Narrative for Remedy

The Color of Friendship

            Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful and the most favorite.

            Green said, “Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look all over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

            Blue interrupted, “You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the source of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

            Yellow chuckled, “You are all so serious. I bring laughter, cheerfulness and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow and the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

            Orange started next to blow her trumpet, “I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrot, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.’

            Red could stand it no longer so he shouted out. “I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood – life’s blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

            Purple rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp. “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

            Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much as determination. “Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

            And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarrelling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a starting flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

            In the middle of the dispute, rain began to speak, “You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

            Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued. “From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in a peace. The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.”

            And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

1.    What is the story about?

A.    The rain that washed the world.

B.    The dispute among colors.

C.   The rainbow that appeared in the sky.

D.   The importance of the main colors.

E.    The color of authority and wisdom.

2.    What things did Blue represent?

A.    The sun, the moon and the stars.

B.    The grass, trees and leaves.

C.   The sky and the deep ocean.

D.   Royalty and power.

E.    Fruits, sunrise and sunset.

3.    What was the color of bravery?

A.    Yellow

B.    Purple

C.   Red

D.   Green

E.    Blue

4.    What is the moral value of the story?

A.    We should appreciate one another.

B.    We should not tell lies.

C.   We should help one another.

D.   We should dominate others.

E.    We should be the majority.

5.    “The sky gives space and peace and serenity.” (Paragraph 3) The word in bold is best replaced by the word ……….

a.    Chaos

b.    Freedom

c.    Tranquility

d.    Resistance

e.    Beauty

The Fox and the Crow

            One morning a fox was returning to his lair after a night’s hunting. He had not caught anything and he was feeling very hungry. As he passed the farmer’s house he saw a crow stealing a delicious looking piece of cheese that the farmer’s wife had left in the window. His mouth watered and he thought to himself how he could get the crow to give him the cheese. The crow flew off and perched far above his head in a nearby tree. The fox ran to the foot of the tree and started flattering the crow.

            “Oh, beautiful bird, “ said the fox, ‘so graceful, so delightful and so well loved by everyone. What lovely feathers you have, and how lucky you are to be able to see into the future. Truly you are possessed of all the virtues and I cannot think of any bird so blessed. However, I don’t think I have ever heard you sing. If your singing is even half as good as all your other qualities, there cannot be another creature in the whole world so fabulous.”

            The crow was flattered by this and to show the fox that his voice was as beautiful as the rest of him he immediately opened his beak and started to sing so that the fox might hear him. But, as he opened his beak the cheese dropped out and the fox snapped it up and ate it in two gulps.

            “Ah ha, said the fox, “I spoke of your beauty, but you will notice I said nothing about your brains.”

6.    Which of the following you don’t agree with about the fox+

A.    He was hungry.

B.    He was cunning.

C.   He liked the crows.

D.   He wanted to have the cheese.

E.    He tried to deceive the crows.

7.    Who put the cheese in the window?

A.    The fox

B.    The bird

C.   The crow

D.   The farmer

E.    The farmer’s wife

8.    What moral value do we learn from the crow?

A.    Don’t flatter yourself.

B.    Never try to deceive your friend.

C.   Don’t be happy being flattered.

D.   Never try to get something by cheating.

E.    Don’t be easily influenced by a compliment given.

9.    The main idea of the third paragraph is ………………

A.    The crow was pleased with the fox compliment.

B.    The crow let the cheese fell from his beak.

C.   The crow gave the fox his cheese.

D.   The crow felt proud of being flattered by the fox.

E.    The crow lost his cheese when he wanted to show his beautiful voice.