English Reading Comprehension

What did Tom tell his mother?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What did Sarah do?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What is the meaning of trolley?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What is the meaning of supermarket?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What is the meaning of amazed in context to the passage?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What is the meaning of the phrase a lot of?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What did Tom's mother purchase?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What did Sarah not like?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

Tom had a friend who was a

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

What did Tom think of Sarah?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following questions:

Tom was an ordinary seven-year-old boy, who had a big sister called Sarah. He also had a friend, a perfectly ordinary dragon
On Saturday morning, Tom and Sarah went with their parents to do the weekly shopping. As they went round the supermarket, Tom kept his eyes open for food that might interest a dragon. It was very difficult.
Take vegetables, for a start. Tom couldn’t convince himself that a dragon with taste for girls was going to look with much enthusiasm at cabbage or cauliflower. The same went for carrots – however good for the scales. Chips might be better, but how could Tom organize cooking them?
Tom’s mother paused in front of the meat counter.
“What shall we get for Sunday lunch?” she asked Tom. Secretly she was amazed at the interest he was taking in choosing food. He was being especially good if you compared him with Sarah, who hated food shopping and had already had to be bribed with stick of bubblegum to silence her complaints. “Shall we have chicken? Or a shoulder of lamb? Or what about a joint of pork?”
This required serious thought. The sort of meat that a dragon would like would have to taste rather Sarah. It was a pity that he couldn’t see what she looked like inside. Would she be pale colour like chicken, or a dark brown, like roast lamb? He looked at her with narrowed eyes. At the moment Sarah blew an enormous pink bubble, and then popped it with her tongue, making a noise like a balloon bursting.
If Sarah were an animal, thought Tom, what would she be? Not a chicken, certainly not a lamb …Suddenly the answer came to him.
“Can we have pork for dinner tomorrow?” he asked his mother.
She bought the pork, and a lot of other things, until the trolley was almost too heavy to push. Tom went on being good for the rest of the trip. He was concentrating on how best to hide some of his Sunday lunch, and thinking how pleased the dragon would be when he tasted the Sarah - substitute

Where did the Mandarin hide himself?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“Piffle and poffle!” cried Mandarin. “You are not a dragon! Everyone can see that you are only a dusty old wanderer. We have no time to give you free meals or to talk politely. Get out of the way.”
And he ran home to the palace and crawled under the bed where he lay shivering.
“ My gallant army,” command the Captain, “follow me!”
He turned and ran to the barracks and all his soldiers followed him. They all hid under their beds and lay there shaking.
The Merchant, The Wise Man, and the Chief of the Workmen fled to their own houses and all the people hurried after them. In a few minutes, the streets were empty except for Han and the little fat old man.
“Well,” said Han, “I don’t think we have much time. The enemy will be here soon. I don’t know whether you are a dragon or not, but if you are hungry and thirsty, please do me the honour of coming into my humble house.”
With a low bow, he showed the old man the way into his tiny hut.There, he gave him the bowl of rice and the cup of wine, which were all he had.
The old man ate and drank. Then he stood up.
“I don’t think much of the people of Wu,” he said, “but for your sake I will save the city.”
He went out to the gate. The Wild Horsemen were very close. There wore fur caps and the skins of tigers. They shot arrows at the city as they rode hard on their shaggy horses.
The little fat man puffed out his checks.He blew a long breath. The sky grew dark and lightning sizzled from the clouds to the earth. A great wind arose. It caught the Wild Horsemen and blew them far and wide. Those who escaped turned and galloped madly away through the storm.
The sky cleared. The sun shone again. The plain was empty.
The little fat man said, “Now I will show you what a dragon looks like.”
He sprang up into the air and his form changed. He grew taller than the tallest tree, taller than the tallest tower. He was the colour of sunset shining through rain. Scales covered him, scattering light. His claws and teeth glittered like diamonds. His eyes were noble like those of a proud horse. He was more beautiful and more frightening than anything Han had ever seen.
He flew high, roaring, and vanished into the deep sky. Han gave a long sigh and went to tell the Mandarin what had happened.
The people of the city crowded around to hear the tale. They could see for themselves that the enemy had vanished. They cheered Han, pinned medals on him, gave him many gold pieces, and from that day on called him “The Honourable Defender of the city.”

