NIOS Class 12 for English The Crow and The Deer Summary & Question-Answers
Table of Contents
Summary in English
The story is set in the Vanka forest of Magadh Desh , where a wise crow named Subuddhi and a gentle deer named Chitranga were close friends. They lived peacefully, relying on each other for support. One day, a jackal named Kshudrabuddhi entered the forest. Though outwardly friendly, he was cunning and had plans to befriend the deer and later eat him.
When the jackal started flattering the deer, the crow warned Chitranga that the jackal could not be trusted due to his suspicious nature. However, the deer did not heed the crow’s wise advice and continued associating with the jackal.
To illustrate the danger of trusting strangers, Subuddhi told a story. In it, a vulture named Jaradgava had once lived in a hollow tree. Due to misfortune, he had lost the strength of his wings and could no longer fly. The other birds, out of compassion, shared parts of their meals with the vulture.
One day, a cat named Dirghakarna approached the vulture. At first, Jaradgava was alarmed and suspicious of the cat’s intentions. But Dirghakarna spoke sweetly and humbly, claiming to be on a religious journey and a speaker of truth. He said he had come to learn from the wise vulture and sought to serve him with respect and humility.
When the vulture expressed doubt, the cat quoted scriptures and ethical principles about hospitality, impressing the vulture. The cat argued that even his teeth were worn down from old age, and his actions were peaceful. Convinced, the vulture allowed the cat to stay.
Soon, however, the chicks of the birds began disappearing, and one day the birds found the bones of their missing chicks in the vulture’s hollow. Realising they had trusted a predator, they attacked the vulture and drove him away.
Returning to the present, Subuddhi warned Chitranga that forming quick bonds with unknown individuals can lead to danger. The jackal, on hearing the story, dismissed it as useless talk. He claimed that what matters most in friendship is not family background or old connections, but how one behaves and helps in need.
The deer, caught between both arguments, chose to ignore the debate, thinking it unnecessary and irrelevant to his immediate friendship with the jackal.
To gain the deer’s trust and carry out his plan, the jackal offered to show him a lush field full of grains. As expected, the deer entered the field and got caught in a trap laid by the farmer. Trapped and helpless, the deer hoped that the jackal would help him.
However, the jackal coldly replied that he couldn’t help and refused the deer’s plea. He then hid behind a bush to wait for the farmer to return and kill the deer.
When the crow arrived, the deer expressed his sorrow and regret, admitting that he had ignored his friend’s advice. He believed the jackal must have led him into this trap knowingly.
Hearing this, the crow was filled with sadness and scolded the jackal for his betrayal. The crow then cleverly helped the deer escape — he advised the deer to pretend to be dead. When the farmer came to collect the deer, the deer suddenly jumped up and ran away.
Meanwhile, the jackal, angry at the failure of his plan, tried to chew on the net to salvage something — but he got caught in it and was beaten severely by the farmer.
Thus, the jackal’s plan — which was to deceive and kill the deer by pretending to be a friend — failed completely.
Earlier, the jackal had used a saying to support his false wisdom: “Where there is no scholar, even the less learned is praised”, meaning that people accept lies when they have no better option.
The story within the story (about the vulture and the cat) ended with the vulture being punished for his mistake, and so the birds decided to act against him to protect themselves.
