English Class 6 — Poorvi
🏠 Home Log in
TOPIC 3 OF 17

The Poem — The Raven and the Fox

🎓 Class 6 English CBSE Theory Ch 1 — A Bottle of Dew ⏱ ~32 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This English Comprehension assessment will be based on: The Poem — The Raven and the Fox
Targeting Comprehension & Recall with Intermediate difficulty.

This CBSE English Grammar Assessment will be based on: The Poem — The Raven and the Fox

Assessment Format:
• 10 Randomized Grammar Questions (1 mark each)
• Question Types: Fill in the Blanks, MCQs, Error Identification, Reported Speech, Sentence Completion
Total: 10 Questions, 10 Marks

This English Vocabulary assessment will be based on: The Poem — The Raven and the Fox
Targeting Vocabulary & Usage with Intermediate difficulty.

Before You Read

Bloom: L2 Understand
Anticipation Guide — Think before you read:
  1. You may know that frogs croak. But did you know that ravens? also croak? A raven’s call is a deep, rough, croaking sound — quite different from the melodious songs of smaller birds.
  2. Which animal is often shown as clever and cunning? in folk tales and fables? Can you think of a story where this animal tricks someone?
  3. Have you ever heard someone say nice things about you that were not really true? How did you feel — and what happened afterwards?
JF
Jean de la Fontaine
1621–1695 French Fable & Poetry

Jean de la Fontaine was a celebrated French poet and fabulist, best known for his collection of verse fables. He drew heavily upon the ancient stories of Aesop and other classical sources, retelling them in elegant, witty verse. His fables use animals as characters to teach moral lessons about human nature, such as vanity, greed, and the dangers of flattery.

The Poem — The Raven and the Fox

Context Note
This verse fable tells the story of a Raven sitting on a tree branch with a piece of food in his beak. A cunning Fox comes along and uses flattery to trick the Raven into opening his mouth. The food falls, and the Fox snatches it away. The poem carries an important moral about the dangers of vanity and believing insincere praise.
I
1 Mr Raven was perched? upon a limb?,
2 And Reynard the Fox looked up at him; Personification
3 For the Raven held in his great? big beak, Alliteration
4 A morsel? the Fox would go far to seek?.
II
5 Said the Fox, in admiring? tones: “My word!
6 Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird. Irony
7 Such feathers! If you would only sing,
8 The birds of these woods? would call you King.” Personification
III
9 The Raven, who did not see the joke, Irony
10 Forgot that his voice was just a croak?.
11 He opened his beak, in his foolish pride?– Alliteration
12 And down fell the morsel the Fox had eyed?.
IV
13 “Ha-ha!” laughed the Fox. “And now you know,
14 Ignore sweet words that make you glow. Imagery
15 Pride?, my friend, is rather unwise;
16 I’m sure this teaching is quite a surprise.” Irony
Rhyme Scheme
AABB (Couplets): Each pair of lines in every stanza rhymes with each other — limb/him, beak/seek, word/bird, sing/King, joke/croak, pride/eyed, know/glow, unwise/surprise. This consistent couplet pattern gives the fable a playful, musical quality that makes it easy to remember.

Stanza-by-Stanza Explanation

Stanza I: Setting the Scene
The poem opens with a Raven sitting on a tree branch. A fox named Reynard spots him from below. The key detail is that the Raven is holding a tasty piece of food in his large beak — something the Fox badly wants for himself. The stage is set for a trick: the Fox cannot climb the tree, so he must find a clever way to get the food to fall down.
Stanza II: The Fox’s Flattery
The Fox begins his scheme by speaking in a voice full of fake admiration. He addresses the Raven respectfully as “Sir,” calls him good-looking, praises his feathers, and then suggests that if the Raven were to sing, all the other birds in the forest would declare him their King. Every one of these compliments is insincere — the Fox simply wants the Raven to open his beak.
Stanza III: The Raven Falls for the Trick
The Raven, blinded by vanity, fails to recognise the Fox’s scheme. He completely forgets that his natural voice is merely a rough croak, not a beautiful song at all. Puffed up with foolish self-importance, he opens his beak wide to sing — and the piece of food immediately tumbles down to the ground, right where the Fox wanted it.
Stanza IV: The Fox’s Lesson
The Fox laughs triumphantly and delivers the moral of the story. He tells the Raven to be wary of sweet, pleasing words that are meant only to deceive. He warns that pride and vanity can lead to foolish mistakes. The Fox calls this a “surprise” lesson — though of course the only one truly surprised is the Raven, who has lost his meal to his own gullibility.

