Are you looking for an English short story for reading exercise? ”A Bundle of Sticks” is a great story with an amazing moral message about the strength of unity. We have three versions of the story for different levels of English readers: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Use the appropriate level for you or your students.
In this article, we also provide the moral of the story of the bundle of sticks, along with reading comprehensive questions and answers. Also, learn a list of key vocabulary from this English short story.
A Bundle of Sticks Story
If you know your English reading level, jump to the appropriate one. If not, start with the beginner level and see if you’d be able to challenge yourself to read the intermediate or advanced version of “The Bundle of Sticks.”
Beginner
Once in a village, there were five brothers and sisters who always fought. Their grandma wanted to teach them a lesson, so she told them a story.
Grandma gave each sibling a stick and asked them to break it. They easily broke their sticks. Then, she gave them a bunch of sticks tied together and asked them to break the bunch. They couldn’t break it. Grandma said, “Alone, you break easily. Together, you are strong.”
The siblings understood. They decided to stay together, help each other, and be strong. The village noticed the change, and the siblings became a happy family.
The lesson is that when people work together, they are stronger. Like a bunch of sticks is harder to break than one stick, being together helps us face challenges.
Intermediate
Once in a small village, there were five brothers and sisters who always fought with each other. Their grandma wanted to teach them a lesson, so she told them the story of the Bundle of Sticks.
Grandma gave each sibling a single stick and asked them to break it. They easily broke their sticks. Then, she gave them a bundle of five sticks tied together and asked them to break the bundle. Try as they might, they couldn’t break it.
Grandma smiled and said, “Individually, you’re like those single sticks—easy to break. But together, as a bundle, you’re strong and unbreakable.” The siblings understood the lesson. From that day on, they decided to stick together, helping and supporting each other. The village noticed the change, and the siblings became a happy and united family.
The moral of the story is that when people work together, they are stronger. Just like a bundle of sticks is harder to break than a single stick, being together helps us overcome challenges.
Advanced
Once upon a time in a small village, there lived a family of five siblings. They were always arguing and fighting, and their parents worried about the constant discord. To teach them a valuable lesson, their wise grandmother decided to share the fable of the Bundle of Sticks.
One day, Grandma gathered the siblings and handed each of them a single stick. She asked them to break it, and each sibling easily snapped their stick in two. Next, Grandma handed each sibling a bundle of five sticks tied together. She challenged them to break the bundle. No matter how hard they tried, none of the siblings could break the bundle of sticks.
Grandma smiled and said, “You see, my dear ones, individually, you are like those single sticks—fragile and easily broken. But together, as a united bundle, you are strong and unbreakable.” The siblings looked at each other, realizing the wisdom in Grandma’s words. From that day on, they decided to stick together, supporting and helping each other through thick and thin.
The village noticed the positive change in the siblings, and their newfound unity brought peace and happiness to their home. The lesson of the Bundle of Sticks stayed with them throughout their lives, reminding them that strength comes from unity and cooperation. And so, the once-fighting siblings learned the power of togetherness, creating a strong bond that lasted a lifetime.
The moral of the story is that unity is strength. Just like a bundle of sticks is harder to break than a single stick, people working together can overcome challenges more easily.
A Bundle of Sticks: Moral of the Story
The moral of the story is that when people work together and support each other, they become stronger. Like a bunch of sticks tied together is harder to break than a single stick, unity and cooperation help us face challenges and difficulties in life. The story tells us that unity is strength.
Vocabulary
- siblings: 2 or more children sharing a mother and/or father.
- bundle: A collection of things wrapped together.
- arguing: Expressing opinions in an angry way.
- newfound: Recently discovered.
- unity: The state of being joined, or of having the same opinion.
- bond: A relationship between people or grounds.
A Bundle of Sticks: Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension activities assess and ensure that the reader has understood the story. These questions test the basic understanding and thinking skills such as analysis and interpretation. If you are an English teacher, use these reading comprehension questions to evaluate your student’s ability to extract meaning, make connections, and apply the information they’ve acquired.
Comprehension Questions
- What was the problem with the five brothers and sisters in the story?
- What did Grandma give each sibling to break?
- Could the siblings easily break the single sticks?
- What did Grandma give them next, and could they break it?
- What did the siblings learn from this experience?
Answers
- They always fought with each other.
- Grandma gave each sibling a single stick.
- Yes, they could easily break the single sticks.
- Grandma gave them a bundle of sticks tied together, and they couldn’t break it.
- They learned that when they stay together and support each other, they are stronger, just like a bundle of sticks is harder to break than a single stick.
More English Stories
Here are more moral stories that we recommend for improving English reading skills:
- The Hare and the Tortoise
- The Frightened Lion
- The Hare and the Tortoise
- A Council of Mice
- The Fox and the Crow
A Bundle of Sticks: Join the Conversation
What are your thoughts on this classic moral story about a bundle of sticks? Do you agree with the moral of the story? Let us know in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.
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