Chapter 7 – Down The Rabbit-Hole Solutions

Content Structure

1. About the author – Lewis Caroll
2. Summary of the Down The Rabbit-Hole
3. Word meanings
4. Exercises solutions
5. Additional Questions and Answers

1. About the author – Lewis Caroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a famous English writer, photographer and mathematician. He was born on 27th January 1832 in Daresbury, England and worked at Oxford University as a lecturer in mathematics. He is well known for his children’s books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. These books are well known for their imaginative storytelling, clever wordplay and rich fantasy. Carroll also had a great talent for solving puzzles, providing logical explanations and storytelling. He died on 14th January 1898.

2. Summary of the Down The Rabbit-Hole

The story begins with Alice sitting beside her sister to hear a story, but she does not take an interest in it because it lacks both dialogue and pictures. At that moment, Alice notices a rabbit with pink eyes that talks to itself. She is surprised and follows the rabbit because she has never seen a rabbit before that wears clothes and talks like a person. Alice becomes curious and decides to follow the rabbit into a hole beneath the hedge, where she accidentally falls down. She falls slowly into the rabbit hole and discovers cupboards, bookshelves, and maps lining its sides. She even picks up a jar labeled “Orange Marmalade,” but it is empty. As she falls, she thinks about places like New Zealand and Australia because, in school, she learned about the center of the Earth, so she believes she might reach it. She tries to stay brave and strong, even though everything around her feels strange. She also thinks about her pet cat Dinah and hopes her family will take care of him and give him food in her absence. Suddenly, she falls onto land covered with sticks and dry leaves. She notices the same white rabbit again and follows it, but she reaches a hall room with many doors, all of which are locked. She finds a small golden key on the glass table and notices a tiny door hidden behind the curtain. She tries to open the door with the help of the key and sees a beautiful garden on the other side. However, she cannot enter through the door because she is too tall, so she wishes to become shorter. At that moment, she finds a bottle labeled “Drink Me.” She takes it and carefully checks for a poison mark, but she does not find anything, so she drinks the water. She then notices that she has become smaller and is now able to enter the door, but she realizes she has left the key on the table and cannot reach it. She wishes to become taller again and finds a glass box under the table with a cake labeled “Eat Me.” She hopes the cake will either make her tall enough to reach the key or small enough to enter the garden. She eats a little piece of the cake and waits to see what happens next.

3. Word meanings

Word	Meaning
Peeped	Looked quickly
Daisy-chain	Flower string
Flashed	Appeared suddenly
Hedge	Row of bushes
Pegs	Small hooks or pins used to hang things
Underneath	Below
Tumbling	Falling down
Latitude	Distance north or south of the Earth’s equator
Longitude	Distance east or west from a line called the Prime Meridian
Dozing off	Falling asleep
Coiner	Edge
Knelt down	Went on knees
Poker	A metal rod used to move firewood in a fire
Shrink	Become smaller in size
Seldom	Rarely
Croquet	A game played by hitting balls through hoops on grass
Creep	Move slowly and quietly

4. Exercises solutions

1. What had seemed natural to Alice when she should have wondered about it? (2 marks)
Ans: Alice saw a rabbit that talked like a person and wore clothes, but she didn’t find it strange at the time. She thought it was normal and later realized that it was very strange.

2. What did Alice notice at the side of the well? (2 marks)
Ans: Alice noticed that the sides of the well were lined with cupboards and bookshelves. She also saw many pegs on the wall that were used for hanging pictures and maps.

3. What happens when Alice jumps down the rabbit hole both in physical and psychological aspect? (6 marks)
Ans: Alice begins falling into the rabbit hole, slowly moving through what looks like a tunnel filled with cupboards, bookshelves, pictures, and maps along the walls. During her fall, she notices a jar labeled “Orange Marmalade,” but it is empty. Suddenly, she lands safely on a pile of dry sticks and leaves. During her fall, she imagines that she might reach the center of the earth, recalling what she had learned in school. She also thinks of her pet cat Dinah and hopes that her family will feed and take care of him in her absence. This moment marks the beginning of her magical journey, guided by curiosity, filled with confusion, and driven by imagination and excitement.

