Grade 8 English

Chapter -1
(Poem): THE ANT AND THE CRICKET
STANZAS WISE EXPLANATION
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow each:

I. A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing

Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come. (Page 21)

Explanation of the above lines:

Once there was a foolish young cricket. It was his habit to pass the sunny
months of summer and spring in singing. When winter came, he began to
grumble. There was nothing to eat. His cupboard at his home was empty.
Multiple Choice Questions of the above lines:
1. The passage is taken from
(a) Geography Lesson
(b) On the Grasshopper and Cricket
(c) The Ant and the Cricket
(d) The Duck and the Kangaroo.
Answer: 1. (c) The Ant and the Cricket

2. The two qualities of the Cricket described here are

(a) foolish and a singer
(b) wise and a singer
(c) foolish and a writer
(d) intelligent and a speaker.
Answers: 2. (a) foolish and a singer

3. The weather in the poem is

(a) warm and gay
(b) cold and dry
(c) rainy and stormy
(d) hot and sunny.
Answers: 3. (b) cold and dry
4. ‘Accustomed to’ means
(a) happy
(b) unhappy
(c) used to
(d) irritated.
Answers: 4. (c) used to

II. Not a crumb to be found

On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me ?” (Page 21)

Explanation of the above lines:

 The cricket did not find any food in winter. There was ice everywhere. Neither a
flower nor a leaf on a tree could be seen. The cricket wondered aloud what would become of
him.
Appreciation question for the above lines:

1. Who was looking for the crumbs?

Answers: The Cricket was looking for the crumbs.

2. What did the Cricket usually do?

Answers: Usually the Cricket sang.

3. Why was the Cricket worried?

Answers: The Cricket was worried because he had no food. 

III. At last by starvation and famine made bold,

All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant (Page 21)
Explanation of the above lines:
 The cricket came on the verge of death. He was dying of hunger. So he took courage.
Wet with rain and shivering with cold, he went to a miserly ant. He wanted to know if the ant
would help him keep alive.

Multiple Choice Questions of the above lines:

1. Who was suffering from starvation and famine?
(a) the Ant
(b) the Cricket
(c) the poet
(d) a man.
Answers: 1. (b) the Cricket

2. Why was he dripping with wet?

(a) It was raining hard.
(b) He had dived in a pond.
(c) He had no shelter.
(d) He had taken a bath.
Answers: 2. (c) He had no shelter

3. What did he expect to get from the miserly ant?

(a) good advice
(b) food
(c) shelter
(d) food and shelter.
Answers: 3. (d) food and shelter

4. What does the word ‘grant mean?

(a) kind
(b) generous
(c) take
(d) give.
Answers: 4. (d) give

IV. Him shelter from rain,

And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow. (Page 21)
Explanation of the above lines:
 The cricket requested the ant to give him protection from rain. He also wanted a small
quantity of food. His intention was to repay the debt soon. He said that if the ant was not
kind, he would die.

Appreciation question for the above lines:

1. Who is ‘him’ in the first line?

Answers: ‘Him’ refers to the Cricket.

2. What did he want?

Answers: He wanted food and shelter.

3. From whom did he hope to borrow?

Answers: He hoped to borrow from the ant.

4. Give the opposite of the word ‘borrow’.

Answers: lend.

V. Says the ant to the

cricket, “I’m your servant
and friend,
but we ants never
borrow; we ants never
lend.
But tell me, dear cricket,
did you lay nothing by
When the weather was
warm ?” Quoth the cricket,
“Not I! (Page 22)

Explanation of the above lines:

The ant said to the cricket. “I am your servant and friend. However, it is our principle
that we neither borrow nor lend. But, dear cricket, did you not save anything for the bad
weather during the warm days ?” The cricket said that he didn’t.
Multiple Choice Questions of the above lines:
1. What do you think that of the ant’s behaviour? What was it like?
(a) a servant
(b) a friend
(c) both
(d) neither
Answers: 1. (d) neither

