The Song My Paddle Sings

"Windmills"

Passage from "Peter Pan"

At this point they came in sight of thirty forty windmills that there are on plain, and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire, "...Look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves..."

"What giants?" said Sancho Panza.

"Those thou seest there," answered his master, "with the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long."

"Look, your worship," said Sancho; "what we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by the wind make the millstone go."

"It is easy to see," replied Don Quixote, "that thou art not used to this business of adventures; those are giants; and if thou art afraid, away with thee..."

Sancho sent after him, warning him that most certainly they were windmills and not giants he was going to attack. He, however, was so positive they were giants that he neither heard the cries of Sancho, nor perceived what they were, but made at them shouting, "Fly not, cowards and vile beings, for a single knight attacks you."

A slight breeze at this moment sprang up, and the great sails began to move...

As he drove his lance-point into the sail the wind whirled it round with such force that it shivered the lance to pieces, sweeping with it horse and rider, who went rolling over on the plain, in a sorry condition. Sancho hastened to his assistance...

"God bless me!" said Sancho, "did I not tell your worship to mind what you were about, for they were only windmills? No one could have made any mistake about it..."

"Hush, friend Sancho," replied Don Quixote, "...I think, and it is the truth, that the sage has turned these giants into mills in order to rob me of the glory of vanquishing them..."

Reading Comprehension Questions

1) Which of the following best summarizes the events in the above passage?

a. Don Quixote saves his friend when he is attacked by giants

b. Don Quixote tries to fight windmills that he believes are giants

c. Sancho Panza convinces his friend to attack the giant windmills

d. Sancho Panza and Don Quixote are attacked by windmills

2) The famous phrase, "tilting at windmills," originated from this passage. Based on the context, what is the meaning of this phrase?

a. helping a friend in trouble

b. building something out of nothing

c. showing no fear in the face of danger

d. fighting against an imaginary enemy

3) The above passage is taken from a famous novel. Based on the events of the passage, what obstacle must the main character overcome through the rest of the story?

a. his deceitful sidekick

b. his powerful and magical enemies

c. his overactive imagination

d. his fear of battle

4) In the first paragraph of the above passage, Don Quixote refers to Sancho Panza as "squire." Based on the context, what is the best meaning for the word "squire"?

a. a loyal apprentice

b. a cunning rival

c. a powerful landowner

d. a medical doctor

5) Based on the events of the above passage, Don Quixote thinks he is which of the following?

a. a giant

b. a knight

c. a magician

d. a coward

6) At the end of the above passage, Don Quixote comes to which conclusion?

a. the giants were only windmills the entire time

b. the giants look like windmills from a distance

c. the giants were magically disguised as windmills

d. the giants were hidden inside the windmills

Answer Key