Hi Everyone!! This article will share The Spider And The Fly Questions & Answers.
This poem is written by Mary Howitt where he describes the entrapment of a silly fly who gives into her own vanity and loses her life to a cunning spider. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions & answers of A Stormy Adventure, Chocolates In Your Dreams Too and Stone Soup in Bohemia so, you can check these posts as well.
The Spider And The Fly Questions & Answers
Question 1: Read and answer the questions:
(a) What cordial invitation did the spider extend to the fly?
Answer: Spider invited fly into his parlour to avail the facilities of the parlour.
(b) What does ‘spy’ mean here?
Answer: Here ‘spy’ means to see.
(c) Why was the invitation in vain?
Answer: The invitation was in vain because the fly refuses all offers of the spider.
Question 2: Read and answer the questions:
(a) Why is the speaker called ‘cunning’?
Answer: The speaker is called ‘cunning’ because he is trying to lure the fly to come to his parlour by his flattering words.
(b) How does he try to lure the fly?
Answer: He tries to lure the fly by offering various eatables from his pantry and saying that he doesn’t know how to prove his love for his dear friend, the fly.
(c) How does the fly react to the offer made?
Answer: The fly rejects the spider’s offers and replies that she had heard what was in his pantry and didn’t wish to see it.
Question 3: Read and answer the questions:
(a) Who is this ‘sweet creature’?
Answer: The fly is the ‘sweet creature’.
(b) Why is the speaker is praising her so much?
Answer: The speaker is praising her so much to flatter her so that she might come in his trap and he will eat it up.
(c) Do you think this creature is really ‘wise’? Why or why not?
Answer: No, the creature is not really wise. Initially, it refused all luring offers made by the spider but later on, it trusted the flattering words of the spider and got trapped.
Question 4: Read and answer the questions:
(a) Why did the speaker turn back into his den?
Answer: The speaker turned back into his den to set his dining table as he was sure that the fly would come back.
(b) How did he know that the fly would soon be back?
Answer: He knew it because he had flattered the fly up to his satisfaction and after getting praised, the fly seemed pleased and told him that she would come another day.
(c) Is he able to dine upon the fly? How?
Answer: Yes, he is able to dine upon the fly because the fly got deceived by the flattering words sung in her praise and enters the spider’s web. The spider just jumped on it and dragged it into his den to eat it up.
Question 5: The Spider refers to its web as the ‘parlour’, but later the narrator calls it a ‘den’? Why is this so?
Answer: The Spider, in the beginning, referred to its web as ‘parlour’ because the trap is in the starting stage and he tries to portray it with all the luxuries of life so as to entice the fly in order to provide respite from her tiresome life routine. But later, the narrator calls it a ‘den’ because spider built it well for a long time and now it was ready for the fly to be entrapped. He calls it den because this is the place where he executed his evil plans.
Question 6: Of the various offers made by the spider, which one does the fly find most difficult to resist?
Answer: It is difficult for the fly to resist her own praise. She trusted the flattering words of the spider, went near the den and was soon caught by the spider and dragged inside the web.
Question 7: What makes the fly change her mind and enter the Spider’s trap?
Answer: In the pursuit to attract her, the spider very smartly appreciates the Fly as a very sweet and loving creature who is very witty and wise. He adores her delicate silver wings and her brilliant eyes that shine like diamonds. He also appreciates her green and purple robes and the beautiful crest upon her head and flatters her to step into his den to have a look in the little looking glass and admire herself. The offer seemed very lucrative and the fly fell prey to it.
Question 8: What is a ‘fable’? Why is the poem called a fable?
Answer: Fable is a fictional story that features animals, plants, mythical creatures, inanimate objects of nature and ends with a moral.
This poem also uses spider and fly and it also teaches a moral lesson – one should be contended with what one has and shouldn’t be greedy. Hence, it is a fable.
Question 9: What are the four ways in which the Spider tries to lure the Fly?
Answer: In order to entice the fly, the cunning spider lures to visit his luxurious parlour. He cites her about all the facilities that he can provide her in his den. Then, the spider pretends to show concern over how tired the fly must be and offers a respite from the day’s activities upon his little bed. He further tries to manipulate the fly into feeling guilty for not accepting his gestures of friendship. Last but not the least, the spider uses his flattery to convince the fly to enter the parlour and is finally successful in luring the fly.
So, these were The Spider And The Fly Questions & Answers.