These exercises were sent in by Jocelyn Allen, an Australian teaching English in Germany. They have been specially designed for non native English speakers. Thanks Jocelyn!
Knowledge (15 words)
1. List ten words in the story that are connected with fear.
2. List five verbs that describe the movement of the child along the path.
Comprehension (200 words)
3. What effect did the carpet first have on the child?
4. What was he afraid of as he walked across the carpet?
5. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?
6. What did the child see as he looked down on the carpet?
7. What was his mother doing?
8. Summarise the short story “The Wish”. (150 words)
9. We are shown the events of the story through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents the more interesting or effective view for the reader? Why? (150 words)
10. Imagine that the mother is watching the boy. What is her reaction? What does she see? What does she feel? (150 words)
11. Rewrite the ending of the story, which has the boy successfully completing the journey. (100 words)
12. Why is the story called “The Wish”? (100 words)
13. Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Argue your case. (100 words)
14. What frightens you? What do you do about frightening things, face them or avoid them? (100 words)