The Kingdom of Fools- Reading Comprehension

  AP / NCERT Reading Comprehension Passages 
Grade 9 Supplementary Reader Chapter 
 "In the Kingdom of Fools"

Reading Comprehension 1

  IN the Kingdom of Fools, both the king and the minister were idiots. They didn’t want to run things like other kings, so they decided to change night into day and day into night. They ordered that everyone should be awake at night, till their fields and run their businesses only after dark, and go to bed as soon as the sun came up. Anyone who disobeyed would be punished with death. The people did as they were told for fear of death. The king and the minister were delighted at the success of their project. One day a guru and his disciple arrived in the city. It was a beautiful city, it was broad daylight, but there was no one about. Everyone was asleep, not a mouse stirring. Even the cattle had been taught to sleep by day. The two strangers were amazed by what they saw around them and wandered around town till evening, when suddenly the whole town woke up and went about its nightly business.

     The two men were hungry. Now that the shops were open, they went to buy some groceries. To their astonishment, they found that everything cost the same, a single duddu — whether they bought a measure of rice or a bunch of bananas, it cost a duddu. The guru and his disciple were delighted. They had never heard of anything like this. They could buy all the food they wanted for a rupee.

     When they had cooked and eaten, the guru realised that this was a kingdom of fools and it wouldn’t be a good idea for them to stay there. “This is no place for us. Let’s go,” he said to his disciple. But the disciple didn’t want to leave the place. Everything was cheap here. All he wanted was good, cheap food. The guru said, “They are all fools. This won’t last very long, and you can’t tell what they’ll do to you next.”

1. Why did the king and the minister in the Kingdom of Fools change night into day and day into night?

   a) They wanted to make their subjects more productive.

   b) They were trying to improve the economy.

   c) They were both fools and made irrational decisions.

2. What was the punishment for disobeying the king and minister's orders in the Kingdom of Fools?

   a) Banishment from the kingdom

   b) Heavy fines

   c) Death

3. What happened when the guru and his disciple arrived in the city in the daytime?

   a) Everyone was awake and busy with their daily routines.

   b) The city was deserted, and everyone was asleep.

   c) The guru and his disciple were warmly welcomed by the townspeople.

4. Why did the guru want to leave the Kingdom of Fools?

   a) He was bored with the cheap food.

   b) He was afraid of what the fools might do next.

   c) He had a better opportunity elsewhere.

5. In the Kingdom of Fools, everything had the same price, one duddu, whether it was rice or bananas.

   (True/False)

Reading Comprehension 2

     But the disciple wouldn’t listen to the guru’s wisdom. He wanted to stay. The guru finally gave up and said, “Do what you want. I’m going,” and left. The disciple stayed on, ate his fill every day — bananas and ghee and rice and wheat, and grew fat like a street-side sacred bull.

     One bright day, a thief broke into a rich merchant’s house. He had made a hole in the wall and sneaked in, and as he was carrying out his loot, the wall of the old house collapsed on his head and killed him on the spot. His brother ran to the king and complained, “Your Highness, when my brother was pursuing his ancient trade, a wall fell on him and killed him. This merchant is to blame. He should have built a good, strong wall. You must punish the wrongdoer and compensate the family for this injustice.”

State True or False 

1. The disciple in the story heeded the guru's advice and left the Kingdom of Fools.

2. The disciple enjoyed a diet of bananas, ghee, rice, and wheat in the Kingdom of Fools.

3. The wall of the old house collapsed and killed the thief.

4. The brother of the deceased thief demanded compensation and punishment for the merchant.

Reading Comprehension 3

     The king said, “Justice will be done. Don’t worry,” and at once summoned the owner of the house.

     When the merchant arrived, the king questioned him.

     “What’s your name?”

     “Such and Such, Your Highness.”

     “Were you at home when the dead man burgled your house?”

     “Yes, My Lord. He broke in and the wall was weak. It fell on him.”

     “The accused pleads guilty. Your wall killed this man’s brother. You have murdered a man. We have to punish you.”

     “Lord,” said the helpless merchant, “I didn’t put up the wall. It’s really the fault of the man who built the wall. He didn’t build it right. You should punish him.”

     “Who is that?”

      “My Lord, this wall was built in my father’s time. I know the man. He’s an old man now. He lives nearby.”

