Exercises for The Mother-in-law
A. How much did you understand?
There are four parts to this story. Put these sentences from Part One into the right order.
Part One
- "You must choose. You can live with me, or you can live with her."
- "Wife! I'm hungry. Where's my dinner?"
- "It's your mother. She hates me. She quarrels with me all the time."
- "What's the matter with you? Why don't you answer me?"
Part Two
Put these sentences from Part Two into the right order.
- “I want both of you!”
- “What are you saying? How can I kill my own mother?”
- “Well, husband? Have you chosen? Do you want your mother, or do you want me?”
Part Three
Put these sentences from Part Three into the right order.
- "I have cooked all your favourite dishes. When your mother is dead, I will make them for you every day.”
- All day, he thought about his wife and his mother.
- "I have chosen you. Tomorrow I will take my mother up the mountain and throw her over the cliff."
Part Four
Put these sentences from Part Four into the right order.
- "How good my mother is!"
- "Ah, my dear. Only a mother knows love."
- Soon the man and his mother were standing at the top of a cliff.
- "But please be careful. Throw me over the cliff, but don't fall over yourself."
B. What were they feeling?
What were the characters in the story feeling? Find the right words to finish these sentences.
- One day the man came home late from the fields. He was feeling ……
- The man was hungry, but his wife didn't bring him any dinner. He was feeling…….
- When the man began to carry his mother up the mountain, she was feeling ……
- "Mother, you know what I want to do," said the man. He was feeling ……
C. What do you think?
Which person did you like best in the story?
Is it easy for a daughter-in-law and mother-in-law to live together?
Did the man make the right decision?
The man's mother said, "Only a mother knows love." Do you agree?
D. Acting
Now put the four scenes of the story together and act them like a play.
Try to act like the characters in the story.
