Unit-3 -Practicing Positive Work Ethics - King Bruce And The Spider (Poem) - Reading Comprehension - Questions-Answers and Text Book Exercise

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Unit-3 - Practicing Positive Work Ethics
Reading Comprehension
King Bruce And The Spider (Poem)
English For Class X (2022 and Onward

Questions-Answers

Q.1: Who has composed the poem "King Bruce and the Spider"? What does the poetess teach the reader though this poem?
Ans: Eliza Cook has composed / written the poem "King Bruce and the Spider". The lesson the poetess teaches to the reader is that one should never lose their hope they should keep up their struggles till they succeed.

Q.2: Who was King Bruce? why did King Bruce decide not to give up his effort?
Ans: King Bruce was the king of Scotland. When the King saw a spider struggling constantly to reach its destination and after many attempts finally succeed in it, he was impressed. So he got a lesson from it and decided not to give up his effort.

Q.3: Why did the spider keep trying? What did the King learn from it? OR What lesson did the King learn from the spider?
Ans: The spider wanted to reach its destination so it kept trying and succeed at last. The King learnt from it that never lose hopes and a man should keep up his struggle till he succeeds.

OR

The persistent tries of spider gave a positive spin to the thoughts of King Bruce and taught him that one should never lose hope in spite of odds and difficulties. One should be persistent and bold to achieve the aim of life. Continuous struggle to the main aim always produces a favourable result. one should try hard without caring for the resistance and circumstances of life. This lesson of courage and hope brought victory to the King.

Q,4: What did King Bruce want?
Ans: King Bruce ruled over Scotland. He wanted to do a great deed for his people to made them happy.

Q.5: What is the message of the poem King Bruce and the Spider?
Ans: The message of the poem is that one should never lose hope in the facing of difficulties. One should go on trying to get their aim. Those who defy despair are always successful.

Q.6: How did the spider reach its cobweb?
Ans: The spider had fallen down from its cobweb in the ceiling. It was hanging from a fine silken thread. It tried nine times and failed. However, it did not lose hope and in the tenth attempt it succeeded in reaching its cobweb.

Q.7: How did King Bruce appreciate the spider?
Ans. King Bruce cried bravo, bravo at the spider's success. He said that all honours are to those who try. The spider defied despair and conquered. King Bruce also learnt the lesson of success from the spider.

Q.8: Why did King Bruce of Scotland hide himself in a cave? OR Why was king Bruce so sad?
Ans. Robert Bruce was the king of Scotland under the rule of English king. He wanted to make Scotland a free country. He fought many battles but he failed each time. He fled from the battlefield and hid himself in a cave to save his life. He had no more courage to fight another battle. He had given up all hopes.

Q.9: What do you know about King Bruce of Scotland? Or Write a short note on King Bruce of Scotland?
Ans. King Bruce was the king of Scotland. He was a very generous and patriotic emperor. He fought with the British Army who wanted to make a British colony in Scotland. He had been defeated by his enemies several times. The repeated defeats had made the king greatly disappointed. He had decided that he would try no more. But his observation of the spider filled his heart with hope and courage. Being encouraged, he tried once again and that time he did not fail.


Q.10: Why did King Bruce decide not to give up his efforts? OR What lesson did he learn from spider?
Ans: After watching the struggle made by the spider, King Bruce changed his mind and decided not to give up because the success comes up with one's will. He learnt to keep on trying till the end.


Q.11: What is meant by poetess when she says that “a great deed”?
Ans. The poetess has used the words “a great deed” for the King Bruce. He had been trying hard to protect his domain from the contaminated hands of enemy. As the protection of country keeps a very high rank among the man’s priorities of life, that’s why the poetess called it “a great deed”.

Q.12: What resemblance, does the poetess find between the King Bruce and the Spider?
Ans. The points of similarity between the King Bruce and the spider were that the aim was quite far away from both of them. Both of them were having a very slightest hope to achieve success i.e. the spider had a single thread to reach the cobweb and the King Bruce also had a very tiny hope to win over his enemies.

