..Fable

। Lesson: Fable

About the Author

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher, lecturer, and poet. He was born in Boston on May 25, 1803. He was one of the Transcendentalists. His first written book was “Nature”. “Essays, First and Second Series”. “Poems”, “Representative Men”, ”Conduct of Life”, “English Traits” are some of his notable literary works. He died of pneumonia on April 27, 1882.

Poem Meaning

The Mountain and the squirrel

Had a quarrel

The mountain and the squirrel were quarrelling.

And the former called the latter ‘Little Prig’.

Bun replied,

The first one called the other as a “little prig” which means the mountain wanted to call the squirrel a formalist (one who tries to be an honest person in front of others). Then the little squirrel said.

You are doubtless very big;

But all sorts of things and weather

The squirrel said there is no doubt that the mountain is very big. But all types of things and weather

“Must be taken in together,

To make up a year

Should be taken all together to make a complete year.

And a sphere.

And I think it no disgrace.

And a globe. But the squirrel did not feel insulting.

To occupy my place

If I’m not so large as you

But to fill the existence or place of the squirrel. Though the squirrel is not as big as the mountain.

You are not so small as I,

And not half so spry.

The mountain was also not as tiny as the squirrel. The mountain was also not as full of life as the squirrel and not even carried half of the strength of the squirrel.

I’ll not deny you make

A very pretty squirrel track

The squirrel did not deny that the mountain made a very nice-looking squirrel track (a path or footprints)

Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;

If I cannot carry forests on my back

Competencies are different; All the things are put in a well and erudite manner. Though the squirrel could not be able to carry the whole forest on its back

Neither can you crack a nut

The mountain also could not break a nut.

Summary

The squirrel and the mountain were fighting with each other, on the squirrel’s place in the forest. But the squirrel, who is self-righteous, said though it was not as big as the mountain, it has its talents and position in the wood to live there. To make a complete year all the things and weather (all the twelve months with six seasons) should be collected. The squirrel is small but it has its significance that is different from the mountain. So there is no shame to be small or tiny. Maybe the mountain is very big but it lacks the energy and high-spirits of the squirrel. The mountain and the squirrel have different talents. The mountain can carry the whole forest on its back and the squirrel can break a nut by its teeth and tiny hands.

Here the poet wanted to say that Mother Nature made various things like animals, human beings and so many. We all have different qualities and existence. One is superior to others; this concept is wrong because everybody has their own identity, talent, and existence. In this nature, there are different types of places, landforms, animals, and human beings. One is may be completely different from the other. But none is superior to the other. Because these all the things have their specific characteristics, advantages, and limitations too. Mother Nature collects all these things to make this beautiful earth.

বাংলায় সারসংক্ষেপ

এই কবিতাটিতে প্রকৃতির দুই সৃষ্টি বিশাল পর্বত এবং ক্ষুদ্র জীব কাঠবিড়ালীর মধ্যেকার কাল্পনিক সংলাপ তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। কবিতাটির শুরুতে দেখা যাচ্ছে যে পর্বত এবং কাঠবিড়ালীর মধ্যে কার গুরুত্ব বেশি তা নিয়ে ঝগড়া শুরু হয়েছে।

পর্বত যখন কাঠবিড়ালীকে ক্ষুদ্র বলে সম্বোধন করেছে, সেই মাত্র কাঠবিড়ালী, পর্বতকে মনে করিয়ে দিয়েছে যে সে ক্ষুদ্র হলেও অপাংতেও নয়। ঋতুচক্রের ছয়টি ঋতুই যেমন সমানভাবে তাৎপর্যপূর্ণ ঠিক একই ভাবে প্রকৃতিতে বিশাল পর্বত এবং ক্ষুদ্র কাঠবিড়ালীও একই ভাবে তাৎপর্যপূর্ণ।

