The main idea of “Dirt, Gold, and a Whole Lot of Coconuts” is
(READ THE PASSAGE PLEASE AND THANK YOU!)
A
to tell how a young man takes an interest in alchemy and worries his wife.
B
to tell how an old man helps his niece and her husband become prosperous.
C
to tell how a young man teaches his wife the value of money and good, hard work.
D
to tell about an old man whose magical powers enable him to change people's lives.
A long time ago, an old man lived with his beautiful niece, Mya, in a Burmese village. Mya fell madly in love with a young villager named Tevy, and they instantly decided to get married. The old man gave his blessing, for he could tell this Tevy was a good guy.
2Things went pretty smoothly, except for one thing: Tevy was obsessed with alchemy, the study of turning base elements into gold. He spent all his time and, eventually, all the newlyweds' money trying to turn garden dirt into gold bricks. Mya grew increasingly worried as the bills piled up and the pantry held less and less food. Every time she brought it up to Tevy, though, he protested, saying, “I've almost figured it out! Give me just a little more time, Mya!” Finally, she went to her uncle for help.
3“Uncle,” she said. “I'm worried. Tevy's convinced he's going to be the world's greatest alchemist, but it's not working. We've got serious problems.”
4The uncle called for Tevy. The young man came to him with a worried look on his face, but Mya's uncle was kind. “I, too, was fascinated by alchemy when I was your age,” he said. “You're surely on the verge of discovering something incredible. I could tell you the final ingredient you need, but it will take a lot of hard work and time to get it.”
5“Please! I'll do whatever it takes! Tell me what the remaining ingredient is!” Tevy had an excited look in his eye.
6“The palm leaves of the coconut trees hold the key—you need to collect 100 barrels of enchanted juice from their leaves. Then you will have gold.”
7Tevy scowled. “That will take forever,” he cried. “But, fine, I'll start planting.”
8That very afternoon, Tevy and Mya bought a little plot of land with the money that remained. He planted the coconut trees and tended to them carefully every single day. He kept the bugs away, he protected them from the elements, and even sang songs twice a day while he watered them. Very little juice could be squeezed from the palm leaves of the coconut tree, so Tevy had to buy more land, plant more trees, and keep working until one day, many years later, he had 100 barrels of enchanted juice. He ran to fetch his uncle immediately. “Uncle! I have it! One hundred barrels of enchanted juice! Please, show me the final step—I wish to turn dirt into gold now!”
9The old man, who was even older and wiser now, just smiled and called for Mya to come into the room, as well. When she entered, the old man said to her, “Mya, while your husband was collecting the juice from the palm leaves, what did you do with the coconuts?”
10“I sold them at the market, of course,” Mya said. “How else would we make a living? I saved most of it, since we don't need much to get by.” Mya reached into a pot and held out a few of the many gold coins she had collected over the years.
11“See,” said the old man. “You have changed dirt into gold, now haven't you?”
12Tevy was quiet a long time, and then he smiled, for he could see the wisdom in the old man's plan. From that day forward, Tevy and Mya prospered greatly, respecting and honoring the old man as the wisest of all the alchemists