Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDFs, and guides for MBOSE Class 12 Alternative English textbook Imprints, Chapter Trailing the Jaguar by Willard Price, which is part of the syllabus for students studying under the board. These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed.
If you notice any errors in the notes, please mention them in the comments
Summary
In Trailing the Jaguar by Willard Price, a group led by Roderick tracks a jaguar in the Amazon. This creature, larger and fiercer than Mexican jaguars, has eluded them until now. They discover fresh tracks and prepare for an intense hunt. The forest they navigate is compared to a cathedral, with towering trees that block sunlight, creating an atmosphere both serene and haunting. This setting mirrors the group’s respect for the powerful creature they seek. They track the jaguar along a path to a river, where it is spotted fishing, unaware of their presence due to favorable wind conditions. The team plans a trap using a lasso, relying on skill rather than force.
When they finally capture the jaguar, it thrashes wildly, showing its strength. The group carefully prepares a cage, but the jaguar resists every attempt to contain it. Later, they decide to attract a male jaguar by using a caged female, whose roars echo through the jungle at night. This strategy proves effective, drawing in the male jaguar. Despite the complex efforts, both jaguars escape, leaving the team back at square one.
Another opportunity presents itself when they find jaguar tracks leading into a cave. Roderick bravely enters with a torch, expecting to find the jaguar. Suddenly, he rushes out, narrowly escaping as the jaguar charges. His near miss adds humor to the tense moment, showing the unpredictability of the wild. Undeterred, Roderick considers new ideas to trap the jaguar.
The team’s Indian companions suggest a unique method: using bird-lime, a sticky substance typically used to catch small animals, on a hidden net. The group is skeptical but tries the idea. After a long wait, the jaguar returns, unknowingly stepping onto the sticky trap. Frustrated by the adhesive, the jaguar’s attempts to clean itself lead to further entanglement, allowing the team to enclose it in a cage without harm.
Video tutorial
Textbook solutions
Answer these questions briefly
1. Rod and his group were not hunters. How do we know this?
Answer: They were not carrying guns and relied on a lasso made of stout piassava as their only weapon.
2. Why were they trailing the jaguar?
Answer: Rod wanted to complete his collection, and he believed it was incomplete without the king of Amazon beasts.
3. The forest has been compared to a cathedral. Why? Give examples of the comparison.
Answer: The forest is compared to a cathedral because there were enormous columns, which were the tree trunks rising high without branches, forming a dark roof like that of a cathedral.
4. How was it possible for the group to remain cool although they were only three degrees from the equator?
Answer: The dense canopy of trees blocked the sunlight, creating cool depths like a crypt.
5. a. What was the first sign of the jaguar’s presence?
Answer: The first sign was the large, round footprints that were as big as dinner plates.
5. b. What were the other clues that led to its whereabouts?
Answer: The group noticed a trail through the forest leading towards the river, where they suspected the jaguar might go to drink.
6. Describe the first sight of the jaguar. What was it doing?
Answer: The first sight of the jaguar showed it lying on a log over the river, looking down into the water. It swiped its paw through the water, brought up a fish, and ate it with great relish.
7. Explain the meaning of these expressions: ‘Fortunately, the wind was inshore’ and later ‘Fortunately we were down wind’.
Answer: ‘Fortunately, the wind was inshore’ means that the wind was blowing from the water towards the shore, carrying their scent away from the jaguar and preventing it from detecting them. ‘Fortunately we were down wind’ also means they were positioned such that the wind would carry their scent away from the jaguar, helping them avoid detection.
8. Explain with reference to the context: ‘I won’t depend upon persuasion. Just technique.’
Answer: Rod said, “I won’t depend upon persuasion. Just technique,” to indicate that instead of trying to coax or lure the jaguar into the cage, he would use skillful methods to trap it effectively.
9. a. What was the first method used to trap the jaguar?
Answer: The first method used to trap the jaguar involved a lasso. Rod threw the lasso around the jaguar’s neck as it passed, securing it to a tree.
9. b. There was an unexpected twist to this capture. What was it?
Answer: The unexpected twist was that the jaguar lunged at them after being lassoed, forcing them to retreat quickly to stay safe.
10. Why wasn’t the group able to understand if the jaguar had left its retreat?
Answer: The group couldn’t be certain if the jaguar had left its retreat because the ground around the cave was uneven, making it hard to tell if the animal was still inside.
11. What are some of the characteristics of the jaguar?
Answer: The jaguar has a golden coat covered with irregular black rings, an oversized head for its body, and is powerful enough to defeat other large predators like lions and tigers.
12. ‘A misunderstanding or perhaps he understood me too well.’ Explain with reference to the context.
Answer: This statement refers to an incident where Rod expected the jaguar to run past him but instead, the jaguar came directly toward him. Rod misjudged the animal’s reaction, leading to an unexpected confrontation.
13. Was Rod a ‘sensible hunter’? How do we know this?
Answer: Yes, Rod was a sensible hunter. This is shown when he takes advice from the local Indians on using traditional methods to capture the jaguar, recognizing the value of learning from their experience.
14. What was the similarity between the author’s grandmother plastering her cat with butter and the group of hunters using bird-lime to trap the jaguar?
Answer: Both methods kept the cats preoccupied; the grandmother’s cat focused on cleaning off the butter, and the jaguar similarly tried to clean off the bird-lime, making it easier for the hunters to capture it.
15. Give the meaning of these expressions in context:
a. And does he pack a wallop!
Answer: This means the jaguar is powerful and capable of delivering a strong blow.
b. He can lick either one of them.
Answer: This means the jaguar is strong enough to defeat either the African lion or the Bengal tiger.
c. We melted away like snowflakes before a hot wind.
