59. Reading Skills Comprehension: Farmer

Farmer

Read the passage carefully and answer the following questions:-

1. Once upon a time, there lived poor fanner with his wife and son in a small village. He toiled a lot in his field but the fruits of his labour were meagre. One day, exhausted by the heat, he lay down under the shadow of a tree to take a nap. All of a sudden, he saw a giant cobra crawling out of an anthill.

2. The fanner thought to himself, “Sure this snake must be a deity guarding my field. So far I have not noticed it and that is why all my farming in vain. Let me pay my respects to it now and worship it hereafter.” He then made up his mind, brought some milk in a bowl and placed it before the anthill. He said aloud “0! Lord guardian of my field! I did not know you dwell here. Please forgive me for not paying respect to you.” He left the milk bowl there and went back to his house. The next morning, he was surprised to see a gold coin in the bowl.

3. Since then the farmer placed a bowl of milk every day and got back a gold coin the next morning. Soon the farmer became rich and happy. This continued for some time. One day, the farmer had to go to a nearby city for a few days and so he directed his son to place the milk bowl near the anthill every day. The son kept the milk bowl and left, only to find a gold coin the next day. He then thought to himself, “This anthill must be full of gold coins: I’ll kill the serpent and take all of them.”

4. The next day, while placing the bowl of milk the farmer’s son struck the snake with a club. But the serpent escaped and bit him with his sharp fangs instead. He was dead at once. When the farmer returned, he learnt about his son’s fate and grieved. The next morning, he took the bowl of milk and went to the anthill.

5. The snake came out and said, “Your greed made you overlook even the loss of your son. Your son struck me in ignorance and I had bitten him to death. I cannot forget the blow on my head and you cannot forget the loss of your son. Hereafter, the friendship between us is not possible.” So saying the snake gave a costly coin and disappeared. The farmer returned home cursing the foolishness of his son.

1. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following questions in about 30-40 words each:

(i) Why did the farmer regard the snake as a deity?

(ii) What decision did the farmer’s son take one day?

(iii) What is your opinion about the farmer?

(iv) How did the farmer’s son meet his death?

(v) Why did the farmer offer the snake a bowl of milk every day?

2. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer any four of the following:

(i) The farmer sat down under the shadow of a tree as he had become …………..

(a)sleepy (b) tired

(ii) The farmer ……………..the snake milk in a bowl.

(a) brought (b) bought

(iii) In para1,………… means ‘a short-sleep’.

(a) giant (b) nap

(iv) The snake………….. the farmer a rich and happy man.

(a) made (b) gave

(v) In para 5, the antonym of ‘knowledge’ is……………

(a) friendship (b) foolishness

Answers

1.(i) The farmer thought that it was the snake that guarded his field. He was filled with regret for not paying respect to it. One day he left a bowl of milk near the anthill in his field and went back to his house. The next morning he found that there was a gold coin in the bowl. So the farmer regarded the snake as a deity.

(ii) One day the farmer’s son decided to take all the gold coins hidden in the anthill by killing the snake.

(iii) The fanner was a greedy man. His greed took the life of his son. He also lost his friendship with the snake.

(iv) One day the farmer went to a nearby city for a few days and told his son to place the milk bowl near the anthill every day. His son did the same every day to find a gold coin the next day. Eventually, he became greedy. He thought that the anthill must be full of gold coins which he could take by killing the serpent. The next day he stabbed the snake with a club. The snake escaped and bit him. He died at once.

(v) The farmer regarded the snake as a deity. He also got a gold coin the next morning.

2.(i) (b) tired

(ii) (d) offered

(iii) (b) nap

(iv) (a) made

(v) (c) ignorance

Download the above Passage in PDF Worksheet (Printable)