Hello, everyone, welcome back to my channel Sparkle English
where I teach you how to improve your level of English.
In today's video, we are going to do a reading and listening
comprehension exercise. I'm going to read a short story to
you. And after each page, there will be a series of
multiple choice questions. Grab a piece of paper and
write down any words you don't understand. Let's begin. Old
Sultan by the Grimms brothers.
A shepherd had a faithful dog called Sultan, who had grown
very old and had lost all his teeth. And one day, when the
shepherd and his wife were standing together before the
house, the shepherd said, I will shoot old Sultan tomorrow
morning, for he is of no use now. But his wife said, "Let
the poor faithful creature live. He has served us well a
great many years, and we ought to give him a livelihood for
the rest of his days." "But what can we do with him?" said
the shepherd. "He has served us, but then he did it to earn
his livelihood. Tomorrow shall be his last day; depend upon
it."
Okay, so the first question is, who is Sultan? A) the
shepherd B) an old man C) a dog D) a god
The correct answer is C) a dog.
How does the wife describe Sultan? A) useless B) servant
C) very old or D) faithful
The correct answer is D) faithful. Why does the
shepherd want to shoot Sultan? A) Sultan is poor. B) Sultan
is no longer of use to the shepherd. C) The shepherd and
his wife are too poor. D) Sultan is very ill.
The correct answer is B. Sultan is no longer of use to
the shepherd.
Poor Sultan, who was lying close by them, heard all that
the shepherd and his wife said to one another and was very
much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last
day. So in the evening, he went to his good friend, the
wolf, who lived in the woods. He told him all his sorrows
and how his master meant to kill him in the morning. "Make
yourself easy," said the wolf. "I will give you some good
advice. Your master, you know, goes out every morning very
early with his wife into the field. And they take their
little child with them and lay it down behind the hedge in
the shade while they are at work."
What is Sultan afraid of? A) the wolf B) getting shot by
the shepherd C) the shepherd's child? Or D) Sultan isn't
afraid.
The correct answer is B. Sultan is afraid of getting
shot by the shepherd.
What does the shepherd do each morning? A) cuts wood B) lies
down in the shade or C) works in the field
The correct answer is C) The shepherd works in the field.
"Now you must lie down close by the child. Pretend to be
watching it. And I will come out of the woods and run away
with it. You must run after me as fast as you can, and I will
let it drop. Then you may carry it back and they will
think you have saved their child and will be so thankful
to you that they will take care of you as long as you
live." The dog liked this plan very well. So it was managed
accordingly. The wolf ran with the child a little way. The
shepherd and his wife screamed out. But Sultan soon overtook
him and carried the poor little thing back to his
master and mistress.
What advice does the wolf give Sultan? A) Sultan should
pretend to rescue the child. B) Sultan should fight the
master and mistress. C) Sultan should run away.
or D) Sultan should plan to escape.
The correct answer is A. The wolf advises Sultan to pretend
to rescue the child.
What does the wolf think will happen if his plan works? A)
The shepherd will be afraid of Sultan. B) Sultan will get
revenge on the shepherd. C) The shepherd will be grateful
and save Salton.
The correct answer is C. The wolf thinks that the shepherd
will be grateful and will save Sultan.
And now let's read the last page of the story. Then the
shepherd patted him on the head and said, "Old Sultan has
saved our child from the wolf, and therefore he shall live
and be well taken care of and have plenty to eat. Wife, go
home and give him a good dinner and let him have my old
cushion to sleep on as long as he lives."
So from this time forward, Sultan had all that he could
wish for.
So the final question, does the wolf's plan work?
The correct answer is yes, his plan does work. Now he will
not be shot by the shepherd, as they now appreciate him and
think he is useful. Okay, everyone, that's it for
today's reading comprehension. Let me know in the comments
section if this was difficult, or if this was easy, and also
let me know some words that you wrote down on your piece
of paper that are new words for you. Make sure to
subscribe to Sparkle English for more videos like this one.
Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in my next lesson.