Down the Rabbit-Hole SAQ
SAQ – 1/2 Marks
1. Who wrote the story ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’?
👉The story ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ was written by Lewis Carroll.
2. What is the real name of the writer?
👉The real name of the writer is Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
3. What is the source of it? / Where from is it taken?
👉The story is taken from Lewis Carroll’s famous novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
*4. Why does Alice think the book is of no use to her?
👉Alice thinks the book is of no use to her because it has no pictures or conversations in it.
*5. Where was Alice sitting and with whom?
👉Alice was sitting by a river bank with her sister.
*6. How was Alice feeling that day and why?
👉Alice was feeling sleepy, tired, and stupid because it was a hot summer day.
7. “She was considering in her own mind” What was she considering?
👉In the story ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’, Alice was considering in her own mind whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up to pick the daisies.
*8. How did the rabbit appear physically? What did it say?
👉The rabbit was white-furred with pink eyes and wore a waistcoat.
It said, “Oh dear! I shall be too late!”.
*9. Why did Alice decide to follow the rabbit?
👉Alice decided to follow the rabbit because she had nothing to do and was filled with curiosity upon seeing a strange, talking rabbit in a waistcoat.
*10. What did Alice see on the sides of the well while falling?
👉While falling, Alice saw cupboards, bookshelves, maps, and pictures hanging on the sides of the well.
*11. What did she take from one of the shelves? What was written on it?
👉 Alice took a jar from one of the shelves.
The jar was labeled “Orange Marmalade”.
*12. Why did Alice not drop the jar underneath?
👉Alice did not drop the jar because she was afraid of killing someone underneath.
*13. “Alice had learned several things” Which things are referred to here? Why was this not a good opportunity for showing off her knowledge?
👉The “things” Alice had learned in her lessons refer to facts about the earth’s geography and physics, such as the earth’s depth at its center, which she thought was four thousand miles down.
Alice noted to herself that this was not a good opportunity to show off her knowledge because there was no one else in the rabbit-hole to listen to her.
*14. “Alice had not the slightest idea” What are the words Alice had no idea about? Why did she say the words?
👉The words Alice had no idea about were “Latitude” and “Longitude”.
She said these words because she thought they sounded like “nice grand words” to say.
*15. Which countries did Alice mention where she imagined to reach? Which incorrect word did she say?
👉Alice imagined she would reach either New Zealand or Australia.
She mistakenly said the word “Antipathies” instead of “Antipodes”.
She was glad no one was listening because she suspected it was not the correct word.
*16. Being sleepy, what did Alice say to herself? What did Alice dream of?
👉As Alice was becoming sleepy during her fall, she began to wonder about her cat, Dinah, and said to herself, “Do cats eat bats?” and sometimes, “Do bats eat cats?”.
Before landing, she began to dream that she was walking with her cat Dinah and asking her, “Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a bat?”.
*17. Who was Dinah? What was it fed during tea time?
👉Dinah was Alice’s pet cat. It was fed a saucer of milk during tea time.
18. Where did Alice land? How was her condition?
👉Alice landed on a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and she was unhurt.
19. “Oh my ears and whiskers…” Who said this? Who heard it and where?
👉The white rabbit said this.
Alice heard it when she was following the rabbit down a long passage.
*20. What did Alice find all of a sudden after finding all doors closed?
👉After finding all the doors closed, Alice found a three-legged table made of solid glass with a tiny golden key on it.
21. “…… it led to a small passage…” How was the small passage and where did it lead to? How did Alice see through it?
👉The small passage was no more than a rat-hole. It led to a beautiful garden with bright flowers and cool fountains.
Alice had to kneel down to look through the passage.
22. What did Alice find after returning to the table again?
👉After returning to the table, Alice found a bottle with a paper label that had the words “DRINK ME” printed on it.
*23. Why did Alice taste the potion /content of the bottle? How did it taste?
👉Alice risked tasting the potion of the bottle because she was curious and because it was not marked ‘poison.’
It tasted like a mix of cherry tart, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast.
*24. What happened after Alice tasted the potion from the bottle?
👉After drinking the potion, Alice began to shrink and became ten inches in height.
25. What happened to Alice while playing croquet? How did she punish herself?
👉Alice cheated herself while playing croquet against herself and tried to box her own ears to punish herself.
*26. “Soon her eyes fell on a little glass box…” Where was the little glass box? What was inside the box?
👉The little glass box was under the table.
Inside the box was a very small cake with the words “EAT ME” written on it with currants.
27. “Well, I’ll eat it..” Who said this? What does it refer to here?
👉Alice said this to herself.
It refers to the small cake with the words “EAT ME” written on it with currants.
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EXERCISE
1. What seemed natural to Alice when she should have wondered about it?
👉When Alice should have wondered about the running and talking white rabbit with pink eyes with a watch, it all seemed quite natural to her at that time, and she followed it. She did not stop to wonder how a rabbit could talk or use a watch. But when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this.
2. What did Alice notice at the side of the wall?
👉While falling down a very deep well Alice looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cup-boards and bookshelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. As she passed, she took down a jar from one of the shelves labelled ‘ORANGE MARMALADE’, but it was empty.
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INSIGHT CHECK
1. Why does Alice not like the look of her sister’s book?
👉Alice does not like the look of her sister’s book because it has no conversations or pictures in it. She finds it boring and uninteresting. According to Alice, a book is useless without pictures or conversations.
2. Why does the author say, “Away went Alice like the wind”?
👉The author says, “Away went Alice like the wind” to show that Alice ran very fast. She did not want to lose sight of the white rabbit.
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IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
*1. Who is Dinah in the first chapter ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’ by Lewis Carroll? What does she think about her?
👉In the first chapter ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’ by Lewis Carroll, Dinah is Alice’s little pet cat.
