The Ugly Duckling

Hans Christian Anderson

Once upon a time, a mother duck sat on her nest and waited
for her eggs to hatch. Finally, one egg cracked, and then another,
and soon she was surrounded by tiny, fluffy ducklings.
However, one of the eggs, which was much bigger than the
other eggs, did not hatch. Another duck passed by the nest said to
the mother duck, “That is a turkey egg. I would not bother with it.”
But the mother duck decided to sit on the egg for a few more days.
Finally, the big egg hatched. The young animal inside was
big and grey, and the mother duck thought he was very ugly. But
she took him, along with her other ducklings, down to the water to
learn to swim.
One by one, the ducklings jumped into the water and started
to swim, including the large, grey duckling. “Look at him!” said the
mother duck, “He swims better than any of the other ducklings! He
is not so ugly after all.”
The mother duck took her ugly duckling to meet the oldest and most respected duck
in the pond. The old duck said, “Most of them are very pretty, but that one is very ugly. He
should leave.” And then he bit the grey duckling.
“Leave him alone!” said the mother duck, “He is not doing any harm!”
“Still, he is very ugly, and I do not like him. But keep him if you want too,” said the
old duck.
Soon, all of the animals in the barnyard were bullying the grey duckling. The turkeys
and chickens pecked him when he waddled by, and even his brothers and sisters would say,
“You ugly creature! We wish the cat would eat you!” But the cat said that the grey duckling
was too ugly to eat. Eventually, even his mother began to wish that he had never been born.
Finally, the little grey duckling could not take it anymore, and he ran away.
The poor grey duckling flew far and wide, trying to find a place where he would be
accepted. But wherever he went, he was bullied by everyone he met because they thought he
was ugly. He spent the long winter alone, and almost
froze to death because he did not have friends or family to
help him. By the end of winter, he was feeling very
miserable.
When spring came, he landed in a pond surrounded
by apple blossoms. At the other end of the pond, he saw a
group of beautiful swans. There were children near the
pond admiring the lovely birds. When the children saw
the ugly duckling, they called out to their father, “Look,
papa! There is a new swan! He is so young and pretty; he
is the most beautiful of all!”
The grey duckling did not know they were talking
about him, and he hung his head in sadness. But when he
saw his reflection in the water, he saw that he had grown
into a beautiful swan! He looked up and saw the other swans coming to welcome him to the
pond.
They combed his feathers with their beaks, and showed him where to find the best
food. Surrounded by his new family, and eating bread given to the swans by the children, he
thought to himself, “I never thought I would be this happy, when I was an ugly duckling.”

Questions
1. Highlight the Orientation part of the story BLUE
2. Highlight the Complication part of the story RED
3. Highlight the Resolution part of the story GREEN

4. At first, did the grey duckling’s mother accept him?

5. What was the grey duckling able to do better than any of the other ducklings?

6. Who said that the grey duckling was too ugly to eat?

7. Who were the first people to call the grey duckling beautiful?

8. The Social Function is to entertain a reader, but also a good narrative text should
teach the reader something at the end of the story. What is the message to be learned
from the story?

9. Circle all Language Features you can find. Count them!

Read the text carefully and then answer the questions!

Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel were the children of a poor woodcutter. One day, the children’s stepmother
persuaded their father to take the children and abandon them in the forest. The first time,
Hansel left a trail of pebbles along the way and found the way back. Next time, the father
took them deeper into the forest, and Hansel left breadcrumbs to find their way back. But
when the children tried to find their way back home they found that the birds had eaten the
crumbs. So the children were lost in the woods.
They wandered in the forest and soon discovered a house made entirely of gingerbread
and sweets. Hungry and tired, the children began to eat the rooftop of the house when the
door opens. An old woman – the owner of the house – kindly invited them inside. Not
knowing that this old woman was a witch who built a gingerbread house to lure children into
her trap. She imprisoned Hansel and made Gretel her slave. The old witch planned to eat both
children.
When the witch made preparations to bake Hansel, she told Gretel to start the fire.
Gretel lied that she couldn’t tell if the fire in the oven had started. The witch shoved her aside
and leaned into the oven to check. Gretel pushed the witch into the oven and shut the door,
then she took her brother out of the cage and escaped from the gingerbread house carrying lot
food and precious jewels. When they reached home, their stepmother had died, and the father
happily welcomed them back.
1. Why were Hansel and Gretel left in the forest?
A. Their step mother left them in the forest.
B. Their parents planned to give to them to an old witch.
C. They forgot to leave the breadcrumbs along their way.
D. They couldn’t find the breadcrumbs they left along their way.
E. Their step mother influenced their father to leave them in the forest.