Vocabulary from the Poem

perched
verb
Sat or rested on an elevated spot, especially a branch or ledge. “The sparrow perched on the window sill.”
limb
noun
A large branch of a tree. Also used for an arm or leg. “The monkey swung from limb to limb.”
morsel
noun
A small piece or bite of food. “She saved the last morsel of cake for her brother.”
seek
verb
To search for something; to try to find or obtain. “We must seek the truth.”
admiring
adjective
Showing warm approval and respect; expressing praise. “She looked at the painting with admiring eyes.”
woods
noun
A small forest; an area covered with trees. “The children played in the woods behind their house.”
croak
noun/verb
A deep, rough, harsh sound made by a frog or a raven. “The frog let out a loud croak near the pond.”
pride
noun
An excessively high opinion of oneself; vanity. Can also mean a sense of satisfaction. “His pride would not let him ask for help.”
eyed
verb
Looked at with interest or desire; watched closely. “The cat eyed the fish on the plate.”
cunning
adjective
Skilled at achieving one’s goals through cleverness or trickery. “The cunning thief escaped without a trace.”

Theme Web — The Raven and the Fox

Bloom: L4 Analyse
Flattery & Vanity (Central Theme) Pride Stanza III Cunning Stanza II Wisdom Stanza IV Deception Stanzas I–II

Figure: Thematic web — click on any sub-theme to see supporting evidence from the poem

Literary Devices in the Poem

Personification Animals behaving as humans

Both the Raven and the Fox are given human abilities — they talk, reason, and display emotions like vanity and cleverness. The Fox is even given the human name “Reynard.”

Alliteration “great big beak” / “foolish pride”

The repetition of initial consonant sounds (“b” in “big beak,” “f” in “foolish”) creates a pleasing rhythm and draws the reader’s attention to key descriptive phrases.

Irony The Fox’s insincere flattery

The Fox calls the Raven “handsome” and praises his voice, but the reader knows these are lies. This gap between what is said and what is truly meant creates dramatic irony — we can see the trick, but the Raven cannot.

Imagery “sweet words that make you glow”

The poet creates a vivid picture of how flattery makes someone feel warm and pleased inside, like glowing. This image helps the reader understand the emotional power of false praise.

Rhyme (AABB) Couplet pattern throughout

Every pair of lines rhymes (limb/him, beak/seek, word/bird, etc.), giving the fable a lighthearted, song-like quality that makes the moral lesson memorable.

Extract-Based Questions — Set A

Bloom: L3–L5
“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.’”
Q1. Who is speaking in this extract, and to whom?
L1 Remember
The Fox (Reynard) is speaking to the Raven. He is addressing the Raven from below the tree, looking up at him.
Q2. Is the Fox being sincere in his praise? Explain how you know.
L4 Analyse
No, the Fox is not sincere at all. His flattery is a deliberate trick designed to make the Raven open his beak so the food will fall out. We know this because the poem tells us the Fox had been eyeing the morsel the Raven was holding. His real goal is to get the food, not to appreciate the Raven’s appearance.
Q3. What does the Fox want the Raven to do, and why?
L3 Apply
The Fox wants the Raven to sing. He knows that in order to sing, the Raven will have to open his beak — and when he does, the piece of food he is holding will drop down. The Fox can then snatch it.

