The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Comprehension
A. Choose the correct options.
1. The rats in Hamelin attacked the __________
a. storehouses. [✓]
b. factories. [ ]
c. dams. [ ]
2. There were _________ rats in Hamelin.
a. white. [✓]
b. purple. [ ]
c. black. [ ]
3. The Pied Piper was tall and wore a red _______
a. tie. [ ]
b. hat. [✓]
c. garland. [ ]
4. The rats jumped into _________
a. a bucket. [ ]
b. a pond. [ ]
c. a river. [✓]
5. The Mayor of Hamelin broke ________
a. a promise. [✓]
b. a pencil. [ ]
c. a plate. [ ]
B. Answer the questions.
1. Whom did the people of Hamelin go to complain about the rats?
= The people of Hamelin went to the Mayor to complain about the rats.
2. Who offered to help to get rid of the rats?
= The Pied Piper offered to help to get rid of the rats.
3. Which musical instrument did the Pied Piper play?
= The Pied Piper played his gold pipe.
4. What happened to the rats?
= The rats followed the Pied Piper and jumped into the river. They could not swim, so they all drowned.
5. Who followed the Pied Piper when he played the music the second time?
= All the children of Hamelin followed the Pied Piper when he played the music the second time.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. "They like his music!"
a. Who are they?
= They are the mice of Hamelin.
b. Whose music did they like?
= They liked the music of the Pied Piper.
c. What did they do when they heard the music?
= When they heard the music, they all followed the Pied Piper and went to the river and jumped into it to get drowned as they did not know how to swim.
2. "You must pay five hundred gold coins."
a. Who said this and to whom?
= The Pied Piper said this to the Mayor and the officers of Hamelin.
b. Did they agree to pay him?
= Yes, they agreed to pay him five hundred gold coins.
c. Why did he ask for five hundred gold coins?
= He asked for five hundred gold coins because he will get rid of their rats from their town.
3. "I'm sorry. I broke my promise. Now we have no children in Hamelin."
a. Who said this?
= The Mayor said this.
b. Which promise was broken?
= The promise to give him five hundred gold coins was broken.
c. What happened as a result?
= As a result of it, the Pied Piper got angry and he played a different tune. All the children of Hamelin followed him to the mountain. Then the Pied Piper hid them in a cave.
D. Think and answer.
1. Why did the Mayor break his promise?
= The Mayor broke his promise as according to him the work of the Pied Piper was easy. He only played a tune with his golden pipe and the rats followed him.
2. Do you think the Pied Piper did the right thing by taking away the children?
= Yes, I think the Pied Piper did the right thing by taking away the children. He had done a great job by removing the rats from the town of Hamelin. But the Mayor had broken his promise and did not give him five hundred gold coin. So, the Pied Piper taught him a good lesson by taking all the children of Hamelin to the mountain by playing a different tune.
3. Have you made a promise which you could not keep? How did you feel about it? Did you say sorry and try to explain the reason?
= Yes, once I promised my elder brother to give him a chocolate if he helps me to solve my maths. He helped me and I got my maths solved. But that time I had no pocket money left, so I could not keep my promise. I was feeling very ashamed and embarrassed. Though my elder brother did not mind, I said sorry to him.