Answer: This describes how quickly and silently the group retreated when the jaguar lunged at them.
d. I’ll call their bluff.
Answer: This means Rod decided to test whether the Indians’ suggestion of using bird-lime would actually work in capturing the jaguar.
Answer these questions in detail.
1. All through the story we notice a regard for the jaguar. There is no attempt to deliberately harm the animal. Cite at least one example to prove these statements to be true.
Answer: Rather than using guns or lethal weapons, the group decided to capture the jaguar with a lasso made of piassava, a coarse fiber, which was brought specifically for this purpose. This approach reflects their intent to capture rather than harm the animal, valuing its life and respecting its place as a powerful Amazonian predator. They took additional care, ensuring the jaguar was eventually placed in a cage without causing it injury, underscoring their regard for the creature’s wellbeing throughout the pursuit.
2. ‘We had not reckoned upon the strength of love.’ Briefly describe the incident and add your viewpoint. Do you agree with the statement?
Answer: This statement refers to an unexpected event in which the caged female jaguar’s persistent roars drew a male jaguar, who responded repeatedly with roars of his own. Driven by the urge to reach her, the male’s strength and determination ultimately allowed him to break free from his confinement, causing both jaguars to escape together. The captors had not anticipated the jaguar’s intense response to the female’s presence, underestimating the instinctual power of animal bonds. This incident illustrates how deeply ingrained instincts and emotions, like love, can lead to surprising and powerful outcomes, even in animals.
3. According to you, what qualities did Rod have to make him a good leader of the group?
Answer: Rod displayed essential leadership qualities, including bravery, adaptability, respect for local knowledge, and a steady patience. His bravery was apparent when he ventured into the jaguar’s cave alone, prepared to face possible danger. Adaptable and open-minded, Rod listened to the indigenous people’s ideas and techniques, such as using bird-lime as a trap, valuing their expertise in the Amazon forest. His patience shone through in the long hours he spent waiting in challenging conditions, showcasing his endurance and commitment to achieving the group’s goal without rushing or compromising safety. These traits made him a strong and respected leader among the group members.
4. ‘The inbred cat-instinct to be clean dominated even his fear.’ Describe how the hunters used this instinct to finally capture the jaguar.
Answer: The hunters ingeniously utilized the jaguar’s natural grooming instinct by coating a concealed net with bird-lime, a sticky substance, knowing that the jaguar would instinctively attempt to clean itself if it became entangled. When the jaguar finally stepped into the lime-coated net, it was immediately preoccupied with cleaning its fur, licking and pawing at the sticky mess on its coat instead of escaping. This preoccupation with cleanliness overpowered its awareness of the nearby hunters, allowing them to safely approach and secure it in a cage. By exploiting this fundamental feline behavior, they succeeded in capturing the jaguar without a struggle.
Appreciating form
1. Willard Price constantly juxtaposes suspense and humour in Trailing the Jaguar. Do you agree? Substantiate your answer with examples from the text.
Answer: The suspense in Trailing the Jaguar is evident in moments like when the jaguar is seen approaching the trap, or when Rod goes alone into the cave to investigate if the jaguar is inside. At these times, tension builds as readers anticipate the outcome of these dangerous encounters. Humour is introduced when Rod, expecting to trap the jaguar, instead finds himself entangled in the net he set up, amusingly highlighting his own mistake. This contrast in tones adds a layer of engagement, balancing the intensity of suspense with light-hearted moments.
2. Pick phrases from the text that demonstrate that Willard Price was an American-Canadian author.
Answer: Phrases like “as large as dinner plates” and descriptions of the jungle being like “a cathedral” reflect colloquial expressions that are characteristic of American-Canadian English. The narrative style, with its straightforward language and expressions like “lick” to mean “outsmart” or “defeat,” also aligns with American-Canadian idiomatic language, showcasing Price’s background.
Beyond the text
Name some other hunting storybooks you have read or stories that feature exotic animals.
Answer: Some other hunting storybooks or stories featuring exotic animals that I have read are:
- The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling – This classic features various exotic animals like tigers, panthers, and wolves, focusing on the adventures of Mowgli in the jungle.
- White Fang by Jack London – Although it’s set in the wilderness of the Yukon rather than a jungle, this story delves into the life of a wild wolf-dog, showing the challenges and instincts of survival.
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London – This novel, featuring Buck the dog, explores the call of nature and survival in the Alaskan wilderness, with exotic animals like wolves adding to the story’s intensity.
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel – This modern novel includes an unforgettable journey with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, focusing on survival at sea.
- African Adventure by Willard Price – Another one of Price’s adventurous tales, this book features wild animals like lions, elephants, and rhinos, showcasing the thrill of tracking and encountering exotic creatures in Africa.
Extras
Additional fill in the blanks
1. The footprints were as large as ______ plates. (Dinner/Coffee)
Answer: Dinner
22. In the end, Rod acknowledged the ______ for their innovative ideas in trapping the jaguar. (Indians/Guides)
Answer: Indians
Additional true and false
1. Roderick believed that the Mexican jaguar was larger than the Amazonian jaguar.
Answer: False
25. Roderick valued and learned from the local Indian hunters’ techniques.
Answer: True
Additional questions and answers
1. What was the size of the jaguar’s footprints?
Answer: The footprints were as large as dinner plates and almost perfectly round, pressed softly into the earth as if a great weight had been supported upon velvet.
19. What was the result of the bird-lime capture technique?
Answer: The jaguar became preoccupied with cleaning off the sticky bird-lime, making it easier for the hunters to capture it as it was distracted and entangled in the net.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger who manages Online Free Notes. An avid reader of Victorian literature, his favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He dreams of travelling the world. You can connect with him on social media. He does personal writing on ronism.
Get notes of other boards, classes, and subjects