Card 0 of 556
Adapted from "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen (trans. Sommer 1897)
Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. She looked so destitute in the wind and the rain. And yet she said that she was a real princess.
“Well, we’ll soon find that out,” thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on top of the pea.
On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
“Oh, very badly!” said she. “I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It’s horrible!”
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.
Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.
What does the prince want more than anything at the start of the passage?
In the first paragraph the author describes how the prince is looking all over for a “real” princess. It is clear that the prince will not marry any old princess because the passage says, “He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be.”
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Adapted from an article in Chatterbox Periodical edited by J. Erskine Clark (1906)
Steven Daniels, a magistrate from London, once showed great wisdom and ingenuity in detecting a thief. A man was brought before him charged with stealing a small, but very valuable, jeweled table. The prisoner denied the charge. He said that he was weak and feeble with long illness. For that reason it was impossible for him to have carried off a piece of furniture.
The judge listened very gravely to his story. After hearing of the poor man's misfortunes, he professed great sorrow and sympathy for the sufferer.
“Go home and get cured,” said he kindly; “and as you are poor, take with you that bag of cash”—heavy British Pounds—“as a gift from this court.”
The prisoner bowed, quickly threw the heavy bag over his shoulder, and departed, while everyone wondered. But he had hardly got outside the door of the court, when he was arrested. The judge remarked that if he could easily carry off a heavy sack of money, he would have no difficulty in stealing a light table.
The underlined word “feeble” most nearly means __________.
The word “feeble” most nearly means weak, lacking strength and health, or frail, so "frail" is the correct answer, as "frail" means weak and sickly. If you were not aware that "feeble" and "frail" have similar meanings, it would become necessary to read in context to try and identify the correct definition. The author says that the thief claimed that he was “weak and feeble” and could not have carried off the jeweled table. Well, if you check the other four answer choices, "frigid" means very cold, "stifling" means very hot, and "sturdy" and "robust" both mean strong and reliable, so you can see that none of these answer choices are reasons why someone could not carry away a table. The correct answer has to be “frail.”
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Adapted from an article in Chatterbox Periodical edited by J. Erskine Clark (1906)
Steven Daniels, a magistrate from London, once showed great wisdom and ingenuity in detecting a thief. A man was brought before him charged with stealing a small, but very valuable, jeweled table. The prisoner denied the charge. He said that he was weak and feeble with long illness. For that reason it was impossible for him to have carried off a piece of furniture.
The judge listened very gravely to his story. After hearing of the poor man's misfortunes, he professed great sorrow and sympathy for the sufferer.
“Go home and get cured,” said he kindly; “and as you are poor, take with you that bag of cash”—heavy British Pounds—“as a gift from this court.”
The prisoner bowed, quickly threw the heavy bag over his shoulder, and departed, while everyone wondered. But he had hardly got outside the door of the court, when he was arrested. The judge remarked that if he could easily carry off a heavy sack of money, he would have no difficulty in stealing a light table.
The underlined word “gravely” most nearly means __________.
The word “gravely” means seriously, so "seriously" is the correct answer. If you did not know this, you would need to read in context to try and figure it out. The author says that “The judge listened very gravely to \[the thief's\] story. After hearing of the poor man's misfortunes, he professed great sorrow and sympathy for the sufferer.” Given that the judge’s reaction is of sadness and sympathy, it stands to reason that he listened “seriously” to the thief. To help you, "mockingly" means in a way that makes fun of someone or something; "absurdly" means done in a silly way; and "assuredly" means done with confidence.
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Adapted from Humphry Davy and the Safety-Lamp by George C. Towle (1912)
Few boys have ever led a happier, busier, or more varied existence than did Humphry Davy. He was the son of a poor wood-carver, who lived in the pretty seaside town of Penzance, in England, where Humphry was born in 1778. Lowly, however, as was his birth, in his earliest years Humphry gave many proofs that nature had endowed him with rare talents.
Some of the stories told of his childish brightness are hard to believe. They relate, for instance, that before he was two years old he could talk almost as plainly and clearly as a grown person; that he could repeat many passages of Pilgrim's Progress, from having heard them, before he could read; and that at five years old he could read very rapidly, and remembered almost everything he read.
His father, the wood-carver, had died while Humphry was still very young, and had left his family poor. But by good-fortune a kind neighbor and friend, a Mr. Tonkine, took care of the widow and her children, and obtained a place for Humphry as an apprentice with an apothecary of the town. Humphry proved, indeed, a rather troublesome inmate of the apothecary's house. He set up a chemical laboratory in his little room upstairs, and there devoted himself to all sorts of experiments. Every now and then an explosion would be heard, which made the members of the apothecary's household quake with terror.
The underlined word “obtained” most nearly means __________.
