Worksheet

Fables and Folk Tales

Grade 3 - Reading - Building Confidence

NameDate

  1. Read this first

    The Bundle of Sticks (a fable from Aesop)

    A farmer had three sons. The sons argued all day long. They fought about chores, about food and about who was the strongest.

    One evening, the farmer handed each son a single stick from the woodpile. "Break it," he said. Each son snapped his stick in half with no trouble.

    Then the farmer tied three sticks together with a cord. He handed the bundle to his oldest son. "Now break this," he said.

    The oldest son pushed and pulled, but the bundle would not break. The middle son tried next. Then the youngest son tried with all his might. The bundle stayed whole.

    The farmer smiled. "You are like these sticks," he said. "Alone, each of you is easy to break. Together, no one can break you."

    The sons looked at one another. The oldest son put his arm around the youngest. That night, they did the chores side by side, and nobody argued at all.

  2. Who is this fable mainly about?

    • three farmers
    • a king and his sons
    • a farmer and his sons

  3. What was the sons' problem at the start?

    • They argued all day long.
    • They had no sticks.
    • They slept all day.

  4. What happened when each son had one stick?

    • Each son broke it easily.
    • The sticks bent but did not break.
    • The sons threw them away.

  5. What did the farmer tie together with a cord?

    • three sticks
    • three ropes
    • his three sons

  6. What happened when the sons tried to break the bundle?

    • The cord snapped.
    • The bundle would not break.
    • The youngest son broke it.

  7. Why did the farmer use the sticks?

    • to punish his sons
    • to show his sons why they should stick together
    • to build a fire for dinner

  8. Which of these did NOT happen in the fable?

    • The farmer broke the bundle himself.
    • The farmer tied the sticks with a cord.
    • The sons did chores together.

  9. What lesson does this fable teach?

    • Chores are best done alone.
    • Sticks are hard to break.
    • Working together makes us strong.

  10. How are the sons different at the end?

    • They break more sticks.
    • They each move away.
    • They work together without arguing.

  11. What does the word "bundle" mean in this fable?

    • a loud noise
    • a kind of tool
    • things tied together in a group
PencilGopencilgo.com