Down the Rabbit-Hole Questions and Answers (Marks 6)| Class 12 4th semester English | written by Lewis Carroll
1. So she was considering in her own mind,”-What was she considering in her own mind? What did she do before that? What happened then?
Alice was feeling bored during the dull hours of the day. So, she started thinking to herself-would it be worth the effort to get up and pick some daisies and would making a daisie-chain bring her more joy than the trouble of doing it? She wondered if such a small thing could make her feel happy.
Before, considering picking out daisies to make a daisy-chain, Alice got very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank of a river and of having nothing to do on a hot day. Once or twice she peeped into the book her sister was reading. As the book had no pictures or conversation in it, she concluded that the book was of no use. The heat
of the day also made her feel very sleepy and stupid. When Alice was engrossed in her thought, suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran by her.
2. Describe Alice’s first meeting with the White Rabbit.
OR, How did Alice reach the rabbit-hole?
OR, What made Alice curious near the riverbank? What happened after Alice grew curious?
One day Alice was feeling bored and tired by sitting on the nverbank with her sister as she had nothing to do. She peeped into the book her sister was reading but she found it useless as there were no pictures or conversations in it. She then thought of collecting daisies to make a daisy chain but the hot day made her feel lazy. Suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran past her saying, “Oh dearl Oh dearl I shall be too late!” Though at first it seemed quite natural, later she thought it was quite unusual for a rabbit to talk. Then the Rabbit took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket and looking at the time hurriedly went on. Alice became curious as she had never seen a rabbit with a waistcoat-pocket or a watch in it.
So she ran after it across the field and without a second. thought entered into a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
3. What was special about the White Rabbit ? Why did Alice follow the White Rabbit?
The White Rabbil mirrored the pecullanty of the Wonderland, It spoke in human language and behaved Bike a human being. The Rabbit took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, looked at it and then hurried on as if it had an important task to do. These were the special things about the White Rabbit which made it different from an ordinary one
Alice had never before seen a rabbit with either a warstcoat-pocket or a watch to take out of it like a human being. It sparked Alice’s curiosity, prompting her to follow the White Rabbit in the hope of finding something interesting and out of the ordinary.
4. “she ran across the field after it… Who are referred to as ‘she’ and ‘it here? What motivates her to follow it’? What does the action reveal about ‘her’ character?
Here she refers to Alice, the protagonist of the story, and it refers to the White furred, pink-eyed Rabbit. For the second part of the answer refer to the answer of question no 5 (2nd para).
Alice’s action that she is a curious and adventurous person. She is not afraid to take risks and explore new things even if they seem strange or unfamiliar. It also shows that she is determined and independent willing to make her own decisions and follow her own path.
5. How is Alice portrayed at the introductory part of the story?
OR, Comment on the beginning of the story.
Right from the beginning of the story, Lewis Carroll shows that Alice is not like other children of her age. He wants to give a hint that she is a bit different and special. While her sister is busy reading a book, she is not
interested as it does not have any picture or conversation in it. Suddenly she sees a White rabbit with pink eyes, dressed in waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch. Being cunous, she starts chasing it with full of wonder that how a rabbit can have all these Following the rabbit, Alice fails down the rabbil-hole. Thus begins her journey. The introductory part begins her journey from normal human world to wonderland where logic takes a backseat. Thus Carroll prepares the readers from the very beginning for a journey to the world of fantasy and imagination.
6. “…so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as she fell past it.”- Describe Alice’s experience in the rabbit-hole just before this incident.
When Alice entered into the rabbit-hole, she found that it went horizontally like a tunnel up to a certain distance. Then it took a sudden downward direction and seemed like a very deep well. She fell so slowly that she had ample time to look around her. First, she tried to see what she was going to fall onto but it was too dark below to see anything. Then she looked at the sides of the well and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and bookshelves. At some places maps and pictures hung upon pegs. While passing by one of the shelves, she lifted a jar with the label ORANGE MARMALADE. But she was disappointed to find it empty. She did not drop it for she feared that might kill somebody underneath. Instead she put it into one of the other cupboards as she fell past it.
7. Describe what happened when Alice fell down the rabbit-hole.
OR, Describe Alice’s fall through the rabbit-hole.
OR, Describe Alice’s train of thoughts while falling down the rabbit-hole.
After entering the rabbit-hole Alice found that the it went straight on like a tunnel for a certain distance and then sharply dipped down. It seemed to Alice as if she was falling down a deep well very slowly. So she had ample time to look around her and wonder what would happen next. She saw that there were cupboards, bookshelves, maps and pictures at the sides of the well. She also found a jar of orange marmalade, but it was empty so she managed to put it back into one of the cupboards. As Alice kept falling down the well, her mind raced to various things. Alice thought she would be considered very brave at home for falling down such a deep well. The fall seemed never ending and she thought she would reach almost the centre of the earth. She also wondered what latitude or longitude she had got to. Then she wondered if she would come out on the other side of the earth among the people who walk with their heads downwards. She continued her self-talk aloud and said that Dinah, her pet cat would be miss her very much that night. She wished Dinah was there with her in the rabbit-hole. But what would it catch as there were no mice in the air, some bats perhaps! And then she wondered if cats ate bats. She then began to doze off and suddenly fell upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves.
8. What did Alice talk to herself about her school learning while she was falling through the rabbit-hole?
While falling through the rabbit-hole, Alice wondered if she was getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Which meant she had fallen four thousand miles down. She had learnt this in her school lessons along with many other things. However, she understood that it was not the right time for showing off her knowledge as there was no one to listen to her. She also uttered nice, grand words like “Latitude or “Longitude”, though she did not have the slightest idea about their meaning. She also wondered if she would come out on the other side of the earth among the people who walk with their heads downwards. To describe them, she perhaps wanted to say the Antipodes but mistakenly said ‘Antipathies’, but it did not sound at all right to her. However she decided that she would find out whether the place was New Zealand or Australia.
