Try Again — NCERT Solutions

Given: A question about the spider as a source of inspiration.

Answer:

The spider in the poem inspires us to overcome despair and not give up in the following ways:

1. It never stops trying: The spider falls repeatedly while trying to reach its cobweb, but it never gives up. It gets up and tries again every single time, showing us that failure should not stop us from trying.

2. It is patient and steady: The spider climbs 'steadily, steadily', 'inch by inch', showing that progress may be slow but consistent effort always leads to success.

3. It succeeds through persistence: After nine attempts, the spider finally reaches its web. This teaches us that if we keep trying, we will eventually succeed.

4. It teaches by example: The spider does not give advice — it simply acts. Its actions speak louder than words and inspire King Bruce (and us) to rise above despair.

The spider's journey teaches us that no matter how many times we fail, we must get up and try again. Despair is only temporary; success comes to those who persist.

Given: A question asking us to explain the theme of the poem in relation to failure and success.

Answer:

The poem 'Try Again' beautifully illustrates the idea that failures are stepping stones to success through the story of both the spider and King Bruce.

The spider tries to reach its cobweb but falls down repeatedly — not once or twice, but eight times. Each fall could be seen as a failure. However, the spider treats each failure as an opportunity to try again. It does not lose heart; instead, it uses each attempt to get a little closer to its goal. On the ninth attempt, it finally succeeds.

Similarly, King Bruce had failed multiple times in his mission. He was on the verge of giving up. But inspired by the spider, he realised that his failures were not the end — they were part of the journey towards success. He tried once more and ultimately succeeded.

Thus, the poem teaches us that every failure brings us one step closer to success. Each attempt, even if unsuccessful, teaches us something valuable and builds our strength and determination. We should not be discouraged by failure but should treat it as a necessary step on the path to achieving our goals.

Given: A question asking us to elaborate on the idea that anyone can be a source of inspiration.

Answer:

The spider's journey in the poem powerfully demonstrates that inspiration can come from the most unexpected and humble sources.

King Bruce was a great king, a powerful and experienced leader. Yet, in his darkest moment of despair, it was not a fellow king, a wise minister, or a great warrior who inspired him — it was a tiny spider. The spider, one of the smallest and most overlooked creatures, taught the mighty king the greatest lesson of his life: never give up.

This tells us that we should keep our eyes and hearts open to inspiration from all around us. A child's laughter, a bird learning to fly, a plant growing through concrete, or even an ant carrying food — all of these can teach us valuable lessons about courage, persistence, and hope.

Inspiration does not always come from great people or grand events. Sometimes, the most profound lessons come from the simplest sources. The spider did not speak a single word, yet its actions changed the course of King Bruce's life and, through the poem, continues to inspire millions of readers.

Therefore, we should be observant and open-minded, for anyone and anything — big or small — can be a source of inspiration in our lives.

Given: Words from the poem for which opposites are to be written.

Concept: Antonyms (opposite words).

Answers:

1. up × down
2. fast × slow
3. glad × sad
4. win × lose
5. succeed × fail

Given: Sentences with underlined words and a box of meanings.

Concept: Contextual vocabulary — matching words to their meanings.

Answers:

(i) endeavour — Meaning: 3. an attempt to do something new or difficult

Own sentence: She made every endeavour to complete the project before the deadline.

(ii) toil — Meaning: 1. work very hard and/or for a long time

Own sentence: Farmers toil in the fields from dawn to dusk to grow food for us.

(iii) strive — Meaning: 4. to try very hard to achieve something

Own sentence: We must strive to be honest and kind in everything we do.

(iv) braced themselves — Meaning: 2. prepared themselves for something difficult

Own sentence: The players braced themselves for the tough match ahead.

Given: Words and phrases to be classified as 'Far' or 'Near' based on distance.

Concept: Vocabulary related to distance and proximity.

