Updated on 09/06/2026
*Ch.-6. Mijbil the Otter (Gavin Maxwell)*
*1. Who is the author of the story ‘Mijbil the Otter’?*
Ans. Gavin Maxwell
*2. From where did Maxwell get an otter?*
Ans. From the Tigris marshes in Iraq
*3. What name did the author give to the otter?*
Ans. Mijbil (Mij)
*4. What was the name of the author’s beloved pet dog who passed away?
Ans. Jonnie
*5. Where did the author go to collect his international mail?*
Ans. Basra
*6. What are otters fond of?*
Ans. Water
*7. How was Mijbil transported from Iraq to London?*
Ans. By an aeroplane (via Paris)
*8. For how many days did the author wait for his mail?*
Ans. Five days
*9. Where was the author’s permanent home located in Scotland?
Ans. In Camusfearna
*10. Who brought the otter to the author?*
Ans. Two Arabs
*11. Why did the author originally visit the Consulate-General in Basra?
Ans. To collect and to answer his mail from Europe
*12. In which year did Gavin Maxwell visit the marshes of Southern Iraq?
Ans. In 1956
*13. What group of animals do otters belong to?*
Ans. The Mustelline group.
*14. How did the otter look like?*
Ans. Like a small dragon
*15. How far was the airport from the author’s temporary quarters in Basra?
Ans. Five miles
*16. What were Mij’s favourite toys?*
Ans. Marbles
*17. How did the otter resemble it?*
Ans. Dragon
Textual Questions
1. Why does Maxwell go to Basra? How long does he wait there and why?
Ans. Maxwell goes to Basra to the Consulate-General to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He waits there for five days because his mail does not reach. He tries to make a telephone call but his phone calls fail due to network breakdown.
2. How was Mij to be transported to England?
Ans. The British airline did not allow animals on its flights. The author had to make arrangements with another airline. He booked a flight via Paris to London. The otter had to be carried in a box not more than eighteen inches square, which had to be kept on the floor at the author’s feet.
3. What game had Mij invented?
Ans. Mij had invented the game of a ball. The lid of the suitcase remained at a slope from one end to the other. Mij would place the ball on the high end. He would run to the other end to catch the ball.
4. Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter?
Ans. It was an otter of a rare species. Scientists had never seen it before. They had seen it with Maxwell for the first time. That is why they called it Maxwell's otter.
5. When and why did Maxwell think of keeping an otter as a pet?
Ans. Maxwell travelled to Southern Iraq in 1956. He used to keep a dog as a pet. But his dog died. Then he decided to keep an otter instead of a dog. He thought the Camusfearna would be a suitable place for the otter because it was ringed by water.
6. What did Mij do to the box into which Maxwell had put him?
Ans. Mij found itself imprisoned in the box. It tried to escape itself. It tore the lining of the box. In doing so, it wounded itself. Blood came out of the airholes of the box.
7. What group of animals do otters belong to?
Ans. Otters belong to a small group of animals. These animals are called Mustelline. They include the beaver, the mongoose, the weasel, the stoat, the mink and others.
Long-Answer
1. Describe the author’s experience with the otter in the aircraft.
Ans. Maxwell goes to Basra to collect and answer his mail. His friend was also with him. He tells his desire to his friend to keep an otter as a pet. He thought the Camusfearna would be a suitable place for keeping an otter because it was ringed by water. After a few days two Arabs came with an otter. The author had to make arrangements to bring the otter from there. He booked a flight to Paris, and from there to London. The otter had to be carried in a box. Mij found itself imprisoned in the box. It tried to escape itself. In doing so, it wounded itself. Blood came out of the airholes of the box. Mij was out of the box in a flash. The noise was everywhere in the plane. They were calling a rat, a rat when it was moving among their legs.