Hodja and the Soup

What is the best summary of "Hodja and the Soup"?

• When a poor, hungry man stops to smell the food in a restaurant, the owner gets angry and demands to be paid for it. The wise Hodja steps in to help the man by showing the restaurant owner a clever trick.

• When a poor, hungry man stops to smell the food in a restaurant, the owner gets angry and demands to be paid for it. The wise Hodja steps in to help the man by offering to pay for the poor, hungry man.

• When a poor, hungry man stops to smell the food in a restaurant, the owner gets angry and demands to be paid for it. The wise Hodja steps in to help the man by showing the restaurant owner a clever trick, which was that he would pay for the "smelling" by paying with the "sound" of dropping coins. In other words, exchanging a sensory experience for another sensory experience was the payment.

Why does the restaurant owner not want the man to smell the food outside his restaurant?

• It makes his restaurant look bad.

• He thinks that smelling the soup is not an acceptable action.

• The food didn't really smell that good.

How does Hodja address the problem the restaurant owner presents to him? Select ALL that apply.

• Hodja offers to pay for the poor man's food.

• He teaches the owner a lesson by paying with the sound of coins.

• He explained that the sound of coins was a fair payment in exchange for the smell of soup.

• Hodja sits down and eats soup.

From whose point of view is this story told?

• The story is told from the point of view of Hodja. This is why we can tell exactly what Hodja is thinking.

• The story is told by a third person narrator, but it shows the perspective of the poor man, which helps us learn about how the poor man feels.

• The story is told from the point of view of the restaurant owner. That way, we can see why the restaurant owner felt so upset.

Why does the author use the simile "the poor man's eyes lit up like two shooting stars"?

• He was excited to smell the delicious soup.

• He was excited to have made a friend name Hodja.

• He was excited that Hodja was going to pay for him, after not eating for 2 days.

Word gap! What does "profusely" mean in paragraph 6?

• over and over again

• rarely

• loudly

What is the theme/lesson of this story?

• Treat people fairly.

• Don't judge a book by its cover.

• Be yourself!

Why is Hodja important to this story? Select ALL that apply.

• He is the hero.

• He uses his intelligence to get the better of someone.

• He is a trickster, but he does it in a kind/clever way.

How do we see "fairness" shown throughout this story? Select ALL that apply.

• The poor man wouldn't even go in the restaurant, which shows he knows it wouldn't be fair to enter the restaurant because he knew he couldn't pay.

• It was fair for the restaurant owner to make the poor man pay for his smelling of the soup.

• It was fair for Hodja to explain that payment for smelling food was just as unfair as hearing the sound of coins to count as payment.

Which word best describes the restaurant owner at the END of the story?

• joyful/happy

• embarrassed/guilty

• sad/upset