Mushtariybonu tojiboyeva fascinating fables

Participle I 
Participle II 
Participle III 
Match the words 
1. Speed a) event 
2. Stillness b) save 
3. Scream c) fall 
4. Doubt d) fasten
5. Faith e) silence 
6. Episode f) firm 
7. Rescue g) cry 
8. Slip h) disbelieve 
9. Attach i) quickness 
10. Tight j) reliance 

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44 
Answer the questions 
A) Did you like the story? 
B) What would you do if you were the man? 
C) Why didn’t he cut the rope? 
D) Would you cut the rope or stay attached to the rope tightly? 
E) Are you risk taker or timid? 
Vocabulary 
Height 
Rescue 
Gravity 
Tight 
Visibility 
Slip 
Episode 
Speed 
Stillness 
Sensation 
Suck 
Attach 
Scream 
Doubt 
Waist 
Faith 
THE SHIP 
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only 
two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like 
island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that 
they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find 
out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the 
territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, 
the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he 
was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained 

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45 
barren. After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to 
pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the 
only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On 
the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The 
next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the 
second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife 
could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at 
his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife 
and decided to leave the second man on the island.
He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s 
blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice 
from heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on 
the island?”
“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed 
for them”, the first man answered. “His prayers were all 
unanswered and so he does not deserve anything”.
“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one 
prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have 
received any of my blessings”.
“Tell me”, the first man asked the voice, “What did he pray 
for that I should owe him anything?”
“He prayed that all your prayers be answered”.
Moral: For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our 
prayers alone, but those of another praying for us. 

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46 
Put the statements in order 
1. He prayed for a wife 
2. They could get out of the sea and reach island. 
3. The second man got nothing anyway
4. The first man asked for a ship so they can go back home.
5. God said that he prayed for you that all your wishes to come 
true. 
6. A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea. 
7. The first man found fruits in his territory. 
Next day another ship was wrecked and the only survivor was a 
woman 
1. The first man decided to leave the island. 
2. He prayed food, house, clothing from God. 
3. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s 
blessings. 
4. What did he pray for that I should owe him anything? 
5. Why are you leaving your companion on the island? 
6. His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve 
anything.” 
7. He prayed that all your prayers be answered. 
Summarize the story 
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47 
Vocabulary 
Wreck 
Consider 
Survivor 
Unworthy 
Opposite 
Booming 
Parcel 
Companion 
Barren 
Blessing 
Magic 
Deserve 
Receive 
Owe 
Board 
Rebuke 
LIFE WORTH SAVING 
It was hot and dry summer. The beach was crowded with the 
people as they gather to beat the heat. There were so many people, 
from kids to aged people, enjoying the ambience at the beach.
There was a group of 20 boys aged between 12 to 15 years 
trying to be adventurous. They intend to hire a yacht, but due to 
tides, the yacht rides were prohibited on that day. Still, the boys 
were enjoying the most in the sea. Suddenly the boys challenged 
themselves about racing in the sea.
The one who swims and moves farther in the sea win the race 
and deservers a huge treat from the group. The boys agreed, except 
a few. A boy in the group warned them not to play with danger, as 
the waves weren’t constant, they fluctuate. Some didn’t hear their 
warnings and started their race. 
Unexpectedly, the waves from the sea elevated and few boys 
in that young group struggled to manage themselves to reach the 
shore. However, three boys, who considered themselves very brave 

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48 
decided to move deep into the sea for more thrill and fun! They 
determined to beat the tide and swim further.
While many people warned them, they continued to swim, 
far beyond the shore. All of a sudden, one boy was missing from 
the group. Away from the group the boy was unable to cope with 
the rising tides and the other two shouted for help. 
No one dared to help the boys as the tides were so alarming. 
The crowd in the shore moved back to safe place. 
From the crowd at the beach, one brave man consoled those 
two boys. Then he rushed to rescue the little boy who was swept 
out to the sea. Fortunately, he saved the boy’s life with so much 
effort. He brought him back to the sea shore after so many 
struggles. At first the boy was unconscious. Then after the first aid, 
he became conscious and opened his eyes. He saw the man who 
saved him from drowning in the sea. The boy said, “Thank you so 
much uncle, for saving my life. I’m so grateful to you. Thanks a 
lot”. The man stood silently for few seconds and told him, looking 
deeply into his eyes, “Good on your child! You got a savior and 
your life is now renewed. You are born again. Make sure that your 
life is worth saving!” and left the place! The boy understood the 
man’s words. 
Moral: Let us live a life that really worth something! 
Decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F). 
1. The beach was not crowded with the people as they gather to 
beat the heat. 
2. There was a group of 12 boys aged between 12 to 15 years trying 
to be adventurous. 

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49 
3. The one who swims and moves farther in the sea win the race 
and deservers a huge treat from the group. 
4. A boy in the group warned them to play with danger, as the 
waves were constant. 
5. Five boys, who considered themselves very brave decided to 
move deep into the sea for more thrill and fun! 
6. All of a sudden, one boy was missing from the group. 
7. Everyone dared to help the boys as the tides were so alarming. 
8. One brave man rushed to rescue the little boy who was swept 
out to the sea. 
9. You are born again. Make sure that your life is worth saving!’ 
said his friend. 
Vocabulary 
Ambience 
Fluctuate 
Adventurous 
Warn 
Hire 
Elevate 
Yacht 
Struggle 
Tide 
Shore 
Prohibit 
Brave 
Constant 
Thrill 
Determine 
Dare 
Cope with 
Alarming 
Fortunately 
Savior 
What do you think? 
Is putting your life in trouble and risking to help somebody whom 
you don’t know good or bad?

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50 
DADU AND DADDY 
Dadu was a seven year old boy. He was naughty, funny and 
very mischievous. One day, his mom was unwell and he was looked 
after by his daddy. Dadu’s daddy asked him to go to bed as it was 
close to 9.30 pm. Dadu went to his room. His daddy was watching 
television in the living room. It was 9.45 and Dadu called, “Daddy, 
can you please bring me a glass of water to drink?” 
Daddy was annoyed, “No way Dadu! You get it on your own!” 
After five minutes, Dadu called his dad and said, “Daddy can 
you please give me a glass of water? I’m very thirsty”. 
Daddy replied, “No Dadu. I already told you!” 
After five minutes, Dadu shouted, “Daddy can you please give 
me water?” 
Daddy said, “I told you twice, I won’t! If you ask again, I will 
come in and spank you!” Dadu was silent for a while. After 10 
minutes, “Daddy, when you come to spank me, can you please give 
me a glass of water?” Daddy was speechless!
Vocabulary 
Naughty 
Spank 
Mischievous 
Speechless 
Unwell 
Comprehension questions 
1. What did Daddy ask from his father? 
2. How many times did Daddy ask it? 
3. Did the father bring it to him? 