একটি পর্বত বিশাল স্থান অধিকার করে থাকে, কিন্তু কাঠবিড়ালীর থাকার জন্য মোটেও বেশি জায়গা লাগে না। তবে কাঠবিড়ালী স্বীকার করেছে যে পর্বত তার জন্য ভারি সুন্দর চলার রাস্তা তৈরি করেছে। তাদের দুজনের উপযোগিতা ভিন্ন, যেমন পর্বত হয়তো একটা বিশাল জঙ্গলকে ধারন করে থাকতে পারে কিন্তু কাঠবিড়ালী যত সুন্দর বাদাম ভাঙতে পারে, তা কিন্তু পর্বত পারে না।

কবি বোঝাতে চেয়েছেন যে এই প্রকৃতিতে কেউ তুচ্ছ নয়, সুবিশাল পর্বত যেমন প্রকৃতিতে ভূমিকা পালন করে ঠিক তেমন ভাবেই ক্ষুদ্র কাঠবিড়ালীও প্রকৃতিতে অপ্রয়োজনীয় নয়।

Words to Remember

· Quarrel – ঝগড়া [Synonyms- Conflict, Muss, Pandemonium]

· Sphere – গোলক [Synonyms- Environment, Globe, Zone]

· Disgrace – অপমান [Synonyms- Dispraise, Insult, Ignominy]

· Occupy – দখল করা [Synonyms- Hold, Be worth, Pervade]

· Former – প্রাক্তন [Synonyms- Previous, Past, Quondam]

· Wisely- বিজ্ঞতার সঙ্গে

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)(1 Mark)

1. The mountain and the squirrel

a. had a chat b. had a quarrel c. had a talk d. had a fight

ans. b. had a quarrel

2. By the word 'the former', the poet means

a. the squirrel b. the mountain c. the nut d. the forest

ans. b. the mountain

3. By the word 'the latter', the poet means

a. the nut b. the forest c. the mountain d. the squirrel

ans. d. the squirrel

4. Little Prig' refers to

a. the mountain b. the squirrel c. forest d. a nut

ans. b. the squirrel

5. By the word Bun', the poet means

a. a squirrel b. bread c. fun d. pun

ans. a. a squirrel

6. The squirrel thought the mountain was

a. doubtfully big b. most probably big c. doubtlessly big d. ordinarily big

ans. doubtlessly big

7. "All________ things and weather... together"

a. kind of b. sorts of c. sort of d. kinds of

ans. b. sorts of

8. The squirrel thinks that it is no________ to occupy his place.

a. insult b. joy c. fun d. disgrace

ans. d. disgrace

9. From the poem, we come to know that the squirrel is

a. nervous b. afraid c. confident d. jealous

ans. c. confident

10. In the poem, the bun is a very

a. large creature b. small creature c. fierce creature d. timid creature

ans. b. small creature

11. The squirrel says that it will not ________mountain makes a very pretty squirrel track.

a. confess b. admit c. proclaim d. deny

ans. d. deny

12. According to the squirrel the mountain has a different kind of

a. genius b. merit c. talent d. flair

ans. c. talent

13. According to the squirrel, everything in the world is put

a. ignorantly b. wisely c. foolishly d. meaningfully

ans. b. wisely

14. The mountain can carry ________ on its back.

a. jungle b. bramble c. creepers d. forests

ans. d. forests

15. 'Cracking a nut' is a

a. difficult job b. complex job c. simple job d. none of these

ans. c. simple job

16. The squirrel argues all the factors must be________ together.

a. given in b. put in c. taken in d. kept in

ans. c. taken in

17. Fable is a kind of story that has

a. squirrels as characters b. mountains as characters c. animals as characters d. animals and non-living things as characters

ans. d. animals and non-living things as characters

18. The kind of story that teaches us moral lessons is,

a. a fairy tale b. a fable c. a folk tale d. all of them

ans. b. a fable

19. The full name of the poet is

a. Ralph Waldo Emerson b. Robert Waldo Immersion c. Rolph Waldo Emerson d. Robert Waldo Immersion

ans. a. Ralph Waldo Emerson

20. The nationality of the poet was

a. Canadian b. British c. Indo-American d. American

ans. d. American

Short Answer Questions (SAQ)(2 Marks)

