Hospitality

Confucius
A few gourd that waved about
Cut down and boiled; - the feast how
spare!
But the good host his spirit takes,
Pours out a cup and proves them rare.
A single rabbit on the mat,
Or baked, or roast: how
small the feast!
But the good host his spirit
takes,
And fills the cup of every
guest.
 A single rabbit on the mat,
Roasted or broiled: - how poor
the meal!
But the guests from the spirit
vase
Fill their host’s cup, and drink
his weal.
 A single rabbit on the mat,
Roasted or baked: - no feast we
think!
But from the spirit vase they
take,
But host and guests, and joyous
a drink.
1. The hosts used gourds to
beautify the balcony of their house.
A. a fruit used for decoration
B. a fruit consumed for eating
C. a fruit used as medicine
D. a fruit used to make cosmetics
2. The Philippine Flying
Lemur or Colugo is one of
the rare animals in the
Philippines.
A. Conjoint
B. common
C. unusual
D. wild
3. The visitors were served
broiled chicken for dinner but
they refused to eat.
A. Raw
B. Underdone
C. overcooked
D. grilled
4. Most people dream of
achieving weal as they reach
middle age.
A. Misery
B. prosperity
C. gloom
D. deficient
5. Who is the speaker in
the poem?
A.Confucius
B. People from China
C. the hosts
D. the guests
6. What is the speaker’s
attitude towards the way
hospitality is presented in
the poem?
A. excited
B. gloomy
C. ecstatic
D. disappointed
7. According to the speaker, how does the
host show his/ her hospitality to the
guests?
A. by serenading them with good music
and entertaining with a graceful dance
B. By welcoming them warmly and serving
them with the best food and drinks.
C. By repainting and decorating their house
with different ornaments
D. By wearing the best outfit and offering a
drink
8. What lines from the poem bluntly
express hospitality?
A. But the good hosts his spirit takes,
Pours out a cup, and proves them rare.
B. A single rabbit on the mat,
Roasted or broiled:- how poor the meal!
C. A few gourd leaves that waved about
Cut down and boiled;- the feast how spare!
D. But from the spirit vase they take,
Both host and guests, and joyous drink.
9. Based from the text, what is
the best characteristic of a
good host?
A. Hospitable B. caring
C. entertaining D. thoughtful
10. What is the purpose of
the author in writing this
poem?
A. to entertain
B. to inform
C. to persuade
D. to influence
11. What tone does the
poem have?
A. Melancholic
B. Forlorn
C. happy
D. gloomy
 The Tongue-cut Sparrow
Japan, A. B. Mitford
Once upon time there lived an old man and an old
woman. The old man, who had a kind heart, kept a
young sparrow, which he tenderly nurtured. But the
dame was a cross-grained old thing; and one day, when
the sparrow pecked at some paste with which she was
going to starch her linen, she flew into a great rage, and
cut the sparrow’s tongue and let it loose. When the old
man came home from the hills and found that the bird
had flown, he asked what had become of it; so the old
woman answered that she had cut its tongue and let it
go, because it had stolen her starching paste.
12. Why did the old lady cut
the sparrow’s tongue?
A. The sparrow is very noisy.
B. The sparrow became wild.
C. The sparrow ate some of
her starch.
“What a polite sparrow!” answered the old man,
who remained for a long time as the sparrow’s
guest, and daily feasted right royally. At last the
old man said that he must take his leave and
return home; and the bird, offering him two
wicker baskets, begged him to carry them with
him as a parting present. One of the baskets
was, heavy, and the other was light; so the old
man, saying that as he was feeble and stricken in
years he would only accept the light one,
shouldered it, and trudged off home, leaving the
sparrow family disconsolate at parting from him.
The sparrow’s presence is annoying.
13. Why did the sparrow give the old man
presents after he paid a visit?
A. The sparrow was happy to see the old
man.
B. The sparrow wanted to test the old
man’s loyalty.
C. The sparrow wanted to pay the old man
since he took care of him.
D. The sparrow appreciated the old man’s
effort of looking for him after the incident.
 When the old man got home, the dame
grew very angry, and began to scold him,
saying, “Well, and pray where have you
been this many a day? A pretty thing,
indeed, to be gadding about at your time
of life!”

“Oh!” he replied, “I have been on a visit to

the sparrows; and when I come away, they
gave me this wicker basket as a parting
gift.”
 Then they opened the basket to see
what was inside, and lo and behold! It
was full of gold and silver and precious
things. When the old woman, who was
as greedy as she was cross, saw all the
riches displayed before her, she
changed her scolding strain, and could
not contain herself with joy.
 “I’ll go and call upon the sparrows, too,”
said she, “and get a pretty present.” So she
asked the old man the way to the
sparrows’ house, and set forth on her
journey. Following his directions, she at last
met the tongue-cut sparrow, and
exclaimed, “Well met! Well met! Mr.
Sparrow. I have been looking forward to
the pleasure of seeing you.” So she tried to
natter and cajole the sparrow by soft
speeches.
The bird could not but invite the dame to its home;
but it took no pains to feast her, and said nothing
about a parting gift. She, however, was not to be put
off; so she asked for something to carry away with
her in remembrance of her visit. The sparrow
accordingly produced two baskets, as before, and
the greedy old woman, choosing the heavier of the
two, carried it off with her. But when she opened
the basket to see what was inside, all sorts of
hobgoblins and elves sprang out of it, and began to
torment her.
But the old man adopted a son, and his family grew
rich and prosperous. What a happy old man!
14. What South East Asian
culture is evident in the
story?
A. Belief in myth
B. Belief in magic
C. love of nature
D. belief in man’s creation
15. What is the purpose of
the author in writing the
story?
A. to entertain
B. to inform
C. to persuade
D. to expose
16. Which line from the text appeals to the
sense of hearing?
A. When the old woman, who was as greedy as
she was cross, saw all the riches displayed
before her, she changed her scolding strain.
B. “I have been looking forward to the pleasure
of seeing you.” So she tried to natter and cajole
the sparrow by soft speeches.
C. Then they opened the basket to see what was
inside, and, lo, and behold! It was full of gold
and silver and precious things.”
D. One day, at the foot of a certain mountain,
the old man fell in with the lost bird.