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

Instruction:

    Read the Chinese story and answer the following questions.

Sending Goose Feathers from Thousands of Miles Away

Click here to read the text.

1. Who was Mian Bogao?
Mian Bogao was _______________.

A. the King of Huihe
B. the King of Tang
C. a treasure hunter in the State of Tang
D. a messenger in the State of Huihe

Your answer:

Read paragraph 1.

"During the Tang Dynasty, the King of Huihe wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty, so he sent his messenger, Mian Bogao, to visit the King of Tang and bring national treasures to him."

2. Why did the King of Huihe ask Mian Bogao to send national treasures to the King of Tang?
The King of Huihe ________.

A. treasured the friendship with the King of Tang
B. planned to end the friendship with the King of Tang
C. wanted the King of Tang to visit him
D. would like to have treasures from the King of Tang in return

Your answer:

Read paragraph 1.

"During the Tang Dynasty, the King of Huihe wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty, so he sent his messenger, Mian Bogao, to visit the King of Tang and bring national treasures to him."

3. How did Mian Bogao feel when he was on the way to the State of Tang?
Mian Bogao was ________.

A. angry
B. cheerful
C. worried
D. shy

Your answer:

Read paragraph 2.

"On the way, Mian Bogao was distressed and restless. He thought, 'If I lost the white goose, how could I explain it to my king?' "

4. What did Mian Bogao do when he arrived at the Mianyang River?

A. He swam in the river and left the cage near the river.
B. He played with the white goose in the river.
C. He opened the cage and wanted to wash the white goose in the water.
D. He hugged the white goose tightly to his chest.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 3.

"Having walked for over a mile, Mian Bogao came to the Mianyang River. He wanted to bathe the white goose, so he opened the cage and put the white goose into the water carefully."

5. Which of the following descriptions is correct?

A. The white goose flew away and Mian Bogao could only grab a few goose feathers.
B. Mian Bogao was happy to let the white goose practise flying.
C. Mian Bogao could catch the white goose when it attempted to fly away.
D. The white goose kept spreading its wings and enjoyed swimming in the river.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 3.

"All of a sudden, the white goose spread its wings. He jumped forward quickly and wanted to catch the white goose. Unfortunately, he could only pluck a few goose feathers and the white goose flew away."

6. What did Mian Bogao’s servant do after the white goose flew away?

A. Mian Bogao’s servant beat his chest and burst into tears.
B. Mian Bogao’s servant encouraged Mian Bogao to find a way to solve the problem.
C. Mian Bogao’s servant thought crying was useful for getting the white goose back.
D. Mian Bogao’s servant kept running and helped Mian Bogao find the goose.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

"One of the servants told him, 'The white goose has already gone. It is meaningless to cry and feel sorry. Let's think of a solution together.' "

7. Suffixes are letters which we add at the end of a word to make a new word. The new word is often a different word class from the original word. The suffix
"-less" is added to nouns to form adjectives meaning "without something".

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

A. careless B. hopeless C. restless D. meaningless
Description Adjective
7a. While the white goose was spreading its wing, Mian Bogao was cleaning the cage. He was so _____________ as he did not keep an eye on the white goose.
7b. Mian Bogao was _____________ as he needed to take good care of the precious white goose.
7c. Mian Bogao's servant told Mian Bogao that crying was _____________ and he needed to fix the problem.
7d. Having lost the white goose, Mian Bogao did not know what to do and was _____________ .

Read the sentences carefully to understand their meanings.

8. What did Mian Bogao do to fix the problem?

A. Mian Bogao went back to the State of Huihe and explained the situation to the king.
B. Mian Bogao returned to the Mianyang River and waited for the white goose to come back.
C. Mian Bogao returned to the State of Huihe to get another white goose for the King of Tang.
D. Mian Bogao sent goose feathers together with a few lines of explanation as a gift.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 5.

"A solution popped up in Mian Bogao’s head. He decided to continue the journey. He took out a piece of pure white silk and carefully wrapped the goose feathers. Then he wrote a few lines on the silk."

9. Why did the King of Tang not punish Mian Bogao at last?

A. The King of Tang liked jewellery very much and forgave Mian Bogao.
B. The King of Tang thought Mian Bogao was honest.
C. The King of Tang did not want the white goose, so he forgave Mian Bogao.
D. The King of Tang liked the goose feathers and forgave Mian Bogao.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 6.

"At last, the king forgave him for having lost the white goose and rewarded his honesty with appreciation."

Sending Goose Feathers from Thousands of Miles Away

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 "The Legend of Moon Cakes", which is about the history and legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the important festivals in the Chinese lunar calendar for sending our warmest wishes to families and friends.

Acknowledgements: The China Current

https://chinacurrent.com/story/23958/the-legend-of-moon-cakes-mid-autumn-festival-tasmin-little

When your friend gives a gift to you, is the price of the gift the most important? Why? Think and share your ideas or experiences with your parents or classmates.