9. Who are Antipathies according to Alice? Why are they mentioned by Alice? Do they really exist?
According to Alice, Antipathies are people who live on the earth’s bottom-side surface. So she imagines them to walk with their heads downwards.
Alice mentions them as she keeps falling through the rabbit-hole. Alice wonders if she would come out on the bottom side of the earth among the people whom she names Antipathies.
It is not clearly stated in the given text if Antipathies really exist or not. Even the name did not sound right to Alice and the Antipathies may be the outcome of Alice’s fertile imagination. Or it perhaps mean the Antipodes, a. way of referring to Australia and New Zealand, often used in a humorous way, specially by the British.
10. What did Alice talk to herself about Dinah while falling through the rabbit-hole?
Alice expressed her concern for her pet cat, Dinah, when she was falling through the rabbit-hole. She thought Dinan would miss her very much that right. She hoped her tamily would give her pet milk at tea-time. Alice wished that Dinah were down there with her. Next moment she realised that the cat would not get mice in the air so she might calch bats. Then in a dreamy sort of way she asked herself if cats ate bats or if bats ale cats but could not answer both the questions. She felt she was dozing off, and had just begun to dream that she was walking hand in hand with Dinah. In her dream she was asking Dinah earnestly if she had ever eaten a bat. These are the things Alice talked to herself about Dinah before the fall was over.
11. What did Alice do immediately after her fall was over?
OR, How did Alice reach the hall after the fall was over?
After talling through the rabbit-hole for quite some time, Alice landed down on a heap of sticks and dry leaves. She was only not hurt at all and jumped up on to her feet at once. She looked up but there was only darkness overhead. There was a long passage before her and she could see the White Rabbit hurrying down it. She realised behind it that even a momerit must not be lost. She rushed behind it like wind and heard the Rabbit exclaim as it turned a corner that it was getting late. She was close behind it while turning the corner but soon she could no longer see the Rabbit. Then she found herself in a low, long hall that was lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the roof.
12. What did Alice see in the hall after landing?
After landing, Alice saw the White Rabbit hurrying down a long passage. She followed it and reached a long, low hall lit up by a row of lamps hanging from the root. She could not see the White Rabbit anywhere but there were many locked doors all around the hall, Suddenly, Alice found a small golden key on a three-legged glass table. She tried to open the doors with the key but none of those opened. Then she spotted a small door about fifteen inches high behind a curtain. The door opened with the key and outside there was the loveliest garden Alice had ever seen. She longed to wander among the bright flowers and cool fountains but the door was too small for her and her head got stuck, Alice wondered if she could somehow fold herself up like a telescope and go out of the dark hall.
13. “…there was nothing on it but a tiny golden key…”-Where was the key kept? Who found the key? What was the use of this golden key?
OR, How did Alice open the door of the hall?
The key was kept on a three-legged table, which was made of solid glass, in the long, low hall.
Alice, the protagonist of the story, found the key First Alice thought that the key belonged to one of the doors in the hall. Unfortunately, it did not fit to any of those doors. Either the locks were too large or the key was too small. Then on the second time round, Alice found a low curtain and behind it was a fifteen inches high little door, She thed the golden key in the lock and to her great delight it fitted and opened the door.
14. “… Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible”-When had Alice begun to think so?
After finding the fifteen inches high, small door behind a curtain, Alice opened it with the golden key. Then she could see a small passage which was not much larger. than a rat-hole. She knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden. She wanted to get out of the dark hall and roam around the beds of bright flowers and cool fountains. Soon she realised even if her head would pass through the doorway, her shoulders would not. She wished she was like a telescope that could be folded up to become small so that she could pass the doorway.
After having experienced many strange things, Alice had begun to think that very few things were really Impossible and there was a chance she might actually fold up like a telescope. But then she realised that there was no point of waiting by the door.
15. “There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door…” Why was this conclusion drawn? What did Alice do then?
For the first part of the answer refer to the answer of question no 14.
Then Alice went back to the table. She hoped that she might find another key on it or a book of rules on how to shut people like telescopes. This time she found a little bottle on the table which was for sure not there before A paper label was tied round the neck of the bottle with the words “DRINK ME beautifully printed on it in large letters.
16. ” which certainly was not here before,” Who said this ? Which thing does it refer to? When was it said?
Alice, the protagonist of the story, said this It refers to a bottle with a paper label tied around its neck with the beautifully printed words “DRINK ME” in large letters.
Alice wanted to wander among the beds of bright flowers and cool fountains of the beautiful garden, which was on the other side of the small door. She soon realiseট it was not possible as her shoulders would not go through the doorway. Not wanting to waste time standing by the little door, Alice retumed to the table hoping to find another key or a rule book on how to fold people like telescopes. Instead there she found a bottle marked “DRINK ME”. Then Alice commented that she saw no bottle on the table before.
17. “… she found a little bottle on it.” Why did Alice not drink from it at first? What made her finally drink the liquid?
Though “DRINK ME” was written on the paper label tied around the neck of the bottle, wise Alice decided not to do that in a hurry. She wanted to check whether it was marked poison or not. Because she had read stories about children who had got burnt, eaten up by wild beasts and taced many such troubles because they did not follow simple rules. The children had been taught by their friends that a red hot poker would burn one if they held it for foo long. If one cut one’s finger very deeply with a knife, it usually bled. Alice had never forgotten that if one drank much from a bottle marked ‘poison’, certainly it would harm or kill them sooner or later. Thus Alice thought if she should drink it or not before drinking the content of the bottle.
However, the bottle was not marked poison’, so Alice drank the potion quickly finding it very nice and tasty.
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