What is the meaning of crawled in context to the passage?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“Piffle and poffle!” cried Mandarin. “You are not a dragon! Everyone can see that you are only a dusty old wanderer. We have no time to give you free meals or to talk politely. Get out of the way.”
And he ran home to the palace and crawled under the bed where he lay shivering.
“ My gallant army,” command the Captain, “follow me!”
He turned and ran to the barracks and all his soldiers followed him. They all hid under their beds and lay there shaking.
The Merchant, The Wise Man, and the Chief of the Workmen fled to their own houses and all the people hurried after them. In a few minutes, the streets were empty except for Han and the little fat old man.
“Well,” said Han, “I don’t think we have much time. The enemy will be here soon. I don’t know whether you are a dragon or not, but if you are hungry and thirsty, please do me the honour of coming into my humble house.”
With a low bow, he showed the old man the way into his tiny hut.There, he gave him the bowl of rice and the cup of wine, which were all he had.
The old man ate and drank. Then he stood up.
“I don’t think much of the people of Wu,” he said, “but for your sake I will save the city.”
He went out to the gate. The Wild Horsemen were very close. There wore fur caps and the skins of tigers. They shot arrows at the city as they rode hard on their shaggy horses.
The little fat man puffed out his checks.He blew a long breath. The sky grew dark and lightning sizzled from the clouds to the earth. A great wind arose. It caught the Wild Horsemen and blew them far and wide. Those who escaped turned and galloped madly away through the storm.
The sky cleared. The sun shone again. The plain was empty.
The little fat man said, “Now I will show you what a dragon looks like.”
He sprang up into the air and his form changed. He grew taller than the tallest tree, taller than the tallest tower. He was the colour of sunset shining through rain. Scales covered him, scattering light. His claws and teeth glittered like diamonds. His eyes were noble like those of a proud horse. He was more beautiful and more frightening than anything Han had ever seen.
He flew high, roaring, and vanished into the deep sky. Han gave a long sigh and went to tell the Mandarin what had happened.
The people of the city crowded around to hear the tale. They could see for themselves that the enemy had vanished. They cheered Han, pinned medals on him, gave him many gold pieces, and from that day on called him “The Honourable Defender of the city.”

What did Mandarin say to the old little man?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“Piffle and poffle!” cried Mandarin. “You are not a dragon! Everyone can see that you are only a dusty old wanderer. We have no time to give you free meals or to talk politely. Get out of the way.”
And he ran home to the palace and crawled under the bed where he lay shivering.
“ My gallant army,” command the Captain, “follow me!”
He turned and ran to the barracks and all his soldiers followed him. They all hid under their beds and lay there shaking.
The Merchant, The Wise Man, and the Chief of the Workmen fled to their own houses and all the people hurried after them. In a few minutes, the streets were empty except for Han and the little fat old man.
“Well,” said Han, “I don’t think we have much time. The enemy will be here soon. I don’t know whether you are a dragon or not, but if you are hungry and thirsty, please do me the honour of coming into my humble house.”
With a low bow, he showed the old man the way into his tiny hut.There, he gave him the bowl of rice and the cup of wine, which were all he had.
The old man ate and drank. Then he stood up.
“I don’t think much of the people of Wu,” he said, “but for your sake I will save the city.”
He went out to the gate. The Wild Horsemen were very close. There wore fur caps and the skins of tigers. They shot arrows at the city as they rode hard on their shaggy horses.
The little fat man puffed out his checks.He blew a long breath. The sky grew dark and lightning sizzled from the clouds to the earth. A great wind arose. It caught the Wild Horsemen and blew them far and wide. Those who escaped turned and galloped madly away through the storm.
The sky cleared. The sun shone again. The plain was empty.
The little fat man said, “Now I will show you what a dragon looks like.”
He sprang up into the air and his form changed. He grew taller than the tallest tree, taller than the tallest tower. He was the colour of sunset shining through rain. Scales covered him, scattering light. His claws and teeth glittered like diamonds. His eyes were noble like those of a proud horse. He was more beautiful and more frightening than anything Han had ever seen.
He flew high, roaring, and vanished into the deep sky. Han gave a long sigh and went to tell the Mandarin what had happened.
The people of the city crowded around to hear the tale. They could see for themselves that the enemy had vanished. They cheered Han, pinned medals on him, gave him many gold pieces, and from that day on called him “The Honourable Defender of the city.”

