Read the stories and answers the questions.

YOU ARE A WISE MAN, SIR

The postman came to Gappu Lal’s house and knocked at the door. Gappu Lal came out of the house, and the postman gave him a letter. Then he went to another house.

Gappu Lal ran to Mushi Khote Khan’s house with the letter in his hand.
Munshi Khote Khan was sitting on a bed in the courtyard. Gappu Lal said. “Good morning” to him and sat down on the bed.
Gappu lal : Will you read this letter to me. Please?
Khote Khan : Who is it from ?
Gappu Lal : The postman gave it to me. Please open it and read it.
Munshi Khote Khan opened the letter and read two or three lines.
Gappu Lal : oh, please stop. Don’t read it, it’s from my wife.
Khote Khan : Listen, Gappu Lal. I’ll put my fingers in my ears and then read your wife’s letter to you. You’ll hear your wife’s words, but I won’t hear them.
Gappu Lal : That’s right. You’re a wise man, sir please put your fingers in your ears and read the letter to me.
Munshi Khote Khan put his fingers in his ears and read the letter to Gappu Lal.

Comprehension questions:

1. Where was Munshi Khote khan sitting?
2. Why did Gappu give the letter to Munshi to read?
3. Why did Gappu ask to stop reading the letter?
4. What was the idea of Munshi Khote khan?
5. Did really Munshi Khote khan not hear a word of Gappu lal’s wife?

A STRANGE DREAM

Akbar : Birbal, listen. I had a dream last night. It was a strange dream.
Birbal : What was the dream, sir ?
Akbar : You and I had wings, and we flew together in the sky. We flew over some cities, and then we flew over some villages. Then we fell down. I fell into a tank of honey and you fell into a tank of muddy water.
Birbal : Did we come out of the tanks, sir?
Akbar : No, Birbal, we didn’t. We fell into the tanks, and then I woke up.
Birbal : Sir, last night I had the same dream. But I dreamed two other things too.
Akbar : What were they, Birbal ?
Birbal : A tall, strong man took us out of the tanks, and we sat down on the grass. Then I licked your body and you licked my body. It was a strange dream, sir.

Comprehension questions:

1. What was Akbar’s dream?
2. Was it to test the wisdom of Birbal?
3. How was the Birbal’s dream different from Akbar’s?
4. Was Akbar happy  to see the intelligence of Birbal?
5. What did Akbar do?

THE CLEVER HORSE

A wolf was ill. He could not kill any animals. He was hungry, but there was no food for him in his cave.He went to the house of a farmer and sat down at the door.
Farmer : What are you doing here ?
Wolf : I’m not doing nothing, sir. I’m hungry. Please give me some food.
Farmer : What food do you want ?
Wolf : Please give me some meat. I don’t eat bread or rice, and I don’t eat fruit either.
Farmer : Listen, Mr. Hungry Wolf, I’ve no meat for you in my house. But there’s horse grazing in the field. Go and eat it.
The wolf went to the horse in the field.
Wolf : Lie down, Mr. Horse. I’ll eat you.
Horse : Who sent you here?
Wolf : Your master sent me here.
Horse : All right, Mr. Wolf. Which part of my body will you eat first?
Wolf : I’ll eat your head first.
Horse : Mr. Wolf, I am eating grass now. Please eat my tail first.
Wolf : All right. I’ll eat your tail first.
The wolf stood behind the horse and caught his tail in his mouth. And the horse jumped and kicked the wolf in the mouth. Four of the wolf’s teeth fell to the ground and he ran into the jungle.

Comprehension questions:

1. Why did the wolf go to a farmer’s house?
2. What did the farmer ask?
3. How did the wolf answer?
4. Where did the farmer send to wolf?
5. What did the wolf say to the horse?
6. What was the horse’s answer?
7. How did the wolf’s teeth fall to the ground?

