The Westminster School, Dubai

Department of English
Year- 8
THE GREEN MAMBA
Roald Dahl

Q1) What feeling did the writer have towards the Tanganyika’s snakes?

The writer hated the snakes. According to him, the snakes were the most fearful thing
about Tanganyika. In other words, the writer was afraid of poisonous snakes.

Q2) What made killers out of the tiny little puff adders?

The little puff adders looked very much like small sticks lying motionless in the middle of
a dusty path, and so easy to step on. This made killers out of them.

Q3) How does the first paragraph arouse the reader’s interest?

The first paragraph arouses the reader’s interest by giving a brief description of
Tanganyika’s deadly snakes.

Q4) As he was walking across the grass towards fuller’s house, what did the writer see the large

Green snake does?

As he walked across the grass towards Fuller’s house, the writer saw a large, green snake
gliding straight up to the veranda steps of Fuller’s house through the open front door.

Q5) How did the writer identify the snake as a green mamba?

The writer identified the snake as a green mamba with the snake’s brilliant, yellow- green
skin and its great size.
Q6) How did Freddy Fuller react to the news that there was a green mamba in his front room?

Without hesitation and without wasting time, Freddy Fuller asked the writer to stay there,
lowered his wife and children to him through the window and jumped to the ground through
the window himself.

Q7) What do we learn about the snake-man from the other characters in the story even before
he appears?

Freddy Fuller said that the snake man was an old English man who caught and sold
snakes to zoos and laboratories all over the world , while his wife said that the snake man
never bought captured snakes from the natives to discourage them from trying to catch them.
She also said that his name was Donald Macfarlane and that he was Scottish.

Q8) What was special about the snake-man’s attitude towards snakes?

The snake man liked snakes. He never killed them. He always sold them to zoos and
laboratories all over the world.

Q9) How did the Fuller family react to the fact that their dog jack was still in the house?

The Fuller children were weeping for the dog, while Mrs. Fuller was optimistic and
insisted that he was hiding upstairs.

Q10) Why was the snake-man ‘an impressive-looking character?

Donald Macfarlane, the snake-man, may have been old and small but he was an
impressive looking character. His eyes were pale blue deep-set in a face round dark and
wrinkled as a walnut. Above the blue eyes the eyebrows were thick and startling white but the
hair on his head was almost black. In spite of the thick leather boots, he moved like a leopard,
with soft slow cat-like strides.

Q11) How did the writer and Fuller come to observe the events that took place inside the house?

Fuller and the writer stood on the veranda and looked through the window. This is how
they observed the events that took place inside the house.
Q12) Why did the snake-man warn them to tread softly on the wooden veranda boards?

The snake man warned them to tread softly on the wooden veranda boards so that
the snake doesn’t pick up the vibrations they make.

Q13) What did the writer see under the coffee-table in the living-room?

The writer saw the dog sprawled on the matting under the large coffee table, a large
Airedale with curly brown and black hair. It was stone dead.

Q14) What strong feeling did the writer have about the living –room?

The writer felt a strong presence of death in the living room.

Q15) What comparison does the winter use to describe the green mamba to us?

The writer compares the green Mamba to a beautiful long, deadly shaft of green grass.

Q16) How did the snake-man gradually work his way towards the snake?

The snake man worked his way very very slowly to the back wall of the room, from
where he could get a good view of the snake.

Q17) What movements did the snake make as it prepared to attack?

With a movement so fast it was almost invisible, the snake’s head came up above two
feet of the floor and the front of the body arched backwards, ready to strike almost
simultaneously, it bunched its whole body in a series of curves, ready to flash forward.

Q18) How did the snake-man try to calm the snake?

The snake man whispered words such as “my pretty”, “there’s a lovely fellow”, “my
kind little chap” etc.He used a wheedling voice to try and calm the snake.

Q19) What movement did the snake make in a fraction of a second?

In a fraction of a second, the snake darted forward at least ten feet and struck on the
snake man’s leg.
Q20)’….…. The snake was trapped’. How did the snake-man accomplish this?

The snake man trapped the snake by pinning its body, about midway along its length to
the ground using rubber prongs.

Q21) What did the writer consider to be ‘a fascinating and frightening thing to watch?

The writer considered the snake man trying to capture the snake using a prongs to be a
fascinating and frightening thing to watch.

Q22) Once the snake was in the sack, how did the snake-man indicate that he felt totally
relaxed?

He indicated by holding the sack with one hand very causally as it contained not more
than few pounds of potatoes.

Q23) When does the story’s climax occur?

The story’s climax occurs when the snake man finally manages to capture the snake.

Q24) What qualities of character are shown by the snake-man as he pits his wits against the
green mamba?

Qualities like patience, courage and strength are shown by the snake-man as he pits his
wrist against the green mamba.

Q25) What is the main setting of this story?

Mr. Fuller’s house is the main setting of this story.

Q26) What techniques has the winter used to make this passage exciting?

The writer in this passage uses, description and figurative narrations to make this
passage exciting.
Story Activity

1. The boots needed to be thick so that the snake’s fangs could not pierce it and reach the
snake-man’s skin. In the story, the snake bites the man on the leg but it could not pierce
the thick boot and the venom trickled down the boot just touching the man’s skin.
2. In the story, the snake-man pins the snake down using the pole. This shows that the pole
can be used to capture snakes
3. In the story man takes the sack from his shoulder and puts the madly twisting length of
deadly green snake into it.
4. The snake-man never bought caught snakes from natives to discourage them from risking
their lives and he never killed the snakes he caught. This shows that he respected human
and animal life.