Read the story that will follow. Choose the best answer.

The Stone CutterAuthor Unknown

1. Which of the following traits can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s LOOKS?

A. The stone-cutter is hardworking.

B. He is old.C. He is rude.D. He is a serious man.

Once upon a time, there lived a stone-cutter in a small village. All day long he worked hard, cutting the hard stones and making the shape, which were needed by his customers. His hands were hard and his clothes were dirty.

One day, he went out to work on a big stone. It was very hard to work and the sun was very hot. After spending several hours cutting the stone, he sat down in the shade and soon fell asleep.

After sometime, he heard sound of somebody coming. Walking up he saw a long procession of people. There were many soldiers and attendants and in the middle, in a seat carried by strong people, was the king.

2. Which of the following traits can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s THOUGHTS?

A. He is jealous of the king.

B. He feels sad that he is poor.

C. He is impressed by the king.

D. He is greatly ambitious.

How wonderful it must be to be the great king, thought the stone-cutter. “How happy I would be if I were the king instead of a poor stone-cutter.”

3. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s SPEECH?

A. He wishes to defeat the king.

B. He is confident that he would make a better king.

C. He is proud of himself.D. He is not satisfied with

his life.

How wonderful it must be to be the great king, thought the stone-cutter. “How happy I would be if I were the king instead of a poor stone-cutter.”

4. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s LOOKS?

A. He spends much time cutting stone.

B. He is quite dull and uninteresting.

C. He is happy.D. He is well-taken care of.

As he said these words, a strange thing happened. The stone-cutter found himself dressed in silk clothes and shining jewels. His hands were soft and he was sitting in a comfortable carriage.

5. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s THOUGHTS?

A. The stone-cutter is nervous about being king.

B. He is proud and disdainful.

C. He is disappointed with himself.

D. He is exhausted.

He looked through the curtains and thought, How easy it is to be a king, these people are here to serve me!

The procession moved on and the sun grew hot. The stone-cutter, now the king, became too warm for comfort. He asked the procession to stop so that he could rest for some time.

6. Which of the following can you draw out from the chief’s REACTION to the king?

A. The king is a very harsh man.

B. The king is kind and generous.

C. The king is a humble man.

D. The king is unhappy.

At once the chief of the soldiers bent before the king and said, “Your Majesty, only this morning you swore to have me hanged to death if we did not reach the palace before the sun set.”

7. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s ACTIONS?

A. He is orderly and neat.B. He is a very intelligent

man.C. He is calm and patient.D. He is merciful and

compassionate.

The stone-cutter felt sorry for him, and ordered the procession to go on its way again.

As the afternoon wore on, the sun grew hotter, and the king became more and more uncomfortable.

I am powerful, it is true, but how more powerful the sun is, he thought. “I would rather be the sun than a king.”

At once, he became the sun shining down on the earth.

His new power was hard to control.He shone too strongly. He burned up the

fields with his rays, and turned the ocean into vapor, and formed a great cloud which covered the land.

But no matter how hard he shone, he could not see through the clouds.

“It is obvious that the clouds are even stronger and more powerful than sun,” said the stone cutter, “now the sun, I would rather be a cloud.”

Suddenly, he found himself turned into a huge dark cloud.

8. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s ACTIONS?

A. He is a strong person.B. He is young and

carefree.C. He is fierce and

powerful.D. He is a very lonely man.

He started using his new power. He poured rain down on the fields and caused floods. All the trees and houses were swept away but a boulder, which once he had been cutting when he was a stone-cutter was unmoved and unchanged.

9. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s SPEECH?

A. He is gentle and loving.B. He is wiser than before.C. He is furious at the

stone that did not move.

D. He has a courageous heart.

However much he poured down on the stone, it did not move.

“Why, that rock is more powerful than I am!” said the stone-cutter, now a cloud. “Only a stone cutter could change the rock by his skill. How I wish I were a stonecutter again!”

10. Which of the following can you draw out from the stone-cutter’s ACTIONS?

A. He is contented with himself.

B. He is a talented and well-known stone-cutter.

C. He enjoys wood-carving.

D. He is kind and respectful.

No sooner had he said the words than he found himself sitting on a stone with hard and rough hands.

He picked up his tools and set to work on a boulder, happily.