2. “Next time, the father took them deeper into the forest, and Hansel left ….” (Paragraph 1)
The underlined word refers to ….
A. Pebbles
B. Breadcrumbs
C. Hansel and Gretel
D. Hansel
E. Gretel

3. How do we compare the second and the third paragraphs?

A. Paragraph 2 tells us that a witch tempted Hansel and Gretel into her trap; the third
paragraph tells that the children succeeded to escape.
B. Paragraph 2 tells us that a witch persuaded Hansel and Gretel into her trap; the third
paragraph tells that the witch prepared to bake them.
C. Paragraph 2 tells us that Hansel and Gretel ate the gingerbread; paragraph 3 tells that
the children escaped from the gingerbread house.
D. Paragraph 2 tells us that an old woman invited Hansel and Gretel into her house;
paragraph 3 tells that the children took precious jewels.
E. Paragraph 2 tells us that the old woman was a witch who wanted to eat Hansel and
Gretel; paragraph 3 tells that the children killed her.

4. What lesson can we learn from the story?

A. Don’t tell lies to strangers who are kind to you.
B. Don’t trust strangers, even if they treat you well.
C. Don’t take a revenge on a witch with a dirty trick.
D. Don’t forget to leave pebbles along the way home.
E. Don’t leave breadcrumbs on the way if you go home.

Tom Thumb
Once, a farmer and his wife had their first child after many years of marriage. The boy
was as small as his father’s thumb. The queen of fairies came dancing and named him Tom
Thumb.
One day, while Tom’s mother was making pudding, Tom, who was playing nearby,
slipped inside the bowl and was drowned in the batter. He started kicking and thrashing to
save himself. The movement in the pudding scared his mother, who was unable to see Tom
inside. She gave the batter away to a beggar, who later discovered little Tom inside. Tom
came back from the beggar’s house and told his parents all that had happened and his mother
felt very sorry for what she had done.
A few days later, a raven picked up little Tom and dropped him in the sea. A magnificent
fish swallowed him. After a while, some fishermen caught the fish and gave it to King
Arthur’s servants. When the servants cut the fish, they were surprised to see Tom inside and
presented him to King Arthur. The king was delighted and kept Tom who entertained
everyone with his funny tricks. Later, Tom was knighted and became Sir Thomas Thumb.
One day, the queen of fairies took Tom to fairyland but by the time he returned, King
Arthur and all his knights had died. Tom stayed with the new king in his palace and continued
to entertain everyone with his tricks for a long time to come.
5. Why is the character in the story named Tom Thumb?
A. It was the name given by his parents.
B. His parents liked to call him Tom Thumb.
C. He was not bigger than his father’s thumb.
D. He was so small that could hardly see him.
E. The queen of fairies gave the name for him.

6. “Tom came back from the beggar’s house and told his parents all that had happened and
his
mother felt very sorry for what she had done.” (Paragraph 2)
What does the underlined word refers to?
A. He was taken by a beggar in the batter given by his mother.
B. He was given to a beggar when he played in the batter.
C. He was found by a beggar inside the beggar’s house.
D. His mother gave him and the pudding to a beggar.
E. His mother gave him to a beggar who passed by.