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SLOW AND FAST 
A young man was riding on a horse with heavily loaded 
mangoes which were packed carelessly. He travelled in his horse a 
long way to collect those mangoes. He wasn’t sure about how long 
it would take to reach home. He saw an old man on his way and 
asked him how long he should travel to reach his place. The old 
man looked at the heavy load and said, “If you ride slowly, you can 
reach your place in 3 hours. If you ride faster, you will reach home 
no sooner than early night!” 
The young man was surprised at the words of the old man. It 
appeared very strange. However, he was in a hurry to reach home. 
He rushed his horse to run faster. As he rushed his horse, the 
mangoes started to fell off from the bag. He stopped the horse and 
picked the mangoes. Again, he hurried in his horse and again few 
mangoes fell off. He picked again and lost some more. He tried to 
make the lost time but in vain. Many times he repeated the same 
and it took almost midnight to reach his place. He then understood 
the real meaning of the words told by the old man! 
Vocabulary 
Load 
Strange 
Pack 
Vain 
Ride 
Hurry 
Write down 5 main actions of the story
1. _____________________________________________________ 
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2. _____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ 
3._______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________ 
4. _____________________________________________________ 
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5. ____________________________________________________ 
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OBEDIENCE 
In a certain place lived a boy whom I will call Johnny. He was 
about thirteen years old. When a given task was finished, he was 
quite in the habit of slipping away to the nearest neighbor's to join 
a companion of his own age, without inquiring first if there was 
anything else to do, or if his parents were willing to spare him. He 
thought that if he was needed he could be called, and did not 
consider that this looking around for a boy and calling him every 
time he disappeared was anything of an annoyance. Johnny was not 
bad; no, no; he was just one of the best boys a mother ever had; it 
was only lack of understanding on his part. 
Promptitude in obeying a summons was another lacking 
quality in his disposition; he took considerable time before starting, 
and seldom walked in haste. His parents kept one cow, who well 
knew her name, “Beauty”. On a few occasions this cow had been let 
loose to feed in the orchard, and on one particular day had strayed 
across the proper line, there being no fence between the two 
homes. Johnny's mother happened to look out and saw the two, 

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Johnny chatting with his friend, and Beauty drinking from the 
neighbor's watering-tub by the well. She called to Johnny, who 
replied quietly, “All right, in a minute”, and immediately relapsed 
into the interrupted conversation, apparently forgetting altogether 
that he was wanted. The mother, mortified at the cow's trespass 
and her son's indifference, called the cow by name, when, to her 
surprise and great pleasure, Beauty looked up, saw who was calling 
her, and immediately hastened home. This great comparison 
between the willing obedience of the dumb creature and the 
indifference of the one endowed with the gifts of intelligence and 
speech, caused a hearty laugh from the witnesses of this little 
incident. I think that Johnny must have felt over- whelmed with 
regret upon having a cow, by her good example, so gently reproach 
him. 
Write the short description of Johnny
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Vocabulary 
Inquire 
Haste 
Spare 
Feed 
Annoyance 
Orchard 
Promptitude 
Stray 
Summon 
Fence 

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Disposition 
Relapse 
Considerable 
Interrupt 
Seldom 
Apparently 
Mortify 
Endow 
Trespass 
Hearty 
Hasten 
Overwhelm 
Dumb 
Reproach 
A HOLE IN THE FENCE 
In a small village, a little boy lived with his father and mother. 
He was the only son. The parents of the little boy were very 
depressed due to his bad temper. The boy used to get angry very 
soon and taunt others with his words. His bad temper made him 
use words that hurt others. He scolded kids, neighbors and even his 
friends due to anger. His friends and neighbors avoided him, and 
his parents were really worried about him. His mother and father 
advised him many times to control his anger and develop kindness. 
Unfortunately, all their attempts failed. Finally, the boy’s father 
came up with an idea. 
One day, his father gave him a huge bag of nails. He asked his 
son to hammer one nail to the fence every time he became angry 
and lost his temper. The little boy found it amusing and accepted 
the task. Every time he lost his temper, he ran to the fence and 
hammered a nail. His anger drove him to hammer nails on the 
fence 30 times on the first day! After the next few days, the number 
of nails hammered on the fence was reduced to half. The little boy 

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55 
found it very difficult to hammer the nails and decided to control 
his temper.
Gradually, the number of nails hammered to the fence was 
reduced and the day arrived when no nail was hammered! The boy 
did not lose his temper at all that day. For the next several days, he 
did not lose his temper, and so did not hammer any nail. Now, his 
father told him to remove the nails each time the boy controlled 
his anger. Several days passed and the boy was able to pull out most 
of the nails from the fence. However, there remained a few nails 
that he could not pull out. 
The boy told his father about it. The father appreciated him 
and asked him pointing to a hole, “What do you see there?” 
The boy replied, “a hole in the fence!” 
He told the boy, “The nails were your bad temper and they 
were hammered on people. You can remove the nails but the holes 
in the fence will remain. The fence will never look the same. It has 
scars all over. Some nails cannot even be pulled out. You can stab a 
man with a knife, and say sorry later, but the wound will remain 
there forever. Your bad temper and angry words were like that! 
Words are more painful than physical abuse! Use words for good 
purposes. Use them to grow relationships. Use them to show the 
love and kindness in your heart!” 
Moral: Unkind words cause lasting damage: Let our words be 
kind and sweet. 
Vocabulary 
Temper 
Control 
Due to 
Nail 

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56 
Taunt 
Hammer 
Scold 
Fence 
Avoid 
Amusing 
Worry 
Scar 
Advise 
Pull out 
Kindness 
Abuse 
Complete the sentences with the suitable word from the box 
1. It’s no use talking to him when he is in a ………… . 
2. She has been absent from work …......….. illness. 
3. In our house there is a wooden ………. . 
4. I can’t thank you enough for your ………………. 
5. She is a good teacher who has …………… over her class. 
6. The other children …………..him about his weight. 
7. He had a long, curved ……… on his right cheek. 
8. Everyone seemed to be avoiding Johnny. 
9. His father ………… him for upsetting his mother. 
10. He made some very ……………. remarks. 
COCOON AND THE BUTTERFLY 
Many of us know that a beautiful and colorful butterfly comes 
from an unappealing worm! Here is the story of a butterfly that was 
never able to live its life as a normal butterfly. 
Kindness Taunt Scar Due to Avoid
Fence Temper Scold Remark Control 

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One day, a man saw a cocoon. He loved butterflies and had a 
craze for its wonderful combination of colors. In fact, he used to 
spend a lot of time around butterflies. He knew how a butterfly 
would struggle to transform from an ugly caterpillar into a 
beautiful one. He saw the cocoon with a tiny opening. It meant 
that the butterfly was trying to make its way out to enjoy the 
world. He decided to watch how the butterfly would come out of 
the cocoon. He was watching the butterfly struggling to break the 
shell for several hours. He spent almost more than 10 hours with 
the cocoon and the butterfly. The butterfly had been struggling 
very hard for hours to come out through the tiny opening. 
Unfortunately, even after continuous attempts for several hours, 
there was no progress. It seemed that the butterfly had tried its best 
and could not give any more try.
The man, who had a passion and love for butterflies, decided 
to help the butterfly. He got a pair of scissors and tweaked the 
cocoon to make larger opening for the butterfly and removed the 
remaining cocoon. The butterfly emerged without any struggle! 
Unfortunately, the butterfly looked no longer beautiful and 
had a swollen body with small and withered wings. The man was 
happy that he had made the butterfly come out of the cocoon 
without any more struggles. He continued to watch the butterfly 
and was quite eager to see it fly with its beautiful wings. He 
thought that at any time, the butterfly might expand its wings, 
shrink the body and the wings could support the body. 
Unfortunately, neither did the wings expand nor the swollen body 
reduce. 

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Unfortunately, the butterfly just crawled around with 
withered wings and a huge body. It was never able to fly. Although 
the man did it with a good intention, he did not know that only by 
going through struggles the butterfly can emerge to be beautiful, 
with strong wings. 
The continuous effort from the butterfly to come out of its 
cocoon would let the fluid stored in the body be converted into 
wings. Thus, the body would become lighter and smaller, and the 
wings would be beautiful and large. 
Moral: If we don’t want to undergo any struggle, we won’t be 
able to fly! Struggles make us shine! 
Choose the right answer 
1. He loved ………… and had a craze for its wonderful 
combination of colors. 
a) Grasshoppers b) Ants c) Butterflies 
2. He decided to watch how the butterfly would come out of 
the………... 
a) Cocoon b) Caterpillar c) Nest 
3. The butterfly had been …………… very hard for hours to come 
out through the tiny opening. 
a) Playing b) Struggling c) Breaking 
4. The man, who had a passion and ………… for butterflies, 
decided to help the butterfly.
a) Interest b) Curiosity c) Love 
5. Unfortunately, the butterfly looked no longer beautiful and had 
a swollen body with ……… and withered wings. 
a) Small b) Wonderful c) Big 

