Excerpt from
"Armour's Monthly Cookbook"
·
"I'll have to ask my husband."
·
"I don't think my husband would allow
me to do that."
·
"I'm sure Jack would say 'No.'"
Do you know
the wife who, whenever she does not want to do anything, always places the
responsibility on her husband's shoulders?
She knows
quite well that she can do almost anything she likes with her husband, and that
there are really few things that he would say "No" to her doing. Yet she finds that to say her husband would
never allow her to do this, or that, is a very easy way of saying
"No" to people without offending them.
But it's not
quite fair on the husband. After a time,
people begin to think that he really must be rather a bear to be so strict with
his wife.
And he gets
disliked as the result.
If you don't
want to do a thing, say so!
Don't make your husband the scapegoat.
Of course,
the wife who does this kind of thing never dreams that people will blame her
husband: it's just a convenient fiction
to her.
Still, people
will start to think less of her husband because of it.
So you'll be
wise to find some other excuse when excuses are necessary.
Reading
Comprehension Questions
1) Which of the following phrases best represents the overall moral
of the passage?
a.
find a loving husband
b.
quit making excuses
c.
there is nothing you can't do
d.
try to spare the feelings of others
2) The author of the above passage feels that which of these is
the true reason why most wives say their husbands wouldn't approve of an
activity?
a.
because their husbands would do the same to them
b.
because most husbands are extremely strict
c.
because shifting blame is easier than saying ‘no’
d.
because everybody knows it isn't true
3) In the above passage, the author writes: "Don't make your husband
the scapegoat." In the
context, what is the meaning of the word “scapegoat”?
a.
honorable man
b.
role model
c.
evil doer
d.
easy excuse
4) In the above passage, the author would agree with which of
the following statements?
a.
“In a bind, a husband can
be a convenient excuse.”
b.
“A loving husband has to be
very firm with his wife.”
c.
“If you need an excuse, try
not to put the blame on your husband.”
d.
“It's never okay to use an
excuse to get out of doing something.”
5) The above passage was mainly written for which audience?
a.
children
b.
women
c.
men
d.
husbands
Answer Key
1)
Which of the
following phrases best represents the overall moral of the passage?
a.
find a loving husband
b.
quit making
excuses
c.
there is nothing you can't do
d.
try to spare the feelings of others
2)
The author of
the above passage feels that which of these is the true reason why most
wives say their husbands wouldn't approve of an activity?
a.
because their husbands would do the same to
them
b.
because most husbands are extremely strict
c.
because shifting
blame is easier than saying ‘no’
d.
because everybody knows it isn't true
3)
In the above passage,
the author writes: "Don't make your husband the scapegoat." In the context, what is the meaning of the
word “scapegoat”?
a.
honorable man
b.
role model
c.
evil doer
d.
easy excuse
4)
In the above passage,
the author would agree with which of the following statements?
a. “In a bind, a husband can be a convenient
excuse.”
b. “A loving husband has to be very firm with his
wife.”
c.
“If you need an excuse, try not to put the blame
on your husband.”
d.
“It's never
okay to use an excuse to get out of doing something.”
5)
The above
passage was mainly written for which audience?
a.
children
b.
women
c.
men
d.
husbands