Intro
This solution set is for the Class VI poem The Raven and the Fox by Jean de la Fontaine from NCERT Poorvi. Answers are short, clear, and student-friendly.
Table of Contents
Let Us Discuss
I Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option.
1. stanza 1
(i) Mr Raven is a __________. (bird/frog)
Answer: bird
(ii) The name of the fox is __________. (Raven/Reynard)
Answer: Reynard
(iii) Mr Raven had __________ in his beak. (a piece of food/ a bunch of
leaves)
Answer: a piece of food
2. stanza 2
(i) The Fox calls the Raven a __________ bird. (foolish/good-looking)
Answer: good-looking
(ii) The Fox asks the Raven to __________. (dance/sing)
Answer: sing
(iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the __________. (trees/woods)
Answer: woods
3. stanza 3
(i) The Raven ___________ that he croaked. (remembered/forgot)
Answer: forgot
(ii) The Raven opened its beak to ___________. (eat/sing)
Answer: sing
(iii) The ___________ fell down. (food/Raven)
Answer: food
4. stanza 4
(i) The Fox ___________ at the Raven. (laughed/looked)
Answer: laughed
(ii) It is not ___________ to be too proud of oneself. (wise/unwise)
Answer: wise
(iii) The Raven learnt a ______________. (lesson/teaching)
Answer: lesson
II Read the poem again and match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
| Column A | Column B (Meaning) |
|---|---|
| perched | sat on a branch |
| morsel | a small piece of food |
| seek | to look for something |
| pride | feeling that you are better than others |
| eyed | looked with interest at something |
| limb | branch of a tree |
| woods | a smaller area of forest with similar kind of trees |
Let us think and reflect
I. Look at the pictures and number them in the order that they happen in the poem [image attached]
Suggested order: 1) Raven sits with food. 2) Fox praises him. 3) Raven opens beak to sing. 4) Food drops. 5) Fox laughs and gives lesson.
II. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
1.
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.
(i) ‘Such feathers’ refer to __________________ feathers.
A. shiny and beautiful B. black and dull C. grey and
long D. short and unattractive
Answer: A. shiny and beautiful
(ii) Why would the birds of the woods call the Raven ‘King’?
Answer: The Fox says his singing would be the best.
(iii) Why does the Fox address the Raven as ‘Sir’?
Answer: To flatter him and win his trust.
2.
The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride
(i) Why did the Raven open his beak?
Answer: He wanted to sing after the praise.
(ii) Complete the following with one word from the given lines.
Fox : clever : : Raven : ______________
Answer: foolish
III Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a
croak?
Answer: Praise made him proud and careless.
IV How does Reynard make the Raven sing?
Answer: He praises the Raven’s looks and requests a song.
V Why does Reynard say that pride is not wise?
Answer: Pride made the Raven lose his food.
VI Give one reason why the teaching is quite a surprise.
Answer: The Raven expected praise, not a trick.
VII Imagine someone praises you too much. How would you
react?
Answer: I would say thank you, stay calm, and not make a
quick or foolish choice.
Let us Learn
I Write the rhyming words from the poem. One has been done for you.
stanza 1
(i) limb-him
(ii) beak-seek
stanza 2
(i) word-bird
(ii) sing-King
stanza 3
(i) joke-croak
(ii) pride-eyed
stanza 4
(i) know-glow
(ii) unwise-surprise
II Study the underlined words in the poem.
1. For the Raven held in his great big beak.
The words ‘big’ and ‘beak’ begin with the same /b/ sound.
2. The song of sweet birds.
Now, pick another example of alliteration from Stanza 2
Answer: woods would (the /w/ sound repeats)
III Choose the correct opposites from the box given below and complete the table. There are two extra words that you will not need.
wise happy notice humility flew dim cried remembered silly
| Word | Opposites |
|---|---|
| 1. perched | flew |
| 2. forgot | remembered |
| 3. foolish | wise |
| 4. pride | humility |
| 5. laughed | cried |
| 6. ignore | notice |
| 7. glow | dim |
Use any four words from the table given above to make sentences of your own.
- The bird flew away from the tree.
- I remembered my homework today.
- It is wise to listen to elders.
- Humility makes a person respected.
