Lesson 2 – Aesop's Fables
stag: a male deer.
spindly: very long and thin. stately: grand.
brooding: thinking sadly for a long time.
hot on his trail: very close to him, about to catch him.
thicket: When many trees, bushes, etc. grow close together, they form a thicket.
manger: long open box in a cattle shed. Cattle eat hay kept for them in the manger.
hay: cut and dried grass used as food for animals.
stall: part of a cattle shed or stable. Generally, each animal has one stall for itself.
begrudge: be unwilling to give, be unhappy that someone is getting something.
Things to do
1. Answer the following questions:
(a) Name the person who first told these fables.
Ans: The person who first told these fables was a wise person called Aesop.
(b) What did the stag like about himself? Why?
Ans: The stag liked his beautiful curving antlers. He liked the antlers because they were graceful and added to his beauty.
(c) What was the stag unhappy with? Why?
Ans: The stag was unhappy with his legs. He found his legs to be ugly and spindly, with small feet.
(d) What did the dog do when the ox went near the manger?
Ans: When the ox went near the manger, the dog snarled, barked, and snapped at the ox. The dog would not allow the ox to eat his hay.
(e) Write the message of each of these two stories.
Ans: The messages of the two stories are:
(I) The Stag at the Pool: Very often, we dislike the very things that are most useful to us.
(II) The Dog in the Manger: Don’t begrudge others what you don’t enjoy yourself.
2. Read aloud the following speeches from the lesson.
(a) What the stag said when he saw his reflection.
Ans: “How handsome I look!” he said to himself. “How beautiful are these curving antlers! How they add to my beauty! How graceful they look!”
(b) What the stag said at the end.
Ans: “I realize now that my ugly feet saved my life. I was so proud of these handsome antlers, but they would have been the cause of my death. Very often, we dislike the very things that are most useful to us.”
(c) What the ox said to the dog in the manger.
Ans: “Dog, if you wanted to share my dinner with me, I would not mind it. But you neither eat the hay nor allow me to enjoy it. It is of no use to you. Then why don’t you let me have my favourite food? Don’t begrudge others what you don’t enjoy yourself.”
3. Find the smaller words hidden in the following words :
reflection
Ans: reflect, for, fire
delighted
Ans: light, eight, get
graceful
Ans: grace, race, ace
hunter
Ans: hunt, hut, true
thicket
Ans: thick, kite, hit
growth
Ans: grow, row, hot
dislike
Ans: like, kid, lid
afternoon
Ans: after, noon, eat
firmly
Ans: firm, rim, fry
upset
Ans: up, set, put
4. Find synonyms for:
delighted
Ans: happy
beautiful
Ans: pretty
disgusted
Ans: disapproval
bounded
Ans: ran away
5. The stag saw his reflection in the water. Name at least three things in which one may see a reflection. Name three things that do not reflect anything.
Ans:
The three things in which one may see a reflection are:
water
mirror
metal
The three things that do not reflect anything are:
plastic
soil
paper
6. Find and write the names of ten countries.
Ans:
- India
- United States of America
- Nepal
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- South Africa
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Dubai
7. With the help of your teacher, make a collection of idioms and proverbs that mention birds and animals.
Example:
To let the cat out of the bag.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Ans:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Like a fish out of water.
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Busy as a bee.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
As the crow flies.
Sly as a fox.
Kill two birds with one stone.
When pigs fly.
A leopard can’t change its spots.