What Have We Learned From Aesop's Fables? Quiz

Answer: The Crow and the Pitcher

This fable is about a thirsty crow who found a pitcher with some water. Unfortunately, he couldn't reach the water with his beak, no matter how hard he tried. Then, he came up with an idea: he collected several stones and dropped them into the pitcher. The stones' weight pushed the water up little by little until he could reach it and finally quench his thirst.

Answer: The Wind and the Sun

This fable centers around a dispute between the Sun and the Wind, to see who is stronger. They see a traveller wrapped in a coat, and decide that whoever gets him to take his coat off is the strongest.
The Wind goes first, and starts blowing with all its might, but only for the traveller to close his coat more tightly.
The Sun, instead, starts shining warmly and gently, and the traveller, feeling hot, ends up taking off the coat, thus making the Sun the winner.

Answer: The Dog and the Shadow

A dog was carrying a piece of meat in his mouth. He crossed a river and suddenly saw his reflection on the water. Mistaking it for another dog (and for another piece of meat), he opened up his mouth to attack, dropping the meat into the river and losing it.

Answer: The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf

One of the most well-known fables, it tells the story of a shepherd boy who repeatedly fooled other villagers by shouting that a wolf was attacking the sheep. When the wolf actually showed up for real, the boy's cries for help were took for another ruse by his neighbors, and no one came to help him.

Answer: The Lion and the Mouse

A lion was awakened by a little mouse and, annoyed, grabbed him and prepared to eat him. The mouse, however, begged the lion to spare him, promising that someday he would be helpful for him, and the lion let him go.
Some time later, the lion got caught in a hunter's trap. The mouse passed by right at that moment, and started chewing the rope until the lion was set free, thus fulfilling his promise.

This is one of my personal favorites.

Answer: The Fox and the Grapes

One day, a fox came across a bunch of grapes hanging from a vine. The fox tried to reach them with all his effort, but kept on failing. So in the end, he turned and walked away, mumbling that they were probable sour anyway.
This story is the origin of the expression "sour grapes", used when a person makes bitter remarks about others who achieved something that he/she couldn't.

Answer: The Hare and the Tortoise

Another one of Aesop's most famous fables, it tells the story of a hare that belittled a tortoise for being too slow. They challenged each other to a race, and the hare, overconfident in his speed, took a quick lead and then decided to rest mid-way. But he fell asleep, and the tortoise, who had been advancing slowly but steadily, eventually passed him by and took the lead.

When the hare woke up, it was too late: the tortoise was already crossing the finish line, winning the race.

Answer: The Ant and the Grasshopper

On a bright summer day, a grasshopper was singing and basking in the sun, when he saw an ant carrying some grain to store it for the winter. The grasshopper invited her to stop working and relax and play with him, since there was still a lot of time before winter, but the ant carried on with her task.
When winter arrived, the grasshopper realized that he was out of food and was unable to gather any, due to the cold weather. The ants, on the other hand, still had plenty of the food that was gathered during summer.

Answer: The Crab and Its Mother

A mother crab was constantly reprehending her child because he kept walking sideways instead of straight forward. The baby crab asked the mother to show him how to walk straight, and after trying, she realized that she was also walking sideways all the time.

Answer: The Wolf and the Crane

There was a wolf that had a bone stuck into his throat, and was desperately gasping for air. He asked a crane to come to his aid, promising a reward if she could get the bone out. She agreed, put her head inside the wolf's mouth and removed the bone with her beak.

When the crane demanded her retribution, the wolf laughed and told her that putting her head inside the mouth of a wolf, and getting it out safely, should be enough reward for her.