To recap: the deer got caught in a trap in the field due to trusting the jackal, and the crow saved him using his intelligence. The jackal got caught and punished
NIOS Class 12 for English The Crow and The Deer Summary
Summary in Hindi
यह कहानी मगध देश के वन्का वन में घटती है, जहाँ कई जानवर रहते थे। उनमें एक बुद्धिमान कौआ सुबुद्धि और एक सरल हिरण चित्रांग के बीच गहरी मित्रता थी। एक दिन वहाँ एक चालाक सियार क्षुद्रबुद्धि आया। वह बाहर से तो मीठा और विनम्र दिखता था, लेकिन अंदर से वह हिरण से दोस्ती कर उसे धोखे से खाने की योजना बना रहा था।
जब कौए ने देखा कि सियार हिरण से मित्रता कर रहा है, तो उसने हिरण को चेतावनी दी कि यह सियार धोखेबाज़ है और उस पर विश्वास नहीं किया जाना चाहिए। लेकिन हिरण ने कौए की सलाह को नज़रअंदाज़ कर दिया और सियार से मेलजोल बढ़ाता रहा।
सुबुद्धि ने हिरण को एक कहानी के माध्यम से समझाने की कोशिश की। उस कहानी में जड़गव नाम का एक गिद्ध था, जो बूढ़ा और दुर्बल हो चुका था। उसकी उड़ने की शक्ति दुर्भाग्यवश समाप्त हो गई थी। वृक्ष पर रहने वाले अन्य पक्षी उसे सहानुभूति से भोजन का एक अंश देने लगे।
एक दिन दीर्घकर्ण नाम की बिल्ली गिद्ध से मिलने आई। गिद्ध ने पहले डर के कारण उसे दूर करने की कोशिश की, लेकिन बिल्ली ने धार्मिक बातें करते हुए खुद को सज्जन बताया और कहा कि वह प्रतिदिन ध्यान, पूजा और उपदेश सुनती है। उसने गिद्ध से कहा कि वह धर्म और ज्ञान प्राप्त करने के लिए आई है।
जब गिद्ध को शक हुआ, तो बिल्ली ने धर्मग्रंथों और सत्कार की मर्यादा की बातें कही, जिससे गिद्ध प्रभावित हुआ। बिल्ली ने यह भी कहा कि उसके दाँत पुराने हैं और वह किसी को नुकसान नहीं पहुँचा सकती इससे गिद्ध को विश्वास हो गया और उसने उसे वहाँ रहने की अनुमति दे दी।
कुछ ही दिनों में, वृक्ष पर रहने वाले पक्षियों के बच्चे गायब होने लगे। जब पक्षियों ने जांच की, तो गिद्ध के बसेरे में उनके बच्चों की हड्डियाँ मिलीं । वे समझ गए कि उन्होंने एक धोखेबाज़ पर भरोसा किया और फिर गिद्ध को वहाँ से भगा दिया।
कहानी सुनाकर सुबुद्धि ने चित्रांग से कहा कि अनजान व्यक्तियों से जल्दी मित्रता नहीं करनी चाहिए। सियार ने इस कहानी को बेकार बताकर टालने की कोशिश की। उसका तर्क था कि मित्रता में सबसे अहम बात व्यक्ति का व्यवहार होता है, न कि उसका मूल या परिवार ।
हिरण को यह बहस बेमानी लगी और उसने कोई निर्णय नहीं लिया । उसने कहा कि इस विवाद की आवश्यकता ही नहीं है ।
इसके बाद, सियार ने हिरण से कहा कि वह उसे एक खेत दिखाएगा जहाँ बहुत हरी-भरी फसल है । हिरण उस खेत में गया और एक जाल में फँस गया । जब हिरण फँस गया, तो उसने आशा की कि सियार उसकी मदद करेगा, लेकिन सियार ने उसकी मदद करने से इनकार कर दिया और छिपकर किसान के आने का इंतज़ार करने लगा ।
हिरण ने कौए को बुलाया और अपने पछतावे को व्यक्त किया। उसने कहा कि शायद सियार ने उसे धोखे से जाल में फँसवाया। कौआ यह सुनकर बहुत दुखी हुआ और सियार को धोखेबाज़ बताया ।
कौए ने हिरण को सलाह दी कि वह मरा हुआ बन जाए। जब किसान आया, तो उसने हिरण को मृत समझकर जाल हटा दिया। तभी हिरण अचानक उठकर भाग गया।
सियार, जो अपनी योजना विफल होते देख गुस्से में था, जाल को खाने की कोशिश करते हुए खुद उसमें फँस गया और किसान ने उसे बुरी तरह पीटा।
इस प्रकार, सियार की पूरी योजना – जो हिरण को धोखे से मारने की थी – नाकाम हो गई ।
सियार ने पहले यह भी कहा था कि “जहाँ विद्वान नहीं होते, वहाँ कम ज्ञानी की भी प्रशंसा होती है”, मतलब जहाँ सच्चाई नहीं होती, वहाँ झूठ भी सच मान लिया जाता है ।
जो कहानी गिद्ध और बिल्ली की थी, वह गिद्ध की हार और पक्षियों के निर्णय के साथ समाप्त होती है कि अनजान लोगों को घर में नहीं रहने देना चाहिए ।
हिरण जाल में फँसा क्योंकि वह सियार की बातों में आ गया था, और कौए ने उसे सूझबूझ से बचाया। सियार को अंततः उसकी चालबाज़ी की सजा मिली ।
Question-Answers
- What was the name of the forest in Magadh Desh where the story takes place?
