NCERT Textbook: The Raven and The Fox | English Class 6 (Honeysuckle) PDF Download

 Page 1


Fables and Folk Tales
13
t he RAven An D the f ox Let us do these activities before we read.
 1. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
 2. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct 
answer .
 (a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
 Let us read
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
Unit 1.indd   13 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
Page 2


Fables and Folk Tales
13
t he RAven An D the f ox Let us do these activities before we read.
 1. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
 2. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct 
answer .
 (a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
 Let us read
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
Unit 1.indd   13 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
14
Poorvi—Grade 6
The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride–
And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed.
“Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know, 
Ignore sweet words that make you glow. 
Pride, my friend, is rather unwise; 
I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.”
Jean de La Fontaine
Let us discuss
 1. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option. 
  (a) Stanza 1
 (i) Mr Raven is a __________. (bird/frog)
 (ii) The name of the fox is __________. (Raven/Reynard) 
 (iii) Mr Raven had __________ in his beak. (a piece of food/ a bunch of 
leaves)
  (b) Stanza 2
 (i) The Fox calls the Raven a __________ bird. (foolish/good-looking) 
 (ii) The Fox asks the Raven to __________. (dance/sing)
 (iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the __________. (trees/woods)
  (c) Stanza 3
 (i) The Raven ___________ that he croaked. (remembered/forgot)
 (ii) The Raven opened its beak to ___________. (eat/sing)
 (iii) The ___________ fell down. (food/Raven)
  (d) Stanza 4
 (i) The Fox ___________ at the Raven. (laughed/looked)
 (ii) It is not ___________ to be too proud of oneself. (wise/unwise)
 (iii) The Raven learnt a ______________. (lesson/teaching)
Unit 1.indd   14 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
Page 3


Fables and Folk Tales
13
t he RAven An D the f ox Let us do these activities before we read.
 1. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
 2. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct 
answer .
 (a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
 Let us read
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
Unit 1.indd   13 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
14
Poorvi—Grade 6
The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride–
And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed.
“Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know, 
Ignore sweet words that make you glow. 
Pride, my friend, is rather unwise; 
I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.”
Jean de La Fontaine
Let us discuss
 1. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option. 
  (a) Stanza 1
 (i) Mr Raven is a __________. (bird/frog)
 (ii) The name of the fox is __________. (Raven/Reynard) 
 (iii) Mr Raven had __________ in his beak. (a piece of food/ a bunch of 
leaves)
  (b) Stanza 2
 (i) The Fox calls the Raven a __________ bird. (foolish/good-looking) 
 (ii) The Fox asks the Raven to __________. (dance/sing)
 (iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the __________. (trees/woods)
  (c) Stanza 3
 (i) The Raven ___________ that he croaked. (remembered/forgot)
 (ii) The Raven opened its beak to ___________. (eat/sing)
 (iii) The ___________ fell down. (food/Raven)
  (d) Stanza 4
 (i) The Fox ___________ at the Raven. (laughed/looked)
 (ii) It is not ___________ to be too proud of oneself. (wise/unwise)
 (iii) The Raven learnt a ______________. (lesson/teaching)
Unit 1.indd   14 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
Fables and Folk Tales
 2. Read the poem again and match the words in Column A with their 
meanings in Column B. Check your answers with your teacher and 
your classmates.
Column A Column  B
1. perched (a) a small piece of food
2. morsel (b) looked with interest at something
3. seek (c) feeling that you are better than others
4. pride (d) sat on a branch
5. eyed (e) to look for something
6. limb (f) a smaller area of forest with similar kind of trees
7. woods (g) branch of a tree
	 Let 	us 	think	and	reflect
 1. Look at the pictures and number them in the order that they happen in 
the poem.
15
Unit 1.indd   15 13-Jun-24   10:45:33 AM
Page 4