The word “obtained” means found or got. In context, the word is used in the following manner: “But by good-fortune a kind neighbor and friend, a Mr. Tonkine, took care of the widow and her children, and obtained a place for Humphry as an apprentice with an apothecary of the town.” The rest of the passage tells us that Humphry worked in the apothecary, so Mr. Tonkine must have gotten the job for Humphry.
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Adapted from Humphry Davy and the Safety-Lamp by George C. Towle (1912)
Few boys have ever led a happier, busier, or more varied existence than did Humphry Davy. He was the son of a poor wood-carver, who lived in the pretty seaside town of Penzance, in England, where Humphry was born in 1778. Lowly, however, as was his birth, in his earliest years Humphry gave many proofs that nature had endowed him with rare talents.
Some of the stories told of his childish brightness are hard to believe. They relate, for instance, that before he was two years old he could talk almost as plainly and clearly as a grown person; that he could repeat many passages of Pilgrim's Progress, from having heard them, before he could read; and that at five years old he could read very rapidly, and remembered almost everything he read.
His father, the wood-carver, had died while Humphry was still very young, and had left his family poor. But by good-fortune a kind neighbor and friend, a Mr. Tonkine, took care of the widow and her children, and obtained a place for Humphry as an apprentice with an apothecary of the town. Humphry proved, indeed, a rather troublesome inmate of the apothecary's house. He set up a chemical laboratory in his little room upstairs, and there devoted himself to all sorts of experiments. Every now and then an explosion would be heard, which made the members of the apothecary's household quake with terror.
The underlined word "terror" most nearly means __________.
"Terror" is another word for fear_or dread. If you were not aware of this definition, you would have to read in context to try and figure out the answer. The author says, "Every now and then an explosion would be heard, which made the members of the apothecary's household quake with terror." The use of the word "quake,"_ which means shake with fear, hints that "terror" means fear. Likewise, the sound of an explosion would most likely inspire fear as opposed to love, hope, sorrow or joy. To help you, "sorrow" means _great sadness; and "_joy" means happiness.
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Adapted from Humphry Davy and the Safety-Lamp by George C. Towle (1912)
Few boys have ever led a happier, busier, or more varied existence than did Humphry Davy. He was the son of a poor wood-carver, who lived in the pretty seaside town of Penzance, in England, where Humphry was born in 1778. Lowly, however, as was his birth, in his earliest years Humphry gave many proofs that nature had endowed him with rare talents.
Some of the stories told of his childish brightness are hard to believe. They relate, for instance, that before he was two years old he could talk almost as plainly and clearly as a grown person; that he could repeat many passages of Pilgrim's Progress, from having heard them, before he could read; and that at five years old he could read very rapidly, and remembered almost everything he read.
His father, the wood-carver, had died while Humphry was still very young, and had left his family poor. But by good-fortune a kind neighbor and friend, a Mr. Tonkine, took care of the widow and her children, and obtained a place for Humphry as an apprentice with an apothecary of the town. Humphry proved, indeed, a rather troublesome inmate of the apothecary's house. He set up a chemical laboratory in his little room upstairs, and there devoted himself to all sorts of experiments. Every now and then an explosion would be heard, which made the members of the apothecary's household quake with terror.
The underlined word "rapidly" most nearly means __________.
"Rapidly" means quickly or very fast. In context, the author says, "at five years old \[Humphry\] could read very rapidly, and remembered almost everything he read." Seeing as this quote appears in a paragraph explaining why Humphry was a talented child, it would make most sense that the author was speaking of Davy's ability to read very quickly and remember almost all of what he read. To help you, "carefully" means done with caution and care, "anxiously" means done out of anxiety or worry, and "jovially" means done with good humor and happiness.
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As the airplane began to descend from 35,000 feet, after a bumpy four hour flight, Eric felt relieved that he would soon be on the ground.
Why is Eric relieved that the plane will land soon?
Eric is relieved that the plane will land soon. You can infer this based on the clue:
"after a bumpy four hour flight"
If the flight was bumpy AND he's relieved, you can conclude that he does not like flying and will be glad to get off the plane soon.
Note: Some of the other answers seem reasonable, but remember to only use the information given when making an inference.
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Max had not eaten all day and was feeling ravenous! He decided to go to the store to buy ingredients to make a delicious dinner. His shopping list was wheat buns, beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, and a tomato. When Max got home he got straight to work on his dinner and then gobbled it up!
What will Max make for his dinner?
Using the sentence below, we can find the answer.
"His shopping list was: wheat buns, beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, and tomato."
You can inferthat he is going to make a cheeseburger for dinner.
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Adapted from Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Edward Eggleston (1896)
Daniel Webster was a great statesman. As a little boy he was called "Little Black Dan." When he grew larger, he was thin and sickly-looking, but he had large, dark eyes. People called him "All Eyes."