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59 
6. The butterfly just crawled around with withered wings and a 
huge body. It was never able to …….... 
a) Speak b) Fly c) Run 
7. The …………… effort from the butterfly to come out of its 
cocoon would let the fluid stored in the body be converted into 
wings. 
a) Massive b) Great c) Continuous 
Vocabulary 
Unappealing 
Tiny 
Worm 
Progress 
Cocoon 
Passion 
Craze 
Tweak 
Combination 
Emerge 
Transform 
Wither 
Caterpillar 
Eager 
Shell 
Expand 
Shrink 
Fluid 
Crawl 
Store 
Intention 
Convert 
Write about any struggle that you could undergo 
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THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING 
A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to 
the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But one day it found the 
skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown aside, so it put it 
on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep. The Lamb 
that belonged to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf was wearing, 
began to follow the Wolf in the Sheep’s clothing; so, leading the 
Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and for some time 
he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying hearty meals. 
Moral: Appearances are deceptive. 
Vocabulary 
Owing to 
Pelt 
Vigilance 
Stroll 
Shepherd 
Succeed 
Flay 
Deceive 
What do you think? 
Is the wolf artful enough like a fox or strong like a tiger? Write 
about people who are like this wolf, wearing fake masks on their 
face. 
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THE BOY WHO CRIED “WOLF” 
Once there was a shepherd boy, who had to look after a flock 
of sheep. One day, he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the 
villagers. He shouted, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!” 
The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to 
help the shepherd boy. When they reached him, they asked, 
“Where is the wolf?” 
The shepherd boy laughed loudly, “Ha, Ha, Ha! I fooled you 
all. I was only playing a trick on you”. 
A few days later, the shepherd boy played the trick again. He 
cried, “Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers rushed up the 
hill to help him and again they found that the boy had tricked 
them. They were very angry with him for being so naughty. 
Then, sometime later, a wolf really went into the field. The 
wolf attacked one sheep, and then another and another. The 
shepherd boy ran towards the village shouting, “Help! Help! Wolf! 
Help! Somebody!” 
The villagers heard his cries but they laughed because they 
thought it was just another trick. The boy ran to the nearest 
villager and said, “A wolf is attacking the sheep. I lied before, but 
this time it is true!” 
Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see 
the wolf running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass.
Moral: We may not believe someone who often tells lies, even 
when he tells the truth. 

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Write the statements in order 
1. The villagers heard his cries but they laughed because they 
thought it was just another trick. The boy ran to the nearest 
villager and said, “A wolf is attacking the sheep. I lied before, but 
this time it is true!” 
2. Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. They could see 
the wolf running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass.
3. The villagers heard his cries and rushed out of the village to help 
the shepherd boy. When they reached him, they asked, “Where is 
the wolf?” 
4. Once there was a shepherd boy, who had to look after a flock of 
sheep. One day, he felt bored and decided to play a trick on the 
villagers. He shouted, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!” 
5. The shepherd boy laughed loudly, “Ha, Ha, Ha! I fooled you all. 
I was only playing a trick on you”. 
6. Then, sometime later, a wolf really went into the field. The wolf 
attacked one sheep, and then another and another. The shepherd 
boy ran towards the village shouting, “Help! Help! Wolf! Help! 
Somebody!” 
7. A few days later, the shepherd boy played the trick again. He 
cried, “Help! Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers rushed up the 
hill to help him and again they found that the boy had tricked 
them. They were very angry with him for being so naughty. 
Vocabulary 
Flock 
Shout 
Naughty 
Trick 
Attack 
Fool 

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63 
What do you think? 
The boy tried to deceive people. But at the end it was all his fault. 
How can he make people believe in him again? 
THE ANT AND THE DOVE 
One hot day, an ant was searching for some water. After 
walking around for some time, she came to a spring. To reach the 
spring, she had to climb up a blade of grass. While making her way 
up, she slipped and fell into the water. She could have drowned if a 
dove up a nearby tree had not seen her. Seeing that the ant was in 
trouble, the dove quickly plucked a leaf and dropped it into the 
water near the struggling ant. The ant moved towards the leaf and 
climbed up onto it. Soon, the leaf drifted to dry ground, and the ant 
jumped out. She was safe at last. 
Just at that time, a hunter nearby was about to throw his net 
over the dove, hoping to trap it. Guessing what he was about to do, 
the ant quickly bit him on the heel. Feeling the pain, the hunter 
dropped his net. The dove was quick to fly away to safety. 
Moral: One good turn begets another. 
Vocabulary 
Blade 
Trap 
Dove 
Heel 
Pluck 
Beget 
Drift 

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64 
Describe the characters from the story 
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________________________________________________________ 
A MERCHANT AND HIS DONKEY 
One beautiful spring morning, a merchant loaded his donkey 
with bags of salt to go to the market, in order to sell the salt. The 
merchant and his donkey were walking along together. They had 
not walked far when they reached a river on the way. 
Unfortunately, the donkey slipped and fell into the river. As it 
scrambled up the bank of the river, it noticed that the bags of salt 
loaded on his back had become lighter. 
There was nothing the merchant could do except return 
home, where he loaded his donkey with more bags of salt. As they 
reached the slippery riverbank again, the donkey fell into the river, 
this time deliberately. Thus the salt was wasted again. 
By now the merchant knew the donkey’s trick. He wanted to 
teach the animal a lesson. As he returned home the second time 
with the donkey, the merchant loaded bags of sponges on its back. 
The duo set out on their trip to the market a third time. On 
reaching the river, the donkey very cleverly fell into the water 
again. But now, instead of the load becoming lighter, it became 
heavier. The merchant laughed at the donkey and said, “You 
foolish donkey, your trick has been discovered. You should know 
that you cannot fool anyone too many times.” 

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65 
Moral: Anyway, one day the truth will be no longer secret. 
Comprehension questions 
1. What did the donkey do to make the load lighter? 
2. Why did the donkey fell into the water deliberately when 
carrying bags of sponges? 
Vocabulary 
Merchant 
Slippery 
Scramble up 
Sponge 
Deliberately 
Light 
THE BIRD – SHORT STORY BY LEO TOLSTOY 
Once, there lived a little boy called Sasha. He got a lot of 
presents on his ‘name day’. A “name day” is a tradition in Europe 
that involves celebrating a day of the year that is associated with 
one's given name. The celebration is similar to that of a birthday. 
Sasha’s gifts included pictures, tops and hobby horses. His uncle 
had gifted him a trap for snaring birds, which he prized above all 
the other gifts. This trap had a frame with a little board attached to 
it and a net that was held back. Sasha’s little mind was filled with 
happiness and he showed the gift to his mother. His mother was 
not happy to see it. She did not like the idea of keeping birds in a 
cage and torturing them. But Sasha was bent on catching a bird and 
feeding it.
The next day, he scattered some seeds on the board and kept 
the trap in the garden. On seeing him, the birds were scared and 

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66 
they did not come near the net. After waiting for a long time, he 
went home to have dinner. When he returned, he found a little 
bird inside. Sasha’s joy knew no bounds. He could feel the little 
bird's heartbeat. He immediately took the bird to his mother. He 
thought it was a nightingale. 
“No, it is a sparrow”, said his mother, “Sasha, please don’t 
torture the bird. Let it go”. 
“I want to keep it. I promise you I will give food and water to 
it”, said Sasha. 
He put the sparrow in a cage. For two days he was very 
enthusiastic to feed the bird by giving it seeds and water. He 
cleaned the cage very well. However, on the third day, he forgot 
about his responsibilities towards the little bird.
His mother noticed that he had not changed the water or 
cleaned the cage. She told him to let the bird go, but Sasha had no 
plans of letting the bird free. He said he would change the water 
and clean the cage. Sasha thrust his hand into the cage and began to 
clean it. But the sparrow was frightened and thrashed itself against 
the bars.
After he cleaned the cage, he went off to get some water. His 
mother noticed that he had not closed the cage, so she called out to 
him. Immediately the sparrow found the door and was extremely 
delighted at its newly found freedom. The bird spread its little 
wings and flew around the room towards the window. It did not 
see the glass. Its little body struck hard against the glass and it fell 
on the window sill. 
Sasha came running, picked it up and put it back into the 
cage. The sparrow was still alive but lay on its breast and was 

