Textbook Solution: Try Again | Class 7 English Alive PDF Download

A. Read these lines from the poems and answer the questions.

Q1: 'Tis true he was monarch, and wore a crown, But his heart was beginning to sink.

a. Who is being talked about in these lines?

Ans: King Bruce of Scotland is being talked about in these lines.

b. Why was his heart sinking?

Ans: His heart was sinking because he was feeling overwhelmed and disheartened by his repeated failures to accomplish a great deed for his people.

Q2: He had tried and tried, but couldn't succeed And so he became quite sad.

a. What did the person in the poem try?

Ans: The person, King Bruce, tried repeatedly to do a great deed to make his people happy.

b. Did he try once or repeatedly? Explain your answer.

Ans: He tried repeatedly. The phrase "had tried and tried" indicates his multiple attempts to achieve his goal, showing persistence despite failures.

Q3: That how it would get to its cobweb home, King Bruce could not divine.

a. Where was the cobweb home?

Ans: The cobweb home was up on the ceiling dome.

b. What could King Bruce not foretell?

Ans: King Bruce could not foretell or divine how the spider would manage to reach its cobweb home.

c. Why was it hard for King Bruce to deduce/believe that the spider would reach the web?

Ans: It was hard for him to deduce because the task seemed daunting and almost impossible given the spider's repeated failures and the thin, delicate thread it had to climb.

Q4: And a bold little run at the very last pinch Put him into his native cot.

a. What does the phrase 'very last pinch' mean?

Ans: The phrase 'very last pinch' refers to the final, critical moment of effort or attempt.

b. Why is it described as 'bold'?

Ans: It is described as 'bold' because it took a great deal of courage and determination to make one last strenuous effort after so many failures, which finally led to success.

B. Answer the questions briefly.

Q1: What had the king decided to do before he saw the spider?

Ans: The king had decided to give up on his attempts before he saw the spider.

Q2: Where was the spider's home?

Ans: The spider's home was its cobweb, located up on the ceiling dome.

Q3: How many times did the spider try to climb up and failed?

Ans: The spider tried and failed eight times before finally succeeding on the ninth attempt.

Q4: What did the king think of the spider when she kept falling? Why did he feel this way?

Ans: The king thought the spider would not strive anymore to climb after so many failures. He felt this way because he projected his own feelings of discouragement and skepticism onto the spider.

Q5: What inspiration did the king get from the spider?

Ans: The king was inspired by the spider's persistence and determination to keep trying despite repeated failures, leading him to resolve to not give up on his own challenges.

C. Think and answer the questions.

Q1: Do you think there is a resemblance between the king's and the spider's situation? Explain.

Ans: Yes, there is a resemblance between the king's and the spider's situations. Both faced repeated failures in their efforts; the king in his attempts to make his people happy and the spider in its attempts to reach its web. The persistence of the spider despite the odds inspired the king to mirror this resilience in his own situation.

Q2: Why do you think the poet called the spider 'brave'?

Ans: The poet called the spider 'brave' to highlight the courage it displayed in continually attempting to reach its goal despite the repeated setbacks. This characterization of bravery emphasizes the moral of persistence and courage in the face of adversity, which is a central theme of the poem.