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Middle School Division
English Language
Comprehension Sheet
Name: ________________
Class: Grade 6
Read the text below and then answer the questions that follow.
The Storytelling Stone
By Oban
1 A long time ago, a young man called Crow lived in one of the villages of the Seneca people. His parents
had died many years before, and he had no one to care for him or to cook and sew for him. The village
children were cruel and made fun of him because of the way he looked and because he was an orphan. Young
Crow was an excellent hunter with his bow and arrows. He traded the birds and animals he killed for corn,
other food and clothes.
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One day, Crow was tired of hunting and went to the woods where there was a large flat smooth stone
with another round stone sitting on top of it. Crow sat on the flat stone and rested his back against the round
one. He laid the birds he had killed next to him. “Shall I tell you a story?” asked a deep rumbling voice near
him. Crow got such a fright he nearly choked. He jumped up quickly; spitting the corn he was eating from
his mouth and looked around but could see no one.
3. “Who’s there?” shouted Crow. “Come out and show yourself,” yet nothing moved. “I must be hearing
things,” Crow said to himself. “Shall I tell you a story?” asked the deep voice again. Crow sprang to his feet
and shouted “Alright, that’s enough. Show yourself now!” Again, everything was silent and nothing moved,
and then Crow looked at the round stone he’d been resting against. He could see a face in it. He realized it
was the stone’s voice he’d heard.
4 “Who are you, and what are you?” asked Crow. “I am Grandfather Stone. I’ve been here since time
began,” answered the stone. “Shall I tell you a story?” asked the deep rumbling voice. “What is a story?”
asked Crow. “What does it mean to tell a story?”
5 “Stories tell us of all things that happened before this time,” answered Grandfather Stone. “Give me a gift
of your birds, and I will tell you how the world came to be.” Crow offered the Grandfather Stone all his birds
and listened eagerly as the deep voice told him about how Turtle Island was made, how Sky Woman fell to
earth, and many other entertaining stories. He stopped narrating at sunset and asked Crow to come back the
next day, and so this continued for several days. Every time Crow brought the birds he had hunted and offered
them to the Grandfather stone, and he would listen to amazing stories.
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People in the village realized that Crow wasn’t hunting birds in the same amount as before and
underestimated his hunting skill. Kids laughed at him so hard and became crueler to him.
7 One day, he went as usual to the Grandfather Stone and asked him to narrate more stories; however, the
Grandfather Stone said: “I have no more stories to tell. You have heard all that has happened before this time.
Now you must pass on the knowledge you have learned from the stories. You will be the first storyteller.”
8 Crow was so happy and thanked the stone. He went back to the village and knew it was time to move on.
The people here didn’t respect him and wouldn’t listen. He collected his few belongings and left the village
without telling anyone. No one missed him.
9 Crow traveled far and reached a faraway village; the weather was so cold, so people offered him a shelter.
He offered to entertain them by narrating his stories, and so he did. At that night, people slept and dreamt of
the stories they had heard. A beautiful woman met Crow, fell in love with him, and accepted his marriage
proposal. Crow lived a life he always wished for with people that admired him for whom he was.
Questions
1. What is the type of the text? Explain your answer.
2. What is the author’s purpose in “The Storytelling Stone”? Explain your answer.
3. Why does Crow keep on going to the forest? Support your answer with a piece of evidence from
the text.
4. What is the theme conveyed in this text? Explain your answer.
Sample Answers
1. The type of this text is a myth since it has supernatural beings with supernatural powers as in the stone
that can speak.
2. The author’s purpose in “The Storytelling Stone” is to entertain the readers by narrating the story of
Crow and the Grandfather Stone.
3. The Crow keeps going to the forest to hear more of Grandfather Stone’s amazing stories. For instance,
the writer says, “Every time Crow brought the birds he had hunted and offered them to the Grandfather
stone, and he would listen to amazing stories.”
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4. The theme conveyed in the above text is that every person has a value in life and shines with the people
that cherish his/her existence. This is reflected in how Crow was underestimated in his village until he
moved to another faraway village and found people that appreciated his stories.