7. How can we compare paragraphs 3 and 4?

A. Paragraph 3 is about how a raven picked up Tom; while paragraph 4 is about how he
entertained everyone.
B. Paragraph 3 is about king Arthur found Tom; while paragraph 4 is about when he
came back to the palace.
C. Paragraph 3 is about how Tom is swallowed by a fish; while paragraph 4 is about his
meeting with the king.
D. Paragraph 3 is about how Tom met King Arthur; while paragraph 4 is about his living
with the new king.
E. Paragraph 3 is about how Tom got the title of a knight; while paragraph 4 is about
how he met the fairies.

8. What moral can we learn from Tom Thumb?

A. Being small is of no importance.
B. One is mocked due to its size.
C. Size can cause a big problem.
D. Cheating will not bear fruit.
E. Be tender to a small man.
Read the following text and answer the questions!

Long time ago, things on this Earth were bigger and better than they are today. Fruits, Vegetables,
grains, even people animals were bigger and stronger.
Those were the days when people didn’t have to work very hard. When the grains of rice
were ripe, they just fell down on their own and went rolling into the village. There they would
offer themselves to be eaten.
Once, an old woman and her daughter were building a storehouse for rice. A big grain of
rice came rolling in before the building was ready. Being already tired of hard work, the old
woman became angry when she saw the grain of rice rolling down to her incomplete storehouse.
She kicked the rice and said” Could you not wait in the field till we were ready? Why do you keep
running after us?”
The grain of rice broke into thousands of pieces and said” We have always been kind to
you. We give you food to eat. We make things easy for you so we come to you ourselves and
don’t give you trouble of collecting us in field. From now on, we will not come to you. You will
have to come and gather us. You will have to cook and eat a lot of grains of rice to fill your
stomach.”
From that day on wards, rice grains have become smaller in size. They do not come to
people as they used to come earlier. People have to gather grains from the fields and carry them to
their stores and homes
09. Which is the most possible reason for the creation of the story?
A. People never respected the food they ate.
B. People never felt satisfied with the service granted.
C. People always underestimated the gift they got.
D. People were not grateful for the favor given.
E. People always hurt the grains they had.

10. “We give you food to eat.” (Paragraph 4)

The sentence above means …
A. Food is given to eat.
B. Food given is for you.
C. Food and you are given.
D. You are given food to eat.
E. You are given to eat food.

11. How are paragraphs 3 and 4 related?

A. Both paragraphs are about how the old woman and her daughter treated the grain of
rice which were rolling to their incomplete store house.
B. Both paragraphs show how the old woman and her daughter built a store house for
rice and their treatment to the rice that were rolling down to their store house.
C. Paragraph 3 is about the storehouse for rice built by the old woman and her daughter;
paragraph 4 is about the rice gathered from the field.
D. The old woman’s cruel conduct to the grain of rice in paragraph 3 was immediately
responded by the rice grain in paragraph 4.
E. The old woman’s behavior towards the rolling grain of rice in paragraph 3 made it
break into thousands of pieces in paragraph 4.

12. What moral value do we learn from the story?

A. Never underestimate anyone.
B. Never hurt the grains we have.
C. You must respect the grains of rice.
D. You have to work hard to in order get food.
E. You have to know who you are speaking to

