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Daily 
Warm-Up
7
Fiction: Fairy Tales/Folklore
Mercury and the Woodman
A woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river 
when his axe glanced off the trunk, flew out of his 
hands, and fell into the water. As he stood by the 
water’s edge lamenting his loss, Mercury, the god, 
appeared and asked him the reason for his grief.
Learning what had happened, Mercury dove into the 
river and brought up a golden axe, asking if it was the 
one he had lost. The woodman replied that it was not, 
and Mercury then dove a second time. Bringing up a 
silver axe, he asked the woodman if it was his. “No, 
that is not mine either,” said the woodman.
Once more, Mercury dove into the river and brought 
up the missing axe. The woodman was overjoyed at 
recovering his property and thanked his benefactor 
warmly. Mercury was so pleased with his honesty that 
he gave the woodman the other two axes.
When the woodman told the story to his companions, 
one friend was filled with envy of his good fortune and 
was determined to try his luck for himself. So he went 
and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river and soon 
let his axe drop into the water.
Mercury appeared as before, and upon learning that his 
axe had fallen in, he dove in and brought up a golden 
axe. Without waiting to be asked whether or not it was 
his, the fellow cried, “That’s mine, that’s mine!” He 
stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize. Disgusted 
at his dishonesty, Mercury declined to give the fellow 
the golden axe. Mercury also refused to recover the one 
that had fallen into the river.
Text Questions
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 1 . Why did the woodman grieve?
a. His companion was dishonest.
b. His axe fell in the river.
c. His fortune was gone.
d. His axe failed to fell the tree.
 2 . What is the moral of the story?
a. Slow and steady wins the race.
b. Much wants more and loses all.
c. Honesty is the best policy.
d. Betray a friend, and you’ll often find you have ruined yourself.
 3 . What does the word benefactor mean as it is used in the text?
a. someone who supports someone else in their endeavors
b. someone who gives another person protection
c. someone who protects someone from danger
d. someone who helps another person financially
 4 . How does a mythological character interact with the first woodman?
a. He comes to his aid.
b. He expresses disgust at his dishonesty.
c. He rewards the human for his good deeds.
d. He settles an argument between the woodman and his companion.
 5 . Describe a time when you practiced honesty in a situation similar to that described in the story.
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#3658 Daily Warm-Ups: Reading

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