AN UNLUCKY WEEK

Harihar sat alone in his room and counted his money. He said. “Ten thousand and five thousand are only fifteen thousand. It’s a small sum. What can I do with fifteen thousand rupees? Nothing.” He was sad.
Maya Ram knocked at the door. “Come in”, said Harihar.
Maya Ram opened the door and went into the room.
Maya Ram : What are you doing here alone, Harihar ?
Harihar : Nothing. I’m counting my money. I’ve only fifteen thousand rupees.
Maya Ram : But fifteen thousand rupees is a big sum.
Harihar : No, Maya Ram, it isn’t. This week is unlucky for me.
Maya Ram : In what way is it unlucky for you?
Harihar : Listen, my friend. Two weeks ago my grandfather died. He gave me ten thousand rupees before his death. Then, last week my grandmother died. She gave me five thousand rupees before her death. But nobody is dying this week. I won’t get any money.
Maya Ram : Nobody will die now, Harihar. So don’t be sad. And don’t kill anybody.

Comprehension questions:

1. What was Harihar doing?
2. Why was he sad?
3. How was the week unlucky for Harihar?

THE LOADS OF TWO DONKEYS

One morning Akbar went out for a walk with Prince Salim and Birbal. They walked a mile and a half and came to the bank of river.
It was a hot morning and they sat down in the shade of a tree.
A few minutes later Akbar said, “The water of the river is clean. Shall we go and bathe in the river”.
They went and Birbal put his hand into the water. He said, “It’s very cold, sir. I won’t bathe in it”. Akbar said, “All right. You stand here and hold our clothes in your hand”.

Akbar and Prince Salim took off their clothes and gave them to Birbal. Then they got into the water and bathed in it.
Akbar said to Prince Salim. “Birbal is a fool. He’s standing in the sun and is holding our clothes. He looks like a washer man’s donkey. I’ll have a joke with him.”
Akbar : Birbal, you’re carrying the load of a donkey.
Birbal : No, Sir, I’m carrying the loads of two donkeys.
Akbar could not say anything now. But he was not angry with Birbal.

Comprehension questions:

1. Who went with Akbar for a walk?
2. Did they sit down in the shade of a tree?
3. What did Akbar say after a few minutes?
4. Why didn’t Birbal take bath in the river?
5. What did Akbar say to Birbal?
6. How did Birbal respond?

MR. JONES

Mr. Jones had a few days holiday, so he said, ‘I’m going to go to the mountains by train.’ He put on his best clothes, took a small bag, went to the station and got into the train. He had a beautiful hat, and he often put his head out of the window during the trip and looked at the mountains. But the wind pulled his hat off.
Mr. Jones quickly took his old bag and threw that out of the window too.
The other people in the carriage laughed. ‘Is your bag going to bring your beautiful hat back?’ they asked.
'No' Mr. Jones answered, ‘but there’s a name and an address on the bag. Someone’s going  to find both of them near each other, and he’s going to send me the bag and the hat.”

Comprehension questions:

1. Where did Mr. Jones go for his holiday?
2. How did he go there?
3. What did he often do during the trip?
4. What did the wind do then?
5. What did Mr. Jones do?
6. What did the other people in the carriage do then?
7. What did they say?
8. And what did Mr. Jones answer?

HARRY’S SHOES

One of Harry’s feet was bigger than the other. ‘I can never find boots and shoes for my feet,’ he said to his friend Dick.
Why don’t you go to a shoemaker? Dick said. ‘ A good one can make you the right shoes.’
‘I’ve never been to a shoemaker,’ Harry said. ‘Aren’t they very expensive?’
‘No,’ Dick Said, ‘some of them aren’t. there’s a good one in our village, and he’s quite cheap. Here’s his address.’ He wrote something on a piece of paper and gave into Harry.
Harry went to the shoemaker in Dick’s village a few days later, and the shoemaker made him some shoes.
Harry went to the shop again a week later and looked at the shoes. Then he said to the shoemaker angrily, “you’re a silly man! I said, “Make one shoe bigger than the other,” but you’ve made one smaller than the other!’

Comprehension questions:

1. Write true or false about the sentences:
2. Harry’s feet were not the same size.
3. Harry had never been to a shoemaker.
4. The shoemaker was from Harry’s village.
5. Harry went back to the shoemaker two weeks later.
6. The shoemaker was right.