NCERT Solutions for Class 6 English Poorvi Poem – The Raven and the Fox by Jean de La Fontaine (NCERT 2026–27)

Complete NCERT solutions for the Class 6 English Poorvi Unit 1 (Fables and Folk Tales) poem The Raven and the Fox by Jean de La Fontaine. This page gives the central idea, a stanza-wise summary, all hard word meanings, and every exercise — Let us discuss, Let us think and reflect and Let us learn — answered in full, plus the Let us listen / speak / write / explore activities, extra questions, MCQs, assertion–reason questions, exam tips and FAQs. Questions are reproduced word-for-word from the textbook; the answers are original and exam-ready. If you searched for The Raven and the Fox Class 6 question answer, everything you need is here.

Class: 6 Subject: English Book: Poorvi Unit: 1 – Fables and Folk Tales Type: Poem Poet: Jean de La Fontaine Session: 2026–27

Poem Overview
About the Poet
Central Idea & Stanza Summary
Word Meanings
Poetic Devices
Complete NCERT Exercise Solutions
Extra Questions
MCQs & Answer Key
Assertion–Reason Questions
FAQs

Poem Overview

“The Raven and the Fox” is a famous fable retold in verse. A raven sits on the branch of a tree holding a tasty piece of food (a morsel) in his beak. A clever fox named Reynard wants the food. Instead of fighting for it, the fox uses flattery: he praises the raven’s handsome feathers and says that if such a fine bird would only sing, all the birds of the woods would call him King. Filled with foolish pride, the raven opens his beak to sing — and the food drops straight down. The fox grabs it and laughs, teaching the raven a lesson: do not be fooled by sweet, flattering words, because pride is unwise. The poem entertains children while gently warning them against vanity and false praise.

About the Poet – Jean de La Fontaine

Jean de La Fontaine (1621–1695) was a celebrated French poet best known for his Fables, a collection of short animal stories told in verse. Drawing on older storytellers such as Aesop, he reshaped these tales into lively, witty poems that carry a clear moral. His animals — foxes, ravens, lions, ants and grasshoppers — behave like human beings, allowing him to comment gently on human nature, especially on greed, pride and foolishness. “The Raven and the Fox” (originally Le Corbeau et le Renard) is one of his most loved fables. La Fontaine’s fables are read and enjoyed by children all over the world even today because their lessons remain timeless.

Central Idea & Stanza Summary

Central idea: The poem teaches that we should not be carried away by flattery. Sweet, exaggerated praise is often a trick used to fool the proud. The raven loses his food because his vanity makes him forget good sense, while the clever fox wins by using clever words. The moral is simple: ignore false flattery and never let pride make you act foolishly.

Stanza 1 – The fox spots the food: Mr Raven is perched (sitting) on the branch of a tree. Reynard the Fox, looking up, sees that the raven holds a tasty morsel of food in his big beak — a piece of food the fox would gladly travel far to get.

Stanza 2 – The fox flatters the raven: Speaking in admiring tones, the fox calls the raven a handsome bird with wonderful feathers. He says that if such a fine bird would only sing, all the birds of the woods would call him their King — clearly tempting the raven to open his beak.

Stanza 3 – The raven is fooled: The raven does not understand the fox’s trick. Forgetting that his voice is only an ugly croak, he opens his beak in foolish pride to sing — and the morsel he was holding falls down to the ground, exactly as the fox had hoped.

Stanza 4 – The lesson: The fox laughs “Ha-ha!” and snatches the food. He tells the raven the lesson he has learnt: ignore sweet words that make you feel proud, because pride is rather unwise. The fox is sure that this teaching has come as quite a surprise to the raven.

Word Meanings (शब्दार्थ)

Word	English Meaning	हिंदी अर्थ
raven	a large black bird similar to a crow	एक बड़ा काला पक्षी (कौवे जैसा)
perched	sat on a branch or edge	डाली पर बैठा हुआ
limb	a branch of a tree	पेड़ की डाली/शाखा
morsel	a small piece of food	भोजन का छोटा टुकड़ा, ग्रास
beak	the hard pointed mouth of a bird	चोंच
seek	to look for something	खोजना, ढूँढना
admiring	showing praise and approval	प्रशंसा भरा
handsome	good-looking, attractive	सुंदर, आकर्षक
feathers	the soft light parts covering a bird	पंख
woods	a small forest with similar trees	छोटा जंगल, वन
croak	a deep, rough sound (as of a frog or raven)	काँव-काँव/कर्कश आवाज़
foolish	silly; lacking good sense	मूर्खतापूर्ण
pride	too high an opinion of oneself	घमंड, अभिमान
eyed	looked at with interest	ललचाई नज़र से देखा
ignore	to take no notice of something	अनदेखा करना
glow	to shine; to feel a warm pleasure	दमकना; गर्व से फूलना
unwise	not sensible; foolish	नासमझ, बुद्धिहीन
teaching	a lesson or moral	शिक्षा, सीख