Answers:

Far:

• middle of nowhere
• remoteness
• yonder
• afar
• light year
• farther

Near:

• proximity
• vicinity
• adjacent
• a stone's throw
• hairline

Explanation:

• Proximity, vicinity, adjacent all mean close or nearby.
• A stone's throw means a very short distance.
• Hairline refers to an extremely small/thin distance.
• Yonder, afar, remoteness, middle of nowhere all suggest far-away places.
• Light year is an astronomical unit of distance — extremely far.
• Farther means at a greater distance.

Given: A tongue twister from the poem and a task to create more.

Concept: Tongue twisters use alliteration and similar sounds to make them difficult to say quickly.

Answer:

The line ''Twas a delicate thread it had to tread' is a tongue twister because of the repeated 't' and 'd' sounds ('twas, delicate, thread, tread) which make it difficult to say quickly and clearly.

Sample Tongue Twisters created by students:

1. She sells seashells by the seashore.
2. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
3. The big black bug bit the big black bear.
4. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
5. Brave Bruce brought bright blue beads.
6. A spider spied a speck and spun a special web.

(Students are encouraged to create their own tongue twisters using repeated consonant sounds.)

Given: Pre-listening activity — guessing answers before listening to a story about an ant.

Note: These are prediction/guessing questions to be answered before listening. After listening, students verify their answers. The transcript is with the teacher.

Predicted Answers (based on the theme of the chapter — perseverance):

1. What was the ant known for? — (i) determination

(Ants are universally known for their determination and hard work, which fits the theme of the chapter.)

2. Why was the ant unable to take the roti home? — (ii) It was too heavy to carry.

(This is the most likely challenge for a single ant — the food being too heavy.)

3. What was the bird doing? — (ii) searching for food

(Birds are commonly described as searching for food in nature stories.)

4. How did the bird make the ant feel? — (ii) inspired

(In keeping with the theme of the chapter, the bird likely inspired the ant to keep trying.)

5. How did the fellow ants help? — (iii) by joining the ant in her efforts

(This reflects the lesson of teamwork and collective effort, which is a common moral in such stories.)

Note to students: After listening to the story, check whether your predictions were correct and correct any wrong answers.

Given: Post-listening verification activity.

Answer:

After listening to the story for the second time, students should carefully check each of their predicted answers against what they actually heard in the story.

• If a predicted answer matches what was heard → mark it correct ✓
• If a predicted answer does not match → correct it with the right answer ✗ → correct answer

This is a listening activity. The transcript is available with the teacher. Students should listen attentively and note the key details about:

• The ant's qualities
• The challenge the ant faced
• The role of the bird
• The feelings of the ant
• How the other ants helped

This activity develops active listening skills and the ability to verify information.

Given: A speaking activity requiring a personal narrative about perseverance.

Sample Narration (for reference):

Introduction:
I remember a time when I felt like giving up. It was when I was preparing for my school's inter-class drawing competition.

Describing the challenge:
The challenge I faced was that no matter how many times I practised drawing the landscape, it never looked right. The colours were uneven and the proportions were wrong. The problem seemed too big because all my classmates seemed so much better than me.

Feeling disheartened:
At first, I felt discouraged and thought about withdrawing from the competition. I didn't think I could succeed because I had tried so many times and failed. I felt upset and wanted to leave because I thought I simply had no talent.

The source of motivation:
But then, I remembered the poem 'Try Again' and the story of King Bruce and the spider. I also thought of my art teacher, who always said, 'Practice makes perfect.' She noticed my struggle and encouraged me to keep going.

Taking action:
After feeling inspired, I decided to practise for one more hour every day. I gathered my strength and focused on one element at a time — first the outline, then the colours. I asked for help from my art teacher, who gave me useful tips.

The result:
In the end, I was able to complete a beautiful drawing that I was proud of. I won the second prize in the competition. I felt proud because I had not given up.

Reflection:
This experience taught me that perseverance is the key to success. I learned that talent alone is not enough — hard work and determination matter more. Now, I always remember to keep trying, no matter how difficult things seem.