Q.13: Why did the King Bruce or poetess call the spider “Bravo! bravo!”? How did King Bruce appreciate the spider?
Ans: The poetess or the King Bruce called the spider bravo because it was very persistent and tried hard to complete her task. Although she suffered several failures, but she did not show any grievance on the disappointment of its fate. It went on making attempt and at last its succeed to put it into the cobweb. This encouraged the King Bruce and he also learnt the lesson of success from spider.

Q.14: Write the moral of this poem?
Ans: This poem teaches us that we should not be disappointed and discouraged by unfavorable circumstances. We should keep on trying again again inspite of failures. We should not forget that failures are the pillars to success.

Q.15: How many attempts were made by spider?
Ans: Nine brave attempt were made by spider, and it was successful on the tenth attempt.

Q.16: Was the king Bruce happy or unhappy?
Ans. The king was unhappy because after the English repeatedly defeated his armies, the famed King of Scots was forced into hiding.

Q.17: What attracted King Bruce attention, as he was thinking?
Ans: As he was thinking,  a spider attracted his attention that attempting to reach his web. The spider tried and failed over and over.

TEXT BOOK EXERCISE
UNIT 3.1
READING COMPREHENSION

PRE-READING

Q.1: Have you seen a spider? Are you afraid of?
Ans: Yes, I have seen it. I afraid of it.

OR

Yes, I have seen it. No, I do not afraid of it.

Q.No.2: Can a spider hurt us?
Ans: Yes, If it bites, it may hurt us.

Q.3: Can spider teach us anything?
Ans: Everything in the universe is created for some purpose. If we have observation we can learn many things from our surrounding. So yes, spider also can teach us. We learn from spider to work hard and never give up to achieve our goals. Keep trying unless we succeed to achieve it.

EXERCISE 1

Read the poem silently and answer the following questions?
1. Was the king happy or unhappy?
Ans: The king Bruce was the king of Scotland. He was unhappy becuase he had been defeated by British army. The repeated defeats had made the king greatly disappointed. He had decided that he would try no more.

2. What attracted his attention as he was thinking?
Ans: When he (King Bruce) was thinking, a spider at the corner of the cave was attracted his attention. The spider had fallen down from its cobweb in the ceiling. It was hanging from a fine silken thread. It tried nine times and failed. However, it did not lose hope and in the tenth attempt it succeeded in reaching the cobweb.

3. What lesson did he learn from what he saw?
Ans: King Bruce learnt the lesson of success from spider. After watching the struggle made by the spider. He changed his mind and decided not to give up till he succeed because the success comes up with one's will. He learnt to keep on trying till the end.

By Mrs. Ayesha Arif
(Jauhar Progressive School)

EXERCISE 2

Column A has words from the poem, underline these words in the poem. Column B has the meanings of these words,but they are jumbled up. Work in pairs and try and find the correct meaning of each word and write the answer in the Answer column. The first one has been done as an example.

S.NO.	Column A	Answer	Column A
1.	Flung	c	a) Fall with arms and legs spread out
2.	Monarch	m	b) Challenged
3.	Deed	h	c) Threw
4.	Despair	k	d) Climbed
5.	Pondered	n	e) Fall suddenly
6.	Divine	i	f) Walk carefully
7.	Endeavor	g	g) Work hard continuously
8.	Sprawl	a	h) An action
9.	Tread	f	i) Workout an answer
10.	Mounted	d	j) Prepared to do something difficult
11.	Toil	l	k) Hopelessness
12.	Tumble	e	l) Attempt
13.	Defied	b	m) King
14.	Braced	j	n) Thought

EXERCISE 3

Read the poem and find out which of the following statements are correct and which are not. For correct statements put a tick (✔) and for incorrect one put a cross (x). After completing, After completing correct your answers with your partner.