Extract-Based Questions — Set B

Bloom: L4–L6
“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.”
Q1. What does the poet mean by “did not see the joke”?
L2 Understand
It means the Raven failed to realise that the Fox was tricking him. The “joke” is the Fox’s cunning plan — the Raven took the flattery seriously and did not understand that he was being made a fool of.
Q2. Why is the Raven’s pride described as “foolish”?
L4 Analyse
The Raven’s pride is foolish because it is based on false flattery rather than reality. His voice is actually a harsh croak, not a melodious song. Yet he believes the Fox’s lies and tries to sing, losing his food in the process. His pride leads directly to his loss.
Q3. Can you think of a situation in real life where someone might “not see the joke” like the Raven?
L5 Evaluate
A real-life example would be when someone receives exaggerated praise on social media or from someone who wants a favour. For instance, if a person flatters a friend excessively to borrow money or get a treat, the friend might not realise the praise is insincere. Just like the Raven, those who believe flattery without questioning it may end up losing something valuable.

Exercises

1. Complete the Sentences (Stanza by Stanza)

Bloom: L1 Remember

Stanza I:

  1. Mr Raven was not a frog but a         .
  2. The Fox’s name is         .
  3. The Raven held some          in his beak.

Stanza II:

  1. The Fox called the Raven a          bird.
  2. He asked the Raven to         .
  3. If the Raven sang, the other birds of the          would crown him King.

Stanza III:

  1. The Raven          that his voice was only a croak.
  2. He opened his beak to try to         .
  3. The          fell from his beak.

Stanza IV:

  1. The Fox          at the Raven.
  2. He said that pride is rather         .
  3. The Fox called this experience a          for the Raven.
  1. bird
  2. Reynard
  3. food (a morsel)
  4. handsome
  5. sing
  6. woods
  7. forgot
  8. sing
  9. food (morsel)
  10. laughed
  11. unwise
  12. lesson (teaching/surprise)

2. Match the Words with Their Meanings

Bloom: L2 Understand

Draw lines to connect each word with its correct meaning:

Column A
Column B
1. perched
a. a small piece of food
2. morsel
b. looked at with desire
3. seek
c. a branch of a tree
4. pride
d. sat on a high place
5. eyed
e. to search for
6. limb
f. a forest area with trees
7. woods
g. too high an opinion of oneself
1 → d (sat on a high place)  |  2 → a (a small piece of food)  |  3 → e (to search for)  |  4 → g (too high an opinion of oneself)  |  5 → b (looked at with desire)  |  6 → c (a branch of a tree)  |  7 → f (a forest area with trees)

3. Comprehension Questions

Q1. Why does the Raven forget that his voice is merely a croak?
L2 Understand
The Raven forgets the true nature of his voice because he is overcome by vanity. The Fox’s flattering words make him believe he is truly handsome and talented. Blinded by pride, he loses all self-awareness and tries to sing, even though his natural call is a rough, unpleasant croak.
Q2. How does Reynard the Fox manage to make the Raven sing?
L3 Apply
Reynard uses a carefully planned strategy of flattery. He praises the Raven’s appearance, calls him a handsome bird, admires his feathers, and then suggests that if he sang, all the other birds would make him their King. This excessive praise appeals to the Raven’s vanity, and he cannot resist the urge to try singing.
Q3. Why is pride described as “rather unwise” in the poem?
L4 Analyse
Pride is called “unwise” because it clouds a person’s judgement and makes them vulnerable to tricks. In this fable, the Raven’s pride prevented him from thinking clearly about the Fox’s true intentions. Instead of questioning the flattery, he accepted it eagerly — and lost his food as a result. The poet warns that excessive self-importance can lead to foolish decisions.
Q4. Why does the Fox call his lesson “quite a surprise”?
L4 Analyse
The Fox calls it a “surprise” because the Raven never expected to be tricked. The Raven thought he was being genuinely admired and praised, so losing his food was a completely unexpected outcome. There is also a touch of irony in the Fox’s words — he is mocking the Raven while pretending to teach a friendly lesson.
Q5. How would you react if someone praised you excessively? Would you believe every word, or would you be cautious? Give reasons.
L5 Evaluate
(Open-ended — sample response) If someone praised me excessively, I would try to be cautious rather than accepting every compliment blindly. This poem teaches us that flattery can be used as a tool for deception. I would ask myself: “Is this person being genuine, or do they want something from me?” It is nice to receive praise, but wisdom lies in distinguishing true appreciation from false flattery.