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67 
breathing heavily. Sasha could not hold back his tears. He wept 
bitterly. He turned to his mother and asked her what could be 
done. “There is nothing to do now”, she said. 
Sasha stayed by the cage all day. At night he went off to sleep. 
His sleep was disturbed. Each time he closed his eyes to sleep, he 
was awakened by the thought of the little bird fighting for its life. 
In the morning, he ran to the cage to find the sparrow lying on its 
back. Its little body was stiff. Sasha felt very sad and guilty as he felt 
responsible for the siskin’s death. 
Sasha learnt a good lesson from this incident. He never caught 
birds again. He realized that the freedom to live in the natural 
habitat should not be denied to any creature. 
Moral: Do not try to customize the creatures natural life. 
Vocabulary 
Present 
Immediately 
Associate 
Nightingale 
Celebration 
Responsibility 
Trap 
Thrash 
Snare 
Extremely 
Prize 
Delighted 
Attach 
Freedom 
Cage 
Breathe 
Torture 
Breast 
Net 
Bitterly 
Joy 
Disturb 
Bound 
Awaken 
Heartbeat 
Stiff 

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68 
Responsible 
Deny 
Habitat 
Customize 
Complete the sentences with the suitable word 
1. He immediately took the bird to his mother. He thought it was a 
…………….. . 
2. You can use the Control Panel to …………….Windows. 
3. In the morning, he ran to the ……. to find the sparrow lying on 
its back. 
4. He realized that the freedom to live in the natural …………… 
should not be denied to any creature. 
5. It was a real …….. to see the children playing happily together at 
last. 
6. He knows the area ……………….. well. 
7. She did not like the idea of keeping birds in a ………. 
8. I had been ……………. this anger for years. 
9. ………………. the sparrow found the door and was extremely 
delighted at its newly found freedom. 
10. However, on the third day, he forgot about his ……………….. 
towards the little bird. 
11. Don’t ……………… yourself by thinking about the money. 
12. I didn’t want to ……………. you in the middle of a meeting. 
Joy Disturb Cage Snare Extremely Nightingale 
Torture Habitat Responsible Customize Immediately
Deny 

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69 
THE PLUM STONE – SHORT STORY BY LEO TOLSTOY 
One day Dima’s mother bought some plums from the market. 
She washed them and left them on a big plate in the centre of the 
dining table. Mother wanted to give the plums to the children after 
dinner. It was not every day that plums were bought. 
Dima had not tasted plums all his life and was very curious 
about it. First he sniffed the fruit, wrinkled his nose at the pleasing 
smell, and decided that he liked the fruit. Dinner time was still a 
long way off and he did not have the patience to wait. He just could 
not resist his temptation. “No one will notice if I take one,” he said 
to himself. 
As soon as he was alone in the room, he seized a big plum and 
ate it quickly. Dima exclaimed, “Hmmm… plums are very delicious 
indeed!” When it was time for dinner, his mother counted the 
plums and found that one was missing. She informed her husband 
about it. The whole family sat around the table to eat and in the 
course of the meal, father enquired, “Well children, have any of 
you eaten a plum without your mother's knowledge?” Each child 
answered in turn, “No”. Dima’s heart began to beat very fast and he 
blushed. He lied that he did not eat the plum. 
Father said, “It is wrong to steal a plum, but that's not all. You 
see, plums have small stones and if you swallow a stone, you will 
die the next day. That's what really bothers me”. 
Dima became very upset and blurted out, “I did not eat the 
stone. I threw it out of the window”. The entire family burst into 
peals of laughter, Dima felt guilty and ashamed. He wept bitterly. 
His parents hugged him. His mother consoled him and said, “Your 

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70 
father presented the matter in such a way that you would come up 
with the truth”. She added, “God loves children who are honest”. 
Dima apologized to the whole family and promised that 
thereafter he would speak only the truth.
Moral: Honesty is the best policy 
Write down the main actions of the story. 
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Vocabulary 
Plum 
Blush 
Sniff 
Bother 
Wrinkle 
Blurt out 
Patience 
Entire 
Resist 
Peal 
Temptation 
Apologize 
Indeed 
Thereafter 
Count 
Honesty 
Enquiry 
Policy 

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71 
THE HUNGRY MOUSE 
A mouse was having a very thought time. She had no food for 
many days and made strenuous efforts get her food. All her efforts 
went in vain. She looked everywhere to find her food. As the days 
pass by, she became very thin.
One day, the mouse found a basket with corns. She also 
noticed a tiny hole in the basket, which was sufficient enough to 
move her in. She easily moved inside the hole. 
Since she had no foods for many days, she ate a large amount 
of corn. Without realizing her, she continuously ate more and more 
corns. She realized very later that she ate a lot more than she 
actually required. After eating a whole lot of corn, she became very 
fat! 
Satisfied with corns, the fat mouse tried to come out of the 
basket through the small hole. Unfortunately, the tiny hole could 
not accommodate the big mouse!!! 
The mouse started screaming “Oh god! Let me come out, how 
can I come out?” 
A rat after hearing mouse’s screaming voice from the basket, 
asked her what happened! 
Mouse told the story and asked rat a solution. 
Rat told, “If you want to come out the basket, wait for 
sometimes or even days to lose your all your fat until you grow 
thin”. 
Mouse started to starve now but with lots of food to come out 
of the trap! 
Moral: Anything too much is good for nothing! 

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72 
Vocabulary 
Strenuous 
Solution 
Sufficient 
Starve 
Accommodate 
Require 
What do you think? 
Small mouse suffered pain of starvation, but ate a lot when it found 
food. What is his character like, you think? 
THE CRYSTAL BALL 
In the south of Spain, there was a small village whose people 
were very joyful. The children played under the shades of trees in 
the gardens of their homes. 
A shepherd boy named Nasir stayed near the village with his 
father, mother and grandmother. Each morning, he took his herd 
of goats up the hills to find a suitable place for them to graze. In the 
afternoon he would return with them to the village. Each night his 
grandmother would tell him a story - the story of stars. This story 
really interested Nasir. 
On one of those days, as Nasir was watching his herd and 
playing his flute, he suddenly saw a wonderful light behind a 
flower bush. When he approached the bush, he saw a transparent 
and very beautiful crystal ball. 
The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow. Nasir 
carefully took it in his hand and turned it around. With surprise, 
suddenly, he heard a weak voice coming from the crystal ball. It 

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73 
said, “You can make a wish that your heart desires and I will fulfill 
it”. 
Nasir could not believe that he had actually heard a voice. 
When he made sure that he had indeed heard that voice from the 
crystal ball, he was very confused. He had so many wishes that he 
could not decide upon one particular wish. He said to himself, “If I 
wait till tomorrow I will remember many things. Then I will make 
my wish”. 
He put the crystal ball in a bag and, gathering the herd, 
happily returned to the village. He decided that he would not tell 
anyone about the crystal ball. 
On the following day also, Nasir could not decide what to 
wish for, because he really had everything he needed. 
The days passed as usual, but Nasir was still unable to make 
his wish. But he appeared to be very cheerful. The people around 
him were amazed to see the change in his disposition. 
One day, a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a 
tree. Nasir, as usual, sat in one corner, took out the crystal ball and 
for a few moments looked at it. The boy waited for the moment 
when Nasir would go to sleep. When Nasir did fall asleep after a 
while, the boy took the crystal ball and ran away. 
When he arrived at the village, he called all the people and 
showed them the crystal ball. The citizens of that village took the 
crystal ball in their hands and turned it around with surprise. 
Suddenly they heard a voice from inside the crystal ball, which 
said, “I can fulfill your wish”. One person took the ball and 
screamed, “I want one bag full of gold”. Another took the ball and 
said loudly, “I want two chests full of jewelry”. Some of them 

