“The Boy Who Cried Wolf”

Aesop
A shepherd boy tended his master's sheep near a dark forest not far from the village. Soon he
found life in the pasture very dull. All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or play
on his lyre.
One day as he sat watching the sheep and the quiet forest and thinking what he would do should
he see a wolf, he thought of a plan to amuse himself.
His master had told him to call for help should a wolf attack the flock, and the villagers would
drive it away. So now, though he had not seen anything that even looked like a wolf, he ran
toward the village shouting at the top of his voice, "Wolf! Wolf!"
As he expected, the villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement
to the pasture. But when they got there, they found the boy doubled up with laughter at the trick
he had played on them.
A few days later the shepherd boy again shouted, "Wolf! Wolf!" Again, the villagers ran to help
him, only to be laughed at again.
Then one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out
over the pasture; a wolf really did spring from the underbrush and fall upon the sheep.
In terror the boy ran toward the village shouting "Wolf! Wolf!" But though the villagers heard
the cry, they did not run to help him as they had before. "He cannot fool us again," they said.
The wolf killed a great many of the boy's sheep and then slipped away into the forest.
Define Each Word
1. tend: to have or take charge of as a caretaker or overseer
2. lyre: a stringed instrument like a small U-shaped harp with strings fixed to a crossbar,
used especially in ancient Greece. Modern instruments of this type are found mainly in
East Africa.
3. pasture: land covered with grass and other low plants suitable for grazing animals,
especially cattle or sheep.
4. creep: move slowly and carefully to avoid being heard or noticed.
5. Slip(verb): to move with a smooth sliding motion
Write the Correct Word from the Vocabulary
1. The Holstein cows grazed peacefully on the _________pasture__________________.
2. People who do not prepare themselves for a career may feel time ________slip________
away as they jump from one low-paying job to another.
3. An itinerant musician played his ________lyre__________ on the street corner hoping that
tourists would place tips in his upturned hat.
4. With great stealth, the snake __________creep_________ up on the unattended nest and
devoured all the eggs.
5. The gardener ________tend_______________ to her tomato plants by watering and fertilizing
them regularly.
Comprehension and Discussion: Answer Each Question in Complete Sentences
1. Why do the villagers fail to heed the shepherd boy’s cry the third time?
The villagers thought the boy was pranking them again. They thought it was a lie and didn’t
believe him since he had foul them twice before.
2. What do you think that the boy’s master will do or say after finding out that many of the
sheep have been killed by a wolf?
The boy’s master will be angry because they lost many of the sheep and disappointed because he
will find out the boy had been lying about a wolf.
3. What is the moral of this story, the lesson that you learn from the story?
If you lie often, they won't believe you when you tell the truth.

Vocabulary quiz “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”

Directions: Select the word from the list that means most nearly the same as the given
term. Write the letter of your answer next to the number.
__c___ 1. tend
a. to harvest, as with crops
b. to care for
c. to walk with, to accompany
___c__ 2. lyre
a. a small drum for playing in a parade
b. a small, woodwind instrument, like a flute
c. a small, string instrument
__a___ 3. pasture
a. open grasslands upon which livestock graze
b. the enclosed feeding area inside a barn, used for cattle and swine
c. expansive, often sandy scrubland, typical of the American southwest
_c__ 4. creep
a. to move quickly and efficiently
b. to gather one’s belongings carefully
c. to move stealthily, quietly, carefully
__a___ 5. slip (verb)
a. to move away from discretely, quietly, to get away
b. to arrive in a grand manner, loudly
c. to strike haphazardly, as in a fight
Directions: Select the best answer from the choices provided. Write the letter of your
answer on the line next to the number.
__c___ 1. When the wolf really did appear, it
a. ran across the pasture.
b. leapt from within the forest.
c. sprung from the underbrush.
__b___ 2. The shepherd boy shouted “wolf” twice when there wasn’t any wolf to
a. amuse himself
b. see if the villagers would respond.
c. train the sheep to protect themselves from attack.
__a___ 3. The wolf attacked the sheep
a. at sunset.
b. at sunrise.
c. during the night.
__b___ 4. When the villagers rushed to the shepherd boy the first time, he
a. hid in the bushes to watch the villagers’ reaction.
b. doubled up with laughter.
c. ran into the forest to hide.
__c___ 5. The shepherd boy’s master had told him to
a. scares the wolf away if a wolf attacked the flock.
b. run to the village for safety if he saw a wolf.
c. call for help if a wolf attacked the flock.