Inference Practice with Fables

Once a cat was in a hurry. She ran across the street without looking. She narrowly escaped being hit by a car.

• Don't steal.

• Look both ways before crossing the street.

• Necessity is the mother of invention.

• One good turn deserves another.

Long ago a beautiful princess had all beautiful expensive dresses. She bragged about them all the time. The other maidens got so tired of hearing about it that they stopped being friends with her.

• Eat all of your vegetables.

• Necessity is the mother invention.

• Don't brag; be modest.

• Don't talk to strangers.

Once there was a young boy and an old man. The young boy laughed at the tired, slow old man. Then the young boy needed to interview a veteran for a school project. The old man was very helpful and the boy got an A+ on his paper. The boy felt bad about laughing earlier.

• Necessity is the mother of invention.

• Don't steal.

• Respect your elders.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

A long time ago there was a king who wanted nothing but gold. He wished everything he touched turned into gold. A fairy made this wish come true. Then anything he tried to eat turned into gold, so he starved to death.

• Don't be greedy.

• United we stand; divided we fall.

• Don't steal.

• Respect your elders.

There were once some hardworking ants and a grasshopper who hated to work. The ants gathered food all spring while the grasshopper played. When winter came, the ants had enough to eat, but the grasshopper had nothing to eat. Since the ants had no extra food to give, the grasshopper starved.

• Don't be lazy.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

• Don't steal.

• Look before you leap.

There once was an ugly duckling. The other ducks laughed at her, and she felt ashamed. However, as she developed, they saw that she was not a duck at all. She was actually a swan, and she was beautiful.

• Look both ways before crossing the street.

• Don't steal.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

• We all are capable of improvement.

A lion was about to eat a mouse, when the mouse pleaded, "Let me go, and someday I may help you." Laughing, the lion let the mouse go. Later, hunters caught the lion in a trap. The mouse, seeing what happened, came to chew the ropes that bound the lion. The lion escaped.

• Respect your elders.

• Don't be lazy.

• Help others because what goes around comes around.

• We all are capable of improvement.

Once a frog jumped off an embankment into what he assumed was a pond. Unfortunately it was not a pond; it was just a ditch. There was a raccoon in the ditch that ate him.

• Respect your elders

• Don't steal

• Look before you leap

• Don't be boastful

There was once a tiny fish that was tired of being in the school of fish all the time. He picked a fight with a couple of other fish, and said "I don't need you; I'm leaving." So he swam away, without the protection of the group, and was soon eaten by a bigger fish.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

• Don't be lazy.

• We are all capable of improvement.

• United we stand, divided we fall.

A hare once bragged to all the animals that he could beat anyone in a race. A tortoise said, "I challenge you." So they raced. The hare ran fast and the tortoise plodded along. The hare was so confident that he took a nap. The tortoise kept up his steady pace and won the race.

• Slowly but surely wins the race.

• Don't be lazy.

• We are all capable of improvement.

• United we stand, divided we fall.