5. Additional Questions and Answers

1. Why was Alice bored?
Ans: Alice was bored because she had nothing to do. Her sister was reading a book without pictures or dialogue, and there was nothing interesting around her. Since Alice loved stories with imagination so she felt sleepy and wished something exciting would happen.

2. What was strange about the White Rabbit?
Ans: The strange thing about the White Rabbit was that it behaved like a human. It spoke aloud, worried about being late, wore a waistcoat, and took out a pocket watch to check the time.

3. Describe the hall in your words.
Ans: The hall Alice reached was long and low, lit by a row of lamps hanging from the ceiling so it looked a little bit gloomy and mysterious. All along the walls were many doors, but every one of them was locked. In the centre of the hall stood a small, three-legged glass table; on this table lay a tiny golden key that looked bright and important among the dull, locked doors.

4. What did Alice find on the little three-legged glass table in the hall?
Ans: On the little glass table Alice found a small golden key. She hoped it would open one of the doors in the hall, and later discovered that the key fit a very small door hidden behind a curtain. When she opened that tiny door, she could see a lovely garden beyond it, which made her long to get through and explore the bright flowers and fountains.

5. Why did Alice want to go into the garden?
Ans: Alice wanted to go into the garden because it looked so beautiful and peaceful. Through the small door, she could see bright flowers, green grass, and shining fountains. It looked like a wonderful, happy place to play and explore, and she longed to be there instead of staying in the dark hall.

6. Describe the garden that Alice saw.
Ans: The garden that Alice saw was full of sunshine and colour. There were lovely beds of bright flowers, cool green trees, and sparkling fountains. Everything looked cheerful and alive, almost like a magical world. It seemed to be the perfect place to rest and enjoy nature.

7. “I must be shutting up like a telescope.” – What made Alice feel this way?
Ans: Alice said she was “shutting up like a telescope” because after drinking from the bottle, she started to shrink smaller and smaller. Her body was becoming tiny very quickly, just like a telescope that folds down. It was a strange and funny feeling, and she could hardly believe it was happening to her.

8. Why did Alice sit down and cry?
Ans: Alice sat down and cried because she had grown too big to go through the small door, and she felt lonely and helpless. She wanted so much to get into the lovely garden, but now she could not even reach the key. Everything seemed to go wrong, and she did not know what to do next.

9. Why did Alice tell herself to stop crying?
Ans: Alice told herself to stop crying because she realized that crying would not help her at all. She tried to be brave and sensible, telling herself to think instead of weeping. This shows that Alice had a strong spirit and wanted to solve her problems on her own.

10. Why was Alice very fond of pretending to be two people?
Ans: Alice liked pretending to be two people because she had a playful and imaginative mind. When she talked to herself, she felt like she was both the person giving advice and the person listening to it. It made her feel less lonely and gave her courage to face strange things in Wonderland.

11. Where did the Rabbit go?
Ans: The Rabbit ran quickly and jumped into a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. It disappeared so fast that Alice became curious and decided to follow it. She did not stop to think about what might happen or where the hole would take her.

12. What happened as Alice fell down the hole?
Ans: When Alice began to fall down the hole, she noticed that the sides were full of cupboards, books, maps, and pictures. Her fall was very slow and smooth, so she could easily look around. She wondered where she would finally land at the end of her fall.

13. Where did Alice finally land?
Ans: When Alice reached the end of her long fall, she landed softly on a pile of dry leaves. She did not get hurt at all and quickly stood up to look around. Alice was still curious and wanted to find the White Rabbit, so she continued to follow it.

14. What did Alice see after landing?
Ans: When Alice looked around, she saw a long passage in front of her. The White Rabbit was running quickly through it, talking to itself as it went. Alice hurried after it so that she would not lose sight of it.

15. Did the key open any door?
Ans: At first, the key did not open any of the big doors in the hall. Then Alice noticed a tiny door hidden behind a curtain. When she tried the key in that lock, it fitted perfectly, and the door opened.

16. Where did she find a small door?
Ans: Alice found a very small door, only about fifteen inches high, hidden behind a curtain. When she opened it, she saw the loveliest garden full of flowers and bright sunlight on the other side.

17. What is the main theme of this chapter?
Ans: The main theme of this chapter is curiosity and adventure. It shows how Alice’s curiosity leads her into a magical world where ordinary rules do not apply. It also teaches the importance of courage and imagination.