2. What do the ants not do according to the passage ?

(a) don’t borrow
(b) neither borrow nor lend
(c) don’t lend
(d) don’t help.
Answers: 2. (b) neither borrow nor lend

3. The ant scolded the Cricket because

(a) he never lent
(b) he never borrowed
(c) he never saved
(d) he was foolish.
Answers: 3. (c) he never saved

4. The word ‘Quoth’ means

(a) wept
(b) laughed
(c) said
(d) asked.
Answers: 4. (c) said

VI. My heart, was so light

That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
“You sang, Sir, you say?
Go then,” says the ant, “and dance the winter away.” (Page 22)

Explanation of the above lines:

“I felt so light at heart that I sang and sang all through the day and night. Every object
of nature seemed very happy”, (said the cricket). The ant said, “Sir, if you passed the
summer in singing, pass the winter in dancing”.
Appreciation question for the above lines:

1. Whose heart was it? How did it feel?

Answers: It was Cricket’s heart. It felt very happy.

2. What did he do?

Answers: He sang day and night.

3. How was the weather?

Answers: The weather was fine.

4. Who questions the wisdom of his action?

Answers: The weather was fine.

VII. Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,

And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
Folks call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true:
Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.

Explanation of the above lines:

So saying he (the ant) closed the door. So the poor young cricket came out of the ant’s
house. People say that it’s a story with a moral. The poet believes it’s true. He says that there
are people in the world who behave like that cricket of the story.

Multiple Choice Questions of the above lines:

1. Who lifted the wicket?
(a) the Ant
(b) the Cricket
(c) the poet
(d) a man.
Answers: 1. (a) the Ant

2. Why did he lift the wicket?

(a) because it was so light.
(b) because he was tired.
(c) because he wanted his visitor to go.
(d) because it was cold.
Answers: 2. (c) because he wanted his visitor to go
3. What does the poet mean when he says that ‘some crickets have two legs’ ?
(a) These are some strange crickets with two legs.
(b) The poet dislikes all crickets.
(c) The poet is referring to people who do not save for a rainy day.
(d) All men are crickets with two legs.
Answers: 3. (c) The poet is referring to people who do not save for a rainy day.

4. The word ‘fable’ here means

(a) able
(b) poem
(c) epilogue
(d) story with a moral.
Answers: 4. (d) story with a moral

BOOK BACK TEXTUAL QUESTIONS

WORKING WITH THE POEM (Page no. 23)

1. The cricket says, “Oh ! what will become of me ?” When does he say it, and why ?
Answer: The cricket speaks these words on the arrival of winter. He says so because
he finds that there is no food for him in his house.

2. (i) Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a
lender be’ (Shakespeare).
Answer: (i) The line is :
“We ants never borrow ; we ants never lend.”

(ii) What is your opinion of the ant’s principles?

Answer: (ii) I do not agree with the ant’s principle. On the other hand, I believe that a
friend in need is a friend indeed.

3. The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’
is appropriate here ? If so, why?
Answer: Yes the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here. It is so because the cricket had
spoken of his love of singing. Singing and dancing go together.

4. (i) Which lines in the poem express the poet’s comment ? Read them aloud.
Answer: (i) The lines are :
“Folks call this a fable ; I’ll warrant it true.
Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.”

(ii) Write the comment in your own words.

Answer: (ii) People say that this is a short story with a moral. However it is true.
There are people in this world who spend all their earnings. They do not save anything for
the future. In the moments of crisis or in their old age they come to grief. They find they
have no money to depend upon. Such people, says the poet, are like the cricket of the story.

5. If you know a fable in your own language, narrate it to your classmates.

Answer: Once there was an old man. He had four sons. These sons always quarrelled
with one another. So the old man was sad. When he was about to die, he called them all. He
asked them to bring four sticks. Then he asked them to tie them in a bundle. After that he
asked each of them to break the bundle. No one could do it. Then he untied the bundle and
gave a stick to each of them. They easily broke them. Thus, the old man explained them the
value of unity. He told his sons that if they remained united no one would ever harm them.

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