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74 
wished that they would have their own palace with a grand door 
made from pure gold, instead of their old houses. Some others 
wished for bags full of jewelry. 
All their wishes were fulfilled, but still the citizens of the 
village were not happy. They were jealous because the person that 
had a palace had no gold and the person that had the gold had no 
palace. For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry with 
each other and stopped speaking to each other. The gardens in the 
village where children used to play were no more. There were 
palaces and gold everywhere. The children became terribly 
unhappy. Only Nasir and his family were happy and contented. 
Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute. 
One day the children of the village took the crystal ball to 
Nasir. The children said to Nasir, “When we had a small village, we 
all were happy and joyful”. The parents also spoke. They said, “In 
one way or another, all of us are unhappy. The luxurious palaces 
and jewelry only bring us pain”. 
When Nasir saw that the people were really regretful, he said, 
“Even though the crystal ball asked me to wish for something, I 
have not done it so far. But if you really want everything to return 
to its own place, then I will wish for it”. 
Everyone happily agreed. Nasir took the crystal ball in his 
hand, turned it around and wished that the village would become 
the same as it was before. In a moment, the palaces disappeared, the 
green gardens appeared, and the same old village full of trees was 
there. 
Once again the people started to live happily and the children 
played under the shade of trees. Nasir continued his contented life 

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75 
every day, playing his flute at sunset. Its sweet sound was heard 
throughout the beautiful green village. 
Moral: We should be happy with whatever we have and not 
be greedy. 
Vocabulary 
Shade 
Glitter 
Herd 
Rainbow 
Goat 
Fullfil 
Graze 
Confused 
Flute 
Gather 
Transparent 
Cheerful 
Crystal 
Disposition 
Joyful 
Regretful 
Luxurious 
Throughout 
Greedy 
What would you do if you had such a crystal ball? 
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THE THREE COWS 
Once, three cows lived in a green and fresh pasture near a 
forest: a white cow, a black cow and a reddish-brown cow. The 
cows were kind to each other. They used to graze in the meadow 
together and sleep near each other. 
One day, a reddish-brown lion happened to take a stroll out of 
the forest onto the meadow. It was hungry and looking for a prey. 
On catching sight of the cows it became glad, but couldn't attack 
them, because they were together. So, the lion sat behind a boulder 
and patiently waited till the cows would separate from each other. 
However, the cows were too clever to separate from each 
other. They knew that if they were together, no predator could 
attack them. The lion lay in ambush nearby for two or three days. 
But the cows continued to remain together, and wouldn’t separate 
from each other. The lion became impatient. It thought of a plan. It 
went towards the cows, greeted them and said, “How are you my 
friends? Are you fine? I have been busy lately, so could not come 
and visit you. Today I made up my mind to pay you a visit”. 
The reddish-brown cow said, “Sir, your coming has really 
pleased us and brightened our pasture”. 
Both the white and the black cows were troubled by what 
their friend, the reddish-brown cow said, and were grieved at its 
thoughtlessness. They said to each other, “Why does the reddish-
brown cow believe what the lion says?” 
Doesn’t it know that lions seek other animals only to prey on 
them?” 

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77 
As the days passed by, the reddish-brown cow became more 
and more attached to the lion. The black cow and the white cow 
advised it against a friendship with the lion, but their efforts were 
in vain. 
One day, the lion said to the reddish-brown cow, “You know 
that the color of our bodies is dark and that the color of the body of 
the white cow is light. You also know that light color is the 
opposite of the dark color. It will be very good if I eat the white 
cow, so that there will be no difference among us any longer and 
we will be able to live together well”. 
The reddish-brown cow accepted the lion’s argument and 
started talking to the black cow to keep it busy, so that the lion 
could eat the white cow. The white cow was left alone and was 
killed, while the black and the reddish-brown cows were busy in 
idle talk. 
Two or three days passed since the lion devoured the white 
cow. It became hungry again. It called the reddish-brown cow. The 
cow answered: “Yes, sir!” 
The lion said, “The color of my body and the color of your 
body are both reddish-brown, and black does not go with our color. 
It will be very good if I eat the black cow, so that in this forest we 
all will be of the same color”. The reddish-brown cow accepted this 
argument and moved away from the black cow. 
The lion attacked and devoured the black cow soon. And as 
for the reddish-brown cow, it was so filled with joy that it didn’t 
know what to do. It roamed and grazed and said to itself, “It is only 
me who has the color of the lion”. 

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78 
A few days passed later, the lion was hungry again. It roared 
and said, “O the reddish-brown cow! Where are you?” 
The reddish-brown cow, shaking with fear, went forward and 
said, “Yes sir!” 
The lion said: “Today it is your turn. Get yourself ready, I am 
going to eat you”. 
The reddish-brown cow, with great fear and horror, said, 
“Why sir, I am your friend. I did whatever you asked me to do.
Still why do you want to eat me?” 
The lion roared and said, “I have no friends. How is it possible 
that a lion makes friendship with a cow?” 
No matter how much the reddish-brown cow begged and 
entreated, the lion didn’t accept its words. Finally the cow said, 
“Mr. Lion, please allow me to cry out three times before you eat 
me.” 
The lion said, “Ok. Quickly, quickly” ! 
The reddish-brown cow cried out, “I was eaten the very day 
the white cow was eaten. I was eaten the very day the black cow 
was eaten. I was eaten the very day I made friends with the lion”. 
The lion devoured the reddish-brown cow very quickly. Then 
it said to itself: “I have finished my job in this forest. Now I had 
better go to other forests”. 
Moral: Any group without unity will easily be destroyed. 
Vocabulary 
Stroll 
Grieve 
Meadow 
Thoughtlessness 
Prey 
Seek 

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79 
Boulder 
Argument 
Separate 
Idle 
Predator 
Devour 
Ambush 
Roam 
Nearby 
Beg 
Greet 
Entreat 
Brighten 
Unity 
Write the description of the reddish-brown cow 
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LOVE AND THE TIME STORY 
Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings 
lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including 
Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island 
would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love. Love 
was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the 
last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love 
decided to ask for help. 

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80 
Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, 
“Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I 
can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place 
here for you”. 
Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a 
beautiful vessel. “Vanity, please help me!” “I can’t help you, Love. 
You are all wet and might damage my boat”, Vanity answered. 
Sadness also passed close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, let me 
go with you”. 
“Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!” 
Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she 
did not even hear when Love called her. 
Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you”. It 
was an elder. 
So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder 
where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder 
went his own way. Realizing how much she owed to the elder, 
Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?” 
“It was Time”, Knowledge answered. 
“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?” 
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because 
only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is”. 
Moral: Time can heal everything. 
Vocabulary 
Construct 
Overjoy 
Grand 
Realize 
Vanity 
Wisdom 

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81 
Vessel 
Capable 
Blessed 
Valuable 
Put the statements in order 
1. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, 
“Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I 
can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place 
here for you”. 
2. Love. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold 
out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost 
sunk, Love decided to ask for help. 
3. Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you”. It 
was an elder. 
So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where 
they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went his 
own way. Realizing how much she owed to the elder, Love asked 
Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?” 
4. Love. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold 
out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost 
sunk, Love decided to ask for help. 
5. Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did 
not even hear when Love called her. 
6. Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because 
only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is”. 
7. Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings 
lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including 
Love. 