     The king sent out messengers to bring in the bricklayer who had built the wall. They brought him, tied hand and foot.

     “You there, did you build this man’s wall in his father’s time?”

     “Yes, My Lord, I did.”

     “What kind of a wall is this that you built? It has fallen on a poor man and killed him. You’ve murdered him. We have to punish you by death.”

1. Why did the king summon the owner of the house when the dead man's brother complained?

   a) To reward the owner

   b) To inquire about the thief's identity

   c) To seek justice

2. Who did the merchant blame for the wall that fell on the thief?

   a) Himself

   b) The king

   c) The bricklayer

3. How did the king respond to the merchant's defense?

   a) He agreed with the merchant and dismissed the case.

   b) He accused the merchant of murder.

   c) He ordered the bricklayer to be punished.

State True or False: 

4. The merchant was responsible for building the wall that fell on the thief.

5. The bricklayer admitted to building the wall that killed the thief.

Reading Comprehension 4

     Before the king could order the execution, the poor bricklayer pleaded, “Please listen to me before you give your orders. It’s true I built this wall and it was no good. But that was because my mind was not on it. I remember very well a dancing girl who was going up and down that street all day with her anklets jingling, and I couldn’t keep my eyes or my mind on the wall I was building. You must get that dancing girl. I know where she lives.”

     “You’re right. The case deepens. We must look into it. It is not easy to judge such complicated cases. Let’s get that dancer, wherever she is.”

     The dancing girl, now an old woman, came trembling to the court.

     “Did you walk up and down that street many years ago, while this poor man was building a wall? Did you see him?”

     “Yes, My Lord, I remember it very well.”

     “So you did walk up and down, with your anklets jingling. You were young and you distracted him, so he built a bad wall. It has fallen on a poor burglar and killed him. You’ve killed an innocent man. You’ll have to be punished.”

     She thought for a minute and said, “My Lord, wait. I know now why I was walking up and down that street. I had given some gold to the goldsmith to make some jewellery for me. He was a lazy scoundrel. He made so many excuses, said he would give it now and he would give it then and so on all day. He made me walk up and down to his house a dozen times. That was when this bricklayer saw me. It’s not my fault, My Lord, it’s the damned goldsmith’s fault.”

 State  True or False: 

1. The bricklayer blamed the dancing girl for his poorly built wall.

2. The king ordered the execution of the bricklayer before hearing his plea.

3. The dancing girl was a young woman at the time she distracted the bricklayer.

4. The dancing girl admitted to distracting the bricklayer while he was building the wall.

5. The dancing girl ultimately took responsibility for the wall's collapse and the death of the burglar.

Reading Comprehension 5

   “Poor thing, she’s absolutely right,” thought the king, weighing the evidence. “We’ve got the real culprit at last. Get the goldsmith, wherever he is hiding. At once!”

     The king’s bailiffs searched for the goldsmith, who was hiding in a corner of his shop. When he heard the accusation against him, he had his own story to tell.

     “My Lord,” he said, “I’m a poor goldsmith. It’s true I made this dancer come many times to my door. I gave her excuses because I couldn’t finish making her jewellery before I finished the rich merchant’s orders. They had a wedding coming, and they wouldn’t wait. You know how impatient rich men are!”

     “Who is this rich merchant who kept you from finishing this poor woman’s jewellery, made her walk up and down, which distracted this bricklayer, which made a mess of his wall, which has now fallen on an innocent man and killed him? Can you name him?”

1. Why did the goldsmith make the dancer come to his shop multiple times?

   a) He wanted to distract her from the bricklayer's work.

   b) He was trying to finish her jewelry.

   c) He had a personal grudge against her.

2. What was the reason the goldsmith gave for delaying the dancer's jewelry?

   a) He wanted to keep her waiting.

   b) He had too many orders from a rich merchant.

   c) He didn't have the required materials.

3. Who was responsible for pressuring the goldsmith to prioritize their order?

   a) The king

   b) The dancer

   c) The rich merchant

4. What consequence did the king's bailiffs face when they searched for the goldsmith?

   a) They found the goldsmith hiding in the shop.

   b) They couldn't locate the goldsmith.

   c) They were accused of hiding the goldsmith.

5. What did the goldsmith reveal about the rich merchant?

   a) The rich merchant was a close friend of the king.

   b) The rich merchant was a very patient individual.

   c) The goldsmith did not name the rich merchant.