1. Why, do you think, the mountain and the squirrel had a quarrel?

2. How, according to the squirrel, should two things be compared?

3. How does the squirrel justify his size?

4. What, according to the squirrel, must be taken in together?

5. Why didn't the squirrel consider it to be an act of disgrace?

6. What doesn't the squirrel deny?

7. What is the mountain unable to do?

8. What does the squirrel mean by "all is well and wisely put?"

9. How does the squirrel justify its existence?

10. What was the main point of argument of the squirrel?

11. Make a list of the things that the mountain could do.

12. How did the mountain help the Bun?

13. How did the squirrel conclude his argument?

14. Mention two qualities of the mountain.

15. What is the theme of the 'Fable'?

State whether the following statements are True or False. Write 'T' for True and 'F' for False. Write words/ phrases/sentences from the text to support answer.(2 Marks)

1. Between the two, the mountain started the quarrel.

2. The mountain and the squirrel had a peaceful relationship.

3. The squirrel called itself 'Little Prig.

4. The squirrel was sure about the size of the mountain.

5. The squirrel was proud to be itself.

6. The squirrel denied that mountain was very big.

7. The track that the mountain made was not good looking

8. The squirrel was unable to carry forests on its back.

9. The squirrel thought that nothing was all right.

10. People have similar kind of genius.

Fill in the chart with information from the text.(2 Marks)

Cause

Effect

1.

1.

The mountain called the squirrel 'Little Prig'.

2.

2.

The squirrel thinks its no disgrace to occupy its place.

3.

The mountain is very large in size.

3.

SECTION - B

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

A. Fill in the blanks with appropriate verb forms.

1. Some days after the funeral, a special train ________ (was taking/had taken/took) Gandhiji's ashes to Allahabad. The compartment ________ (was decked/decked/was decking) with flowers. People on the train ________ (were singing/sang/had sung) Bhajans.

ans. took, was decked, sang

2. He now stood (defeat/ defeats/ defeated), his cries, suppressed into sobs. Then he ________ (run/ran/runs) again, this time to a temple to which people seemed to be crowding. Every little inch of space here ________ (is congested/ was congested/ are congested) with men, but he ran through people's legs.

ans. defeated, ran, was congested

3. There ________ (is/are/was) a rain-water pond behind our house in Dehradoon. It was grandfather who first ________ (show/showed/shows) me the pond-world. We chose a dry place in the shade of the old peepul tree and sat for an hour ________ (gaze/gazes/gazing) steadily at the green layer of dirt floating on the water.

ans. was, showed, gazing

4. Rabindranath used to ________ (sit/sat/sitting) by the window. He ________ (observed/has observed/ had been observing) nature from the window of his room. His writings ________ (influenced/had been influenced/were influenced) largely by the environment around.

ans. sit, observed, were influenced

5. Food ________ (keep/keeps/kept) us alive and ________ (give/gives/gave) us health. But it ________ (do/does/did) a lot of harm, if we eat more than we need.

ans. keeps, gives, does

6. Google ________ (began/begins/beginning) in January 1996 as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they ________ (are/have/ were) both PhD students at Stanford University in Stanford, California. The domain name for Google ________ (registered/is registered/was registered) on September 15, 1997.

ans. began, were, was registered

7. Surprisingly, Salim Ali ________ (have/has/had) no university degree. Although he ________ (join/joins/ joined) college, his intense dislike for mathematics did not allow him to continue his studies. He ________ (leave/leaves/left) for Burma to help his brother in his farm.

ans. had, joined, left

B. Fill in the blanks with appropriate articles and prepositions.

1. The ashes of Bapu were immersed ________ the Ganges where ________ huge crowd had gathered ________ the bank.

ans. in, a, at

2. Prof. Amartya Sen is ________ great son ________ India. He was born on 3rd November, 1933. He was named 'Amartya' ________ Rabindranath Tagore.

