Health Is Wealth
Comprehension
A. Choose the correct options.
1. People were unhappy with the king because he was
a. an angry man. [ ]
b. a lazy man. [✓]
c. an unkind man. [ ]
2. Expert doctors were invited and offered generous
a. smiles. [ ]
b. rewards. [✓]
c. praise. [ ]
3. The holy man lived in
a. a palace. [ ]
b. a jungle. [ ]
c. a hut. [✓]
4. The holy man told the king that he would soon regain his
a. wealth. [ ]
b. health. [✓]
c. trophy. [ ]
5. The king lost a considerable amount of
a. weight. [✓]
b. energy. [ ]
c. wealth. [ ]
B. Answer the questions.
1. Name the two things the king enjoyed doing most.
= The two things the king enjoyed doing most are - eating and sleeping.
2. What did the king want to gain back?
= The king wanted to gain back his health and fitness.
3. Who promised to cure him?
= A holy man who was visiting the country, promised to cure him.
4. How did the king reach the holy man's hut?
= The king got up from his bed, walked down the stairs, climbed into his chariot and reached the holy man's hut.
5. Did the holy man give the king any treatment?
= No, the holy man did not give the king any treatment. He only tried everyway to make the king walk a lot.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. "Soon he became a couch potato and the people started to worry about him."
a. Who is he?
= He is the king who was very kind-hearted.
b. What is the meaning of couch potato?
= Couch potato means a lazy and inactive person.
c. Why did the people start worrying about him?
= The king was very lazy and would not do anything other than eating and sleeping. He spent days and weeks and months in his bed either eating something or sleeping. He became a couch potato. Then the people started worrying about him.
2. "He requested the king to meet the holy man and get help from him."
a. Who requested the king to meet the holy man?
= The minister requested the king to meet the holy man.
b. Why did he request the king to meet the holy man?
= He requested the king to meet the holy man as the man had promised the minister that he would cure the king.
c. What was the problem?
= The problem was that the king had become a couch potato. He spent days and weeks and months in his bed either eating something or sleeping.
3. "He asked the king to come for treatment the next day."
a. Who is he?
= He is the holy man.
b. Where did the king meet him?
= The king met him in his hut.
c. What treatment did the king get the next day?
= On the next day, the king was unable to walk even a few steps on the road, but helped by his followers and with a lot of struggle, he reached the holy man's hut. Unfortunately, the holy man was not there and his devotee requested the king to come and meet him the next day for treatment.
D. Think and answer.
1. Who was smarter, the expert doctors or the holy man? Give reasons.
= The holy man was smarter. The doctors could not understand the simple fact that the king was unfit because of his own laziness. But the holy man understood this easily. He did not agree to treat the king in his palace. Rather, he asked the king to come to his hut only by walking. The king went to his hut. The holy man knew that the king needed more walking and exercise. So, he was intentionally absent. He made the king to come to his hut again and again by walking. Then the king realised that he felt a lot lighter, lost a considerable amount of weight and had become more active than before.
2. Are you a couch potato? What steps would you take to not become one?
= No, I am not a couch potato.
I would take the following steps to not to become a couch potato-
i) I would go for morning walk and do jogging in the nearby park.
ii) I would avoid junk and oily food.
iii) I would do my daily works as much as I can.
iv) I would try to help the elders in their work.