Poetic Devices in the Poem

Device	Explanation / Example from the poem
Rhyme	The poem rhymes in couplets (aabb): limb–him, beak–seek, word–bird, sing–King, joke–croak, pride–eyed, know–glow, unwise–surprise.
Alliteration	Repetition of a beginning sound: “great big beak”; “Fox would go far”; “Such feathers… sing”.
Personification	The raven and the fox are given human qualities — they talk, flatter, feel pride and laugh.
Dialogue	The fox speaks directly: “My word! Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird”; “Ha-ha!… Pride, my friend, is rather unwise.”
Irony	The raven is praised as a fine singer, yet his voice is “just a croak”; his pride causes the very loss the praise hid.
Moral / Fable	Like all fables, the poem ends with a clear lesson: ignore flattery and do not be proud.

Complete NCERT Exercise Solutions

Let us do these activities before we read

I. We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?

ANSWERYes. A raven (a large black bird like a crow) does not sing sweetly. Its voice is a harsh, deep “croak” — the same kind of rough sound a frog makes. This fact is important in the poem, because the fox tricks the raven into opening his beak to “sing”, even though the raven can only croak.

II. Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct answer. 1. tiger 2. fox 3. bear

ANSWER2. fox. In most stories and fables, the fox is shown as clever and cunning. In this poem too, the fox uses clever, flattering words to fool the raven and get his food.

Let us discuss

I. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option.

ANSWER 1. Stanza 1 (i) Mr Raven is a bird. (ii) The name of the fox is Reynard. (iii) Mr Raven had a piece of food in his beak. 2. Stanza 2 (i) The Fox calls the Raven a good-looking bird. (ii) The Fox asks the Raven to sing. (iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the woods. 3. Stanza 3 (i) The Raven forgot that he croaked. (ii) The Raven opened its beak to sing. (iii) The food fell down. 4. Stanza 4 (i) The Fox laughed at the Raven. (ii) It is not wise to be too proud of oneself. (iii) The Raven learnt a lesson.

II. Read the poem again and match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B.

ANSWER

Column A	Column B (Meaning)
1. perched	(iv) sat on a branch
2. morsel	(i) a small piece of food
3. seek	(v) to look for something
4. pride	(iii) feeling that you are better than others
5. eyed	(ii) looked with interest at something
6. limb	(vii) branch of a tree
7. woods	(vi) a smaller area of forest with similar kind of trees

Let us think and reflect

I. Look at the pictures and number them in the order that they happen in the poem.

ANSWER Number the pictures to follow the story’s order of events: 1. The raven sits on the branch with the piece of food in his beak. 2. The fox looks up and praises the raven, asking him to sing. 3. The proud raven opens his beak to sing and the food falls down. 4. The fox grabs the food and laughs, while the raven sits with an empty beak. Note: match these four stages to the actual pictures printed in your book; the events themselves are fixed in this order.

II. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow. 1. Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird. / Such feathers! If you would only sing, / The birds of these woods would call you King.

(i) ‘Such feathers’ refer to ________ feathers. A. shiny and beautiful B. black and dull C. grey and long D. short and unattractive

ANSWERA. shiny and beautiful. The fox is flattering the raven, so he praises his feathers as fine and attractive.

(ii) Why would the birds of the woods call the Raven ‘King’?

ANSWERThe fox says that if the handsome raven, with his beautiful feathers, could also sing beautifully, then he would have everything that makes a bird great. Such a perfect bird would be admired by all the other birds, who would therefore honour him as their King. (It is only flattery — the fox does not mean it.)

(iii) Why does the Fox address the Raven as ‘Sir’?

ANSWERThe fox calls the raven “Sir” to show false respect and to flatter him. By treating the raven as an important, noble bird, the fox makes him feel proud and pleased, so that he will be tempted to open his beak and “sing”.