Given: A letter-writing task to a cousin about overcoming a difficult situation and the importance of perseverance.

Concept: Formal/informal letter writing with transition words.

Sample Letter:

20, Rajendra Nagar
Jeevanpur
23 August 20XX

Dear Monika,

Thank you for your letter asking me about how I deal with difficult situations. I am glad you reached out, and I hope my experience and advice will be helpful to you.

As you know, I recently struggled with my Mathematics examinations. I kept making mistakes and felt like giving up. But then I remembered the poem 'Try Again' that we studied in school — the story of King Bruce and the spider. It inspired me deeply, and I made a plan to overcome my difficulty.

To begin with, I accepted that I was struggling and decided to face the problem honestly instead of avoiding it. I made a list of all the topics I found difficult.

Next, I set aside one hour every evening specifically for Mathematics practice. I started with the easiest problems to build my confidence before moving to harder ones.

After that, I asked my teacher for extra help. She was very kind and explained the concepts I had not understood clearly. I also formed a study group with two of my classmates.

Then, I started tracking my progress in a notebook. Every time I solved a problem correctly, I put a tick mark. Seeing my progress motivated me to keep going.

Finally, after weeks of consistent effort, I appeared for my test and scored much better than before. The feeling of success after so much hard work was truly wonderful.

Monika, I want to advise you never to quit when things get tough. Remember the spider in the poem — it fell eight times but succeeded on the ninth attempt. Every failure is just a step closer to success. Believe in yourself, make a plan, and keep trying. Perseverance always pays off.

I hope this helps you. Do write back and let me know how things are going.

Yours affectionately,
Deepa

Key transition words used: To begin with, Next, After that, Then, Finally.

Given: A project-based activity to collect folk songs connected with nature.

Guidelines for the activity:

1. Ask family members — grandparents, parents, and relatives are the best sources of folk songs in regional languages.
2. Research online or in libraries for folk songs from your state or region that mention rivers, seasons, birds, animals, trees, or farming.
3. Note down the song in the original language, write a translation in English or Hindi, and note what aspect of nature it describes.
4. Compile as a class project — each student can contribute 2–3 folk songs. The class can create a booklet or a display board titled 'Songs of Nature'.
5. Examples of themes in folk songs connected with nature: rain songs (like songs sung during monsoon), harvest songs, river songs, songs about birds like the cuckoo or peacock, etc.

This activity helps us appreciate our cultural heritage and our traditional connection with nature.

Given: An observation-based activity to find differences between a spider and an ant.

Differences between a Spider and an Ant:

Interesting fact: Spiders produce silk from special glands called spinnerets. Spider silk is one of the strongest natural materials known.

Students are encouraged to observe carefully from a safe distance and consult their Science teacher for more detailed information.

Given: A craft activity to weave a spider web using sticks and wool.

Step-by-step instructions:

Materials needed: 3 sticks (each about 8 inches long), a roll of old wool/yarn, scissors.

Steps:

Step 1: Take three sticks and place them so they cross each other at the centre, like a star or asterisk (*), creating 6 arms.

Step 2: Tie the sticks firmly together at the centre using the wool. Wrap the wool around the crossing point several times and knot it securely so the sticks do not move.

Step 3: Begin weaving the web. Take the wool and loop it around one stick, then move to the next stick and loop it around that one too. Continue going around all six arms of the star, looping the wool around each stick as you go.

Step 4: Keep weaving outward, moving from the centre towards the tips of the sticks. The loops will create a web-like pattern.

Step 5: When you reach the ends of the sticks, tie the wool in a firm knot to complete the web.

Step 6: Decorate your web by attaching small paper chits with words and phrases from the poem, such as: 'Try again', 'Steadily, steadily', 'Up, up', 'Never give up', 'Perseverance', 'Bravo!'

This activity helps students connect the poem's message with a creative, hands-on experience and reinforces vocabulary from the poem.