Answer
Champakvati - Who were the two animals in fast friendship in the forest?
Answer
Deer and Crow - What did the jackal, Kshudra-buddhi, initially want from the deer?
Answer
To become friends - What warning did the crow, Su-buddhi, give to the deer about the jackal?
Answer
Don’t trust the jackal as he’s a stranger - How did the deer react to the crow’s advice?
Answer
He ignored the crow’s advice - What had Jaradgave, the vulture, lost due to misfortune?
Answer
His talons and eyes - Why did the other birds on the tree give the vulture small shares of their meals?
Answer
Out of pity for his condition - Why did the cat, Dirghakarna, approach the vulture, Jaradgave?
Answer
To eat the vulture’s nestlings - How did the vulture initially react when he saw the cat?
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He asked the cat to leave - What lesson does the can consider when faced with the vulture?
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One should face fear prudently when it is near - What did the cat claim to do as part of his daily routine?
Answer
a) Bathe in the Ganges
b) take no flesh to eat
c) Practice celibacy
d) observe chandrayan-vrats - What reason does the cat give for coming to the vulture?
Answer
To learn about righteousness and dharma - How did the vulture respond when the cat quoted scriptures and ethics regarding hospitality?
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He welcomed the cat - What argument does the cat use to convince the vulture of its harmlessness?
Answer
He offers to protect the nestlings - How did the other birds react when they discovered the bones of their missing chicks in the vulture’s hollow?
Answer - What was Subuddhi’s warning regarding friendship with unfamiliar individuals?
- How did the jackal respond to Subuddhi’s story and warning?
- According to the jackal, what matters more in a friendship than knowing someone’s family and character?
- How did the deer respond to the debate between the jackal and the crow?
- Why does the deer find the debate unnecessary?
- What does the jackal offer to do for the dear to fulfill his plan?
- How did the deer get caught in the trap in the lush field of grains?
- What was the deer’s hope regarding the jackal when he found himself trapped?
- How did the jackal respond when the deer asked him to save him from the trap?
- Where did the jackal hide after refusing to help the deer immediately?
- What did the deer say about his situation to the crow?
- Where did the deer believe the jackal was when he got caught in the trap?
- How did the crow express his disappointment and sorrow over the jackal’s actions?
- How did the crow help the deer escape when the owner of the field arrived?
- What happened to the jackal in the end?
- What was the jackal’s plan to deceive the deer?
- What does the jackal mean when he says, “Where there is no scholar, even less learned is praised”?
- How did the story-within-a-story end, and why did the birds decide to take action against the vulture?
- How did the deer get caught in a trap in the lush field?
- How did the crow help the deer escape from the owner of the field?
- What was the outcome for the jackal in the end?
- What lessons can be learned from the story?
NIOS Class 12 for English The Crow and The Deer Summary