ans. a, of, by

3. Many fat gentlemen lived ________ Ealing and caught this train ________ town. They all started late. They all carried ________ black bag and newspaper in one hand.

ans. at, to, a

4. I was ________ my wit's end. People smiled me when they met me in ________ streets.

ans. at, at, the

5. When he returned home he did ________ course ________ Zoology and was appointed a guide at the museum of ________ Bombay Natural History Society.

ans. a, in, the

6. The Thurlow lived ________ a small hill. As though it were not high enough, the house was raised ________ as on invisible stilts, with a wooden flight of steps to ________ front door.

ans. on, up, the

7. ________ Amazon Rainforest is located ________ South America and covers ________ area of approximately 5.500,000 square kilometres.

ans. The, in, an

8. That was why I was curious ________ meet Thomas Wilson. It was ________ interesting and a bold thing he had done. Of course the end was not yet and ________ the experiment was concluded it was impossible to call it successful.

ans. to, an, until

9. The white man gazed straight ________ him into the darkness with wide-open eyes. The fear and fascination, ________ inspiration and the wonder of death ________ of death near, unavoidable, and unseen, soothed the unrest ________ his race and stirred the most indistinct, the most intimate of his thoughts.

ans. before, the, of

10. My freedom is limited ________ what is possible and legal. But am I not ________ face free to kill my neighbour provided I can do it without being found ________? Well, yes, in fact I am.

ans. to, in, out

11. ________ English newspaper published ________ а reputed business house has started their e-edition. It is going to be popular ________ the young generation.

ans. An, by, with

12. We were ________ the habit of bathing ________ a beach called ________ Baths of Tiberius.

ans. in, at, the

13. The first term ________ school came to ________ end. David went home for the holidays. In the meantime a baby had been born ________ his mother.

ans. at, an, to

C. Do as directed.

(i) Change the following sentences as directed.

1. Having finished their lunch, they made for the meeting place. (Complex)

ans. After they have finished their lunch, they made for the meeting place.

2. During my stay there I was quite well. (Complex)

ans. As long as I stayed there, I was quite well.

3. It seemed impossible that he could escape. (Simple)

ans. His escape seemed impossible.

4. Only those boys who will work hard will succeed. (Simple)

ans. Only hard-working boys will succeed.

5. I am so tired that I cannot walk. (Simple)

ans. I am too tired to walk.

6. Taking pity on the beggar the child gave him a coin. (Compound)

ans. The child took pity on the beggar and gave him a coin.

7. In the absence of the teacher, the students make noise. (Complex)

ans. When the teacher is absent, the students make noise.

8. He was poor, but he was honest. (Complex)

ans. Though he was poor, he was honest.

9. He was ill, so he could not be present. (Complex)

ans. As he was ill, he could not be present.

10. Although my father was poor, he gave me the best possible education. (Compound)

ans. My father was poor, still he gave me the best possible education.

11. If you do not surrender your arms immediately, you will be shot dead. (Compound)

ans. Surrender your arms immediately, or you will be shot dead.

12. It began to rain before we reached the house. (Negative)

ans. It began to rain not earlier than we reached the house.

13. The boy does not smoke now. (Affirmative)

ans. The boy has given up smoking.

14. I am not stronger than he. (Affirmative)

ans. I am as strong as he.

15. I shall always remember you. (Negative)

ans. I shall never forget you.

16. He tried every method. (Negative)

ans. He left no method untried.

17. I was not sure that it was you. (Affirmative)

ans. It was doubtful whether it was you.

18. The load is too heavy to lift. (Negative)

ans. The load is so heavy that none can lift it.

19. As soon as the teacher came, the students stood up. (Negative)

ans. No sooner had the teacher come than the students stood up.

20. We received the Minister respectfully. (Use noun form of 'respectfully)

ans. We received the Minister with respect.

21. I decided this myself. (use noun form of 'decided')

ans. I took this decision myself.

22. He is very wise. (Use noun form of 'wise')

ans. He possesses much wisdom.