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82 
8. Sadness also passed close by, so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go 
with you”. 
“Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!” 
9. Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a 
beautiful vessel. “Vanity, please help me!” “I can’t help you, Love. 
You are all wet and might damage my boat”, Vanity answered. 
10. “It was Time”, Knowledge answered. “Time?” asked Love. “But 
why did Time help me?” Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and 
answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how 
valuable Love is”. 
11. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would 
sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love. Love was 
the only one who stayed. 
Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you”. It was 
an elder. 
12. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder 
where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder 
went his own way. Realizing how much she owed to the elder, 
Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?” 
NAUGHTY ROY 
Roy was a naughty boy! His naughtiness made people laugh 
and of course yell at him. Mentioned below is an incident that 
shows how naughty Roy is!
One day Roy went to a stationery store. He wandered for 
about five minutes in the shop searching for a pen. Finally, he went 

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83 
up to the sales representative, and asked to show him different 
varieties of pens.
The sales clerk took a pen and gave it to Roy. Roy wrote 
something on his notebook and returned the pen. He asked for 
another pen and the sales clerk patiently gave Roy different pens to 
try out. Roy tried a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, and many such 
pens. Every time he tried a new pen, he wrote something on his 
notebook and returned it back as if he wasn’t happy. After almost 
more than half an hour, the sales clerk got irritated, and asked Roy 
what type of pen he was looking for.
Roy looked at him and politely said that he does not need a 
pen anymore, as he had completed his homework! Of course, he 
had to leave the shop immediately. 
Vocabulary 
Naughtiness 
Representative 
Yell 
Variety 
Stationary sore 
Sales clerk 
Wander 
Irritate 
Complete the sentence with the suitable word from vocabulary table 
1. My sister has bad character of …………….. . 
2. He ……………. the streets of New York. 
3. The girls come from a ………………. of different backgrounds. 
4. It really …………… me when he doesn’t help us at all. 
5. “Help me!” she ………..hysterically. 
6. There was no …………………when I entered the shop. 

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84 
7. We always buy several types of pens from …………………. 
LEARN TO ACCEPT NEW THINGS 
It was Suzy’s 8th birthday. She was very happy as Suzy’s mom 
and dad celebrated the birthday in a grand manner. She also 
received numerous gifts. 
She was gifted a pair of blue shoes for her birthday. Suzy’s 
grandmother gifted it. Suzy’s mom and dad bought her luxurious 
gown to match with the blue shoes. She even purchased the 
matching accessories. Blue was Suzy’s favorite color! She loved the 
beautiful pair of blue shoes a lot. Although she got many gifts on 
her birthday, she never cared to use any other gift. She told 
everyone that it was the best gift she received so far! Suzy started to 
wear the blue shoes everywhere she went, except for her school, as 
her school shoe was black.
Soon after reaching home from school, Suzy wore the blue 
shoes. She played wearing the shoes. She went shopping with the 
blue shoes. She even wore the blue shoes for parties and functions. 
As she started wearing the shoes everywhere she went, the 
beautiful pair of shoes started to lose its color.
Suzy’s 9th birthday was to be celebrated in a few days. Suzy 
recalled the gift of blue shoes she received! When she was about to 
wear the blue shoes, she saw a hole on the sole of the shoe. She also 
discovered that it was not the same beautiful shoe that she received 
as a gift. Suzy started to cry and became very upset. She talked to 
her mom about the torn shoes. She refused to eat, study, and sleep. 
She went to sleep extremely sad. Suzy’s mom talked to her. She told 

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85 
that when she was younger, she lived in a village without proper 
facilities. As they grow old, everyone needs to accept the changes.
She added, ‘Suzy you were 8 years old before a year. You were 
in class 3. Now you are in class 4. It is a change. If you are not ready 
to accept the change, you would always stay in class 3. Otherwise, 
you would be still studying in kindergarten! As change is 
inevitable, accept the good and grow with it. Suzy understood. She 
was gifted a pair of shoes again for her ninth birthday. This time it 
was not blue, but a pair of pink shoes! 
Vocabulary 
Grand 
Accessory 
Manner 
Recall 
Numerous 
Refuse 
Purchase 
Inevitable 
Write about the gift you took in your last birthday party 
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Choose the right answer 

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86 
1. Blue was Suzy’s favorite color! She loved the beautiful pair of 
blue ………..a lot. 
a) cardigan b) shoes c) shorts d) sunglasses 
2. As she started wearing the shoes ……………. she went, the 
beautiful pair of shoes started to lose its color.
a) nowhere b) somewhere c) anywhere d) everywhere 
3. If you are not ready to accept the change, you would always stay 
in class …….... 
a) 3 b) 5 c) 2 d) 4 
TALE OF THE DOG, COCK AND THE FOX 
A dog and a cock, who were the best of friends, decided to 
leave their farm as they wanted to travel and see the world. They 
were curious and wanted to see what was there beyond their farm. 
So, they decided to leave the farmyard, and set out along the road 
that led to the woods, that would lead them on their path to see the 
world. The two friends were extremely happy about their decision 
to travel to see the world, and were hoping for many adventures on 
their way.
As night approached, the cock, searched for a place to roost as 
was his usual custom. He spotted a tall, hollow tree, on the border 
of the forest, and felt that the tree would be an excellent place for 
spending the night. The cock also thought that his friend, the dog 
could sleep inside the hollow base of the tree. And as per plan, the 
dog slept below, and the cock flew to one of the branches, and 
spent the night there. Both having found a safe and nice place to 
rest, they slept comfortably. 

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As the first glimmer of dawn approached, the cock forgot for a 
moment where he was. He woke up thinking that he was still at 
the farmyard. As it was his duty to arouse and wake the rest of the 
animals at the farm at daybreak, he stood tip-toes on the branch, 
flapped his wings, and crowed proudly. Having crowed two or 
three times, he suddenly realized that he was not at the farm 
anymore, and stopped crowing. However, the damage had been 
done, and instead of waking the farm animals and the farmer, he 
had awakened a fox, who was not too far in the woods.
The fox was hungry as he had not eaten anything the previous 
day, and was on the lookout for a prey. He saw the rooster perched 
high on the tree, and had rosy visions of a delicious breakfast. 
However, the fox noticed how high the cock was positioned, and 
was thinking of a plan to bring down the rooster, so as to kill him 
for his breakfast... “He immediately hurried to where the rooster 
was, and said very politely” a humble welcome to our forest, dear 
sir! I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you in our forest. “I am 
sure that we can become the best of friends”. 
The cock realizing that something was afoot, asked the fox, 
“why, how can that be possible?” The fox very calmly told the 
rooster, “Have you not heard about the new decree of peace and 
harmony that was recently issued by the lion, the king of the 
jungle”. The rooster replied “no, I haven’t, but what is this decree 
all about?” 
The fox added that the new treaty issued by the king lion, 
emphasizes that, all beasts, birds and every other creature in our 
forest, shall not hurt each other, but instead, should live in peace 
and universal brotherhood”. Hence, we are not supposed to hunt, 

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88 
hurt or prey upon one another, but instead live in peace and 
harmony. So, please do come down and we can discuss this matter 
of such great importance. 
By now, the rooster had realized that the cunning fox was up 
to something and did not say anything, but kept looking at the 
bottom of the tree, as if he was searching for someone. Noticing 
this, the fox asked the rooster, whether he had lost something or 
searching for someone. The rooster replied that he was flattered to 
hear the new decree and requested the fox to go to the bottom of 
the tree and wake his friend, and convey this news to him. The 
hungry and unsuspecting fox, thinking that there were other 
roosters down below, rushed to the tree’s hollow, as advised by the 
rooster, and was a bit taken aback to see the sleeping dog. Noticing 
the dog, the fox immediately started running to the forest. 
The rooster called out to the fox and said, “Please don’t go… 
the dog was his master’s pet, and that he was also a good friend of 
the rooster’s”. 
The rooster continued, “I was just on my way down. We shall 
wait for my friend the dog, to wake up, and we shall discuss about 
this new treaty that the king lion has issued, and celebrate the new 
reign of universal peace”. 
The fox who, was already on the run said, “I would be happy 
to meet and greet your friend, but I am afraid, that he may not have 
heard about the king lion’s new treaty of peace”. 
Moral: It is obvious that cunning often outfoxes itself, and that 
those who try to cheat others, would likely be paid in their own 
coin. 

