Class VI English Notes
Unit 1: Fables and Folk Tales
Unit 1: Fables and Folk Tales
1. A Bottle of Dew
I. Let us discuss
1. What did Rama Natha believe?
Answer: Rama Natha believed that there was a magic potion that could turn any object into gold.
2. Who was Madhumati? Why was she worried?
Answer: Madhumati was Rama Natha’s wife. She was worried because Rama Natha was spending a lot of money trying to find the magic potion, and she feared they would soon be left penniless.
3. How did the sage help Rama Natha?
Answer: Sage Mahipati gave Rama Natha a plan to collect five litres of morning dew from banana leaves to make the magic potion, which secretly encouraged him to work hard on his land.
4. How and why did people cheat Rama Natha?
Answer: People cheated Rama Natha by promising to tell him the secret of the magic potion because they saw his foolish belief and took advantage of his wealth.
II. Let us think and reflect
1. Read the lines and answer the questions:
(a) “He spent all his time to learn about the magic potion…”
- (i) Complete the sentence: Rama Natha did not ‘give up’ because he strongly believed in the magic potion that could turn things into gold.
- (ii) Complete the table:
What Happened Outcome A. People promised to tell Rama Natha about the magic potion. They cheated him and took his money. B. Rama Natha was spending a lot of money. His wife Madhumati was worried they would soon be left without money. - (iii) True or False:
- a) Madhumati was troubled about what her husband did. → True
- b) Rama Natha was very happy digging his fields. → False
- c) The sage wanted to show the right path to Rama Natha. → True
(b) “Carefully, he took the bottle to the sage…”
- (i) Correct sequence of events: (b) b, a, d, c, e
- (ii) Fill in the blank: Seeing that the plant had dried up, the gardener sprinkled some water on it.
- (iii) How might Rama Natha have felt when nothing happened to the copper vessel?
Answer: Rama Natha felt extremely angry, shocked, and disappointed because he felt cheated after six years of hard labor.
2. Short Answer Questions:
1. What did the sage ask Rama Natha to do to make the magic potion?
Answer: The sage asked him to plant banana trees, water them with his own hands, collect five litres of winter morning dew from the leaves, and bring it to him.
2. Why did the sage ask Rama Natha to do everything himself?
Answer: The sage wanted Rama Natha to physically work on his land so he would realize the value of hard work.
3. How could Rama Natha have a big banana plantation after six years?
Answer: Since winter dew comes in small amounts, Rama Natha had to plant rows and rows of banana trees over his large empty fields to collect five litres.
4. How did the sage make Rama Natha believe that there is no magic potion?
Answer: The sage asked Madhumati to show the stacks of gold coins earned by selling the bananas grown over six years, proving that hard work created the real wealth.
5. What message does the story give about hard work and blind belief in shortcuts?
Answer: The story teaches that there are no magic shortcuts to wealth; true success comes only through honest hard work and perseverance.
III. Let us learn
1. Vocabulary (Fill in the blanks)
Words: huge, difficult, promised, cheated, spending, remember
There was a farmer who had a huge coconut plantation. Every day was difficult, but he did not give up. One day, a man bought a bag of coconuts and promised to pay the next day. Days passed and the man did not pay. The farmer felt cheated. About two months later, he met the same man who said, “Now, I remember buying coconuts from you,” and paid the money.
2. Homophones Sentences
- I / Eye: I hurt my eye.
- Your / You’re: You’re forgetting your bag.
- Dew / Due: The dew dried up, and the assignment was due.
- Son / Sun: The landlord’s son sat under the bright sun.
- One / Won: One boy won the prize.
- Ate / Eight: I ate eight bananas today.
- See / Sea: I can see the blue sea.
2. The Raven and the Fox (Poem)
I. Let us discuss
- 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.
- Stanza 2: (i) The Fox calls the Raven a good-looking bird. (ii) The Fox asks the Raven to sing. (iii) They live in the woods.
- Stanza 3: (i) The Raven forgot that he croaked. (ii) The Raven opened its beak to sing. (iii) The food fell down.
- Stanza 4: (i) The Fox laughed at the Raven. (ii) It is not wise to be too proud. (iii) The Raven learnt a lesson.
II. Let us think and reflect
1. Read lines & Answer:
(a) “Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird…”
- (i) ‘Such feathers’ refer to shiny and beautiful feathers (A).
- (ii) The birds would call the Raven ‘King’ because his voice would match his beautiful appearance.
- (iii) The Fox addresses the Raven as ‘Sir’ to flatter him and make him feel important.
(b) “The Raven, who did not see the joke…”
- (i) The Raven opened his beak to sing and show off his voice.
- (ii) Complete: Fox: clever :: Raven: foolish
2. Short Answer Questions:
1. Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a croak?
Answer: The Raven was blinded by foolish pride and the flattering words of the Fox.
2. What lesson does the poem teach us about flattery?
Answer: It teaches us never to trust flatterers who praise us with sweet words for their own selfish greed.
III. Let us learn
1. Rhyming Words
limb – him | beak – seek | word – bird | sing – King | joke – croak | pride – eyed
2. Alliteration Examples
- “…great big beak”
- “Song of sweet birds”
3. Opposites (Antonyms)
| Word | Opposite |
|---|---|
| Perched | Flew |
| Forgot | Remembered |
| Foolish | Wise |
| Pride | Humility |
| Laughed | Cried |
| Ignore | Notice |
| Glow | Dim |
3. Rama to the Rescue
I. Let us discuss
1. Odd one out:
- The characters are: husband, wife (Odd: children)
- Who entered the house? robber (Odd: guest, Kotwal)
2. True or False:
- 1. The man tells his plan to his wife. → True
- 2. The thief wants to know where they kept their jewels. → False (He wanted to know about money)
II. Let us think and reflect
1. Read lines & Answer:
(a) Man: “What’s the matter? What are you looking at?…”
- (i) The man heard an unusual noise in the house.
- (ii) ‘Ssssh’ means be silent (D).
- (iii) The wife was listening carefully because she noticed the noise had stopped, meaning the thief was already inside.
(b) “Rama, the village kotwal, ran to the house…”
- (i) Fill in the blank: The villagers caught the thief and took him to the kotwal / police station.
- (ii) “Oh, Oh!” shows surprise (A).
- (iii) The kotwal was good at his job because he acted immediately upon hearing his name called loudly.
III. Let us learn
1. Short Forms (Contractions)
| Short Form | Full Form |
|---|---|
| I’m | I am |
| It’s | It is |
| They’re | They are |
| What’s | What is |
| I’ll | I will |
| I’d | I would / I had |
| We’ll | We will |
| We’re | We are |
| Don’t | Do not |
| Must’ve | Must have |
2. Present Progressive Tense
- I am studying in Grade 6.
- My friend is reading a storybook.
- We are playing a board game.
- I am learning a new language.
- The teachers are sitting in the staff room.
- My mother is cooking food in the kitchen.
3. Adverbs
- How does he listen? → Closely
- How does she call out? → Softly
- How does she call out later? → Loudly
IV. Let us write
Narrative Writing (Re-telling the Event)
“My wife and I were about to go to sleep last night when we heard someone digging through our wall. Realizing it was a thief, we stayed calm. We pretended to discuss names for our unborn child, saying we would call out ‘Rama’ softly inside the house, louder in the yard, and very loudly in the street. My wife then shouted ‘RAMA!’ loudly. Hearing his name, Rama the village Kotwal rushed to our house and caught the thief red-handed. Our presence of mind saved us!”
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