The Ant and the Grasshopper is a short story by British writer W. Somerset Maugham which provides a modern twist on the classic Aesop's fable.

'Vital' means absolutely necessary or essential. It is used to describe a noun (e.g. a vital role) so it is an adjective.

The phrasal verb 'to get along with' means to have a harmonious or friendly relationship which requires adjusting to one another.

'Panoramic' means a view of a wide area. 'Scenic' also refers to natural scenery making it the best synonym.

'Slothful' means lazy or indolent. Its direct opposite is 'energetic' which means active and full of vitality.

'An Essay on Man' is a philosophical poem written by Alexander Pope in heroic couplets exploring the nature of humanity.

The idiom 'by and large' means on the whole in general or mostly.

Francis Bacon is renowned as the "father of the English essay" for his concise and aphoristic prose style.

Here 'but' is a coordinating conjunction connecting two independent clauses ('He could not win' and 'he learnt a lot').

'Deformation' means distorting or disfiguring the shape of something. Its opposite is 'wholeness' meaning the state of being complete or unbroken.

An 'epitaph' is a phrase or form of words written in memory of a person who has died especially as an inscription on a tombstone.

The 'dog days' of summer are the hottest and most sultry part of the season.

'Orphan' is a common gender noun because it can refer to either a male or a female child whose parents are dead.

The Way of the World is a famous Restoration comedy written by English playwright William Congreve in 1700.

This famous line is spoken by the character Satan in John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost" (Book I).

D. H. Lawrence was an English writer. Oscar Wilde James Joyce and Jonathan Swift were all prominent Irish writers.

A collective noun refers to a group of people or things. 'Herd' refers to a group of cattle.

'Populous' is the adjective form meaning 'having a large population'. 'Popular' means liked by many people.

'Marrying' is the object of the verb 'contemplated'. A verb form ending in '-ing' that functions as a noun is a gerund.

No Second Troy is a famous poem by Irish poet W. B. Yeats written about his muse Maud Gonne.