"The Travelling Musicians"

Passage from "Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm"

 

...about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, spying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it.

But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and he ran away to the back door.

But there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the donkey kicked him; and the rooster, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might.

At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, "Throw the rascal up here!"

After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house...

 

 

Reading Comprehension Questions

1)     Based on the opening lines above, which of the following most likely took place just before the passage began?

a.      robbers choose a house in hopes of finding some farm animals

b.      robbers enter a house, but something frightens them and they leave

c.      robbers realize that they are doing wrong, and decide not to do it again

d.      robbers decide to delay their plan and come back another night

 

2)     In the above passage, what is the major mistake of the robber inside the house?

a.      he tries to rob a house with no valuable items

b.      he enters the room where the family is sleeping

c.      he lets his imagination get the best of him

d.      he gets lost and tries to rob the barn

 

3)     In the first paragraph of the above passage, what does the robber try to light with a match?

a.      a gas lantern

b.      a garbage can

c.      the eyes of a cat

d.      a dog's tail

 

4)     In the above passage, who is inside the house when the robber enters?

a.      a witch

b.      the devil

c.      animals

d.      monsters

 

5)     In the above passage, the robber claims that the devil shouted at him.  In reality, which of the following is the "devil" he thinks he heard?

a.      a rooster

b.      a dog

c.      a donkey

d.      a witch

 

6)     According to the above passage, what do the robbers decide at the end of the passage?

a.      they will try to rob the house on another night

b.      they will never return to the house

c.      they were silly to be scared of a few animals

d.      they were too quick to give up on the robbery

 

Answer Key

1)     Based on the opening lines above, which of the following most likely took place just before the passage began?

a.      robbers choose a house in hopes of finding some farm animals

b.     robbers enter a house, but something frightens them and they leave

c.      robbers realize that they are doing wrong, and decide not to do it again

d.      robbers decide to delay their plan and come back another night

 

2)     In the above passage, what is the major mistake of the robber inside the house?

a.      he tries to rob a house with no valuable items

b.      he enters the room where the family is sleeping

c.      he lets his imagination get the best of him

d.      he gets lost and tries to rob the barn

 

3)     In the first paragraph of the above passage, what does the robber try to light with a match?

a.      a gas lantern

b.      a garbage can

c.      the eyes of a cat

d.      a dog's tail

 

4)     In the above passage, who is inside the house when the robber enters?

a.      a witch

b.      the devil

c.      animals

d.      monsters

 

5)     In the above passage, the robber claims that the devil shouted at him.  In reality, which of the following is the "devil" he thinks he heard?

a.      a rooster

b.      a dog

c.      a donkey

a.      a witch

 

1)     According to the above passage, what do the robbers decide at the end of the passage?

a.      they will try to rob the house on another night

b.     they will never return to the house

c.      they were silly to be scared of a few animals

d.      they were too quick to give up on the robbery