Another way to weigh an Elephant

GAO: Your Imperial highness-

EMPRESS: Who dares to interrupt the empress?

CHAO: Oh powerful ruler, Mistress of Multitudes-

YUAN: And possessor of uncounted riches-

EMPRESS: Ah, yes- well, get on with it. What do you want? My elephant is hungry.

CHILD: I'm hungry, too.

1. What does this dialogue most clearly reveal?

• Unlike the villagers, the child is not afraid to speak directly to the empress.

• Each of the villagers tries to outdo the others wih compliments for the empress.

• The empress knows the villagers well and considers them her peers.

• Like the villagers, the child is fearful of the punishment she will receive.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.2.6

EMPRESS: "Silence! There is indeed a resemblance between that lily blossom and my Plum Blossom. Both are beautiful and fragrant. (GAO, CHAO, and YUAN each place hand over nose and mouth.) Proceed, small person."

What do the differing points of view expressed in the dialogue and stage direction show about the villagers?

• The villagers do not trust the empress.

• The villagers do not respect the empress.

• The villagers feel differently about the elephant's smell.

• The villagers are unwilling to disagree with the empress.

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

Many traditional stories tell how a heroic man or woman saves a group of people from an evil or corrupt ruler. How is the play different from such stories?

• In the play, people work together to save themselves instead of relying on a hero.

• In the play, the hero who helps the people is a child rather than an adult.

• In the play, it is the ruler rather than the people who needs to be helped.

• In the play, the hero's actions create more problems instead of solving them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

At the end of the play, the empress asks, "What special reward can I bestow upon you?" Why does the child ask only for a peanut?

• She is not as wise as the empress thought.

• She wants there to be enough food for all.

• She wants the elephant to eat the peanut.

• She wants something to eat right away.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10. RL.11-12.10

PART A: What does the play suggest about children and adults?

• Children and adults must work together to solve problems.

• Children are sometimes more creative than adults.

• Children should not speak up against adults.

• Children should listen to adults to keep safe.

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CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.10

CCSS.RL.9-10.10

CCSS.RL.7.3

PART B. Select two details from the text that support the answer from PART A.

• The child tells the empress that, like the elephant, she is hungry.

• The child's mother tells her to go and play instead of bothering the empress.

• The adults point out that they know how to read, write, add, and subtract.

• The adults give up when the empress says they cannot use a scale to weigh the elephant.

• The child shows a solution by playing with a water lily, some pebbles, and her toy boat.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.1.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1