The Raven and the Fox

Correct Option: A. shiny and beautiful

The Fox is flattering the Raven by praising his feathers to make him feel proud and special. The compliment is meant to highlight how beautiful and impressive the Raven's feathers are, so 'shiny and beautiful' is the most appropriate choice in the context of the Fox's flattery.

Given: The Fox tells the Raven that if he could sing, the birds of the woods would call him King.

The Fox is flattering the Raven by suggesting that he already has magnificent feathers (a kingly appearance), and that if he also had a beautiful singing voice, he would be perfect in every way. Together, these two qualities — looks and voice — would make him the most impressive bird in the woods, worthy of being called King. The Fox says this to trick the Raven into opening his beak and dropping the food.

Given: The Fox calls the Raven 'Sir Raven' at the beginning of his flattering speech.

The Fox addresses the Raven as 'Sir' as a form of deliberate flattery and false respect. By using this honorific title, the Fox makes the Raven feel important, dignified, and superior. This is a clever trick — when someone is made to feel respected and admired, they are more likely to lower their guard. The Fox's real intention is to make the Raven proud enough to open his beak and sing, so that the piece of cheese he is holding will fall down.

Given: The lines state — 'He opened his beak, in his foolish pride.'

The Raven opened his beak because he was overcome by foolish pride. The Fox had flattered him by praising his beautiful feathers and suggesting that if he could sing, he would be crowned King of the birds. The Raven, blinded by vanity and eager to prove that he could indeed sing, forgot that his voice was merely a croak. In his excitement and pride, he opened his beak to sing — and in doing so, dropped the food he was holding.

Fox : clever : : Raven : foolish

Explanation: This is an analogy based on character traits. Just as the Fox is described as clever (he uses wit and flattery to trick the Raven), the Raven is described as acting out of 'foolish pride' in the given lines. Therefore, the word that best completes the analogy is 'foolish'.

Given: The poem tells us that the Raven 'did not see the joke' and acted out of 'foolish pride.'

The Raven forgets that his voice is just a croak because he is completely blinded by pride and vanity. When the Fox praises his beautiful feathers and tells him that he could be King of the birds if only he could sing, the Raven becomes so flattered and excited that he stops thinking clearly. His desire to be admired and to prove himself worthy of the Fox's praise overpowers his common sense. Pride clouds his judgment, and he forgets his own limitation — that he cannot sing and can only croak.

Given: Reynard (the Fox) uses flattery and clever words to trick the Raven.

Reynard makes the Raven sing through clever flattery. He first praises the Raven's feathers, calling him handsome and suggesting that his appearance alone could make him King of the birds. He then adds that the only thing missing is a beautiful singing voice. This praise fills the Raven with pride and a strong desire to prove that he can indeed sing. Blinded by vanity, the Raven forgets that his voice is just a croak, opens his beak to sing — and drops the food he was holding. Reynard's strategy of appealing to the Raven's ego works perfectly.

Given: After tricking the Raven and getting the food, Reynard comments that pride is not wise.

Reynard says that pride is not wise because he has just demonstrated, through his own clever trick, how pride can lead to foolish decisions. The Raven lost his food simply because he was too proud to ignore the flattery. His vanity made him forget his own weakness (his croaking voice) and act impulsively. Reynard's remark is both a lesson and a taunt — he is pointing out that excessive pride makes a person (or bird) easy to deceive. A wise creature would not let flattery cloud its judgment.

Given: The poem ends with a moral or teaching delivered by Reynard the Fox.

The teaching is quite a surprise because it comes from the Fox — the very character who used trickery and deceit to steal the Raven's food. It is unexpected and ironic that the one who behaved dishonestly is now delivering a moral lesson about the dangers of pride. The reader does not expect the cunning trickster to turn into a teacher. This twist makes the ending both amusing and thought-provoking, which is why the teaching comes as a surprise.

This is a personal response question. A sample answer is given below:

If someone praises me too much, I would listen politely but remain calm and grounded. I would not let the excessive praise go to my head or make me act foolishly. I have learned from the story of the Raven that too much flattery can be a trick to make us do something we might regret. I would think carefully about why the person is praising me so much and whether they have any hidden motive. I believe it is important to be confident but not vain, and to always use good judgment rather than being swayed by compliments.