 Reading Comprehension 6

     The goldsmith named the merchant, and he was none other than the original owner of the house whose wall had fallen. Now justice had come full circle, thought the king, back to the merchant. When he was rudely summoned back to the court, he arrived crying, “It wasn’t me but my father who ordered the jewellery! He’s dead! I’m innocent!”

     But the king consulted his minister and ruled decisively: “It’s true your father is the true murderer. He’s dead, but somebody must be punished in his place. You’ve inherited everything from that criminal father of yours, his riches as well as his sins. I knew at once, even when I first set eyes on you, that you were at the root of this horrible crime. You must die.”

     And he ordered a new stake to be made ready for the execution. As the servants sharpened the stake and got it ready for the final impaling of the criminal, it occurred to the minister that the rich merchant was somehow too thin to be properly executed on the stake. He appealed to the king’s common sense. The king too worried about it.

1. Who was revealed to be the rich merchant responsible for the jewelry order?

   a) The goldsmith

   b) The dancer

   c) The original owner of the house

2. How did the rich merchant defend himself when summoned to court?

   a) He claimed he was innocent.

   b) He accused his father of ordering the jewelry.

   c) He confessed to the crime.

3. Why did the king decide to punish the rich merchant?

   a) He believed the merchant's innocence.

   b) He considered the merchant's father the true murderer.

   c) He wanted to set an example.

4. What method of execution did the king initially order for the rich merchant?

   a) Hanging

   b) Beheading

   c) Impaling on a stake

5. Why did the minister and the king reconsider the method of execution for the rich merchant?

   a) They were concerned about his health.

   b) They thought he deserved a more severe punishment.

   c) They were worried that he might escape.

Reading Comprehension 7

     “What shall we do?” he said, when suddenly it struck him that all they needed to do was to find a man fat enough to fit the stake. The servants were immediately sent all over the town looking for a man who would fit the stake, and their eyes fell on the disciple who had fattened himself for months on bananas and rice and wheat and ghee.

     “What have I done wrong? I’m innocent. I’m a sanyasi!” he cried.

     “That may be true. But it’s the royal decree that we should find a man fat enough to fit the stake,” they said, and carried him to the place of execution. He remembered his wise guru’s words: “This is a city of fools. You don’t know what they will do next.” While he was waiting for death, he prayed to his guru in his heart, asking him to hear his cry wherever he was. The guru saw everything in a vision; he had magic powers, he could see far, and he could see the future as he could see the present and the past. He arrived at once to save his disciple, who had got himself into such a scrape through love of food.

1. How did the king and his minister resolve the issue of finding a man to fit the stake?

   a) They decided not to proceed with the execution.

   b) They used magic to resize the stake.

   c) They searched for a man fat enough to fit the stake.

2. Why was the disciple chosen for the execution?

   a) He was the actual murderer.

   b) He was a sanyasi.

   c) He had been fattening himself on a diet of bananas and rice.

3. How did the disciple react when he was chosen for execution?

   a) He accepted his fate calmly.

   b) He protested his innocence.

   c) He requested a different method of execution.

4. What did the disciple pray for while waiting for his execution?

   a) He prayed for forgiveness.

   b) He prayed for a last meal.

   c) He prayed for his guru's intervention.

5. How did the guru respond to the disciple's predicament?

   a) He arrived to save his disciple through his magic powers.

   b) He disowned the disciple for his actions.

   c) He chose not to intervene.

Reading Comprehension 8

     As soon as he arrived, he scolded the disciple and told him something in a whisper. Then he went to the king and addressed him, “O wisest of kings, who is greater? The guru or the disciple?”

     “Of course, the guru. No doubt about it. Why do you ask?”

     “Then put me to the stake first. Put my disciple to death after me.”

     When the disciple heard this, he understood and began to clamour, “Me first! You brought me here first! Put me to death first, not him!”

     The guru and the disciple now got into a fight about who should go first. The king was puzzled by this behaviour. He asked the guru, “Why do you want to die? We chose him because we needed a fat man for the stake.”

     “You shouldn’t ask me such questions. Put me to death first,” replied the guru.

     “Why? There’s some mystery here. As a wise man you must make me understand.”

