Fables and Their Lessons

Grade 2 - Reading - Challenge Me

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Read this first
The Ant and the Grasshopper
All summer, an ant worked hard gathering food. She carried grains of corn and seeds back to her nest one by one. A grasshopper nearby sang and played in the sunshine. "Why work so hard?" he called out. "There is plenty of time later." The ant just kept on working.
"Winter will come whether we are ready or not," said the ant. "It is wise to store food while it is easy to find." The grasshopper shrugged and went back to playing his fiddle. He lay in the sun and hummed a tune.
Summer turned to autumn, and the days grew short and cool. The ant kept working just as steadily. Her nest filled up with corn and seeds.
Then winter came, with cold winds and snow on the ground. The grasshopper was cold and had no food. His fiddle was silent. He knocked weakly on her door, hoping she might share some of her food. The ant felt sympathy for the shivering grasshopper, and she let him in.
"Next summer, I will help you gather food," he said. The grasshopper looked ashamed. The ant smiled and showed him a warm place by the fire. They sat together while the snow fell outside. From then on, the grasshopper worked before winter came.
What lesson does this fable teach?
- It is easy to say you do not want something you could not get.
- It is wise to prepare for hard times while things are still easy.
- Gentle kindness can sometimes accomplish more than force.
- Slow, steady effort can win over speed and overconfidence.
Who is this fable mainly about?
- the beetle
- the ant
- the ladybug
- the robin
What did the ant want at the start of this fable?
- to find a new nest by the lake
- to win a race with the grasshopper
- to be ready for the coming winter
- to learn to play the fiddle
What did the ant do about it?
- hid her food from the grasshopper
- asked the grasshopper to gather food
- gathered and stored food all summer
- sang and played in the sunshine
Why did the ant act that way?
- because summer was ending too soon
- because the grasshopper asked her to
- because she knew winter would come
- because she did not like to play
What happened as a result?
- the grasshopper gathered more food than she did
- she ran out of food in winter
- she sent the grasshopper away in the snow
- she had food to share when the grasshopper had none
What is different by the end of this fable?
- the ant learned to play the fiddle
- the ant moved away from the grasshopper
- the grasshopper who played all summer needed the ant's help
- the ant stopped saving food
Which sentence tells a detail from this fable?
- She carried grains of corn and seeds back to her nest one by one.
- The grasshopper stored food in a hidden burrow.
- The ant gave the grasshopper no food at all.
- The ant played a fiddle in the tall grass.
Which sentence is NOT part of this fable?
- The grasshopper stored food in a hidden burrow.
- He knocked weakly on her door, hoping she might share some of her food.
- She carried grains of corn and seeds back to her nest one by one.
- All summer, an ant worked hard gathering food.
What does the word "sympathy" mean in this fable?
- scrunched up in a small way
- a feeling of caring about someone's trouble
- walked slowly and steadily
- sudden strong bursts of wind

The Ant and the Grasshopper

All summer, an ant worked hard gathering food. She carried grains of corn and seeds back to her nest one by one. A grasshopper nearby sang and played in the sunshine. "Why work so hard?" he called out. "There is plenty of time later." The ant just kept on working.

"Winter will come whether we are ready or not," said the ant. "It is wise to store food while it is easy to find." The grasshopper shrugged and went back to playing his fiddle. He lay in the sun and hummed a tune.

Summer turned to autumn, and the days grew short and cool. The ant kept working just as steadily. Her nest filled up with corn and seeds.

Then winter came, with cold winds and snow on the ground. The grasshopper was cold and had no food. His fiddle was silent. He knocked weakly on her door, hoping she might share some of her food. The ant felt sympathy for the shivering grasshopper, and she let him in.

"Next summer, I will help you gather food," he said. The grasshopper looked ashamed. The ant smiled and showed him a warm place by the fire. They sat together while the snow fell outside. From then on, the grasshopper worked before winter came.