Lazy Anansi

What is a fable?

• A short-story

• A poem that tells a story

• A book about animals and their adventures.

• A short-story that teaches a lesson, usually involving animals.

Who is the main character of the fable?

• Warthog

• Rabbit

• Anansi

• Monkey

What is the main theme of the story? (RL.2).

• People who are lazy don’t get to benefit from others’ hard work

• Sometimes people take advantage of the kindness of their friends.

• Sharing food with others is a good way to show that you care.

• People are less likely to share with you if you don’t help them in some way.

Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Question #1? (RL.1)

(People who are lazy don’t get to benefit from others’ hard work.)

• “‘I'll tie one end around my leg and one end to your pot. When the greens are ready, pull on the web string. I'll come right away.’” (Paragraph 3)

• “By the time Anansi arrived at the river, each of his eight legs was tied to a pot of delicious food. Then, Anansi felt a pull on one of his legs.” (Paragraph 6)

• “And a fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth pull. Everyone was pulling on the web strings at the same time!” (Paragraph 7)

• “But his legs would not return to their normal shape. Anansi was too embarrassed to go to any of his friends that day.” (Paragraph 8)

Which is the best summary of the fable? (RL.2)

• A spider’s friends work together to punish their lazy friend who never helps them.

• A spider’s legs are stretched out when he’s too lazy to help his friends prepare food.

• A spider doesn’t know how to cook for himself, but his friends are there to help him out.

• A spider is embarrassed when all of his friends invite him to dinner at once

How does paragraph 8 provide a conclusion for the fable?

Paragraph 8: Finally, the web strings could hold no longer. They snapped, one by one. Anansi rolled into the river to soothe his painful legs. But his legs would not return to their normal shape. Anansi was too embarrassed to go to any of his friends that day.

• It reveals that Anansi’s friends never planned to let him eat their food without working.

• It shows how Anansi suffers consequences for not helping his friends prepare their food.

• It stresses how important it is for Anansi to learn how to make or catch his own food.

• It shows how Anansi is to blame for why all spiders are ugly.

Why do Anansi’s friends stretch his legs out?