What did the little fat man do?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“Piffle and poffle!” cried Mandarin. “You are not a dragon! Everyone can see that you are only a dusty old wanderer. We have no time to give you free meals or to talk politely. Get out of the way.”
And he ran home to the palace and crawled under the bed where he lay shivering.
“ My gallant army,” command the Captain, “follow me!”
He turned and ran to the barracks and all his soldiers followed him. They all hid under their beds and lay there shaking.
The Merchant, The Wise Man, and the Chief of the Workmen fled to their own houses and all the people hurried after them. In a few minutes, the streets were empty except for Han and the little fat old man.
“Well,” said Han, “I don’t think we have much time. The enemy will be here soon. I don’t know whether you are a dragon or not, but if you are hungry and thirsty, please do me the honour of coming into my humble house.”
With a low bow, he showed the old man the way into his tiny hut.There, he gave him the bowl of rice and the cup of wine, which were all he had.
The old man ate and drank. Then he stood up.
“I don’t think much of the people of Wu,” he said, “but for your sake I will save the city.”
He went out to the gate. The Wild Horsemen were very close. There wore fur caps and the skins of tigers. They shot arrows at the city as they rode hard on their shaggy horses.
The little fat man puffed out his checks.He blew a long breath. The sky grew dark and lightning sizzled from the clouds to the earth. A great wind arose. It caught the Wild Horsemen and blew them far and wide. Those who escaped turned and galloped madly away through the storm.
The sky cleared. The sun shone again. The plain was empty.
The little fat man said, “Now I will show you what a dragon looks like.”
He sprang up into the air and his form changed. He grew taller than the tallest tree, taller than the tallest tower. He was the colour of sunset shining through rain. Scales covered him, scattering light. His claws and teeth glittered like diamonds. His eyes were noble like those of a proud horse. He was more beautiful and more frightening than anything Han had ever seen.
He flew high, roaring, and vanished into the deep sky. Han gave a long sigh and went to tell the Mandarin what had happened.
The people of the city crowded around to hear the tale. They could see for themselves that the enemy had vanished. They cheered Han, pinned medals on him, gave him many gold pieces, and from that day on called him “The Honourable Defender of the city.”

What is the meaning of poffle?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“Piffle and poffle!” cried Mandarin. “You are not a dragon! Everyone can see that you are only a dusty old wanderer. We have no time to give you free meals or to talk politely. Get out of the way.”
And he ran home to the palace and crawled under the bed where he lay shivering.
“ My gallant army,” command the Captain, “follow me!”
He turned and ran to the barracks and all his soldiers followed him. They all hid under their beds and lay there shaking.
The Merchant, The Wise Man, and the Chief of the Workmen fled to their own houses and all the people hurried after them. In a few minutes, the streets were empty except for Han and the little fat old man.
“Well,” said Han, “I don’t think we have much time. The enemy will be here soon. I don’t know whether you are a dragon or not, but if you are hungry and thirsty, please do me the honour of coming into my humble house.”
With a low bow, he showed the old man the way into his tiny hut.There, he gave him the bowl of rice and the cup of wine, which were all he had.
The old man ate and drank. Then he stood up.
“I don’t think much of the people of Wu,” he said, “but for your sake I will save the city.”
He went out to the gate. The Wild Horsemen were very close. There wore fur caps and the skins of tigers. They shot arrows at the city as they rode hard on their shaggy horses.
The little fat man puffed out his checks.He blew a long breath. The sky grew dark and lightning sizzled from the clouds to the earth. A great wind arose. It caught the Wild Horsemen and blew them far and wide. Those who escaped turned and galloped madly away through the storm.
The sky cleared. The sun shone again. The plain was empty.
The little fat man said, “Now I will show you what a dragon looks like.”
He sprang up into the air and his form changed. He grew taller than the tallest tree, taller than the tallest tower. He was the colour of sunset shining through rain. Scales covered him, scattering light. His claws and teeth glittered like diamonds. His eyes were noble like those of a proud horse. He was more beautiful and more frightening than anything Han had ever seen.
He flew high, roaring, and vanished into the deep sky. Han gave a long sigh and went to tell the Mandarin what had happened.
The people of the city crowded around to hear the tale. They could see for themselves that the enemy had vanished. They cheered Han, pinned medals on him, gave him many gold pieces, and from that day on called him “The Honourable Defender of the city.”