Class: 7 Subject: English

Poem 4: Against Idleness and Mischief and How Doth the Little Crocodile
I Drawing Activity
II Read the extract and answer the following
1. How doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour,
And gather honey all the day
From every opening flower!
A) Which adjectives does the poet use to describe the bee?
Ans) The adjectives, the poet uses to describe the bee are: little and busy.
B) In your own words explain ‘improve each shining hour.’
Ans) 'Improve each shining hour' refers to the bee making every hour useful by
working constantly. It does not waste even a second in a day idling.
C) What task does the poet describe in this verse? List two other tasks described
by the poet.
Ans) The poet describes how bees gather honey in this verse. The other two tasks
described by the poet are: building the cell and storing food.
2. How neatly spread his claws,
And welcome little fishes in
A) Which words tell us that the crocodile is preparing to attack?
Ans) The words ‘spread his claws’ tell us that the crocodile is preparing to attack.
B) Does the crocodile really welcome little fishes? What does he do?
Ans) No, the crocodile doesn’t really welcome little fishes. He quietly lures
by deceiving them.
C) What expression does the crocodile have while he is doing so?
Ans) The crocodile looks cheerful as he grins and opens his jaw.

III Answer the following

1. What is a parody poem?
Ans) Parody is the imitation of the style of another work, writer or genre, which
relies on deliberate exaggeration to achieve comic or satirical effect. It is usually
necessary to be familiar with the original in order to appreciate the parody,
though some parodies have become better known than the poems they imitate.
2. How apt do you think is the poet’s choice of the bee as the subject of the
poem titled ‘Against Idleness and Mischief’? What qualities of the bee does
the poet admire?
Ans) Bees are known to be hard working and busy. They don’t indulge in idleness
and mischief; thus, they are an apt choice for the poem ‘Against Idleness and
Mischief’. The poet admires the bees for the skill with which they collect food
and the way they build their storage cells. He also admires them for hard work.
3. The main idea of ‘How Doth the Little Crocodile’ is that appearances can be
deceptive. Do you agree? Justify your answer.
Ans) The cheerful look and the gentle smile of the crocodile is deceptive as the
underlying purpose is to attract fish into its open mouth. Similarly, people who
always praise you or look good need not always be good and vice versa.
Appearance does not display the character of a person.