Aesop's Fables Collection Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Aesop was a story teller in Ancient Greece. His stories were originally passed along in the oral tradition and weren't written down until many years after his death. This led to some concern that the stories that were attributed to him were not actually his stories. However, researchers have determined that he did author over one hundred fables that are attributed to him in the modern day.

Up until the 1500s, Aesop's fables were used to teach ethics and morals to adults. After the 16th century, the stories were provided to children. Like adults, children learned ethics and morals, but the stories were also used when teaching youngsters how to read. Of the stories listed here in this quiz, the correct options were told by Aesop, and the incorrect options were all told by the Brothers Grimm, German storytellers who published fairytales in the early 1800s.

"The Tortoise and the Hare" is one of Aesop's most well-known fables. It tells the story of a hare who makes fun of a tortoise because it moves so slowly. The tortoise challenges the hare to a race, and the cocky hare accepts the challenge. After the race is underway and the hare is well-ahead of the tortoise, the hare stops and has a nap. When he awakes, he finds that the tortoise has passed him and has actually won the race. There are a few lessons that could be taken from this story. The first is that one can be rewarded for standing up to bullies. Another possible moral of this story is that even if you are slow, if you try hard and don't back down to challenges, it is possible to be rewarded.

"The Crow and the Pitcher" tells the story of a crow who is very thirsty. He comes upon a pitcher that has a bit of water in it. However, the pitcher is shaped with a very narrow neck and the crow is not able to get his beak down to the water to drink. He thinks about his problem, and goes in search of some small pebbles. He gathers the small stones one by one and drops them in the pitcher. With each pebble, the water level rises a bit until it finally gets high enough in the pitcher that the crow is able to have a drink and quench his thirst. The moral of this story is that if you are stuck with a problem, using your wits will often help to solve the issue.

In "The Lion and the Mouse", the story begins with a lion sleeping in a forest. A mouse unexpectedly comes across the great predator and tries to run away, but he runs across the lion's paw by mistake. This wakes the lion who catches the mouse under his paw. The mouse begs to be let go, and tells the lion that if he is freed, that someday he will repay the lion. The lion laughs at that idea, but frees the mouse anyway. Awhile later, the lion is caught in a rope trap that has been set by a hunter. He struggles, but can't free himself, so he roars loudly. The mouse hears the roar, recognizes it, and goes to help the lion by gnawing on the rope until he is freed. The moral of this story is that a kindness to someone else will never be wasted.

"The Dog and His Reflection" tells the story of a dog who goes to the butcher shop where the butcher throws him a nice big bone. He excitedly runs home, but has to cross a bridge over some water along the way. When he glanced down and saw his reflection, he thought it was another dog with a bigger bone. He dropped the bone that he had into the water and jumped after the other dog, only to find himself wet and swimming to shore without his bone. The moral of this story is that greed is not worth it.

In "The Fox and the Stork", the fox tries to play a trick on the stork, whom he thinks looks and acts rather funny. So, he invites the stork for a dinner of homemade soup, but he serves it in a very shallow dish. The stork's bill keeps him from getting more than a few drops, but the fox licks it all up and brags about how good it tastes. The stork is angry but doesn't show it. Instead, he invites the fox to his place for dinner. The stork prepares a fish dinner that smells delicious, but he serves it in a tall, narrow jar. The stork is easily able to use his long bill to eat, but the fox is only able to get a small taste by licking the outside of the container. The moral here is that you should never treat your neighbours in a way that you wouldn't be able to stand yourself.

"The Widow and Her Hen" tells of a widow who has a fine hen that gives her an egg every day. She decides to start feeding it more, thinking that a fatter hen will provide two eggs a day. Unfortunately, the hen got so fat that it stopped laying eggs altogether. The moral of this story is that those who try to take more than they need often lose what little they have.

"The Farmer and His Sons" is a rare fable by Aesop that does not have an animal in the title. This story tells of a farmer who becomes ill. He calls his sons to his bedside and tells them not to sell the farm. He has been told that there is a treasure buried on the property, so he advises them to dig until they find it. He passes away, and the sons begin to dig every bit of the property twice over. They never find a buried treasure, but when harvest time comes, they receive much more for their crops than their neighbours. They realize that the hard work that they have put in on the land has improved the quality of the earth which, in turn, has led to a more bountiful harvest. The moral here is that it hard work in and of itself can be a treasure.

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is also known as "The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf". It is one of the best known of all of Aesop's fables. In the story, a bored shepherd boy decides to cause some excitement in the people who live in the village. One night, he yells, "wolf, wolf" even though there is no wolf to worry about. When the villagers all run to his aid, he just laughs at them. The second night sees him doing the same thing with the same results. On the third night, a wolf really does come to attack his flock. But, when he yells , "wolf, wolf", nobody comes to his aid because they are tired of being laughed at. The wolf eats many of his sheep before it leaves. The moral of this story is that liars won't be believed even if they tell the truth.

In "The Gnat and the Bull", a gnat is flying through a field when he becomes tired. So, he lands on the top of a bull's horn to rest. After he has rested for a bit, he decides to leave, and he asks the bull to forgive him for resting on his horn. The bull is surprised because he didn't even know that the gnat was there. This is another fable with two possible morals. The first is that even if one has a small mind, they can be very conceited. The other is that we can often have a greater sense of ourselves than how our neighbours see us.

"The Ant and the Grasshopper" takes place in autumn. It tells the story of a group of ants who are busy drying the grain that they have gathered so it can be stored for winter. As they work, a grasshopper with a fiddle under his arm comes along and begs some food from them. They ask him why he hasn't been preparing for winter, and he tells them that he has been too busy playing his music. The ants refuse to share and send him on his way. The moral here is that there is a time for play, but one must also make time to work.

Another of Aesop's fables that doesn't involve animals is "The Two Pots". In this story, a brass pot and a clay pot sit near the fire. The brass pot suggests that they should go out and explore the world. The clay pot resists this notion because he is fragile and worries about getting cracked. The brass pot promises to protect him, so they set out. Once outside, they bump into one another at each step and the clay pot gets cracked after only ten paces. Then, the clay pot shatters into many pieces and is beyond repair. The moral of this story is that best friends should be equal in most ways.

In "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse", a mouse that lives in the town visits a relative that lives in the country. There, she is served a very simple meal of acorns and wheat stalks. The Town Mouse tells the Country Mouse of all of the wonderful things that she has in her home. The next day, the two of them head to town where there has been a feast in the home of the Town Mouse. However, just as they try to get to the treats left from the feast, they encounter the servants, as well as the house cat and the pet dog. The terrified Country Mouse decides to return home where she feels safe even though she doesn't lead a fancy life. The moral here is that a secure, simple life is better than living a fancy life that has constant danger and uncertainty.