The Musical Pigeon
A. Answer these questions.
1. Describe Quasimodo.
Quasimodo was a hand-reared pet pigeon who looked ugly as a baby but grew into an affectionate and unusual bird. He walked instead of flying, loved human company, recognised music, and later became wild after beginning to nest.
2. Why did Larry choose the name Quasimodo?
Larry named the pigeon Quasimodo because its wrinkled red skin, yellow down feathers, and awkward appearance reminded him of Quasimodo, the deformed but kind-hearted character from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. The name suited the bird’s unusual looks.
3. Why did Quasimodo believe he was not a bird? Support your answer with examples from the text.
Since Quasimodo was raised by humans from infancy, he believed he was not a bird. He refused to fly, walked everywhere, expected people to lift him onto furniture, slept inside the house, and even joined the family on walks.
4. What music did Quasimodo respond to?
Quasimodo especially responded to waltzes and military marches. During waltzes, he danced around the gramophone, bowing and twisting. During marches, he stood proudly, puffed out his chest, marched across the room, and cooed loudly.
5. What happened to Quasimodo once he began nesting?
After Quasimodo laid eggs and began nesting, she became wild, suspicious, and unfriendly. She pecked people, avoided entering the house, ignored the gramophone, and gradually left the family to live independently with another pigeon.
6. Why was it a sad day for the family when they discovered the egg?
The family was saddened because the egg revealed Quasimodo was a female, and it marked the beginning of her separation from them. After nesting, she became distant, independent, and eventually left the family to live in the wild.
B. Read these lines and answer the questions with reference to the context.
1. “I realised, of course, that this destruction was not intentional, but even so, I was annoyed.”
a. Describe the destruction.
Quasimodo accidentally knocked over a bottle of green ink, spilling it onto the exact centre of a large and beautifully drawn map that the family had just completed. Although accidental, the spill completely ruined their hard work.
b. What was the punishment?
The narrator became angry and banished Quasimodo from the mapmaking lessons. He was no longer allowed to sit on the narrator’s lap and had to remain outside the room.
2. “The last time I saw her she was sitting in an olive-tree, cooing in the most pompous and shy manner. Further along the branch, a large and very masculine-looking pigeon twisted and cooed in a perfect ecstasy of admiration.”
a. What happened to Quasimodo?
After laying eggs, Quasimodo was revealed to be a female pigeon. She gradually became wild, suspicious, and independent. She left the family, preferred living outdoors, and was finally seen in an olive tree with a male pigeon.
b. Was Quasimodo really shy? What could be the reason?
No, Quasimodo was not truly shy. She appeared shy because she was with a male pigeon during the nesting season. Her behaviour reflected her natural instincts, and she had become independent after returning to life in the wild.