4. Rhyming Words

Bloom: L1 Remember
What are Rhyming Words?

Words that have the same ending sound are called rhyming words. For example, “cat” and “hat” rhyme because they end with the same “-at” sound. This poem uses AABB couplets — every two consecutive lines rhyme.

Pick out the rhyming pairs from each stanza:

  1. Stanza I:          /          and          /         
  2. Stanza II:          /          and          /         
  3. Stanza III:          /          and          /         
  4. Stanza IV:          /          and          /         

5. Alliteration

Bloom: L4 Analyse
What is Alliteration?
Alliteration = repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words
Example from the poem: “great big beak” — the “b” sound repeats in “big” and “beak.”

a) Find another example of alliteration in the poem.

b) Pick the alliterative phrase from Stanza II:

  • (i) “admiring tones”
  • (ii) “handsome bird”
  • (iii) “such feathers”
  • (iv) “birds of these woods would”

6. Antonyms — Opposite Words

Bloom: L2 Understand

Find the opposite (antonym) of each word from the word box below:

remembered wise wept humility grounded heed dim
  1. perched →         
  2. forgot →         
  3. foolish →         
  4. pride →         
  5. laughed →         
  6. ignore →         
  7. glow →         

7. Use Any Four Antonyms in Sentences

Bloom: L3 Apply

Choose any four antonyms from Exercise 6 and write original sentences using them.

  1. remembered: I suddenly remembered where I had left my umbrella.
  2. wise: A wise person thinks carefully before speaking.
  3. humility: Despite winning the trophy, the champion showed great humility.
  4. heed: You should heed the advice of your elders.

Listening Activity

Listen and Decide: True or False

Bloom: L2 Understand

Context: After losing his food, what did the Raven do? Listen to the story (or read the statements below) and decide which are true and which are false.

  1. The Raven immediately flew down and took the food back from the Fox.
  2. The Raven felt ashamed and regretted opening his beak.
  3. The Fox shared the food with the Raven because he felt guilty.
  4. The Raven learned a lesson about the dangers of believing flattery.
  5. The Fox ran away before the Raven could respond.
  1. False — The Raven could not take the food back; the Fox grabbed it.
  2. True — The Raven would naturally feel foolish after being tricked.
  3. False — The Fox kept the food for himself and mocked the Raven.
  4. True — The moral of the fable is exactly this lesson.
  5. True — The Fox delivered his mocking lesson and left with the food.

Speaking Activity

Narrate the Poem as a Story — With a Different Ending

Bloom: L6 Create

Retell the story of the Raven and the Fox to your classmates, but change the ending. What if the Raven was clever enough to see through the Fox’s trick? Use these prompts:

  • Setting: Describe the tree, the forest, and the weather.
  • Characters: Introduce the Raven and the Fox. What are they like?
  • The Trick: Tell how the Fox tried to flatter the Raven.
  • The New Ending: What does the Raven do differently? Does he trick the Fox in return?
  • The Moral: What lesson does your version teach?
Speaking Tip
Use different voices for the Raven and the Fox. The Fox should sound smooth and charming, while the Raven might sound proud or suspicious. Add actions and gestures to make your narration lively!