Alice thinks that Dinah will miss her very much tonight. Again, she hopes someone remembers to give Dinah her milk at tea-time.
*2. Why did Alice feel sleepy while sitting beside her sister?
👉At the beginning of the story while sitting beside her sister reading a book Alice felt sleepy because the book was without pictures or conversations. Such a book seemed boring and dull to Alice. So she felt sleepy.
*3. What drew Alice’s attention when she saw the White Rabbit?
👉The White Rabbit drew Alice’s attention because it was wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch. It was also muttering to itself about being late, which Alice found unusual.
*4. Why did Alice decide to follow the Rabbit?
👉Alice decided to follow the White Rabbit because it had pink eyes, was muttering to itself about being late, and had very unusual clothing. This made Alice curious, so she decided to follow it.
5. How did Alice go into the rabbit-hole?
👉Alice followed the White Rabbit, which soon disappeared down a rabbit-hole. Alice then jumped down the rabbit-hole after it.
*6. What geographical idea came to Alice’s mind while she was falling?
👉While falling, Alice wondered if she might fall through the center of the earth to the other side.
*7. “How brave they’ll all think me at home!” Who says this and when?
👉Alice says this to herself while falling down the rabbit hole. She thinks that her family would see her as brave for having such an experience and tries to encourage herself.
*8. Why does Lewis Carroll use the phrase ‘Down, down, down’ in the story ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole?’
👉The repetition of “Down, down, down” is used to emphasize that Alice’s fall seems long and endless. It helps readers imagine her journey into an unknown world and also highlights her determination.
9. Did Alice get hurt after reaching the bottom of the hole?
👉No, Alice was not hurt. She landed gently on a heap of leaves at the bottom of the rabbit hole and quickly stood up.
10. What did Alice do when she got to the bottom of the hole?
👉After landing on the heap of leaves, Alice quickly got up and looked around. She saw a long hallway with locked doors and a small door that was too small for her to fit through.
*11. What kind of hallway did Alice discover after her fall?
👉Alice found herself in a long, dimly lit hallway with locked doors lining both walls and lamps hanging from the ceiling. She could not find a way out at first.
12. What was strange about the doors in the hallway?
👉All the doors in the hallway were locked. Alice tried each one, but she could not open any of them.
*13. What did Alice find on the glass table in the hall?
👉Alice found a tiny golden key on the glass table and hoped it would open one of the doors.
14. Why was Alice unable to open the small door at first?
👉Alice was unable to open the small door at first because the key was either too small or the locks were too large.
*15. What was written on the label of the bottle that Alice found?
👉On a small bottle she found on the table, there was a paper label around its neck with the words ‘Drink me’ printed in large letters.
*16. Why was Alice cautious before drinking from the bottle labelled ‘Drink Me’?
👉Alice was cautious because she had read stories where children got hurt by not being careful. She wanted to check if the bottle was marked with the word ‘poison’ before drinking it.
*17. What was the effect of drinking from the bottle on Alice’s size?
👉Drinking from the bottle made Alice shrink to ten inches tall.
18. Why did Alice decide to go through the small door after shrinking?
👉Alice wanted to go through the small door because it led to a beautiful garden she had seen earlier.
19. What problem did Alice realize after shrinking in size?
👉Alice realized that she had left the golden key on the table and was now too small to reach it.
*20. What food did Alice discover with the words ‘Eat Me’ written on it?
👉Alice discovered a small cake with the words ‘Eat Me’ on it.
*21. What happened to Alice after she ate the cake?
👉After eating the cake, Alice’s size did not change at first, but she expected something unusual to happen soon.
22. How did the changes in her size affect Alice’s sense of identity?
👉The changes in her size made Alice question her identity. She wondered if she was still the same person or if she had changed into someone else.
23. How does Alice’s curiosity in new places help us to know her character?
👉Alice’s curiosity shows that she has an inquisitive and adventurous nature. She is eager to learn and explore, even when faced with unusual or mysterious situations.
24. Why does Alice imagine people on the other side of the world walk upside down?
👉Alice imagines this because she believes the world is round and thinks that people on the other side must walk with their heads down and feet up.
25. How does Alice’s imagination help her face the strange events in Wonderland?
👉Alice’s imagination helps her to treat everything in Wonderland like a dream or a game. This allows her to stay calm and curious during odd events, talk to talking animals, and solve problems.
*26. “Oh, how I wish I could shut like a telescope!” Who says this and to whom? What does the line mean?
👉Alice says this to herself.
The line means that Alice feels strange and thinks she is shrinking like a telescope because her body size is changing magically.
27. “Come, there’s no use in crying like that!” said Alice to herself. Why does Alice tell herself not to cry?
👉Alice tells herself not to cry because she believes it’s useless. She is trying to control her feelings and act reasonably.
28. “She generally gave herself very good advice, though she very seldom followed it.” Did Alice usually follow her own advice?
👉Alice often did not follow her own advice, even though it was usually good and helpful.
29. “She was very fond of pretending to be two people.” Why was Alice fond of pretending to be two people?
👉Alice loved to use her imagination and was very curious. She enjoyed pretending to be two people to amuse herself.
*30. “She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself “Which way? Which way?” What does the repetition of “Which way? Which way?” suggest?
👉The repetition of “Which way? Which way?” shows that Alice is anxious and eager. She is nervous and wants to know if she will get bigger or smaller after eating the cake.
31. What does Alice find next after crying?
👉After crying, Alice finds a small cake that has “Eat Me” written on it.
32. How is Alice’s character described in this chapter?
👉This chapter describes Alice as a curious and inquisitive little girl. She is also smart and polite.
33. Were Alice’s experiences real, or was she simply dreaming them?
👉All of Alice’s adventures were impossible in the real world. She was just dreaming.
