Std 8 English chapters › Unit 4 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: This humorous poem shows how hard a vet's job is, because every animal is different and the vet must deal with all sorts of strange problems; the poet jokingly advises his son to become a doctor for humans instead.
(ही विनोदी कविता पशुवैद्याचे काम किती कठीण आहे हे दाखवते, कारण प्रत्येक प्राणी वेगळा असतो आणि त्याला अनेक विचित्र समस्या सोडवाव्या लागतात; कवी गमतीने मुलाला माणसांचा डॉक्टर होण्याचा सल्ला देतो.)
- Type: Poem (humorous)
- Speaker: A parent advising their son, in a joking tone
- Unit: 4
Summary in English
A successful vet needs very wide knowledge, because every patient has a different inside. He must know why the cat refuses her milk, why the dog will not eat its bone, why the horse's coat is dull, why the parrot groans, why hens and ducks stop laying, and why the canary sings so faintly.
At the zoo the problems are even stranger: the lion has a cold, the zebra is getting old, the centipede has trouble with its feet, the Arctic fox suffers from heat, the giraffes have stiff necks after a quarrel, the elephant eats paper bags and chokes, and the kangaroo will not jump.
People run to the vet, as if he knows everything, and expect him to put it all right. The poet pities the vet, who must learn so much for his pay, and jokingly advises his son to earn his living an easier way, by being a doctor for humans.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
यशस्वी पशुवैद्याला खूप व्यापक ज्ञान लागते, कारण प्रत्येक रुग्णाचे आतले शरीर वेगळे असते. मांजर दूध का पीत नाही, कुत्रा हाड का खात नाही, घोड्याची कातडी निस्तेज का झाली, पोपट का कण्हतो, कोंबड्या-बदके अंडी का देत नाहीत, कॅनरी इतक्या क्षीण आवाजात का गाते, हे त्याला माहीत असावे लागते.
प्राणिसंग्रहालयातील समस्या आणखी विचित्र असतात: सिंहाला सर्दी झाली आहे, झेब्रा म्हातारा होत आहे, गोमेला पायांचा त्रास आहे, आर्क्टिक कोल्ह्याला उकडत आहे, भांडणानंतर जिराफांच्या माना आखडल्या आहेत, हत्ती कागदी पिशव्या खाऊन गुदमरतो आणि कांगारू उडी मारत नाही.
लोक धावत पशुवैद्याकडे जातात, जणू त्याला सर्व काही माहीत आहे, आणि सर्व ठीक करण्याची अपेक्षा करतात. एवढ्या पगारासाठी इतके शिकावे लागणाऱ्या पशुवैद्याची कवीला दया येते आणि तो गमतीने मुलाला सोपा मार्ग, म्हणजे माणसांचा डॉक्टर होण्याचा सल्ला देतो.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
A vet's work is difficult and deserves respect, because animals cannot tell us what is wrong with them.
पशुवैद्याचे काम कठीण आहे आणि आदरास पात्र आहे, कारण प्राणी आपल्याला त्यांचा त्रास सांगू शकत नाहीत.
Figures of Speech (अलंकार)
- Repetition (पुनरावृत्ती): 'If the …' begins many lines in the zoo stanzas.
- Humour and exaggeration (विनोद व अतिशयोक्ती): hyenas will not laugh at keepers' jokes; the panther's wife chews his ears.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| competent | सक्षम, कुशल | She is a competent doctor. |
| exceedingly | अत्यंत | The test was exceedingly difficult. |
| incredible | अविश्वसनीय | The magician did incredible tricks. |
| virulent | (रोग) तीव्र, घातक | A virulent fever spread in the village. |
| omniscient | सर्वज्ञ | No one is omniscient. |
| profoundly | मनापासून, खोलवर | I am profoundly grateful to you. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- ‘Vet’ is the short form of veterinarian. Learn other specialists too: dentist (teeth), cardiologist (heart), paediatrician (children), orthopaedic (bones).
- Is the poet really discouraging people from becoming vets? Explain the humorous tone in your answer.
4.1 The Vet: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this poem, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🩺 Warm-up: Specialist doctors
🧩 Match each specialist with who or what they treat.
Specialist → treats
Why do paediatricians and vets have a tougher job?
Answer: Babies and animals cannot describe their pain, so the doctor must find out by observing.
🤔 Think as you read
Why is it so hard to be a successful vet?
Answer: A vet needs exceedingly wide knowledge of many different bodies.
What are the ‘opposite’ illnesses of the lion and the Arctic fox?
Answer: A funny reversal: the lion from a hot land catches cold, the fox from the icy Arctic feels hot.
Why does the poet call the vet ‘omniscient’?
Answer: omniscient = all-knowing.
Q1. Rhyme scheme
👉 Tap the correct rhyme scheme.
Stanzas 1 to 3 and the last two stanzas have the rhyme scheme ___.
Answer: vet/get, wide/inside: alternate lines rhyme.
Stanzas 4 to 7 have the rhyme scheme ___.
Answer: cold/old, feet … ill/chill, heat: two short rhyming lines, a long line, then repeat.
Q2. Funny animal illnesses
🎯 Tap each animal and its funny problem in the poem.
Animal ↔ problem
Q3. Animal names in Marathi
🎯 Tap the English name and its Marathi name.
English ↔ Marathi
Which animal name sounds almost the same in English and Marathi?
Answer: Also similar: giraffe (जिराफ), chimpanzee (चिंपांझी), kangaroo (कांगारू), hippo (हिप्पो).
Q4 and Q5. Think deeply
👉 Tap the best answer.
Is the poet really discouraging the youth from becoming vets?
Answer: The poem is humorous. By listing so many problems, it shows respect for vets.
✍️ Q5. Precautions a vet takes with wild animals. Try, then compare
- Study the animal’s behaviour before going near it.
- Use a tranquilliser dart from a safe distance.
- Work with trained keepers and never alone.
- Wear protective gloves, boots and clothing.
- Keep a safe escape route and cages ready.
- Check the animal is fully unconscious before treatment, and monitor it till it wakes.
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- Which animal problem in the poem do you find funniest? Why?
- Why is it harder to treat animals than humans?
- Find out what precautions a vet takes when treating wild animals.
Online test · 15 questions
4.1 The Vet: Lesson Test
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शिक्षकांसाठी: धडा शिकवून झाल्यावर ही test वर्गाला पाठवा. प्रत्येक विद्यार्थ्याचे गुण तुम्हाला आपोआप मिळतील.
These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.