He was very fond of his brother Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a little older than Daniel. Both the boys had fine minds. They wanted to go to college, but their father was poor.
Daniel had not much strength for work on the farm, so little "All Eyes" was sent to school and then to college. Ezekiel stayed at home and worked on the farm.
While Daniel was at school, he was unhappy to think that Ezekiel could not go to college also. He went home on a visit. He talked to Ezekiel about going to college. The brothers talked about it all night. The next day Daniel talked to his father about it. The father said he was too poor to send both of his sons to college. He said he would lose all his little property if he tried to send Ezekiel to college, but if their mother and sisters were willing to be poor, he would send the other son to college.
The mother and sisters were asked. It seemed hard to risk the loss of all they had. It seemed hard not to give Ezekiel a chance. They all shed tears over it.
The boys promised to take care of their mother and sisters if the property should be lost. Then they all agreed that Ezekiel should go to college too.
Daniel taught school while he was studying to help pay the expenses. After Daniel was through his studies in college, he taught school in order to help his brother. When his school closed, he went home. On his way, he went round to the college to see his brother. Finding that Ezekiel needed money, he gave him a hundred dollars. He kept but three dollars to get home with.
The father's property was not sold. The two boys helped the family. Daniel soon began to make money as a lawyer. He knew that his father was in debt. He went home to see him. He said, "Father, I am going to pay your debts."
The father said, "You cannot do it, Daniel. You have not money enough."
"I can do it," said Daniel, "and I will do it before Monday evening."
When Monday evening came round, the father's debts were all paid.
Which of the following words best describes Daniel?
Throughout the passage, there are numerous instances in which Daniel displays generosity. When he found out that his brother, Ezekiel, needed money, "\[Daniel\] gave him a hundred dollars. He kept but three dollars to get home with." Also, Daniel paid off all of his father's debt at the end of the story. The correct answer choice is "generous," meaning being willing to give more than explicitly asked for.
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Adapted from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1871)
One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it—it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering); so you see that it COULDN'T have had any hand in the mischief.
The way Dinah washed her children's faces was this: first she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose: and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to purr—no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good.
But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great arm-chair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.
'Oh, you wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You OUGHT, Dinah, you know you ought!' she added, looking reproachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage—and then she scrambled back into the arm-chair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and began winding up the ball again. But she didn't get on very fast, as she was talking all the time, sometimes to the kitten, and sometimes to herself. Kitty sat very demurely on her knee, pretending to watch the progress of the winding, and now and then putting out one paw and gently touching the ball, as if it would be glad to help, if it might.
Where in Alice’s house can we infer this passage takes place?
Considering the furniture mentioned in this passage can help you figure out the correct answer. Alice falls asleep in “a corner of the great arm-chair,” and later, the unwound ball of worsted is described in the clause “and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles.” So, we need to pick out a room in which one is likely to find an armchair and a hearth-rug. (A “hearth” is another word for a fireplace, so a hearth-rug is a rug one puts in front of the fireplace.) Given this evidence, only one answer choice makes sense: the living room.
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Eric just got a new puppy last weekend! When Eric’s mom agreed to let him get the dog, she said he will be responsible for taking care of her at all times. Yesterday, Eric came home from school to find his dog had made a huge mess in the kitchen! He forgot to put his cereal box away and Gracie, his yellow lab, had spilled the little round puffs all over the floor. After noticing the mess, he went straight to his room and started watching TV.
Make a prediction about what happens when Eric’s mom comes home to find the mess.
Since Eric's mom said he would be responsible for taking care of the dog, you can predict that his mom would be upset to find the mess in the kitchen. She is most likely going to ask him to clean up the mess immediately.
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Adapted from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1871)
One thing was certain, that the white kitten had had nothing to do with it—it was the black kitten's fault entirely. For the white kitten had been having its face washed by the old cat for the last quarter of an hour (and bearing it pretty well, considering); so you see that it COULDN'T have had any hand in the mischief.
The way Dinah washed her children's faces was this: first she held the poor thing down by its ear with one paw, and then with the other paw she rubbed its face all over, the wrong way, beginning at the nose: and just now, as I said, she was hard at work on the white kitten, which was lying quite still and trying to purr—no doubt feeling that it was all meant for its good.
But the black kitten had been finished with earlier in the afternoon, and so, while Alice was sitting curled up in a corner of the great arm-chair, half talking to herself and half asleep, the kitten had been having a grand game of romps with the ball of worsted Alice had been trying to wind up, and had been rolling it up and down till it had all come undone again; and there it was, spread over the hearth-rug, all knots and tangles, with the kitten running after its own tail in the middle.
