Exploring different literary analyses in DAV Class 7 English Literature Book Solutions Chapter 8 The Spider and the Fly enhances critical thinking.
DAV Class 7 English Literature Chapter 8 Question Answer – The Spider and the Fly
Pre-Reading Task
Question 1.
Look up the meaning of the word ‘flatter’ in a dictionary.
Answer:
The word ‘flatter’ means to say nice things to somebody often in a way that is not sincere.
Question 2.
Have you ever flattered anyone? Why did you do that? What was its effect on the listener?
Answer:
Yes, I flattered my mother many times to watch my favourite cartoon. She was pleased and permitted me to watch cartoon show.
Question 3.
Imagine that you have two friends. One keeps on praising you endlessly, tells you how intelligent, beautiful and clever you are. The other often points out your mistakes and asks you to improve. Which of the two friends would you like/ trust more and why?
Answer:
I would like a friend, who points out my mistakes and asks me for improvement. I would trust him who just wants to overcome my drawbacks and make me a better person with good qualities.
I. Understanding the Poem
A. In the web chart given below, mention the various luxury things that according to the spider furnish his parlour.
Answer:
B. The spider tries to lure the fly by praising her beautiful appearance. In the web chart given below, mention the various phrases that he uses.
Answer:
C. In the poem, the spider tries to tempt the fly by offering her various comforts. Complete the table given below by filling in the fly’s response to his various offers.
Answer:
| Temptation | Fly’s Response |
| 1. The fly can see many pretty things in his parlour. | who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again |
| 2. The tired fly should rest in his parlour. | They never, never wake again who sleep upon your bed. |
| 3. The fly should eat a little delicious food. | I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see. |
| 4. The fly should look at her beauty in the looking glass in his parlour. | ‘I thank you, gentle sir,’ she said, ‘for what you’re pleased to say, And bidding you good morning now, 111 call another day.’ |
D. From the poem find two examples of each of simile and metaphor.
Simple ______________________________________
Metaphor ______________________________________
Answer:
Simile
- dull as lead
- your eyes are like the diamond bright
Metaphor
- pearl and silver wing.
- crest upon your head.
E. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
(a) ‘Dear friend what shall I do,
To prove the warm affection I’ve always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, a good store of all that’s nice;
I’m sure you’re very welcome, will you please to take a slice?’
(i) Why is the speaker called ‘cunning?
Answer:
The speaker is called ‘cunning’ because it is trying to lure the fly to come to it’s parlour, by trusting it’s words cleverly.
(ii) How does he try to lure the fly?
Answer:
He tries to lure the fly inviting it to come and eat a slice in his pantry and saying that he doesn’t know how to prove his love for his dear friend, the fly.
(iii) How does the fly react to the offer made?
Answer:
The fly rejects the spider’s offer by replying that she had heard what was in his pantry and did not wish to see it.
(iv) Does the spider finally manage to make the fly accept his invitation? How?
Answer:
Yes, the spider manages to make the fly accept his invitation telling her to admire its gauzy wings and brilliant eyes in it’s parlour’s looking glass.
(b) ‘Sweet creature!’ said the spider, “you’re witty and you’re wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you’ll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.
(i) Who is this ‘sweet creature?
Answer:
The fly is the sweet creature.
(ii) Why is the speaker praising her so much?
Answer:
The speaker is praising her just to flatter her, so that she might come in his web and it will eat it up.
(iii) Do you think this creature is really ‘wise? Why or why not?
Answer:
Initially this creature was wise because it refused all luring offers made by the spider to enter its parlour. But, later it is taken in by its flattering words and enters the web and gets trapped.
(c) The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon be back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly. ’
(i) Why did the speaker turn back into his den?
Answer:
The speaker turned back into his den because he knew that the fly would soon be back.
(ii) How did he know that the fly would soon be back?
Answer:
The spider knew that the fly would soon be back, beacuse it knew that the fly was silly.
(iii) Is he able to dine upon the fly? How?
Answer:
Yes, he is able to dine upon the fly because it is deceived by its flattering words sung in her praise and enters the spider’s web. The spider just jumped on it and dragged it into his den to eat it up.
II. HOTS
A. What is a ‘fable’? Why is the poem called a fable?
Answer:
Fable is a literary genre: a fictional story either in prose or in verse that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature that lead to a particular moral lesson.
This poem also uses spider and fly to teach a moral lesson – don’t be greedy but be contended within your own meAnswer:Hence, a fable.
B. Of the various offers made by the spider, which one does the fly find most difficult to resist?
Answer:
When the spider started singing a song in her praise and praised her purple and green dress, her eyes shining like diamonds the fly felt flattered and went near the den and was soon caught by the spider and dragged inside the web.
III. Life Skills
It is easy to flatter: it is hard to praise. How will you differentiate between your true friend and a flatterer?
Answer:
It is very difficult to differentiate between a flattery and true praise. People are enticed by flattery and fall prey to it. Only when there is some problem — the realization dawns upon them. But it is essential that we avoid flatterers at all cost.
IV. Values
True friends are hard to find. True friends are the greatest asset. Narrate an incident when some friend helped you in your time of need and you realised that ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’.
Answer:
For self attempt.
V. Writing Skills
The spider wants to invite the fly to his home. He drops an invitation card at her home. Make an Invitation Card for the spider inviting the fly to a dinner.
Answer:
For self attempt.
DAV Class 7 English Literature Chapter 8 Solutions – The Spider and the Fly
I. Answer the following questions.
Question 1.
