Back to the story

A. How much did you understand?

The old hunter has a belief about shooting elephants.

Read sentences 1, 2 and 3. Now put them in the right order.

1. So the hunters took their rifles, and they killed the elephant on the road.
2. “After an elephant drinks water, the bullets cannot enter him."
3. An old hunter talked to the younger ones.

Then the hunters prepared the meat and talked about the hunt.

Now put sentences 4, 5 and 6 in the right order.

4. The men feasted on the elephant meat. It tasted good.
5. They cut up the meat and took it to their hut.
6. "The elephant was big, but he was foolish.”

Then one of the men heard something strange. 

Now put sentences 7, 8 and 9 in the right order.

7. Then the elephant's skull spoke. "Are you laughing at me?" it said.
8. The strange noise came again. Now all the men could hear it.
9. "Did you hear that noise, my brothers?" he said.

B. But...

Complete sentences 1, 2 and 3 by choosing the best of the three endings: a, b or c.

1. "The elephant was big, ......
2. "You took my eyes, and I am blind, ……     
3. "It is dead, ......

1. but one day, I will eat you."
2. but it speaks to us."
3. but he was foolish."

C. Missing words

The hunters prepared the elephant meat for cooking. Fill in the missing words.

1. Then they …… the meat and hung it on ropes to dry.
2. They …… all the meat from the elephant's head.
3. The hunters …… the dry skull on the wall of their hut.

D. The elephant’s song

The elephant heard the hunters laughing at him. He sang a song for them.

Here are three sentences. One of them is not in the song. Which one?

 "You killed me.“

 "You took my eyes.”

 “I will eat you tomorrow.”

E. What do you think?

The elephant did not run away. Was the elephant foolish to do this?

Were the men too clever for the elephant?

Why were the men laughing at the elephant?

Why did the hunters carry the elephant's skull outside the house? 

What is the elephant skull telling the hunters in the song?

Check the answers