Unit 5: The Elders of Chelm

A.

1. First, the Elders had to find out what to do with the moon
that had fallen into the barrel of the water, which was actually
the reflection of the moon. The second problem for the Elders
was how to put together money for the village. When they saw
the glittering snow spread all over the village, they thought that
silver and diamonds had fallen from the sky, and wondered
how to collect the treasure without stepping on it.

2. The Elders thought that the moon had fallen into the barrel
of water, when it was actually the moon being reflected in the
water.

3. The Elders asked the boy to run to all the houses in the
village so that they could be informed about how the moon had
fallen into a barrel of water, and what to do about it.

Similarly, when the land was covered by snow, the Elders told
the boy to inform all the villagers to stay indoors until all the
treasure, which in fact was just sparkling snow, was collected.

4. In order to inform the villagers to stay inside until all the

‘treasure’ was collected, the boy had to be sent without
trampling on the snow. So, the Elders decided to send four
strong men who would carry a table on which the boy would
stand. The next day, the ‘treasure’ was trampled upon. Finally,
they decided that four other men should carry the four men
carrying the table and the boy.

None of their ideas worked, as somebody would definitely have

to step on the snow to spread the message. Instead, they
foolishly thought that sending even more people to carry the
men would solve the problem.

5. No, the narrator is not as silly as the other characters in the

play because he knows that the snow will be trampled upon by
anybody who walks on it, and tells us what has actually
happened, unlike the other characters in the play who come up
with silly problems and even sillier solutions.

B.

1. b
2. c
3. d
4. e
5. a

C. The village Elders did not do a good job of ruling the village
because they were not wise enough to understand the real
problems. They imagined silly problems and spend their days in
looking for solutions to them, instead of actually ruling the
village. In fact, because of their foolishness, the village did not
have enough money. Instead of finding ways to cut spending,
they foolishly imagine the snow to be made of silver and
diamonds.

D.
1. The narrator narrates what cannot be shown on stage, for
example, when the next scene is set a day later. (√)
2. The narrator speaks directly with the audience. (√)
3. The narrator is the link between the audience and the
characters. (√)
4. The narrator is not a character in the story, but a real person
from the audience.
5. The narrator is also a character in the play. (√)

VOCABULARY

1. made a mistake
2. makes friends
3. made a mess
4. make the bed
5. Make sure

WRITING

(Suggested answer. Accept all logical answers.)

In the Village of Chelm, the village Elders had gathered at the

town hall to discuss problems of the village. Just then, the first
Elder entered the hall, and shouted, “I have some bad news.
The moon has fallen into a barrel of water!”

All the Elders panicked and went out to look at the reflection of
the moon in the barrel of water. All the villagers were called
too. They all gathered around the barrel, worried about what to
do. It was decided that the barrel would be sealed, so that the
moon could not escape.

The next day, when they opened the barrel, they could not find
the moon inside. The Elders thought it was stolen, and
immediately called the police but even the police could not find
where the moon went.