Do you think characters like spider and fly exist in our surroundings also?
Answer:
Yes, characters like spider and fly exist in our surroundings. It is quite hard to save oneself in this world of flattery where every person is busy in making own dough. The innocent are easily befooled by the cunning fellow.
Question 2.
What is the theme of the poem?
Answer:
The poem teaches a moral lesson that one should not give into idle flattering words but close their heart, ear and eye to an evil counsellor in life. A lesson should be learnt from the tale of the spider and fly.
Question 3.
‘Greed is evil’, is an old saying. Justify this saying on the basis of the tale of the spider and the fly.
Answer:
One must be contented with one’s own meAnswer:We must not be greedy of others’ wealth. One must keep faith in one’s own capability in achieving the things as flattering words of others may create temptation which may cause a great harm.
Question 4.
How can one resist oneself from being trapped in the words of flatterers?
Answer:
One must believe in one’s limitations or one must cut one’s coat according to cloth. Those who believe in this principle of life can resist themselves from being trapped in the words of flatterers.
II. Word Power
Find words from the poem which have these meanings:
(a) to see ______________
(b) a small room where food is kept ____________
(c) delicate _________________
(d) happily _________________
(e) dark ____________________
Answer:
(a) to see behold
(b) a small room where food is kept pantry
(c) delicate subtle
(d) happily merrily
(e) dark dismal
III. Discuss with your partner
Find one adjective each for describing the spider and the fly. Explain the reason for your choice.
Answer:
For self-attempt.
IV. Class Discussion
While inviting the fly, the spider calls his home ‘a parlour’. But later in the poem it is called a ‘den’. Why?
Answer:
For self-attempt.
The Spider and the Fly Summary in English
In this poem, the spider is inviting the fly to come to its parlour, which is the prettiest of all. The spider says that he has many pretty things to show him in his parlour. But the fly refused to come because she says that whoever goes up his winding stairs, never comes down again. The spider asks the fly to come and rest in its little bed, as it must be tired. The spider says that there are pretty curtains there, the sheets are fine and thin. If the fly rested in its bed, it would tuck it in. But the fly refused saying that it had often heard that whoever slept on its bed, never wake up again.
The spider went into its den. It knew the stupid fly would return soon. It wove a web and let its table ready to eat the fly. It opened its door and started singing a song in praise of the fly; that it had pearl and silver wings, it had a purple and green dress, a crest on its head, its eyes were shining like diamond but its eyes were dull. The fly heard its praise felt flattered and drew near the spiders’ web. The spider jumped on it, dragged it into its den and fly entered its parlour and never came out again. The poet tells the children who are reading this fable should never pay attention to idle flattering words and close their heart, ear and eye to an evil counsellor. They should take a lesson from the tale of Spider and the Fly.
The Spider and the Fly Summary in Hindi
कविता में मकड़ी, मक्खी को अपनी बैठक में आने का न्यौता दे रही है। मकड़ी कहती है कि उसकी बैठक में बहुत सी सुंदर वस्तुएँ हैं जिसे वह दिखाना चाहती है। लेकिन मक्खी यह कहकर जाने से मना कर देती है कि जो उस सीढी से ऊपर जाता है, नीचे लौटकर नहीं आता। मकड़ी मक्खी को कहती है कि वह थक गयी होगी। वह आकर उसके छोटे से बिस्तर पर आराम से सोए । मकड़ी कहती है कि यहाँ पतली और नर्म चादर तथा सुंदर पर्दे हैं। परन्तु मक्खी फिर भी इन्कार करते हुए कहती है कि उसने सुना है जो भी उस बिस्तर पर लेटता है वह कभी नहीं उठता।
मकड़ी अपने घर में चली गई। यह जानती थी कि मूर्ख मक्खी जल्दी वापस आएगी। इसने एक जाल बनाया और मक्खी के खाने के लिए टेबल तैयार किया। इसने दरवाजा खोला तथा मक्खी की प्रशंसा में गीत गाने लगा। उसके पंख चांदी जैसे, उसकी पोशाक हरी व उसके सिर पर कलगी हैं। उसकी आँखें हीरे जैसी चमकती हैं परन्तु मकड़ी की आँखें रुखी हैं। मक्खी ने अपनी प्रशंसा सुनी और खुश होकर मकड़ी के जाल में फंस गयी । मकड़ी उसके ऊपर कूदी और घसीटकर उसे अपनी मांद में ले गयी जहाँ से मक्खी कभी वापस नहीं आयी। कवि बच्चों से कहता है कि वे किसी की चिकनी चुपड़ी बातों में न आयें। हमें मकड़ी तथा मक्खी की कथा से शिक्षा लेनी चाहिए।
- Parlour – sitting room – बैठक;
- Spy – one who watches secretly – जासूस;
- Weary – tired – थका हुआ;
- Soaring – to fly high – ऊँची उड़ान भरना;
- Snugly-comfortably – आरामदायक;
- Cunning-clever in a dishonest or bad way – चालाक, धूर्त;
- Pantry – a room where food is kept – रसोई-भंडार;
- Creature – a living thing such as an animal, bird etc. – प्राणी;
- Subtle – fine or delicate – बारीक, नाजुक;
- Sly – deceitful – धोखेबाज;
- Crest – tuft on the head of a bird – कंलगी;
- Buzz-humming sound – भिनभिनाना;
- Heed – to keep in mind – ध्यान देना;
- Counsellor – one who gives advice – सलाहकार।