Writing Task

Write the Story as a Dialogue

Bloom: L6 Create

Rewrite the poem as a short conversation or dialogue between the Raven and the Fox. Remember that the Raven has food in his mouth for most of the story, so he can only respond through actions (nodding, puffing up his chest, opening his beak) rather than words — until the food falls!

Word limit: 80–120 words | Format: Dialogue / Script

Format:
[Scene: A forest. A Raven sits on a tree branch with food in his beak.]

Fox: (looking up) ...
Raven: (action — no speech, food in beak) ...
Fox: (more flattery) ...
Raven: (action — reacting to praise) ...
[The food falls!]
Fox: (picks up food) ...
Raven: (finally speaks) ...

Explore Further

Origami Stick Puppets

Creative Activity: Make simple origami or paper stick puppets of the Raven and the Fox. Use black paper for the Raven and orange or brown paper for the Fox. Attach them to sticks and use them to perform the fable for your classmates. You could even add a small piece of paper “cheese” that the Raven can “drop” during the performance!

Aesop and La Fontaine

This fable originally comes from Aesop, a storyteller from ancient Greece (around 600 BCE). Jean de la Fontaine retold it centuries later in beautiful French verse. The story has been translated into hundreds of languages. In India, similar tales of cunning animals appear in the Panchatantra and Jataka Tales.

The Name “Reynard”

In European folklore, “Reynard” is the traditional name given to the fox character. It comes from the medieval French tales called Roman de Renart, where the fox is always the cleverest (and most mischievous) animal. The name became so popular that in some European languages, the word for “fox” itself is derived from “Renard.”

Proverbs About Flattery

Many cultures have sayings that warn against flattery. In English: “Flattery will get you nowhere.” In Hindi: “चापलूसी से बचो” (beware of flattery). Can you find proverbs about flattery in your own language? Share them with your class!

Frequently Asked Questions — The Raven and the Fox

What is The Raven and the Fox poem about in Class 6 Poorvi?

The Raven and the Fox is a fable poem from NCERT Class 6 English Poorvi Unit 1. A raven sits on a tree branch holding food in its beak. A cunning fox flatters the raven by praising its beautiful feathers and suggesting it must have a wonderful singing voice. The vain raven opens its beak to sing, drops the food, and the fox grabs it. The poem teaches the danger of being deceived by flattery.

What literary devices are used in The Raven and the Fox poem?

The Raven and the Fox poem uses personification (animals speak and behave like humans), irony (the fox's praise is insincere), imagery (vivid descriptions of the raven's glossy feathers), and dialogue (conversation between the characters). The poet also uses a narrative structure typical of fable poetry, building tension before the moral revelation.

What is the moral of The Raven and the Fox?

The moral of The Raven and the Fox is that flattery is a dangerous weapon used by cunning people. One should not let pride cloud their judgement. The raven loses its food because it falls for the fox's false praise. The poem teaches Class 6 students to think critically about compliments and not act impulsively when flattered.

Who are Reynard and Mr Raven in the poem?

In The Raven and the Fox poem, Mr Raven is the vain bird sitting on a tree branch with food in its beak, representing those who are easily swayed by praise. Reynard is the cunning fox who uses clever flattery to trick the raven into dropping its food. These character names come from the Aesop's fable tradition of giving animals human-like names and qualities.

How does the fox trick the raven in the poem?

The fox tricks the raven by using a series of flattering compliments. First, Reynard praises the raven's sleek black feathers and noble appearance. Then he suggests that if the raven's voice is as beautiful as its looks, all birds would declare it their king. The raven, eager to prove it can sing, opens its beak wide and drops the food, which the fox immediately snatches up.

AI Tutor
English Class 6 — Poorvi
Ready
Hi! 👋 I'm Gaura, your AI Tutor for The Poem — The Raven and the Fox. Take your time studying the lesson — whenever you have a doubt, just ask me! I'm here to help.