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Vocabulary 
Curious 
Rosy 
Farmyard 
Afoot 
Path 
Position 
Adventure 
Humble 
Approach 
Treaty 
Custom 
Decree 
Branch 
Universal 
Glimmer 
Brotherhood 
Daybreak 
Harmony 
Flap 
Emphasize 
Crow 
Cunning 
Flatter 
Convey 
Decide if the statement is True (T) or False (F) 
1. The two friends were not extremely happy about their decision 
to travel to see the world, and were hoping for many adventures on 
their way. 
2. The cock also thought that his friend, the dog could sleep inside 
the hollow base of the tree. 
3. As it was his duty to arouse and wake the rest of the animals at 
the farm at daybreak, he didn’t stand tip-toes on the branch, flap 
his wings, and crow proudly. 
4. The fox was hungry as he had not eaten anything the previous 
day, and was on the lookout for a prey. 
5. “I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you in our forest. I am 
sure that we can become the best of friends”. Said the fox. 

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90 
6. The cock very calmly told the fox, “Have you not heard about 
the new decree of peace and harmony that was recently issued by 
the lion, the king of the jungle”. 
7. The fox added that the new treaty issued by the king tiger, 
emphasizes that, all beasts, birds and every other creature in our 
forest, shall not hurt each other, but instead, should live in peace 
and universal brotherhood. 
8. The fox asked the rooster, whether he had lost something or 
searching for someone. 
9. The hungry and unsuspecting fox, thinking that there were 
other roosters down below, rushed to the tree’s hollow, as advised 
by the rooster, and was a bit taken aback to see the sleeping man. 
10. The rooster called out to the fox and said, “Please don’t go… 
the dog was his master’s pet, and that he was also a good friend of 
the rooster’s”. 
11. “We shall wait for my friend the dog, to wake up, and we shall 
discuss about this new treaty that the king lion has issued, and 
celebrate the new reign of universal peace” said the fox. 
12. The fox who, was already on the run said, “I would be happy to 
meet and greet your friend, but I am afraid, that he may not have 
heard about the king lion’s new treaty of peace”. 
DO NOT COME TO A CONCLUSION HASTILY 
Minu, the seven-year-old girl went to the market with her 
grandmother. Minu purchased a fruit basket at the market. The 

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91 
basket had all varieties of fruits, but it had only one fruit of each 
variety. However, there were two apples. Minu loved apples and so 
she was happy! Minu reached home. She said she got two apples in 
the fruit basket. Minu’s mom said, she is a lucky girl. Minu asked 
her mom, “Mommy, I’m tired and hungry. Can I eat some apples 
now?” 
Mommy told, “Yes sweetheart! Please. I’ll just wash the apples 
and give it to you”, She washed the apples and gave two apples to 
Minu. The apples were somewhat big and Minu could not eat two 
full apples. Realizing the apples were too big for her, Minu’s 
mother asked her, “Minu, can you please give me one apple? I’m 
hungry too!”
Minu replied, “But momma, I’m hungry and I love apples. 
Why don’t you eat some other fruit?” Mother replied, “Minu, even 
I too love apples the most. See, the fruit basket surprisingly had two 
apples. So, why don’t you give me one apple? Moreover, these 
apples are big, and you cannot eat both apples. You will waste it. 
Please darling, can you give me an apple?”
Minu thought for a while. She bites one apple and also bites 
the other one quickly! 
Minu’s momma was smiling and her smile froze, on seeing 
what Minu did! She could not tolerate what had happened. Minu 
had always listened to her mother’s word. Her attitude shocked her 
mother very much. Then, Minu with a beautiful smile on her face 
gave one apple to her mother. “Mommy, please take this apple. This 
is the sweeter one!” Minu’s mother was extremely shocked and felt 
ashamed of what she thought about her daughter. 

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Moral: Don’t come to a conclusion without analyzing! Think, 
and make the right decision. 
Write a short description of Minu. What do you think she is a kind 
girl or not? 
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Vocabulary 
Sweetheart 
Tolerate 
Realize 
Decision 
THE THREE KICK RULE 
Mr. Han was a lawyer. He loves fishing and hunting. It was a 
clear Saturday and he decided to spend his day fishing and hunting. 
He drove a long way to reach the forest and a lake was located near 
the forest. He decided to try his chance in fishing. Unfortunately, 
he could not catch even a single fish. He decided to return home. 
Suddenly he saw a rabbit moving around in the nearby area. 

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93 
He shot the rabbit and the rabbit fallen down on the ground 
inside a fence of a garden. The lawyer had a quick glance in and 
around the garden and he saw nobody was there. He jumped inside 
the garden, grabbed the rabbit and when he was about to climb 
back the fence, he was caught by the garden owner. 
The garden owner and lawyer argued for the ownership of the 
rabbit. The lawyer told he shot the rabbit and it belonged to him. 
The owner argued, the rabbit grew in his garden and it was 
lying in his garden. So it belonged to him. The lawyer shouted at 
the owner, “See, I’m a lawyer! I can sue you in the court and get 
you severe punishment!” 
The owner decided to teach a lesson to the lawyer. He said, 
“Okay”. I’ll kick you three times with my strength. You again kick 
me three times with your full strength. Let us continue this until 
you or me request to give up! The one who gives up lose the game 
and the other one wins and owns the rabbit! 
Lawyer agreed to the “Three Kick” rule and he was confident 
that he could win it! Apparently, the lawyer looked bigger and 
stronger than the garden owner. 
They then argued on who should kick first. The decided on 
tossing a coin and the garden owner won the toss. He decided to 
kick the lawyer first! 
The garden owner kicked him on his stomach, his legs and 
face! The lawyer groaned in pain and before he starts kicking the 
owner, the garden owner said, “I give up! It is all yours. Now, enjoy 
the rabbit!” 

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Moral: Never underestimate anyone and never become 
overconfident on your talent and powers. A big blow on the right 
place on you can bring you down. 
Vocabulary 
Locate 
Strength 
Argue 
Confident 
Ownership 
Toss 
sue 
Stomach 
Punishment 
Groan 
Kick 
Underestimate 
What do you think that the lawyer was overconfident? 
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95 
THE FIGS AND GOLD COINS 
Once upon a time, there lived a wise and witty old man. He 
was so courageous and fond of nature. He celebrated his 100th 
birthday with his entire family. He had an amazing habit of 
planting a tree every year on his birthday. He used to plant a 
variety of flower bearing trees and fruit bearing trees. He was 
having a massive garden in his home. To celebrate the century, he 
planted a fig plant, his most favorite fruit. 
The emperor who passed by his home was surprised to see this 
old man planting a fig tree. He asked his soldier to bring the old 
man to his court and enquired him! 
“Dear old man, I was pleased and surprised as you were 
planting a fig tree! I wish you could have planted the fig tree when 
you were young. I guess you are now in your 90s and there is no 
hope that you shall taste the fruits from this tree”.
The old man replied, ‘My Lord, yes I knew it. I’m 100 years 
old now. I just planted the fig tree to celebrate by 100th birthday. 
And this is not the first tree I’m planting. I have planted more than 
1000 trees in my whole life! I still have faith and hope that I shall 
live for a minimum of 10 years to taste the fruits borne by this tree 
after a decade. If not, I will let my tree to be enjoyed by my family!
The emperor was happy and hugged the old man. He said, 
“You are such an adorable person. Just come back to me if you are 
alive after years with a basket of figs. I would love to see you 
again!” 
The old man thanked the emperor and left the place. 

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96 
After a decade, the fig tree started to ripe fruits. The old man 
was happy and tasted the first ripen fruit. It was very delicious. The 
old man recalled the king’s words and picked the choicest fruits, 
filled a basked and carried to the palace. 
The king was informed that an old man came with a basket of 
figs. The king recalled the words he uttered to the old man and 
happily welcomed him. He enjoyed the figs provided by the old 
man. The king ordered his minister to fill the basket with gold 
coins and asked his soldiers to drop the old man to his home. The 
old man was happy! 
Moral: Hard work and hope will always be honored. 
Vocabulary
Fig 
Decade 
Witty 
Adorable 
Wise 
Ripe 
Courageous 
Ripen 
Emperor 
Utter 
Comprehension questions 
Who is wise and witty man? 
What kind of habit does he have? 
Who brought the old man to emperor’s court? 
What did the old man reply when the emperor asked question? 
Why did man go to the emperor again? 
How did the emperor award him? 

