A Treasury of Literary Classics -
Chinese Fables and Tales Series (2)

Instruction:

    Read the Chinese story and answer the following questions.

Pulling up the Crops
to Help Them Grow

Click here to read the text.

1. How did the farmer feel when his crops grew very slowly?

A. He was exhausted.
B. He was satisfied.
C. He was worried.
D. He was patient.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 1.

"Once upon a time, there was a farmer who was worried about how slowly his crops grew."

2. What did the farmer want to do with the crops?

A. He wanted to make the crops grow faster.
B. He wanted to make the crops grow greener.
C. He wanted to harvest all the crops.
D. He wanted to plant new crops.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 1.

"Feeling very frustrated, he wondered how the crops could grow faster until one day he came up with an idea."

3. What did the farmer do when he rushed to the field?

A. He burned all the crops.
B. He pulled all the crops up.
C. He watered all the crops.
D. He buried all the crops.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 2.

"The farmer rushed to the field excitedly, bent down, and one by one pulled all the crops up an inch."

4. What did the farmer notice about his crops after he pulled them up?

A. He noticed that his crops had grown with flowers.
B. He noticed that some crops had been dead.
C. He noticed that his crops had grown greener.
D. He noticed that his crops had grown taller.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 2.

"He noticed that all his crops were taller than before."

5. The farmer told ______________ about the pulling of the crops.

A. another farmer
B. his parents
C. his villagers
D. his family

Your answer:

Read paragraph 3.

"With great satisfaction, the farmer went back home and told his family what he had done."

6. What did the family do after knowing what the farmer had done to the crops?

A. The family rushed to the field at once.
B. The family pulled all the crops up.
C. The family thought that the idea was wonderful.
D. The family blamed the farmer at once.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

"When the family heard this, they were stunned and speechless. They hurried to the field immediately."

7. Similes are figures of speech that compare different things using words such as "as" or "like" , for example, "as bright as a button" or "sing like an angel" .

Read the following descriptions. Fill in each blank with a simile from the list given. Each option can be used once only.

A. as pale as a white sheet B. as busy as a bee C. as wise as an owl D. as easy as pie
Description Simile
7a. The farmer thought that making the crops grow fast was ___________.
7b. The farmer was _____________. He was very tired after pulling all the crops up.
7c. The farmer's face was _______________ when he saw the dead crops.
7d. The farmer blamed himself for being so stupid. He promised himself that he would learn to be ____________.

Read the sentences carefully to understand their meanings.

8. How did his family think about the farmer?

A. His family thought that the farmer was clever.
B. His family thought that the farmer was stupid.
C. His family thought that the farmer was hard-working.
D. His family thought that the farmer was cunning.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

"When the family heard this, they were stunned and speechless. They hurried to the field immediately. However, it was already too late."

9. What happened to all the crops in the end?

A. All the crops grew taller.
B. All the crops grew greener.
C. All the crops were dead.
D. All the crops were buried.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

"However, it was already too late. The farmer and his family were heartbroken to see that all the crops were dead."

Pulling up the Crops to Help them Grow

Score Sheet

Questions Results
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7a
Question 7b
Question 7c
Question 7d
Question 8
Question 9
Total

10. What is the moral lesson of the story? Based on the story, which Chinese saying can you think of?

Extension Activity

Watch the video clip "How Hundreds of Millions of People Learned to Read and Write", which is about how China's education system has helped millions of children to catch up with the rest of the world.

Acknowledgements: The China Current

https://chinacurrent.com/story/19103/how-hundreds-of-millions-of-people-learned-to-read-and-write

Education can improve people's lives. Some parents nowadays arrange extra training courses for their children in the hope that they could be ahead of the other children. What opinions would you give to these parents? As a student, what are your responsibilities in your schoolwork? Think and share your ideas or experiences with your parents or classmates.