The rhyming word pairs from each stanza of the poem are as follows:

| Stanza 1 | Stanza 2 | Stanza 3 | Stanza 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| (i) limb – him | (i) word – bird | (i) joke – croak | (i) know – so |
| (ii) sing – King | (ii) beak – speak | (ii) pride – inside | (ii) wise – surprise |

Note: The rhyming pairs are identified by looking at the end sounds of lines within each stanza of the poem.

Given: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that appear close together.

From Stanza 2, an example of alliteration is:

'song of sweet birds' — the words 'song' and 'sweet' both begin with the /s/ sound.

This is a clear example of alliteration as two words beginning with the same consonant sound appear together in the same line.

The completed table with correct opposites is given below. (Note: 'happy' and 'silly' are the two extra words that are not used.)

| Words | Opposites |
|---|---|
| 1. perched | flew |
| 2. forgot | remembered |
| 3. foolish | wise |
| 4. pride | humility |
| 5. laughed | cried |
| 6. ignore | notice |
| 7. glow | dim |

Sample sentences using any four words from the table:

1. Flew — The sparrow flew away as soon as it heard a loud noise.
2. Remembered — She remembered to bring her umbrella when she saw the dark clouds.
3. Wise — It is wise to think before you speak.
4. Humility — The great scientist accepted the award with humility and thanked his teachers.

Based on the context of the listening activity (the crow's reaction after losing his food to the Fox's flattery):

1. The crow was unhappy that he lost his food. — True
(The crow naturally felt sad and regretful after being tricked into dropping his food.)

2. The crow thought that his lovely feathers made him smart. — False
(After losing his food, the crow realised that being proud of his feathers had made him foolish, not smart.)

3. The crow wanted to tell his friends not to be proud. — True
(Having learned his lesson the hard way, the crow wished to warn his friends about the dangers of pride and vanity.)

Note: These answers are based on the standard transcript associated with this listening activity. Students should verify with the actual transcript on page 37 of their textbook.

Sample Narration with a Different Ending:

This is a story about a clever fox named Reynard and Mr Raven. One day, Mr Raven found a big piece of cheese and flew up to sit on a branch of a tall tree. He held the cheese proudly in his great big beak.

Reynard the Fox was passing by and spotted the cheese. His mouth watered. He sat below the tree and looked up at the Raven with a sly smile.

'Good morning, Sir Raven!' said Reynard sweetly. 'What a handsome bird you are! Such magnificent feathers! I am sure that if you could sing, all the birds of the forest would make you their King!'

The Raven felt very pleased. He puffed up his chest and was just about to open his beak to sing — but then he stopped. He had heard this trick before from his grandmother! He looked down at the Fox with a knowing look, tucked the cheese safely under his foot, and let out a long, loud croak.

'Thank you for the compliment, Reynard,' said the Raven, 'but I know better than to fall for flattery. This cheese is mine!' And with that, he flew away to enjoy his meal in peace.

Reynard sat below, hungry and outsmarted. For once, the Raven had the last laugh.

Sample Conversation:

Reynard: Good morning, Mr Raven! You seem to be awake so early!

*(Mr Raven just nods his head.)*

Reynard: Oh, Mr Raven, you look absolutely magnificent today! Those feathers of yours — so dark, so shiny! I have never seen a more handsome bird in all these woods!

*(Mr Raven straightens up proudly and ruffles his feathers with pleasure.)*

Reynard: You know, if only you could sing as well as you look, I am quite sure all the birds of the forest would crown you their King!

*(Mr Raven's eyes light up. He looks very pleased and flattered. He shifts the cheese to the side of his beak, eager to show off his voice.)*

Reynard: Oh, please, dear Raven — just one little song? I am sure your voice must be as beautiful as your feathers!

*(Mr Raven, overcome with pride, opens his beak wide to sing. The cheese falls straight down to the ground.)*

Reynard: *(picking up the cheese quickly)* Thank you, Mr Raven! That was most generous of you. And here is a little lesson for free — pride is never wise!

*(Mr Raven stares down in shock and embarrassment, realising he has been tricked.)*

*(Mr Raven hangs his head and flies away quietly, having learned a hard but important lesson.)*