Fable · Level 1 · 150 words
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Aesop, translated by V. S. Vernon Jones (1912). Public domain.
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: it is best to prepare for the days of need.
Comprehension questions
1. What lesson does the fable teach?
- A Hard work in good times prepares you for hard times.
- B Singing is a waste of a summer day.
- C Ants and grasshoppers cannot be friends.
- D Winter always arrives sooner than expected.
Show answer
A. Hard work in good times prepares you for hard times.
The Ant stores food in summer and survives winter, while the idle Grasshopper starves — the moral is to prepare during times of plenty.
2. What was the Ant carrying when it passed the Grasshopper?
- A A blade of grass
- B An ear of corn
- C A drop of water
- D A dead leaf
Show answer
B. An ear of corn
The text says the Ant was "bearing along with great effort an ear of corn."
3. In this passage, "toiling and moiling" most nearly means:
- A resting lazily
- B working hard
- C singing loudly
- D wandering aimlessly
Show answer
B. working hard
"Toiling and moiling" is an old phrase for laboring hard — contrasted with the Grasshopper's idle chatting.
Source: Aesop's Fables. Aesop, translated by V. S. Vernon Jones (1912). Public domain.