The Crocodile (Poem)
Class 6 | English | Unit 1 | Poem
Class 6 Unit 1 Poem
Poem | The Crocodile
Warm Up
What do crocodiles eat? Talk about it.
The fearful image of a crocodile with its mouth wide open is given.
The Crocodile
How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the water of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerful he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!
About the Author – Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll was an English writer. His most famous book is 'Alice in Wonderland'. This poem appears in it.
Glossary
doth an expression of old English for 'does' improve to become better than before cheerful happy gently softly, mildly Do You Know?
The Madras Crocodile Bank is one of the largest reptile zoos in the world. It is a shelter for native wildlife and a secure nesting beach for Olive Ridley Turtles. It is located at East Coast Road, Kovalam in Chennai.
Exercise A. Read the poem aloud in pairs.
Read the poem aloud with your partner and enjoy the rhythm.
Exercise B. Choose the rhyming words from the box and write them in the correct blanks.
Rhyming words box: file, din, caws, nail, while, paws, mail, thin
1. claws, jaws, ,
2. grin, in, ,
3. crocodile, Nile, ,
4. tail, scale, ,
Exercise C. Read these lines and answer the questions given below.
1. "How cheerful he seems to grin"
Who does 'he' refer to?
2. "And pour the water of the Nile"
What does the Nile refer to? Where is it?
3. "And welcomes little fishes in / With gently smiling jaws!"
Who welcomes the fish? Why? Which line tells you that the crocodile is hungry?
Exercise D. Work in pairs. Share your answers with your partner.
1. What is the poem about?
2. How does the crocodile's tail look?
3. What does 'improve his tail' mean?
4. How does he spread his claws?
5. Why does he welcome little fishes?
6. Which line talks about the crocodile's mouth and his shape?
Writing
Exercise E. What does the poet say about the crocodile? Write in your own words.
(in about fifty words)
Book-back Exercises — Questions & Answers
Answers generated strictly from the Samacheer Kalvi textbook content. Attempt each question first, then click "Show Answer" to check.
B. Choose the rhyming words from the box and write them in the correct blanks.
1. claws, jaws, _____, _____
Answer: claws, jaws, caws, paws
2. grin, in, _____, _____
Answer: grin, in, din, thin
3. crocodile, Nile, _____, _____
Answer: crocodile, Nile, file, while
4. tail, scale, _____, _____
Answer: tail, scale, nail, mail
C. Read these lines and answer the questions given below.
1. "How cheerful he seems to grin" — Who does 'he' refer to?
Answer: 'He' refers to the little crocodile described in the poem.
2. "And pour the water of the Nile" — What does the Nile refer to? Where is it?
Answer: The Nile refers to a river. The poem mentions the crocodile pouring the water of the Nile on its golden scales, which indicates the Nile is the river where the crocodile lives.
3. "And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!" — Who welcomes the fish? Why? Which line tells you that the crocodile is hungry?
Answer: The crocodile welcomes the little fishes. He welcomes them to eat them, as he is hungry. The line "And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!" tells us that the crocodile is hungry.
D. Work in pairs. Share your answers with your partner.
1. What is the poem about?
Answer: The poem is about a little crocodile that improves its shining tail, spreads its claws neatly, and welcomes little fishes into its gently smiling jaws. It describes the cunning and cheerful nature of the crocodile.
2. How does the crocodile's tail look?
Answer: The crocodile's tail is shining and covered with golden scales. The poet says the crocodile pours the water of the Nile on every golden scale to improve its shining tail.
3. What does 'improve his tail' mean?
Answer: 'Improve his tail' means the crocodile makes its tail look better and shinier by pouring the water of the Nile on every golden scale, keeping it bright and gleaming.
4. How does he spread his claws?
Answer: According to the poem, the crocodile spreads his claws neatly. The poet says "How neatly spreads his claws," showing that the crocodile carefully and tidily displays its claws.
5. Why does he welcome little fishes?
Answer: The crocodile welcomes little fishes with his gently smiling jaws in order to eat them. He pretends to be cheerful and friendly to attract the fishes into his mouth, showing his cunning nature.
6. Which line talks about the crocodile's mouth and his shape?
Answer: The line "And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!" talks about the crocodile's mouth (jaws). The line "How neatly spreads his claws" also gives an idea about the crocodile's shape and form.
E. Writing — What does the poet say about the crocodile? Write in your own words. (in about fifty words)
E. What does the poet say about the crocodile? Write in your own words. (in about fifty words)
Answer: The poet describes the crocodile as a clever and cunning creature. It has a shining tail with golden scales and pours water of the Nile on them to make them gleam. It cheerfully grins and neatly spreads its claws. It pretends to smile gently to welcome little fishes, only to trap and eat them with its jaws.
📝 Summary
- The poem "The Crocodile" is written by Lewis Carroll, the famous English author best known for his book Alice in Wonderland, in which this poem appears.
- The poem describes a crocodile in the River Nile, pouring water on its golden scales and improving its shining tail, painting a vivid picture of the reptile's appearance.
- The crocodile is portrayed as cheerful and grinning, neatly spreading its claws — making it appear friendly and welcoming on the outside.
- The crocodile uses its "gently smiling jaws" to deceive and welcome little fishes, revealing that its cheerful appearance is actually a clever trap to catch prey.
- An interesting fact shared in the lesson is that the Madras Crocodile Bank, located at East Coast Road, Kovalam in Chennai, is one of the largest reptile zoos in the world and a shelter for native wildlife.