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Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea.”

And the Rat of the Moon stopped biting the line; and the Fisherman let his line down till it touched the Sea, and he pulled the whole deep Sea along, past the Island of Bintang, past Singapore, past Malacca, past Selangor, till the canoe whirled into the mouth of the Perak River again. ‘Kun?’ said the Fisherman of the Moon.

‘Payah kun,’ said the Eldest Magician. ‘See now that you pull the Sea twice a day and twice a night for ever, so that the Malazy fishermen may be saved paddling. But be careful not to do it too hard, or I shall make a magic on you as I did to Pau Amma.’

Then they all went up the Perak River and went to bed, Best Beloved.

Based on the details in the excerpt, what is its primary purpose?

to explain to children that the moon causes the tides
to warn fishers to avoid pulling too hard on their lines
to entertain children with a joke about a rat and a fisherman
to inform fishers about when it is easiest to sail on the Perak River

1 Answer

2 votes

The primary purpose of the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea" is to explain to children that the moon causes the tides. The excerpt describes how the Rat of the Moon stopped biting the line, and the Fisherman pulled the deep sea along with the moon's influence. This imagery is used to convey the concept of tides being caused by the moon's gravitational pull on the sea. The story is presented in a playful and entertaining manner, making it suitable for children's reading while conveying a scientific concept.

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