2. The Raven, who did not see the joke, / Forgot that his voice was just a croak. / He opened his beak, in his foolish pride– (i) Why did the Raven open his beak?

ANSWERThe raven opened his beak because he wanted to sing and prove that he truly was a fine bird, as the fox had said. Filled with foolish pride after the flattery, he forgot the food in his beak — and so it fell down.

(ii) Complete the following with one word from the given lines. Fox : clever : : Raven : ______________

ANSWERfoolish — just as the fox is clever, the raven is foolish.

III. Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a croak?

ANSWERThe raven forgets because the fox’s sweet flattery makes him very proud. The praise of his looks and the idea of being called “King” fill his head, so that he no longer thinks clearly. In his pride he believes he can sing beautifully and forgets the truth — that his voice is only a rough croak.

IV. How does Reynard make the Raven sing?

ANSWERReynard the fox flatters the raven with admiring words. He calls him a handsome bird with wonderful feathers and says that if only he would sing, all the birds would call him King. Tempted by this praise and filled with pride, the raven opens his beak to sing.

V. Why does Reynard say that pride is not wise?

ANSWERReynard says pride is unwise because it made the raven act foolishly. The raven was so proud after the flattery that he opened his beak to sing and lost his food. The fox means that being too proud makes a person careless and easy to fool, which leads to loss.

VI. Give one reason why the teaching is quite a surprise.

ANSWERThe teaching is a surprise because the raven expected sweet praise and the chance to show off, not a hard lesson. Instead of being honoured as “King”, he is fooled, loses his food and is taught about pride — the very opposite of what the fox’s flattering words had promised.

VII. Imagine someone praises you too much. How would you react? (Open / value-based — sample answer)

SAMPLE ANSWERIf someone praised me too much, I would thank them politely but stay calm and careful. I would not let the praise make me proud or careless. I would remember the lesson of this poem and ask myself whether the person truly means it or only wants something from me, so that I am not fooled like the raven.
This is a personal-opinion answer; write your own honest response in your notebook.

Let us learn

I. Write the rhyming words from the poem. One has been done for you.

ANSWER Stanza 1: (i) limb–him (ii) beak–seek Stanza 2: (i) word–bird (ii) sing–King Stanza 3: (i) joke–croak (ii) pride–eyed Stanza 4: (i) know–glow (ii) unwise–surprise

II. Study the underlined words in the poem. (Alliteration is a repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.) Now, pick another example of alliteration from Stanza 2.

ANSWER Examples of alliteration from Stanza 2 include: • “Such feathers! If you would only sing” — the /s/ sound is repeated. • “would only sing, / The birds of these woods would call you King” — the /w/ sound is repeated. Any one such pair beginning with the same sound is a correct answer.

III. Choose the correct opposites from the box (wise, happy, notice, humility, dim, flew, cried, remembered, silly) and complete the table.

ANSWER

Word	Opposite
1. perched	flew
2. forgot	remembered
3. foolish	wise
4. pride	humility
5. laughed	cried
6. ignore	notice
7. glow	dim

Sentences of your own (any four — samples): • It is wise to listen carefully before you speak. • A good leader treats everyone with humility. • The bird flew away as soon as it saw the cat. • I always notice when my friend is feeling sad. Note: the box contains two extra words (happy, silly) that are not needed.

Let us listen

I. You will listen to what the crow did after he lost his food. As you listen, mark the given statements as True or False. (refer to page 37 for transcript) 1. The crow was unhappy that he lost his food. 2. The crow thought that his lovely feathers made him smart. 3. The crow wanted to tell his friends not to be proud.

ANSWER (based on the textbook transcript) 1. True — the crow felt really sad because the fox had cheated him. 2. False — the crow felt he was smart even without beautiful feathers; he did not think his feathers made him smart. 3. True — he set out to tell all the other animals to be careful with words and not to let pride lose what they have. This is a listening task; the answers above are checked against the transcript printed in the textbook. Always listen carefully in class before marking.

Let us speak

Narrate the poem in the form of a story. Give a different ending to the story. You may begin like this: “This is a story about a clever fox named Reynard and Mr Raven. One day…”

SAMPLE ANSWER (new ending)This is a story about a clever fox named Reynard and Mr Raven. One day, the raven sat on a branch with a tasty piece of food in his beak. Reynard, who was hungry, looked up and began to praise him: “What a handsome bird! Such feathers! If only you would sing, all the birds would call you King.” But this time the raven remembered an old warning from his mother. He did not open his beak. Instead, he nodded politely, flew a little higher, and only then ate his food in peace. The fox went away hungry — and the raven had learnt that ignoring sweet, false words can keep us safe.
This is a speaking activity; prepare your own version aloud and create your own different ending.

