Class 9 English - ANDHRA-PRADESH
Prose: The Snake and the Mirror
The Snake and the Mirror is a humorous and thrilling short story by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, translated from Malayalam. It is part of the Class 9 Andhra Pradesh (BSEAP) English curriculum. The story revolves around a young, proud homoeopathic doctor who boasts about his medical knowledge and good looks. While sitting in his modest room, a deadly cobra coils around his arm. Instead of panicking, the doctor sits like a stone statue, realizing his foolishness and vanity. The chapter teaches an important lesson about humility and how fear humbles human beings, making it a favorite for board exam comprehension and character analysis questions.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Humor and Irony
The story uses subtle irony and humor to mock human vanity, specifically the doctor's obsession with his looks and medical status.
Self-Realization
Facing a life-and-death situation with a cobra makes the arrogant doctor realize how helpless, foolish, and poor he actually is.
Characterization of the Doctor
A young, unmarried doctor struggling to establish his practice, who is full of self-admiration and loves looking into the mirror.
Suspense and Climax
The tension peaks when the snake coils around the doctor's arm, and dissolves comically when the snake gets distracted by its own reflection in the mirror.
Narrative Technique
The story is narrated in the first person within a frame story, where the doctor tells the tale of his past encounter to a group of friends.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In the Andhra Pradesh (BSEAP) Class 9 English board exams, this chapter typically carries around 4 to 8 marks. Questions usually include reading comprehension passages, paragraph-type questions on character analysis, theme-based questions about vanity and fear, and vocabulary or grammar exercises based on the text.
Frequently Asked Questions
The doctor was full of vanity and admired his own appearance. He decided to grow a thin mustache and keep smiling to look more attractive.
The doctor was full of vanity and admired his own appearance. He wanted to look attractive and decided to shave daily, grow a thin mustache, and always keep a special smile on his face.
How did the snake react when it saw its reflection in the mirror?
When the snake landed on the table, it crept towards the mirror and stared at its reflection, as if it was admiring its own beauty or trying to make a decision.
What is the central theme of 'The Snake and the Mirror'?
The central theme is the folly of human vanity and pride, showing how quickly fear can strip away a person's arrogance and teach humility.
Learn Prose: The Snake and the Mirror with Your AI Tutor
10 different ways to study this chapter. Free for 3 chapters per day.
Lecture
Key Points
Interactive
Quiz
Flashcards