23. Death is better than dishonour. (Use verb form of 'dishonour')

ans. It is better to die than to be dishonoured.

24. Apparently it is a good proposal, (Use verb form of apparently')

ans. It appears to be a good proposal.

25. They differ from each other. (Use noun form of "differ')

ans. There is a difference between them.

26. The student gave a correct answer to the question. (Use "answer' as a verb)

ans. The student answered the question correctly.

27. What is he? (Make it Affirmative)

ans. Let us know about his profession.

28. Nobody is free from sin. (Make it Interrogative)

ans. Who is free from sin?

29. You want to give the toy to someone. (Make it Interrogative)

ans. Whom do you want to give the toy?

30. How nice is it to see you again? (Make it Assertive)

ans. It is so nice to see you again.

31. I want to know the reason of your coming late in the class. (Make it Interrogative)

ans. Why do you come late in the class?

32. Wherein lies his strength? (Make it Assertive)

ans. I like to know the source of his strength.

33. How beautiful is the night! (Make it Assertive)

ans. The night is very beautiful.

34. What a nice thing it is! (Make it Assertive)

ans. It is a very nice thing.

35. I saw a bear, I ran away. (Join using a participle)

ans. Seeing a bear, I ran away.

(ii) Change the degree of the following sentences as directed.

1. He is as tall as Sujata. (Comparative)

ans. Sujata is not taller than he.

2. Silver is not so precious as gold. (Comparative)

ans. Gold is more precious than silver.

3. He is more intelligent than you. (Positive)

ans. You are not so intelligent as he.

4. Kalidas is greater than any other poet of modern India. (Superlative)

ans. Kalidas is the greatest poet of modern India.

5. The sun is the biggest planet. (Positive, Comparative)

ans. No other planet is so big as the sun. The sun is bigger than any other planet.

6. Very few poets in the world are as great as Rabindranath. (Comparative, Superlative)

ans. Rabindranath is greater than most other poets in the world. Rabindranath is one of the greatest poets in the world.

7. He is one of the best boys in the class. (Positive, Comparative)

ans. Very few boys in the class are as good as he. He is better than most other boys in the class.

8. She is the most beautiful girl in the locality. (Positive, Comparative)

ans. No other girl in the locality is as beautiful as she. She is more beautiful than any other girl in the locality.

(iii) Change the voice of the following sentences.

1. Open the door.

ans. Let the door be opened.

2. Please do not smoke.

ans. You are requested not to smoke.

3. Respect your superiors.

ans. Your superiors should be respected.

4. Love all men.

ans. All men should be loved.

5. She does not read the novel.

ans. The novel is not read by her.

6. The woman looks after the child.

ans. The child is looked after by the woman.

7. His behaviour astonished me.

ans. I was astonished at his behaviour.

8. Tears filled her eyes.

ans. Her eyes were filled with tears.

9. The drama interested us.

ans. We were interested in the drama.

10. The lady killed herself.

ans. The lady was killed by herself.

11. Somebody has stolen my purse.

ans. My purse has been stolen.

12. A picture is drawn by him.

ans. He draws a picture.

13. A bag is being taken by him.

ans. He is taking a bag.

14. The glass jar has been broken by me.

ans. I have broken the glass jar.

15. The room was being cleaned by her.

ans. She was cleaning the room.

16. The boy had been scolded by you.

ans. You had scolded the boy.

17. The lame man was laughed at by the boy.

ans. The boy laughed at the lame man.

18. The prize was won by the boy.

ans. The boy won the prize.

19. The match may be won by you.

ans. You may win the match.

20. We were charmed at your manner.

ans. Your manner charmed us.

21. The stage was flooded with the light.

ans. The light flooded the stage.

22. The man is known to me.

ans. I know the man.

23. The lady was interested in the book.

ans. The book interested the lady.

24. He was made president by them.

ans. They made him president.

25. Do you read the book?

ans. Is the book read by you?.

(iv) Change the mode of narration.

1. Samar says, "I have bought a pen."

ans. Samar says that he has bought a pen.