18. Why didn’t Alice stop to think before jumping into the rabbit-hole?
Ans: Alice was so curious and excited about the White Rabbit that she ran after it without thinking at all. When she saw the Rabbit jump into a large hole under the hedge, she immediately followed it. She did not stop to wonder how deep the hole might be or how she would get out again.

19. What does Alice feel or experience during her fall into the rabbit-hole?
Ans: When Alice fell into the rabbit-hole, she felt as though she was falling for a very long time, almost like going down a deep well. The fall was slow and smooth, so she did not feel frightened. Instead, she looked around, noticed cupboards and bookshelves on the sides, and calmly thought about what might happen when she reached the bottom.

20. Where did the Rabbit disappear?
Ans: The White Rabbit ran across the field and suddenly jumped down a large rabbit-hole hidden under the hedge. It disappeared quickly into that deep hole, and Alice, who was very curious, followed without thinking. By going down after the Rabbit, Alice began her adventure and was soon carried into the strange world called Wonderland.

21. Why did Alice use words like latitude or longitude?
Ans: Alice used words like “latitude” and “longitude” because they sounded important and clever to her, and she thought they might explain how far she had fallen. She did not always fully understand such big words, but she liked to say them because they made her thoughts sound grown-up and serious. This moment shows Alice’s eager, school-learning side — she tries to use knowledge even in unusual situations.

22. What does this chapter show about Alice’s character?
Ans: This chapter shows that Alice is curious, brave, polite, and full of imagination. She likes to explore new things and never gives up easily, even when she is confused or scared. Alice tries to stay calm, think clearly, and learn from everything that happens to her. She is a kind-hearted and sensible little girl with a big love for adventure.

23. Describe the character of Alice.
Ans: Alice was an imaginative and curious child who loved colorful things and strange creatures. Her book knowledge helped her think clearly and make thoughtful decisions in unfamiliar situations.

24. Why did Alice want to grow?
Ans: Alice wanted to grow bigger because after shrinking, she realized she had left the key on the table and could no longer reach it. She believed that if she grew tall again, she would be able to get the key back.

25. what was Alice thinking during the fall?
Ans: Alice imagined that she might be falling through the Earth to places like Australia or New Zealand as she remembered her geography lessons and wondered what could be at the center of the Earth.

26. Describe Alice’s feelings and thoughts while falling down the rabbit-hole.
Ans: Alice fell slowly into the rabbit hole and saw cupboards, bookshelves, and maps lining its sides. She picked up a jar labeled “Orange Marmalade,” but it was empty. During the fall, she thought about places like New Zealand and Australia because, in school, she had learned about the center of the Earth and believed she might reach there. Although the situation felt strange and unfamiliar, Alice tried to remain brave and calm. She also thought about her pet cat Dinah and hoped her family would take care of him and feed him in her absence.

27. Why did Alice hesitate before drinking from the bottle?
Ans: Alice hesitated before drinking from the bottle because she thought it might be poisonous. She carefully examined the bottle for any warning signs, especially looking for a poison label. Since the bottle had no warning signs and only a label that read “Drink Me,” Alice trusted it and drank the water out of curiosity. Her thoughtful behavior showed that she was a clever and careful girl, even within her imagination.

28. How is Alice’s memory important in the passage?
Ans: Alice’s imagination is closely linked with her memories, as she recalls her geography lessons while thinking about falling to the Earth’s center and remembers safety rules as she carefully checks the bottle for poison. She also thinks about her pet cat, Dinah, and hopes her family will take good care of him. These memories guide her to make sensible decisions, even in strange and unusual situations. Her past knowledge and present curiosity work together, helping her respond thoughtfully and clearly in an imaginary world, which adds realism to her character.

29. How does Carroll balance logic and fantasy in this story?
Ans: The story is full of imagination, and Carroll skillfully balances it with logic by showing how Alice, while living in a magical world, continues to use her knowledge of geography, safety, and gravity to understand the strange situations around her. She imagines reaching the center of the Earth and checks the bottle for poison before drinking. She even talks to herself, gives advice, and scolds herself for crying, which shows emotional strength. These thoughtful and logical responses within a magical world show that real-life thoughts and feelings can exist in dreams. This balance makes the story relatable, humorous, and enjoyable for readers.