Let us write

Now, write the story you narrated in the form of a conversation. (Remember to write only the actions for the Raven as he has food in his mouth and does not speak.) You may begin like this — “Reynard: Good morning, Mr Raven! You seem to be awake so early!” (Mr Raven just nods his head)

SAMPLE ANSWER Reynard: Good morning, Mr Raven! You seem to be awake so early! (Mr Raven just nods his head.) Reynard: Oh, Mr Raven, you look so handsome today. What wonderful, shining feathers you have! (Mr Raven puffs out his chest proudly but keeps his beak shut.) Reynard: If a bird as fine as you would only sing, the whole forest would surely call you their King. (Mr Raven tilts his head, tempted, then suddenly remembers the food in his beak and shakes his head.) Reynard: Won’t you sing even one little song for me? (Mr Raven flies up to a higher branch, far from the fox, and quietly eats his food.) Reynard: (sighing) This raven is wiser than I thought. Sweet words did not fool him today! This is a writing activity; use this only as a model and write the conversation in your own words.

Let us explore

Origami is the art of folding objects out of paper. Let us make stick puppets and enact the poem. (You may use the puppets while narrating the story.)

GUIDED ACTIVITYMake two simple stick puppets — one raven and one fox. (1) Draw a raven and a fox on thick paper or fold them with origami and colour them. (2) Cut out the figures and stick (paste) each onto an ice-cream stick or a thin wooden/plastic stick. (3) Add a small paper “morsel” of food for the raven’s beak. (4) Hold one puppet in each hand and act out the poem: the raven perched with food, the fox flattering him, the food falling, and the fox laughing. Narrate the story aloud while moving the puppets.
This is a craft-and-performance activity to do with your teacher and classmates; there is no single fixed answer.

Extra Questions with Answers

Short Answer Questions (30–40 words)

Q1. Where was the raven sitting and what was he holding?
The raven was perched (sitting) on the branch, or “limb”, of a tree. He was holding a tasty morsel — a small piece of food — in his great big beak, which the hungry fox wanted very much. Q2. What is the name of the fox in the poem?
The fox in the poem is named Reynard. He is clever and cunning, and he tricks the raven into dropping his food by using flattering, admiring words. Q3. What did the fox want and how did he try to get it?
The fox wanted the food in the raven’s beak. Instead of fighting, he flattered the raven, praising his feathers and asking him to sing, so that the raven would open his beak and drop the food. Q4. What happened when the raven opened his beak?
When the proud raven opened his beak to sing, the morsel of food he was holding fell straight down to the ground. The waiting fox quickly grabbed it and laughed. Q5. What lesson does the fox teach the raven?
The fox teaches the raven to ignore sweet, flattering words that make him feel proud. He says that pride is unwise, because being too proud can make a person foolish and easy to trick.

Long Answer Questions (100–120 words)

Q1. How did the fox trick the raven? Describe the events of the poem.
The fox was clever and wanted the food in the raven’s beak. He knew he could not snatch it, so he used flattery instead. Looking up, he praised the raven in admiring tones, calling him a handsome bird with wonderful feathers, and said that if only he would sing, all the birds of the woods would call him King. The raven did not see the joke. Filled with foolish pride, he forgot that his voice was only a croak and forgot the food in his beak. He opened his beak to sing, and the morsel fell down. The fox grabbed it, laughed, and taught the raven that pride is unwise. Q2. What is the moral of ‘The Raven and the Fox’ and why is it useful today?
The moral of the poem is that we should not be fooled by flattery, and that pride is unwise. The raven loses his food because sweet, false praise makes him proud and careless. This lesson is very useful even today. In daily life, people sometimes praise us too much because they want something from us, or to make us proud and careless. If we, like the raven, believe such flattery and act on it, we may end up losing something important. The poem teaches us to stay humble, think clearly, and judge praise carefully instead of letting it go to our heads. Q3. Compare the characters of the raven and the fox.
The raven and the fox are very different. The raven is proud, foolish and easily flattered. He believes the fox’s false praise, forgets that his voice is only a croak, and loses his food because of his vanity. The fox, on the other hand, is clever, cunning and patient. He understands the raven’s weakness — his pride — and uses smooth, admiring words to get what he wants. He does not act in a hurry or by force; he wins by being smart. Through these two contrasting characters, the poet shows that cleverness can defeat foolish pride, and warns readers against being vain and gullible.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Who wrote the poem ‘The Raven and the Fox’?