Fables and Folk Tales
13
t he RAven An D the f ox Let us do these activities before we read.
 1. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
 2. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct 
answer .
 (a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
 Let us read
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
Unit 1.indd   13 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
14
Poorvi—Grade 6
The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride–
And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed.
“Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know, 
Ignore sweet words that make you glow. 
Pride, my friend, is rather unwise; 
I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.”
Jean de La Fontaine
Let us discuss
 1. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option. 
  (a) Stanza 1
 (i) Mr Raven is a __________. (bird/frog)
 (ii) The name of the fox is __________. (Raven/Reynard) 
 (iii) Mr Raven had __________ in his beak. (a piece of food/ a bunch of 
leaves)
  (b) Stanza 2
 (i) The Fox calls the Raven a __________ bird. (foolish/good-looking) 
 (ii) The Fox asks the Raven to __________. (dance/sing)
 (iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the __________. (trees/woods)
  (c) Stanza 3
 (i) The Raven ___________ that he croaked. (remembered/forgot)
 (ii) The Raven opened its beak to ___________. (eat/sing)
 (iii) The ___________ fell down. (food/Raven)
  (d) Stanza 4
 (i) The Fox ___________ at the Raven. (laughed/looked)
 (ii) It is not ___________ to be too proud of oneself. (wise/unwise)
 (iii) The Raven learnt a ______________. (lesson/teaching)
Unit 1.indd   14 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
Fables and Folk Tales
 2. Read the poem again and match the words in Column A with their 
meanings in Column B. Check your answers with your teacher and 
your classmates.
Column A Column  B
1. perched (a) a small piece of food
2. morsel (b) looked with interest at something
3. seek (c) feeling that you are better than others
4. pride (d) sat on a branch
5. eyed (e) to look for something
6. limb (f) a smaller area of forest with similar kind of trees
7. woods (g) branch of a tree
	 Let 	us 	think	and	reflect
 1. Look at the pictures and number them in the order that they happen in 
the poem.
15
Unit 1.indd   15 13-Jun-24   10:45:33 AM
16
Poorvi—Grade 6
 2. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
 (a) 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
 (ii) Why would the birds of the woods call the Raven ‘King’?
 (iii) Why does the Fox address the Raven as ‘Sir’?
 (b) 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?
 (ii) Complete the following with one word from the given lines.
  Fox : clever : : Raven : ______________
 3. Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a croak?
 4. How does Reynard make the Raven sing?
 5. Why does Reynard say that pride is not wise?
 6. Give one reason why the teaching is quite a surprise.
 7. Imagine someone praises you too much. How would you react?
 Let us learn
 1. Write the rhyming words from the poem. One has been done for you.
Stanza 1
(a) limb-him
(b)______ ______
Stanza 2
(a) word-______
(b)______ ______
Stanza 3
(a) joke-______
(b)______ ______
Stanza 4
(a) know-______
(b)______ ______
Unit 1.indd   16 13-Jun-24   10:45:33 AM
Page 5


Fables and Folk Tales
13
t he RAven An D the f ox Let us do these activities before we read.
 1. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
 2. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct 
answer .
 (a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
 Let us read
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
Unit 1.indd   13 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
14
Poorvi—Grade 6
The Raven, who did not see the joke,
Forgot that his voice was just a croak.
He opened his beak, in his foolish pride–
And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed.
“Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know, 
Ignore sweet words that make you glow. 
Pride, my friend, is rather unwise; 
I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.”
Jean de La Fontaine
Let us discuss
 1. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option. 
  (a) Stanza 1
 (i) Mr Raven is a __________. (bird/frog)
 (ii) The name of the fox is __________. (Raven/Reynard) 
 (iii) Mr Raven had __________ in his beak. (a piece of food/ a bunch of 
leaves)
  (b) Stanza 2
 (i) The Fox calls the Raven a __________ bird. (foolish/good-looking) 
 (ii) The Fox asks the Raven to __________. (dance/sing)
 (iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the __________. (trees/woods)
  (c) Stanza 3
 (i) The Raven ___________ that he croaked. (remembered/forgot)
 (ii) The Raven opened its beak to ___________. (eat/sing)
 (iii) The ___________ fell down. (food/Raven)
  (d) Stanza 4
 (i) The Fox ___________ at the Raven. (laughed/looked)
 (ii) It is not ___________ to be too proud of oneself. (wise/unwise)
 (iii) The Raven learnt a ______________. (lesson/teaching)
Unit 1.indd   14 13-Jun-24   10:45:32 AM
Fables and Folk Tales
 2. Read the poem again and match the words in Column A with their 
meanings in Column B. Check your answers with your teacher and 
your classmates.
Column A Column  B
1. perched (a) a small piece of food
2. morsel (b) looked with interest at something
3. seek (c) feeling that you are better than others
4. pride (d) sat on a branch
5. eyed (e) to look for something
6. limb (f) a smaller area of forest with similar kind of trees
7. woods (g) branch of a tree
	 Let 	us 	think	and	reflect
 1. Look at the pictures and number them in the order that they happen in 
the poem.
15
Unit 1.indd   15 13-Jun-24   10:45:33 AM
16
Poorvi—Grade 6
 2. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
 (a) 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
 (ii) Why would the birds of the woods call the Raven ‘King’?
 (iii) Why does the Fox address the Raven as ‘Sir’?
 (b) 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?
 (ii) Complete the following with one word from the given lines.
  Fox : clever : : Raven : ______________
 3. Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a croak?
 4. How does Reynard make the Raven sing?
 5. Why does Reynard say that pride is not wise?
 6. Give one reason why the teaching is quite a surprise.
 7. Imagine someone praises you too much. How would you react?
 Let us learn
 1. Write the rhyming words from the poem. One has been done for you.
Stanza 1
(a) limb-him
(b)______ ______
Stanza 2
(a) word-______
(b)______ ______
Stanza 3
(a) joke-______
(b)______ ______
Stanza 4
(a) know-______
(b)______ ______
Unit 1.indd   16 13-Jun-24   10:45:33 AM
17
Fables and Folk Tales
 2. Study the underlined words in the poem.
 (a) For the Raven held in his great big beak.
  The words ‘big’ and ‘beak’ begin with the same /b/ sound. 
 (b) The song of sweet birds. 
Words Opposites
1. perched
2. forgot
3. foolish
4. pride
5. laughed
6. ignore
7. glow
Alliteration is a repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of 
words. When two or more words together , begin with the same sound, 
it is called alliteration.
Now, pick another example of alliteration from Stanza 2.
 3. 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 humility flew remembered
 notice dim cried silly
 Use any four words from the table given above to make sentences of 
your own.
Unit 1.indd   17 13-Jun-24   10:45:33 AM