## Exercises for The Bull and his Calf

Back to the story

A. How much did you understand?

This story is about truth and lies.

In the story some animals tell the truth, and some tell lies.

Here are some of the true statements in the story. Who is speaking?

1. "Oh, how wonderful! My cow has given birth to a calf!"
2. "A bull can't give birth to a calf!"
3. "Your father can't give birth. Only your mother can do that."

Here are some lies. Who is speaking?

1. "My bull gave birth to this calf."
2. "The lion's right. The calf belongs to him."
3. "He's giving birth to a baby fox."

B. Power and weakness

The story is also about power and weakness.

Match the right endings from the list below to these sentences.

1. The lion was the strongest animal, so……
2. The ostrich was weaker than the lion, so……
3. The animals were weaker than the lion, so……
4. The fox was clever, so……

1. …… he defeated the powerful lion.
2. …… he needed the fox to help him.
3. …… they agreed with him.
4. ……the other animals were afraid of him.

C. Which words?

Which words describe the animals in the story? Match the animal from the list on the left with the word that describes him from the list on the right.

the lion | clever
the ostrich | angry
all the other animals | strong
the fox | frightened

D. What do you think?

Are these stories really about animals, or are they about people?

What do they teach us about human beings?

E. More stories to enjoy

If you liked reading this story, you might enjoy some others about the clever fox.

Click on the links below.

The Crane, the Fox and the Vulture

The Farmer and the Leopard

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