1. The poem is about a war. (x) False
2. King Bruce cared for his people. (✔) True
3. He was in a happy mood. (x) False 
4. When he saw the spider, he decided to kill it. (x) False
5. The spider stayed on the ground when it slipped down. (x) False
6. After trying for sometime, the spider felt weak. (✔)  True
7. As soon as it felt better it went up again. (✔)  True
8. It made more than 20 attempts. (x) False
9. It moved up very slowly when it was near its home. (x) False
10. It did not succeed in reaching its home. (x) False
11. The king decided to follow the spider’s example and try again. (✔) True

EXERCISE 4

The following statements give a one-line summary of each verse. Work in pair and try to find out which statement is the summary of which verse. Write the number of the verse in the blank.

1. But the spider went up again and this time it was just one foot away from its home. 11
2. Once it felt better it travelled higher although the journey was tiring. 8
3. King Bruce, though a king beginning to lose hope. 1
4. Inch by inch it kept moving up and finally succeeded in reaching its home. 12
5. The king thought that, falling again and again, the spider would now give up. 10
6. The story goes that King Bruce tried again and succeeded. 14
7. He had tried to do everything to make his people happy, but he had failed. 2
8. It began to go up but soon slipped down again. 6
9. The King realized that those who try, succeed; like the spider, he also could succeed. 13
10. It was very far from its home, and the king could not work out how it would reach it. 5
11. In a state of hopelessness, he decided that he would give up. 3
12. Again and again, it tried; it went up and slipped down nine times. 9
13. Just then, a spider dropped down, and the king looked at it to see what it would do. 4
14. Without complaint, it ran up again, but due to weakness it felt still lower. 7

EXERCISE 5

Answer the following questions.
1. Why was King Bruce so sad?
Ans. Robert Bruce was the king of Scotland under the rule of English king. He wanted to make Scotland a free country. He fought many battles but he failed each time. He fled from the battlefield and hid himself in a cave to save his life. He had no more courage to fight another battle. He had given up all hopes.

2. Before he saw the spider, what did he decide to do?
Ans. Before he saw the spider, he decided to give up his efforts.

3. Why did King Bruce think that the spider would not be able to reach its home?
Ans. King Bruce thought that the spider would not be able to reach its home because the spider tried to go home many times but failed. The spider would fall down again and again. Bruce thought the spider was tired and could no longer get home.

4. Did the spider climb at the same speed all the time or at a different speed?
Ans. No. The spider's speed was not the same all the time. Each time she made a new attempt, her speed changed.

5. How did the spider finally reach its home?
Ans. The spider kept rising, inch by inch. At the last moment, she ran bravely and went home.

6. Why did the king decide to try again?
Ans. While lying in the cave, the king saw a spider on the wall climbing to its home. The spider climbed a little but fell down. The spider made nine attempts, but it could not succeed. As he was thinking, he again saw the spider making another attempt. This time the spider was successful in reaching its home. This successful attempt of the spider gave a ray of hope to the king. Therefore, he decided to try again.

EXERCISE 6

Details about writing a summary of a poem are given in section 3.4. Work in pairs and write a summary of the poem. You may begin writing the summary by first giving a general introduction. This can be followed by a brief summary of all the verses. The one-line summary of each paragraph is given in Exercise 5. Explain each verse by adding some more details, using the answers in the previous exercises. Lines 1-3, 4- 8, 9-12, and 13-14 can be grouped together to form different paragraphs. The final paragraph should have the conclusion and moral oh.
You may begin as follows: poem King Bruce and the Spider is written by Eliza Cook. It tells us how

SUMMARY

Reference:
This poem is written by Eliza cook (1818-1889).

