Textbook Solutions: Four Little Foxes | Gul Mohar Class 6: Book Solutions, Summaries & Worksheets PDF Download

Understanding the Poem

Answer these questions

Q2: The four little foxes saw their mother go— What else did the little foxes see? Where did their mother go?
Ans: They saw their mother caught in a trap, bleeding on the snow. She was taken away, leaving the cubs helpless.

Q3: Was the speaker responsible for what happened to the mother fox? Or could it be a fox hunter or a farmer protecting his livestock?
Ans: The speaker was not responsible. It could have been a hunter or a farmer who trapped her.

Q4: Whom does the speaker address in the poem? Which phrases does the speaker repeat? Why does he say these words?
Ans: The speaker addresses Spring and March. He repeats phrases like Speak gently, Walk softly, Go lightly, Step softly to plead with nature to be gentle with the weak cubs.

Q5: The speaker tells us that the foxes are 'new-born' and thus, helpless. Which other words has he used to describe the cubs and their movements? How do those words stress how weak and vulnerable they are?
Ans: Words like squirming, thin blue, nuzzling, whimpering, shivering show their weakness, hunger, and suffering, stressing their helplessness.

Q6: Which line tells you that the fox cubs mistook the speaker for their mother? Why did they do so?
Ans: The line The thin blue foxes suckled at my arm shows this. They did so because they were hungry and instinctively sought milk, thinking of him as their mother.

Q7: Speak gently, Spring … We know that spring is a season that is associated with pleasant weather and abundant sources of food. And yet, the speaker appeals even to spring to be gentle with the foxes. Why does he feel the need to do this?
Ans: The speaker asks even Spring to be gentle with the foxes, as the cubs are still young and delicate. Though Spring brings food and warmth, too much change or harshness can harm them. The poet wants every force of nature to protect the cubs tenderly.

Appreciating the Poem

Q2: In the poem, the first two words of every stanza are repeated at the end of that stanza.
a. Read the poem aloud. When you read each stanza, do you read the words that have been repeated, with different expressions?
Ans: Yes. Each repetition sounds softer and more pleading, adding to the emotional tone.
b. Based on your reading, describe the repeated words in the first and the last line of each stanza using one or more of these – instruction, order, plea, request.
Ans: The repeated words work mainly as pleas and requests, urging nature to act gently.

Q3: In this poem, the speaker speaks to spring and March as if they were people, and asks them to show the qualities of gentleness, kindness and understanding. Why do you think he asks a season and a month to show these human qualities? You can choose more than one answer.
a. to add emotion to the poem
b. to tell us that the harsh elements of nature are responsible for the sorry state of the cubs
c. to remind us that these qualities are often absent in human beings and that we need to show these qualities towards animals 
d. to ask nature to take care of the animals as he knows no human being will notice them
Ans: The correct answers are:
a. to add emotion to the poem
c. to remind us that these qualities are often absent in human beings and that we need to show these qualities towards animals
d. to ask nature to take care of the animals as he knows no human being will notice them

The poet speaks to spring and March as if they were people. This makes the poem more emotional and gentle. It also reminds us that humans often fail to show kindness to animals, so the poet turns to nature for care and protection of the little foxes.