'Oh, you wicked little thing!' cried Alice, catching up the kitten, and giving it a little kiss to make it understand that it was in disgrace. 'Really, Dinah ought to have taught you better manners! You OUGHT, Dinah, you know you ought!' she added, looking reproachfully at the old cat, and speaking in as cross a voice as she could manage—and then she scrambled back into the arm-chair, taking the kitten and the worsted with her, and began winding up the ball again. But she didn't get on very fast, as she was talking all the time, sometimes to the kitten, and sometimes to herself. Kitty sat very demurely on her knee, pretending to watch the progress of the winding, and now and then putting out one paw and gently touching the ball, as if it would be glad to help, if it might.
In the first paragraph, what does the underlined phrase “the mischief” refer to?
This is a somewhat tricky question because the passage jumps right into its discussion of “the mischief” in its first paragraph, and the reader only figures out what this is in the passage’s third paragraph. The first paragraph offers no clue as to what “the mischief” is, besides the fact that it’s solely the black kitten’s fault; you have to consider the rest of the passage in order to figure out what is being referenced. If you only consider the first paragraph, three answer choices may seem correct: “The fact that the black kitten unwound the ball of worsted,” “The fact that the black kitten tore apart a lace doily,” and “The fact that the black kitten made Alice worry by hiding all morning.” However, considering the third paragraph, which describes how the black kitten unwound the ball of worsted, should help you infer that “the mischief” being referenced in the first paragraph is actually “the fact that the black kitten unwound the ball of worsted.”
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Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
Fred went to the flower market to pick up some beautiful blooms. He needed to buy lovely flowers for the soirée at his house that evening. When he returned, he quickly dressed in his best suit and tie because his guests were about to arrive.
A "soirée"is a fancy party in the evening.
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Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
Laurel was walking her tiny Chihuahua through the park last night when she noticed a big dog quietly lurking in the shadows. She quickly turned and walked the other way because she did not want the big dog to notice her tiny Chihuahua.
To "lurk" means to lie quietly in wait, most often for prey.
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Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
Amber walked into the party and immediately noticed the gregarious hostess. She was chatting, laughing, and telling jokes to a crowd of four people across the room.
A "gregarious"person is someone who is friendly, outgoing, and easy to get along with.
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Baseball is a great game. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. It’s a great way to spend a lazy summer afternoon. I love going to watch the nine inning game played on a beautifully mowed lawn, listening to the Umpire yell “STRIKE,” singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch, and I especially love the sound of the bat going "crack!!" when it hits the ball. Baseball is definitely my favorite sport.
Determine the meaning of the underlined word.
A pastime is a fun activity that helps you "pass the time."
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As the airplane beganto descendfrom 35,000 feet, after a bumpy four hour flight, Eric felt relieved that he would soon be on the ground.
What is the meaning of the word descend?
To descend means to come/go down. You can also conclude from the sentence that the airplane has been flying for four hours and is now coming down to land.
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Adapted from "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them freely. The Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this country fare, and said: "I cannot understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the country; come with me and I will show you how to live. When you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood a country life." No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse's residence late at night. "You will want some refreshment after our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling and barking. "What is that?" said the Country Mouse. "It is only the dogs of the house," answered the other. "Only!" said the Country Mouse. "I do not like that music at my dinner." Just at that moment the door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper down and run off. "Good-bye, Cousin," said the Country Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the other. "Yes," he replied; "Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear."
How does the Town Mouse react to the Country Mouse’s offer of food?
The author says that Town Mouse “turned up his long nose.” When you "turn up your nose" at something, that means you think you are too good for it. The Town Mouse thinks he is too good for the Country Mouse’s food, so he rejects it.
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Adapted from "The Dog and the Wolf" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by.
"Ah, Cousin," said the Dog. "I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?"
"I would have no objection," said the Wolf, "if I could only acquire a place."
"I will easily arrange that for you," said the Dog; "come with me to my master and you shall share my work."
So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town together. On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that had come about.
"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog. "That is only the place where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it."
"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then good-bye to you, Master Dog."
Moral: "Better starve free than be a fat slave."
What does the dog think will be the ruin of the wolf?
In the second paragraph, the dog says to the wolf "I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you.” The dog means that because the wolf does not following a rigid, disciplined and safe lifestyle, the wolf will encounter a lot of trouble.
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Adapted from "The Man, the Boy and the Donkey" by Aesop (trans. Jacobs 1909)
A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: "You fools, why do you not ride your donkey?" So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See that lazy youngster; he lets his father walk while he rides." So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: "Shame on that lazy man to let his poor little son trudge along." Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey?" The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders and carried the donkey with them. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them 'till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned. "That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them: "Please all, and you will please none."
Why does the first man that the father and son meet mock them?
The first man that the father and son meet criticizes them for walking beside the donkey, rather than riding on it. He says, “You fools, why do you not ride your donkey?”
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