A CONTEST OF STRENGTH

An Aesop’s Fable Retold

Read the story, and then answer the questions that follow.

Wind and Sun were both important weather makers, but each thought he was more powerful than
the other was. Wind argued that his great strength made him more powerful. Sun argued that the ability to
persuade gave him greater power.
“Let’s have a contest to prove who’s more powerful!” suggested Wind boastfully. Far below, he
saw a man in a warm, winter coat walking along the road. “Whoever can make that man take off his coat
will be more powerful,” said Wind with a smile. “I’ll go first.”
Now Wind knew that when he blew, leaves flew through the air and trees bent. It should be easy
to blow a man’s coat off! So Wind blew, gently at first, then harder and harder. But the harder he blew, the
more the shivering man pulled his coat around him!
“My turn,” said Sun, and he began to send warm rays toward the man below. Soon the man
unbuttoned his coat. Sun glowed brighter and the man became uncomfortable in the heat. Before long, he
took off the coat!
Wind sighed. “I guess you win. You’re more powerful.”
Sun just beamed. And all day he was as busy as a bee, lighting the sky until it was time for Moon
to take over!
Taken from : Reading in 15 minutes a day

1. Which human characteristics did the writer NOT give Wind or Sun?
A. the ability to smile
B. the ability to walk
C. the ability to talk
D. the ability to laugh

2. Describing Wind as arrogant means he was

A. full of self-importance.
B. full of thanks.
C. full of wonder.
D. full of humility.

3. You can infer that when Sun just beamed at the end of the story, …
A. he knew he was better than Moon.
B. he felt he didn’t have to say anything because he’d won.
C. he didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings.
D. he wanted to keep the bees warm.

4. Put a check in the right column, True or False!

Statements True False

Sun wants Moon to light the sky.
Wind wants to make a big tree bend.
The man doesn’t know what to do when Sun sends him rays towards
him.
Wind and Sun want to get the man’s coat off.
We cannot win all the time.

5. According to the text, Moon defeats … without any efforts.

6. What can we learn from the text above?

Answers:

1. B

2. A

3. B

4. F, F, F, T, T

5. Sun

6. We shouldn’t be arrogant.

We shouldn’t underestimate others.

We have different abilities/strengths.