2. She said to me, "How happy you are!"

ans. He told me that I was very happy.

3. He said, "I have come."

ans. He said that he had gone.

4. He said, "What a sight!"

ans. He exclaimed in joy that it was a beautiful sight.

5. He said, 'Honesty is the best policy.'

ans. He said that honesty is the best policy.

6. He said, "We are happy here."

ans. He said that they were happy there.

7. He said to you, "May God bless you."

ans. He prayed that God might bless you.

8. Father said to me, "Will you not go to school?"

ans. Father asked me if I would not go to school.

9. He said to me, "Have you bought the project book?"

ans. He asked me if I had bought the project book.

10. He said to her, "What are you doing?"

ans. He asked her what she was doing.

11. Mother said to me, "Where did he go?"

ans. Mother asked me where he had gone.

12. He said, "Let us play."

ans. He proposed that we should play.

13. The police said to him, "Obey the traffic rules."

ans. The police ordered him to obey the traffic rules.

14. I said to him, "Please give me some money."

ans. I requested him to kindly give me some money.

15. Parijat said, "Let us visit the Book Fair."

ans. Parijat suggested that they should visit the book fair.

16. He said to me, "Do not go there."

ans. He advised / ordered / told me not to go there.

17. He says, "I shall not attend the class."

ans. He says that he will not attend the class.

18. He said, "Did you see the mad man."

ans. He asked if he had seen the mad man.

19. He said, "Let me come in."

ans. He requested that he might be allowed to go in.

20. She said, "Alas! I have lost my sight."

ans. She cried out in sorrow that she had lost his sight.

21. She said to her mother, "Let me help her."

ans. She requested her mother that she might be allowed to help her.

22. He said, "The Earth moves round the Sun."

ans. He said that the earth moves round the sun.

23. The boy said, "Had I the wings of bird!"

ans. The boy wished that he might have the wings of bird.

24. She said, "Good-bye, my friends!"

ans. She bade her friends good-bye.

D. Replace the underlined words with correct phrasal verbs.

1. He could not tolerate such indecent behaviour.

ans. bear with

2. My father reared me very strictly.

ans. brought up

3. The work demands endurance and patience.

ans. calls for

4. He obeyed the plan without difficulty.

ans. carried out

5. I met my friend by chance on the way.

ans. came across

6. The unconscious man slowly began to recover.

ans. come round

7. I don't want to quarrel with you.

ans. fall out

8. All their plans have failed.

ans. fallen through

9. The old lady descended from the bus.

ans. got down

10. We will assemble before we start.

ans. get together

11. Traffic was delayed for an hour for escorting the VIPs to the city.

ans. held up

12. He was stricken to the ground by a speeding taxi.

ans. knocked down

13. One should put aside some money for future.

ans. lay aside

14. I requested him to investigate the matter.

ans. look into

15. I cannot understand the meaning of what you say.

ans. make out

16. He died at midnight last night.

ans. passed away

17. His father reserved a large sum of money for future use.

ans. put aside

18. The soldiers exploded the opponent's camp.

ans. blew up

19. The burglar entered by force the house.

ans. broke into

20. When is your publisher publishing your new book?

ans. bringing out

21. I shall visit the doctor's chamber today.

ans. call at

22. The go-slow agitation was cancelled.

ans. called off

23. We have abandoned our old prejudices.

ans. cast aside

24. How did you get this job?

ans. come by

25. She distributed the money to the poor.

ans. gave away

26. This action opposes my conscience.

ans. goes against

27. He continued till the work was finished.

ans. kept on look

28. We must not despise the leper.

ans. down upon

29. They extinguish the flames.

ans. put out

30. He established a school for poor children.

ans. set up

31. The baby really resembles his father.

ans. takes after

32. They rejected my proposal.

ans. turned down

33. Put down your demands on this paper.

ans. Write down

34. I cannot remember his name.

ans. call up

35. The dacoits escaped suddenly from the prison.

ans. broke away