Norman the Genius

This the story of Norman, a boy who wanted very much to be genius. But, no matter how
hard he tried, it just didn’t work out. You see, Norman had a problem-he could not tell
RIGHT from LEFT.
At school, the teacher would say, when you know the answer, raise your RIGHT hand.”
By the time Norman figured which hand was which, it was too late! At home it was the same
thing. It was, “Norman, you have your LEFT shoe on your RIGHT foot.”
Things weren’t any better outside. In football, they would send him in at LEFT end and
he would be RIGHT. In baseball, they’d yell, “Norman, move to your LEFT!” He’d move
RIGHT.
Poor Norman! No matter what he did, it wasn’t RIGHT! Or LEFT! But Norman was
determined! Finally, he figured out what to do. He’d call it THIS and THAT. THIS for
RIGHT and THAT for LEFT. Somehow, it all seemed easier. And, in no time, it had it down
pat.
One day, while Norman was home alone, a burglar forced his way in. Norman was
frightened! The burglar asked where his mother’s jewels and furs were. Norman said, “In the
closet”.” But when the burglar asked, “Which way is THAT?” Norman, of course answered,
“LEFT.” The burglar followed these instructions and found himself in the kitchen! Being a
smart burglar he said, “THIS isn’t RIGHT!” and Norman said, “Oh,yes it is-but you asked for
THAT!”
The burglar became angry and said, “Now listen, I asked where the closet is. Do you
understand THAT?” And Norman asnwered, “Oh, yes, THAT is LEFT!” The burglar said,
“THIS is enough!” And Norman said, “Oh, no, THIS is RIGHT!” Exasperated, the burglar
said, “Oh, forget it! Just tell me where the closet is!” And Norman said, “Turn THIS.” But
naturally, the burglar misunderstood and turned the knob on the door in front of him, and
plunged headlong down the basement stairs.
Just then, Norman’s parents came home, and when he told them what had happened, his
father said the words he’d been waiting so very long to hear, “Norman, you’re a genius!”

13. What did Norman do to solve his problem?

A. He used color.
B. He memorized the words.
C. He used things to substitute the words.
D. He used other words to substitute right and left.
E. He gave marks for the left parts of the things he had.

14. What did Norman want to be?

A. A high spirited person.
B. An intelligent person
C. A successfull man.
D. A leader.
E. A genie

15. What did the burglar mean when he said, “THIS isn’t RIGHT?
A. It is not morally good.
B. It is not left.
C. It is not normal
D. It is not complete.
E. It is not true.

16. What did Norman do when the burglar came?

A. He hid in his room.
B. He used some tricks.
C. He told a lie to the burglar.
D. He chased the burglar away.
E. He used the words he usually used.

17. “... when you know the answer....” (Par. 2) The word you refers to ....
A. The students
B. The teacher
C. Norman
D. Poor person
E. His mother

18. What should the burglar have done to get what he wanted?
A. He should have turned left.
B. He should have turned right.
C. He should have gone upstairs.
D. He should have gone downstairs.
E. He should have entered the room in front of him.
.

This is Good
An old story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up.
The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that occurred in his life (positive or
negative) and remarked, “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend were out
on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend
had
apparently done something wrong when preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun
from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the
friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is NOT good!”
and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay
clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked
some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the
wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate
anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt
remorse for the treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his
friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” He proceeded
to tell the friend all that had just happened. “So I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so
long. It was bad for me to do this.”
“No,” his friend replied, “This is good!”
“What do you mean, ‘This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for
a year?”
“If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you.”
19. Why did the king send his friend to the jail?
A. Because of his positive remark when the king lost his thumb.
B. Because he hadn’t joined the king to hunt in the forest.
C. Because he had tried to kill the king.
D. Because he had betrayed the king.
E. Because he had fired the king.

20. “As he returned home ... and felt remorse for the treatment of his friend.” (Paragraph 4)
The word ‘remorse’ is best replaced by....
A. pity D. pain
B. regret E. dissatisfaction
C. disappointment
21. Why didn’t the Cannibals eat the king?
Because ....
A. he could beat them in a fight
B. he could hide himself
C. he had lost his thumb
D. he had lost his foot
E. he was sick
22. What would have happened if the king’s friend had not been in jail?
A. He would have died.
B. He would have been sick.
C. He would have lost his thumb.
D. He would have hunted many animals.
E. He would have lost his friend, the king.
23. Which of the statement is NOT TRUE based on the text.
A. The text is about an African king.
B. The Cannibals would eat the king by burning him.
C. The king’s thumb was blown off when he went hunting.
D. The king went to the jail to express his regret to his friend.
E. The king friend’s had been in jail for two years when the king visited him.

24. Cannibals capture him and took him to their village. (P.3 L.3). The underlined word refers
to . . . .
A. The king D.King’s friend
B. Cannibal E. Villager
C. Cannibal’s friends