A Treasury of Literary Classics -
Fairy Tales Series

Instruction:

    Read the story and answer the following questions.

The Ugly Duckling

by Hans Christian Andersen

Click here to read the text.

1. What happened to the largest egg?

A. It was the last egg to hatch.
B. It was cooked by a farmer.
C. It was the first egg to hatch.
D. It was eaten by a fox.

Your answer:

Read paragraphs 1 and 2.

“However, there was a large egg still in the nest.”

“Two days later, the big egg started to crack and out came a baby boy.”

2. What was special about the last duckling’s beak?

A. The last duckling had a little beak.
B. The last duckling had a long beak.
C. The last duckling had a pointed beak.
D. The last duckling had a round beak.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 2.

“He was brownish grey, large and odd-looking, with a long beak, scruffy feathers and an ugly face!”

3. What did the ducks in the pond do to the ugly duckling?

A. The ducks played with the ugly duckling.
B. The ducks swam with the ugly duckling.
C. The ducks laughed at the ugly duckling.
D. The ducks talked to the ugly duckling.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

“There were other ducks nearby and they stared at the ugly duckling and jested, ‘What is this? Have you ever seen such an ugly duck? I wonder what he is!’ They burst into laughter. A duck swam by and pecked at the ugly duckling.”

4. How did the mother duck feel when the ugly duckling was not welcomed by other ducks?

A. The mother duck felt worried.
B. The mother duck felt glad.
C. The mother duck felt excited.
D. The mother duck felt awkward.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 4.

“His mother made him stay away from the others. The ugly duckling knew his mother was embarrassed.”

5. Which of the following sentences are TRUE about the ugly duckling?

  1. The ugly duckling’s mother did not love him.
  2. The ugly duckling was large when he was hatched.
  3. The ugly duckling looked different from other ducklings.
  4. The ugly duckling did not have feathers.

A. (i) & (iii)
B. (ii) & (iii)
C. (i), (ii) & (iii)
D. (ii), (iii) & (iv)

Your answer:

Read paragraph 2.

“Two days later, the big egg started to crack and out came a baby boy. He was brownish grey, large and odd-looking, with a long beak, scruffy feathers and an ugly face! … Though the duckling looked different, the mother duck would love him the same.”

6. Why did the ugly duckling not stay with the geese?

A. He was ugly and the father goose and mother goose did not like him.
B. He was ugly and the little geese did not play with him.
C. A hunter shot at the geese and all the geese flew away.
D. The farmer shot at the geese and all the geese died.

Your answer:

Read paragraph 7.

“The hunter fired a shot, which did not hit any of the geese but they flew off in fear. The ugly duckling was both sad and frightened.”

7. Verbs such as “say” or “ask” are used to report what someone said. In the story, the writer also uses verbs in the simple past tense such as “shouted" or “exclaimed” to show more about speakers’ feelings and also thoughts.

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

A. shouted B. exclaimed C. thought D. jested
Description Verb
7a. “He doesn’t look like us and is ugly!” __________ a duckling. (Paragraph 2)
7b. Though he wanted to play with his brothers and sisters, the ducklings __________, “Go away! Don’t stay with us!” (Paragraph 3)
7c. There were other ducks nearby and they stared at the ugly duckling and __________, “What is this? Have you ever seen such an ugly duck? I wonder what he is!” (Paragraph 4)
7d. The ugly duckling __________ to himself, “Nobody wants me,” and was in tears. (Paragraph 8)

Read the sentences carefully to understand their meanings.

8. The ugly duckling met some animals and people after he left his mother. Which of the following shows the correct order?

A. Geese → a hunter → some swans → a farmer and his wife
B. A hunter → a farmer and his wife → geese → some swans
C. A farmer and his wife → geese → a hunter → some swans
D. Geese → a hunter → a farmer and his wife → some swans

Your answer:

What/Who did the ugly duckling see after he left his mother? (Paragraph 4)
Why did the ugly duckling leave them? (Paragraph 7)
What/Who did the ugly duckling see afterwards? (Paragraph 8)
What/Who did the ugly duckling see when spring came? (Paragraph 9)

9. How did the ugly duckling look like when he grew up?

A. The ugly duckling became a white swan with a long neck.
B. The ugly duckling became a grey duck with a long neck.
C. The ugly duckling became a brown goose with a short neck.
D. The ugly duckling became a yellow swan with a short neck.

Your answer:

Read paragraphs 9 and 10.

“At that moment, a swan glided gracefully through the water towards the ugly duckling. ‘My, my! How handsome you are! I’ve never seen such white feathers! How they dazzle under the sun!’ ”

“The ugly duckling was confused. He went to the water and looked at his reflection, which was a very beautiful white swan, with a long and elegant neck!”

The Ugly Duckling

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

Extension: Time to think!

10. What is the moral lesson of the story?

11. When the ugly duckling was still young, other ducks were not nice to him. What would you say to these ducks? Think and share with your parents or classmates.