(a) Sudha Murty (b) Jean de La Fontaine (c) Ruskin Bond (d) Aesop

2. What is the name of the fox in the poem?

(a) Rama (b) Reynard (c) Mahipati (d) Mr Raven

3. Where was the raven perched?

(a) on a rock (b) on the ground (c) upon a limb (branch) (d) on a wall

4. What was the raven holding in his beak?

(a) a leaf (b) a twig (c) a morsel of food (d) a worm only

5. The word ‘morsel’ means —

(a) a large meal (b) a small piece of food (c) a branch (d) a song

6. How did the fox try to get the food?

(a) by force (b) by flattery and sweet words (c) by climbing the tree (d) by asking politely

7. The fox said the birds would call the raven —

(a) King (b) Sir (c) singer (d) friend

8. What is the raven’s voice actually like?

(a) sweet (b) musical (c) just a croak (d) silent

9. Why did the food fall down?

(a) the wind blew it (b) the raven opened his beak to sing (c) the fox jumped (d) it slipped on its own

10. What lesson does the poem teach?

(a) to be greedy (b) to fly high (c) to ignore flattery and not be proud (d) to sing loudly

Answer Key: 1-(b), 2-(b), 3-(c), 4-(c), 5-(b), 6-(b), 7-(a), 8-(c), 9-(b), 10-(c)

Assertion–Reason Questions

For each, choose: (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. (b) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A. (c) A is true but R is false. (d) A is false but R is true.

1. Assertion (A): The fox praised the raven’s feathers and asked him to sing.

Reason (R): The fox wanted to flatter the raven so that he would open his beak and drop the food.

Answer: (a) — R correctly explains why the fox flattered the raven.

2. Assertion (A): The raven lost his food.

Reason (R): The raven opened his beak in foolish pride to sing.

Answer: (a) — R correctly explains how the raven lost his food.

3. Assertion (A): The raven has a sweet, musical singing voice.

Reason (R): The poem says his voice was “just a croak”.

Answer: (d) — A is false (his voice is only a croak); R is true.

4. Assertion (A): The fox is shown as a clever animal.

Reason (R): He uses smart, flattering words instead of force to get the food.

Answer: (a) — R correctly explains the fox’s cleverness.

5. Assertion (A): The poem teaches that pride is unwise.

Reason (R): The fox lives in the woods with the raven.

Answer: (b) — Both statements are true, but R does not explain the moral of the poem.

📌 Exam Tips

• Remember the two characters clearly: the raven is proud and foolish; the fox (Reynard) is clever and cunning.
• Learn the moral in one line: “Ignore flattery; pride is unwise.” It answers many questions.
• For rhyme questions, memorise the couplet pairs (limb–him, beak–seek, word–bird, sing–King, joke–croak, pride–eyed, know–glow, unwise–surprise).
• Quote short phrases — “just a croak”, “in his foolish pride”, “handsome bird” — to support your answers and earn extra marks.
• For device questions, name the device and give a one-line reason.

⚠ Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Do not write that the raven sang beautifully — his voice is only a croak.
• Do not confuse the names: the fox is Reynard; “Mr Raven” is the bird.
• The fox did not take the food by force or climb the tree — he used flattery.
• ‘Morsel’ is a small piece of food, not a branch or a leaf.
• Do not call “Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird” a true compliment — it is flattery (false praise).
• Spell the names correctly: Reynard, raven, and the poet Jean de La Fontaine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who wrote ‘The Raven and the Fox’ in Class 6 Poorvi?

The poem was written by Jean de La Fontaine (1621–1695), a famous French poet known for his collection of animal fables told in verse.

What is the moral of ‘The Raven and the Fox’?

The moral is that we should not be fooled by flattery and should never be too proud. The raven loses his food because sweet, false praise makes him vain and careless, while the clever fox wins by using smart words.

How did the fox get the raven’s food?

The fox flattered the raven, praising his feathers and asking him to sing. Filled with foolish pride, the raven opened his beak to sing, and the food fell down — the fox quickly grabbed it.

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