A Treasury of Literary Classics -
Chinese Fables and Tales Series (1)

Instruction:

    Read the Chinese story and answer the following questions.

Borrowing Light through
Boring a Hole in the Wall

Click here to read the text.

1. In paragraph 1, “Only rich people were able to afford them, so there was no chance for kids from the grass-roots families to study.” What does “grass-roots families” mean? It means…

A. families that are poor.
B. families that are rich.
C. families that grow crops.
D. families that raise horses.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 1.

"At that time, the tuition fees were extremely expensive. Only rich people were able to afford them, so there was no chance for kids from the grass-roots families to study.”

2. Why did Kuang Heng sneak in the school? He sneaked in the school because…

A. he was afraid of disturbing others.
B. he was not able to pay the tuition fees.
C. he was late for school.
D. he hadn’t finished his homework.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 1.

“When Kuang Heng was a child, he was from a poor peasant family and could not afford to go to school, but he was very eager to read and learn.”

3. Which of the following adjectives best describes the teacher?

A. Worried
B. Honest
C. Selfish
D. Supportive

Your answer:

Read paragraph 2.

“ 'I really appreciate your learning attitude. You can borrow a book from me every day and read it when you get home. If you don't understand, just ask me.' ”

4. Why would Kuang Heng start reading at night? He started reading at night because …

A. he thought he could concentrate better at night.
B. he was too lazy to read in the daytime.
C. he was too busy to read in the daytime.
D. he got the books from the teacher at night.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 3.

“Kuang Heng was very anxious about his learning progress and thought to himself, ‘I grow crops during the day and don't have time to read books. I have to spend more time on reading at night.’ ”

5. Which of the following adjectives best describe Kuang Heng?

  1. Grateful
  2. Perseverant
  3. Arrogant
  4. Diligent

A. (i) & (iii)
B. (i), (ii) & (iv)
C. (ii), (iii) & (iv)
D. All of the above

Your answer:

How did Kuang Heng feel towards his teacher as his teacher lent him books to read?

How was Kuang Heng in the face of adversity? Did he give up easily or try to be lazy?

What did Kuang Heng do to keep up with his learning progress?

6. What was NOT TRUE about Kuang Heng?

A. Kuang Heng had to work on the farm in the daytime.
B. Kuang Heng read the books at night so as to keep up with the learning progress.
C. Kuang Heng’s parents saved enough money to buy candles for him.
D. Kuang Heng never stopped pursuing his dream of studying.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

“However, Kuang Heng’s family was so poor that they could not afford lamp oil or candles.”

7. A connective joins words or sentences together. For example, “Kuang Heng grew up and became the sole income earner in his family.” “And” is used to link the two sentences together, which are “Kuang Heng grew up.” and “Kuang Heng became the sole income earner in his family.”

Read the following descriptions. Fill in each blank with a connective from the list given. Each option can be used once only.

A. so B. although C. if D. while
Description Connective
7a. _______________ Kuang Heng was sitting on the bed reciting the book he had read during the day, he found that there was a ray of light coming through the wall.
7b. _______________ you want to be a really useful person, you must read more books and bear what you have learnt in mind.
7c. Only rich people were able to afford the tuition fees, _______________ there was no chance for kids from the grass-roots families to study.
7d. _______________ there were financial difficulties, the young boy never stopped pursuing his dream of studying.

A. We use "so" to show the result or purpose of the action taken.
B. We use "although" to connect contrasting ideas.
C. We use "if" to talk about a particular thing that can or will happen only after something else becomes true.
D. We use "while" to talk about two things happening at the same time.

8. What did Kuang Heng do when he saw a ray of light coming through the wall?

A. He took a closer look at the crack and mended it.
B. He was overjoyed and told his neighbour.
C. He sat closer to the crack and continued reading.
D. He dug the crack so as to enlarge it and read in this brighter light.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

“The neighbour's light came through the crack of the wall! Kuang Heng was overjoyed and thought of a way – he took a knife and dug the crack in the wall a bit bigger.”

9. How did Kuang Heng become an imperial officer?

A. He was able to discover different ways to grow crops.
B. He taught the officials effective ways to fight against the pests.
C. He studied extremely hard and successfully passed the imperial exams.
D. His perseverance and diligence touched the emperor.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 5.

“Thanks to the light coming through the wall, Kuang Heng could read a huge number of books to prepare for the imperial exams. Year by year, he passed each level, impressed the officials, and achieved his dream of becoming an imperial officer.”

Borrowing Light through Boring a Hole in the Wall

Score Sheet

Questions Results
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7a
Question 7b
Question 7c
Question 7d
Question 8
Question 9
Total

10. What is the moral lesson of the story? Based on the story, which Chinese saying can you think of?

11. Kuang Heng was very diligent and determined in his study and demonstrated perseverance in the face of adversity. We have abundant resources nowadays, but do you treasure them, make good use of them and work very hard to pursue your dream? Think and share your ideas or experiences with your parents or classmates.

Extension Activity

Watch the video clip "24 Hours of Sun", which is about the development of new technology in China to harness the sun's power 24 hours a day. In China, solar energy is being implemented at a rapid pace. With the use of molten salt technology, solar power can be generated continuously day and night.

Acknowledgements: The China Current

https://chinacurrent.com/story/20749/24-hours-of-sun

The new green technology also helps cut down tons of carbon emissions every year and achieve carbon neutrality in the future. Are there other examples about technology which helps improve the quality of life? Think and share your ideas or experiences with your parents or classmates.