The poem King Bruce and the Spider is written by Eliza Cook. It tells us how to rise again after after defeat and achieve success in our life. King Bruce,though a king, was beginning to lose hope, and became disappointed after defeated from his enemies. He had tried many times and do everything to make his people happy but he couldn't succeed. He was hopeless and also very upset. After deep thinking he decided that he would give up.
Just then,a spider dropped down with its fine silky thread, the king stopped thinking in the middle and looked at it to see what it would do. Spider was very far from its cobweb and was hanging by a rope. The king could not work out how it would reach its home.It began to go up with strong endeavour but soon slipped down and became close to the ground as it was before.
It did not stop even a second for complaint and ran up again, but due to weakness it fell still lower than ever. Once it felt better it travelled higher and that time it covered a half yard higher. Its rope was delicate and the journey was tiring. It tried again and again, went up sometimes slowly and sometimes fast, but every time it slipped down and in this way it made nine brave attempts.
The king thought that it was her foolish attempt, falling again and again after struggle. The spider would now give up and not try anymore. But the spider went up again and this time it was just one foot away from its home, this was an anxious moment and it made king hopeful if the spider would lose or win. It kept moving up inch by inch, At last it ran boldly and thus succeeded in reaching its home.
The king cried out with pleasure and realized that those who try, succeed; like the spider did. He also could succeed, if he tried. Than the king changed his mind and tried again and succeeded.
The moral of the story is that after watching the struggle of a spider, King Bruce thought that this spider made so many attempted to reached at her home and failed but it did not lose hope and succeed in last. King Bruce got motivation from the spider and tried again with the hope that he would not give up till he would achieved success and he succeeded.

OR

King Bruce learns from a spider the lesson of success. He wanted to do a great deed for his people. However, he failed each time. He had given up all hope. He saw a spider that made nine attempts to reach its home. It was not successful in its nine attempts. King Bruce thought that it would give up its attempts. The spider made one further attempt and this time it succeeded. King Bruce also decided to try again and succeeded in his mission.

OR

 The poetess has expressed the true sense of life in this poem. Solution to the problems of life and key to the success are being preached in this poem in a dramatic style. This poem tells the story of the king Bruce of Scotland. Once he was defeated by the English men. He took refuge in a cave. Due to his repeated failures, he was very grieve. King Bruce mentally accepted his defeat from the English men.
One day, he was pondering at the point of his defeat, he watched a spider who was trying to reach to her cobweb. Thread was the only pathway for the spider to reach her destination. Spider started her voyage with great anxiety and force. But the spider come down to the initial stage where it had started her journey. King Bruce was showing security on the foolish attempts to reach the destination that spider will not try again. However the spider succeeded in the 10th attempt to reach its cobweb.
After the success to spider the King Bruce sounded in a optimistic order. “All honour to those who tries persistently.” King Bruce resolute in heart to try once more in order to get the win over on his enemies.” At last he succeeded.

EXERCISE 7

Work in groups of five and prepare a brief role-play on any story with a moral. Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Think of some stories with a moral and discuss these amongst yourselves.
Step 2: Decide which story you want to act out.
Step 3: Develop the dialogues by writing them down.
Step 4: Decide who is going to play what role.
Step 5: Rehearse the role-play a couple of times.

Ans: The Lion And The Cows
Once upon a time there lived four cows in the forest everyday they used to graze together in a particular spot. They were all friends. One day a Lion saw the cows grazing together.
The lion wanted to eat them so he went to catch them. When the cows saw the lion all of them fought with him. The lion had to run away.
A few day passed and the cow quarrelled between themselves and started grazing separately. One by one the lion killed all of them.
Moral of the story: unity is strength.

Dialogues
Lion: I am hungry I want to eat some meat.
Cow 1: We are good friends and always graze together in a field.
Cow 2: You are right but I want to go far away for grazing.
Cow 3: We can go far away but there is a lion who wants to eat us.
Cow 4: I am afraid from lion so that is why we will have to avoid this.
Cow 2: I am not afraid from lion and I don't want to eat same grass all days.
Cow 4: If you go far away so you will do silly mistake.
Cow 2: I am not silly You both are silly.
Cow 3: I also afraid from lion but I don't want to go far away.
Cow 1: Don't fight with each other. We all graze separately after today.
Cow 2: Yes, cow 1. You are right we all are graze separately and tomorrow I will go far away for grazing.
Lion: What a lucky day! it is a golden chance for me and I will eat all the cows today because they are grazing separately.

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