Educational Galaxy

Try Again — EG's own notes, in simple words

Book: Poorvi (CBSE, Class 7)  |  Chapter 2  |  Unit 1: Learning Together  |  Medium: English

Diagram (labels are printed on the image): Climbing step by step — a fall, then getting up again. A general picture of perseverance, not a scene from the book.

Trying again with a smile. A general picture of learning through practice.

What the lesson is about

This poem by Eliza Cook is about King Bruce of Scotland. He is a king who wears a crown, but his heart is beginning to sink: he has been trying to do a great deed to make his people glad, he has tried and tried, and he could not succeed. In low despair he flings himself down and thinks, 'I'll give it all up.'

Just at that moment a spider drops with its silken, filmy thread. The King stops thinking and watches. The way up to the ceiling dome is long, and the thread is fine. The spider clings and crawls straight up — and falls with a slippery sprawl, almost to the ground. It runs up again without complaint, falls lower, lies dizzy and faint, steadies itself, and climbs a half-yard higher. It falls again and mounts again, up and down, fast and slow, until nine brave attempts are counted.

The King is sure the foolish thing will strive no more. But the spider goes up once more — an anxious minute, only a foot from its cobweb door — and then, steadily, inch by inch, higher and higher, with a bold little run at the very last pinch, it reaches its native cot, its home.

The King cries 'Bravo, bravo!' and learns the lesson: 'All honour to those who try; the spider up there, defied despair; he conquered, and why shouldn't I?' Bruce braces his mind, tries once more as he tried before, and that time he does not fail.

Story / lesson in order

1. King Bruce, sad after failing a great deed, flings himself down in despair and decides to give up.
2. A spider drops on a silken thread and begins to climb to its cobweb home near the ceiling.
3. The spider falls again and again — almost to the ground, then lower, then from higher up — but climbs again each time.
4. Nine brave attempts are counted, and the King expects the spider to give up.
5. The spider tries once more, climbs inch by inch, and reaches its home with a bold final run.
6. The King cheers, takes courage, tries once more himself, and this time does not fail.

Chart / Table: The spider's attempts

Item	What it means
First climbs	Clings and crawls straight up, then falls almost to the ground
Middle attempts	Runs up again, falls lower, lies dizzy, steadies, climbs a half-yard higher
Nine brave attempts	Up and down, now fast, now slow — counted one by one
The last try	Steadily, inch by inch, a bold run at the last pinch — home
King Bruce	Watches, learns, braces his mind, tries again — and does not fail

NCERT language points — Let us learn

• Opposites: up × down, fast × slow, glad × sad, win × lose, succeed × fail — all taken from the poem.
• Word meanings: endeavour (an attempt to do something new or difficult), toil (work very hard and/or for a long time), strive (try very hard to achieve something), braced (prepared themselves for something difficult). Frame your own sentences with these words.
• Distance words: the poem uses 'a long way up', 'inch by inch', 'higher and higher', and 'half-yard higher'. Sort words like proximity, remoteness, light year, middle of nowhere, yonder, hairline, vicinity, afar, farther, adjacent, and a stone's throw into far and near.
• Tongue twister: 'Twas a delicate thread it had to tread' — repeat it five to six times clearly, then create tongue twisters of your own.
• Alliteration and sound: notice the repeated sounds in 'silken, filmy clue' and 'delicate thread it had to tread' — the poet uses sound to make the climb feel delicate and difficult.

NCERT activities — listen, speak, write, explore

• Let us listen: a story about an ant. Before listening, guess: what was the ant known for — determination, strength, or wisdom? Why could it not take the roti home? How did the bird make it feel, and how did fellow ants help?
• Let us speak: narrate a personal experience when you were motivated to carry on and never give up — use the prompts: the challenge, feeling disheartened, the source of motivation, taking action, the result, and the reflection.
• Let us write: King Bruce was inspired by the spider. Write down steps to overcome a difficult situation, then write a letter to your cousin about how you plan to overcome a difficulty.
• Let us explore: find other real stories of people who succeeded only after many failures, and share one with the class.
• Word sounds: say the poem aloud and notice how the short, repeated lines make the spider's climb feel slow and hard.

Practice set — try it yourself

1. Why was King Bruce sad at the start of the poem?
   Hint: Think about the great deed he tried to do for his people.
2. How many brave attempts of the spider are counted?
   Hint: Think about the line 'up and down, now fast, now slow'.
3. What does 'inch by inch' tell us about the spider's final climb?
   Hint: Think about slow, steady progress.
4. What lesson does Bruce learn from the spider?
   Hint: Think about his cry 'Bravo, bravo!' and his question 'why shouldn't I?'
5. Write the opposite of 'succeed' and 'glad' as used in the poem.
   Hint: Think about win/lose and happy/sad pairs.

Questions with Answers

1. How does the first stanza set the mood of the poem?
   It sets a sad, low mood: a king who wears a crown, yet whose heart is sinking, flings himself down in a lonely mood because his great deed has failed again and again.
2. How does King Bruce's attitude change?
   He moves from low despair and 'I'll give it all up' to cheering 'Bravo, bravo!', honouring those who try, bracing his mind, and trying once more — and succeeding.
3. Why does the poet describe the spider's actions in great detail?
   The detail — clinging, crawling, falling, lying dizzy, steadying, climbing a half-yard higher — makes the reader feel the spider's struggle and admire its patience, so Bruce's lesson feels earned, not preached.
4. How does the spider inspire us to overcome despair?
   It shows that falling is part of trying: it falls almost to the ground, falls lower, and still climbs again, until the tenth effort — steady, inch by inch — carries it home.
5. What does 'failures are stepping stones to success' mean here?
   Each fall teaches the spider and the King something: the spider does not stop at nine failures, and Bruce does not stop at his own. The failures are the steps that lead to the final success.

Questions with Answers — Extension (NCERT exercise types)

1. (True / False) King Bruce gave up after watching the spider. — False. He braced his mind, tried once more, and did not fail.
2. (Fill in the blank) Nine brave attempts were _______. — Counted, as the spider went up and down, fast and slow.
3. (Extract-based MCQ) In 'And after a while he pondered there', 'pondered' means _______. (paused / thought / noticed / rested) — Thought.
4. (Extract-based MCQ) 'Silken, filmy clue' creates an image of something _______. (long and light / very delicate and soft) — Very delicate and soft.
5. (Analogy) Toil : hard :: tumble : _______. — The book's analogy task pairs hard work words with falling words; the spider toils hard and tumbles down, then climbs again.
6. (Order) Put in order: (a) The spider reaches its cobweb home (b) Bruce flings himself down in despair (c) Nine attempts are counted (d) A spider drops on a silken thread. — (b), (d), (c), (a).
7. (Matching) Match: 'endeavour' — an attempt to do something difficult; 'toil' — work very hard for a long time; 'strive' — try very hard to achieve something.
8. (Vocabulary — opposites) Write opposites: up, fast, glad, win, succeed. — Down, slow, sad, lose, fail.
9. (Reason) Why can readers relate to the spider's extract? — Because everyone has fallen and felt like giving up; the spider's repeated effort mirrors our own struggles.
10. (Summary — choose the correct word) The spider's journey teaches that anyone can be a source of (despair / inspiration). — Inspiration, even a small insect.

How to use this page: Read the summary, say the Key Terms in your own words, then try the practice set without looking. Use the Questions with Answers to check yourself afterwards. Ask your teacher or parent to check your answers.