A fable is a short story with a moral, or a lesson about how we should live our lives. A man called Aesop, who lived in ancient Greece, is believed to have written many of the fables we still know today. The tale of the fox and the crow is one of them.

Read the story and then answer the questions. Remember that you can look back at the story as often as you like by clicking the Help button.

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THE FOX AND THE CROW

A crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a fox saw her. The fox thought, "I wonder if I can get hold of that cheese."

So the fox set his wits to work, to think of some way of getting the cheese. He decided to flatter the crow so he stood under the tree and looked up at her.

"What a noble bird I see above me!" he said. "Nothing equals her beauty. If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought to be Queen of the Birds."

The crow heard what the fox said and was very proud. She wanted to show the fox that she could sing, so she opened her beak and gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese and the greedy fox gobbled it up. Then he said, "You have a voice, madam, but what you want is wits."