger cub to him.
2. In what condition did he find it?
He found the cub famished, confused, snarling angrily and scratching.
3. How did he manage the hungry and confused cub?
He managed the cub by imitating the sounds of a mother tigress.
4. How did he treat wildlife in his young age?
In his youth, he hunted wildlife with a gun given to him by his mother on his eighth birthday.
5. What did he say about his change of attitude towards wildlife to the author?
He realised that there was far greater happiness in conserving beautiful animals that did no wanton harm to humans.
6. What was his contribution to the Tiger Project?
As Director of Project Tiger, he introduced the Tiger Tracing Method of tiger census by recording pugmark measurements.
7. What was the guest house like?
It was a functional wooden structure with rooms and bathrooms built on 15-foot stilts deep inside the forest.
8. What new experience did the author have in the Tiger Reserve area?
The author experienced his first night atop a magnificent machan in the jungle.
🔴 Unit V – Think It Out
1. After what interval of time did the writer visit Mr. Chaudhury for the second time?
He visited Mr. Chaudhury again after an interval of three months.
2. What new addition to the Chaudhury family did he find there?
He found an eight-foot-long young python.
3. Why did he get less time to interact with Mr. Chaudhury this time?
Mr. Chaudhury received an urgent wireless message and had to catch a flight to New Delhi for a World Wildlife Fund meeting.
4. Who died first, Khairi or Mr. Chaudhury?
Khairi died first, and Mr. Chaudhury passed away shortly afterwards.
5. Who are the two legends the writer talks about?
The two legends are Khairi, the domesticated tigress, and Saroj Raj Chaudhury, her foster father.
6. Is the text more about Mr. Chaudhury or Khairi?
The text is primarily about Mr. Saroj Raj Chaudhury, highlighting his extraordinary character and passion for wildlife.
7. Can you guess now why the title of the text is "The Legend behind a Legend"?
Khairi was a legend among wild animals, but Saroj Raj Chaudhury was the human legend whose love and vision made her famous.
🎯 20 Multiple-Choice Questions
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Select the correct answer for each question. Click the Submit Answers button to check your score and see the correct answers.
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