1. What did the guru suggest when he arrived at the scene of the execution?

   a) He wanted the disciple to be put to death first.

   b) He asked to be executed alongside the disciple.

   c) He demanded that the execution be canceled.

2. How did the king respond to the guru's question about who is greater, the guru or the disciple?

   a) He favored the disciple.

   b) He favored the guru.

   c) He couldn't decide.

3. Why did the guru and the disciple get into a fight about who should go first?

   a) They both wanted to avoid execution.

   b) They were arguing over who was the wiser of the two.

   c) There was a hidden meaning in the guru's words.

True or False Statements:

4. True or False: The king understood the reason behind the guru's request to be executed first.

5. True or False: The guru's words had a hidden meaning that needed to be deciphered.

Reading Comprehension 9

     “Will you promise to put me to death if I tell you?” asked the guru. The king gave him his solemn word. The guru took him aside, out of the servants’ earshot, and whispered to him, “Do you know why we want to die right now, the two of us? We’ve been all over the world but we’ve never found a city like this or a king like you. That stake is the stake of the god of justice. It’s new, it has never had a criminal on it. Whoever dies on it first will be reborn as the king of this country. And whoever goes next will be the future minister of this country. We’re sick of our ascetic life. It would be nice to enjoy ourselves as king and minister for a while. Now keep your word, My Lord, and put us to death. Me first, remember?”

     The king was now thrown into deep thought. He didn’t want to lose the kingdom to someone else in the next round of life. He needed time. So he ordered the execution postponed to the next day and talked in secret with his minister. “It’s not right for us to give over the kingdom to others in the next life. Let’s go on the stake ourselves and we’ll be reborn as king and minister again. Holy men do not tell lies,” he said, and the minister agreed.

     So he told the executioners, “We’ll send the criminals tonight. When the first man comes to you, put him to death first. Then do the same to the second man. Those are my orders. Don’t make any mistake.”

1. Why did the guru want the king to promise to put him to death?

   a) To test the king's commitment to justice.

   b) To save the disciple from execution.

   c) To reveal a secret.

2. What did the guru whisper to the king when they were out of earshot of the servants?

   a) A request to be spared from execution.

   b) A confession of their crimes.

   c) The hidden meaning behind their desire to die.

3. What was the supposed purpose of the stake of the god of justice?

   a) To punish criminals.

   b) To determine the next king and minister.

   c) To test the loyalty of the people.

4. Why did the king order the execution postponed to the next day?

   a) He wanted to reconsider the guru's request.

   b) He needed more time to prepare for the execution.

   c) He wanted to give the guru time to escape.

5. What decision did the king and his minister make regarding the stake and their future lives?

   a) They decided to go on the stake themselves.

   b) They decided to spare the guru and disciple.

   c) They ordered the execution to proceed as planned.

Reading Comprehension 10

  That night, the king and his minister went secretly to the prison, released the guru and the disciple, disguised themselves as the two, and as arranged beforehand with loyal servants, were taken to the stake and promptly executed.

     When the bodies were taken down to be thrown to crows and vultures the people panicked. They saw before them the dead bodies of the king and the minister. The city was in confusion.

     All night they mourned and discussed the future of the kingdom. Some people suddenly thought of the guru and the disciple and caught up with them as they were preparing to leave town unnoticed. “We people need a king and a minister,” said someone. Others agreed. They begged the guru and them disciple to be their king and their minister. It didn’t take many arguments to persuade the disciple, but it took longer to persuade the guru. They finally agreed to rule the kingdom of the foolish king and the silly minister, on the condition that they could change all the old laws.

     From then on, night would again be night and day would again be day, and you could get nothing for a duddu. It became like any other place.

1. How did the king and his minister avoid execution and carry out their plan?

   a) They convinced the people to pardon them.

   b) They escaped from the prison.

   c) They disguised themselves as the guru and disciple.

2. What was the reaction of the people when they discovered the dead bodies of the king and minister?

   a) They celebrated their demise.

   b) They mourned and discussed the kingdom's future.

   c) They panicked and fled the city.

3. What condition did the guru and the disciple set for ruling the kingdom?

   a) They demanded a large sum of money.

   b) They insisted on keeping the old laws.

   c) They wanted to change all the old laws.

True or False Statements:

1. The guru and disciple were immediately willing to become the king and minister.

2. The people of the kingdom wanted to maintain the same laws and customs.