Question 1:
Where did the lady find the bear cub? How did she bring it up?
Answer:
The lady found the bear cub in the forest. It was half-dead from hunger. It was very small and helpless. It was brought up on bottle by the lady and the old cook.
Question 2:
The bear grew up but "he was a most amiable bear". Give three examples to prove this.
Answer:
He was an amiable bear. He did not harm anybody, man or beast. He looked most amiably at the cattle grazing in the field nearby. The children used to ride on his back.
Question 3:
What did the bear eat? There were two things he was not allowed to do. What were they?
Answer:
The bear ate bread, porridge, potatoes, cabbages, turnips and fruits. But he was not allowed to do two things. First, he was not allowed to climb the apple trees and eat apples. Secondly, he was not allowed to wander in the forest.
Question 4:
When was the bear tied up with a chain? Why?
Answer:
The bear was tied up with a chain on Sundays when his mistress went out to meet her sister. He was also chained at night as he was not allowed to go after her.
Question 5:
What happened one Sunday when the lady was going to her sister's house? What did the lady do? What was the bear's reaction?
Answer:
One Sunday, the lady was going to her sister's house. She had chained up the bear as usual. When she was about half-way through the forest, she suddenly heard the cracking of the tree-branch. So she looked back. She was horrified to see the bear coming towards her at full speed. In a minute he reached the lady. The lady was very angry. She told him to go back at once. The bear did not want to go back. He kept on sniffing at the lady. The lady got still more angry. She hit him on the nose with her parasol. The bear shook his head. He opened his mouth several times as if he was wanting to say something. Then he started to go back the way he had come, stopping now and then to look at the lady.
Question 5:
Why was the bear looking sorry for himself in the evening? Why did the cook get angry with her mistress?
Answer:
The bear looked sorry for himself as he was chained the entire day. The cook loved the bear as if he had been her own son. When she heard the lady scolding the bear, she got very angry with her as she was scolding the bear without any fault of his.
Question 6:
Most people keep dogs and cats as pets. Can you think of some unusual pets that people keep?
Answer:
Some people keep rabbits as pets, some keep pigs while others keep monkeys and mongooses.
Question 7:
The second bear did not attack the lady because he was afraid of her. Do you agree?
Answer:
Yes, he was afraid of her. The lady took the second bear for her pet bear and started shouting at him the moment she saw him. She also hit him with her parasol when he sniffed at her.