Question

Name:

Date:
Author's Purpose: The Ant and the Grasshopper
Directions: Read the story and answer the questions below.
Once there was an ant and a grasshopper who lived in a field. Every day,
Ant got up early and walked far to gather seeds. She balanced one seed
on her head at a time, walked it back to her home, and then went again
to the field to gather more. She was very small, so the walk was very
long. She worked the whole day, without ever stopping to rest. As Ant
worked, Grasshopper spent his days playing music, lazing in the sun.
"Why do you work so hard, Ant?" he laughed. "Summer is here! Why
waste the sunshine gathering seeds?" Ant replied, "I'm storing food for
the winter when there won't be anything to eat!" Grasshopper laughed
and said, "Why are you worrying about winter now? There is plenty of
food!" He continued to play, while Ant got back to work.
When winter came, Grasshopper could not find any food to eat. He was
starving and felt very weak. When he noticed how hardworking Ant had
plenty of food to eat, he realized how foolish he had been.
Aesop, "The Ant and the Grasshopper"
2
1. Is this passage fiction or nonfiction? How do you know?
2. What do you think the author's purpose was? Why?

Answer 1

This is fiction. You know this because ants and grasshoppers are unable to talk like humans, so it is not based on facts, but it is based on fake characters for storytelling. The author's purpose of this passage is to show the importance of working hard and preparing for the future. As the grasshopper relaxed in the summer, he laughed as the ant worked hard and prepared itself for winter. However, later we see that the ant has the last laugh, as he is fully prepared for winter while the grasshopper is starving, where he realizes he should have been doing the same thing instead of making fun of the ant for working hard.