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97 
Write 5 main actions of the story 
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OBSTACLES ARE OPPORTUNITIES 
It was reign of King Evan. People lived happily under his 
reign. He was so conscious about keeping them happy and 
considered the people in his reign as his own family. He took 
utmost care to fulfill every need of his fellowmen. 
However, often, King Evan used to hear tantrums from his 
court men that people in his kingdom are bullying him for various 
reasons and seem to be dissatisfied for nothing. He decided to find 
out what make his fellowmen feel displeased. One day, he decided 
to take a round visit to examine what the people concerned about 
him. He started his travel to visit the towns and cities in disguise. 
He could not see any men unhappy and this made the king so 
happy. It was half way through the journey and he was delighted to 
see happy men. 
He decided to place a huge boulder on the mid of the road to 
test the people who pass by the road. His soldiers placed a huge 

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98 
boulder on the road and all of them got hidden in the nearby place 
to watch what happens next. 
The boulder almost covers half of the road and caused a 
disturbance in riding vehicles. Many wealthy people in his reign 
came by the road; still they simply walked around the boulder. 
Nobody really seemed to be cared about the boulder disturbing the 
movements of vehicle. 
There were some of the wealthiest people who pass by the 
road. Also, King’s court men also saw the boulder and did nothing 
to move it away from the middle of the road. In addition, they bad-
mouthed about the king for not maintaining the road properly. 
These are the people who king believed to be his loyal group and 
well-wishers! 
The king was shocked to hear these words. A fruit seller 
passed by the road with his loads of fruits. He stopped himself 
when he saw the huge boulder. Then he put aside his burden, and 
tried to move the stone. After several attempts of pushing, lifting 
and moving the boulder, he succeeded in removing the obstacle 
from the road. 
He saw a huge bag placed under the boulder. He took the bag 
and was extremely surprised. The bag had a note saying, “Here is 
the gift for you! It has 1000 gold coins and it is for the one who 
removes this obstacle from the road!” The fruit seller was so happy 
and he was invited by the King for a feast and rewarded nicely. 
Moral: Every obstacle we face in our life has an opportunity! 
Vocabulary 
Reign 
Disturb 

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99 
Utmost 
Maintain 
Bully 
Properly 
Dissatisfy 
Loyal 
Displease 
Burden 
Disturbance 
Obstacle 
Answer the questions 
Did you like the story? 
Who is the hero of this story? 
Why was the fruit seller awarded? 
Why didn’t other people try to move the stone? 
Write a description of the fruit seller. 
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TWO FISHERMEN 
There were two fishermen who were close pals. They used to 
catch fish together on weekends. Since they were busy in their 
personal work and family, they hardly spend time together. It was a 
Saturday and they decided to drive to a nearby pond to enjoy their 

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100 
day in fishing. Also, they wanted to have some feast with the fish 
they catch. Both carried essential utensils, cooking accessories, 
ingredients and fishing equipment. They reached the pond. They 
sat at a distance and started hunting for the fish. The first fisherman 
got a big and beautiful fish in a few minutes. He was so happy and 
placed the fish in the ice box to retain the freshness. He decided to 
cook the fish as a whole fish in the noon. He spent some more time 
and captured a few more fishes. He decided to make a grand meal 
with the fish. Also, he froze a few fishes to take it back to home. It 
was almost more than an hour they were fishing. He then 
approached the second fisherman and asked him if he need any 
help. The second man said no. In a few minutes, the second 
fisherman captured a large fish. However, he put that back into the 
lake. 
The first man was surprised at his act. He remained silent. The 
second man captured many big fishes, but he just put back all those 
fishes into the lake. Very annoyed by his act, the first fisherman 
angrily asked him, “Are you mad? Why do you put your fishes back 
into the water? They were beautiful and big!” 
The second fisherman replied, “I know they were big, but I 
don’t have the big pan to cook the big fish! So I’m looking for a 
smaller fish that fits my cooking pan! The god is troubling me 
today”. 
By hearing this, the first fisherman was surprised. He advised 
the second fisherman to cut the big fish into small pieces to suit in 
the pan and cook them properly. 
Many people are just like the second fisherman. We are 
provided with handful of big opportunities, chances and even 

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101 
fortune that we many times overlook. We need to work out just the 
same like the big fish fit into a small pan. 
Moral: God will always give massive possibilities as well as 
problems that we can handle effortlessly. Everything given to us is 
within our means. Tell your problems that you have God with you 
rather than telling the God that you have problems. 
Vocabulary 
Pal 
Utensil 
Pond 
Retain 
Feast 
Freshness 
Essential 
Handful 
Opportunity 
Possibility 
Overlook 
Means 
Write the statements in order 
A) They sat at a distance and started hunting for the fish. The first 
fisherman got a big and beautiful fish in a few minutes. He was so 
happy and placed the fish in the ice box to retain the freshness. He 
decided to cook the fish as a whole fish in the noon. He spent some 
more time and captured a few more fishes. He decided to make a 
grand meal with the fish. Also, he froze a few fishes to take it back 
to home. 
B) The second fisherman replied, “I know they were big, but I 
don’t have the big pan to cook the big fish! So I’m looking for a 
smaller fish that fits my cooking pan! The god is troubling me 
today” 

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102 
C) It was almost more than an hour they were fishing. He then 
approached the second fisherman and asked him if he need any 
help. The second man said no. In a few minutes, the second 
fisherman captured a large fish. However, he put that back into the 
lake. 
D) Both carried essential utensils, cooking accessories, ingredients 
and fishing equipment. They reached the pond. 
E) There were two fishermen who were close pals. They used to 
catch fish together on weekends. Since they were busy in their 
personal work and family, they hardly spend time together. It was a 
Saturday and they decided to drive to a nearby pond to enjoy their 
day in fishing. Also, they wanted to have some feast with the fish 
they catch. 
F) Very annoyed by his act, the first fisherman angrily asked him, 
“Are you mad? Why do you put your fishes back into the water? 
They were beautiful and big!” 
G) Many people are just like the second fisherman. We are 
provided with handful of big opportunities, chances and even 
fortune that we many times overlook. We need to work out just the 
same like the big fish fit into a small pan. 
H) By hearing this, the first fisherman was surprised. He advised 
the second fisherman to cut the big fish into small pieces to suit in 
the pan and cook them properly. 

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103 
CONTENT 
Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 
The Lion and the Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 
A golden goose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 
The Ant and the Grasshopper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 
Change Yourself and not The World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 
The Monkey and the Dolphin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 
Parable of the Pencil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 
The Apple Tree and the Farmer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 
The Devoted Mother. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 
True happiness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 
Proud Red Rose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 
Weakness is Strength. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 
Aesop’s Fables -The Wolf and the Lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 
Aesop’s fables – The Bat and the Weasels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 
Aesop’s fables: The Ass and the Grasshopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 
Sand and Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 
The Rope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 
The Ship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 
Life Worth Saving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 
Dadu and Daddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 
Slow and Fast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 
Obedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 
A Hole in the Fence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 
Cocoon and the Butterfly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

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104 
The Boy who cried “Wolf”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 
The Ant and the Dove. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
A Merchant and his Donkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 
The Bird – Short Story By Leo Tolstoy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 
The Plum Stone - Short Story By Leo Tolstoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 
The Hungry Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 
The Crystal Ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 
The Three Cows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 
Love and the Time Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 
Naughty Roy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 
Learn to Accept New Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 
Tale of the Dog, Cock and the Fox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 
Do Not Come To A Conclusion Hastily. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 
The Three Kick Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 
The Figs and Gold Coins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 
Obstacles are Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 
Two Fishermen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99