Vocabulary

The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle

September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Chatty Vocabulary
Before Reading: As you come across words in bold in The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle, ask yourself if you
know them or if you can figure them out from context clues. Then check their meanings here.

1. tutors: “His tutors, Rishi and Rishika, walk alongside him.” (p. 21)
Meaning: teachers who give private lessons to only one student or a few students at a time

2. exquisite: “This exquisite lake shall be mine too.” (p. 21)

Meaning: very beautiful or fine

3. snuffle: “The turtles snuffle quietly, all except for Kambu.” (p. 22)
Meaning: to breathe through the nose with a sniffing sound

4. cove: “Flee to the next cove, before you get caught in their nets.” (p. 23)
Meaning: a small area of ocean that is partly surrounded by land

5. shikara: “There’s a boat heading to the cove now . . . It’s a shikara.” (p. 23)
Meaning: a type of long wooden boat that is traditional in northern India

6. squabbling: “Kambu hears the white cranes squabbling overhead.” (p. 24)
Meaning: arguing noisily about something unimportant

7. quiver: “Kambu’s jaw starts to quiver.” (p. 25)

Meaning: to shake lightly

8. plummets: “He shouts out . . . and plummets into the water.” (p. 25)
Meaning: falls suddenly straight down (especially from a very high place)

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 Vocabulary
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Chatty Vocabulary, p. 2
After Reading: Now that you have read these vocabulary words in context, check your understanding by using
the correct term from the word box to answer each question below.

WORD BOX
tutors exquisite snuffle squabbling
shikara cove quiver plummets

1. What does an apple do when it is dropped out of a tree house window? _____________________________

 o improve your grade in math, you might get a math expert to work with you one-on-one after school. What
2. T

are these kinds of teachers called? _____________________________

3. Which word describes what dogs do when searching around the house for a treat? _____________________

4. What might you use to travel across a lake in northern India? _____________________________

5. Which word describes how a bunny might react if it came face-to-face with a hungry-looking wolf?

_____________________________

6. Many siblings spend long car trips arguing with each other for little reason. What is another word for this type

of fighting? _____________________________

7. When ocean water wears away at the soft rock along a coastline, it sometimes creates a small body of water

that juts out from the main ocean. What is this body of water called? _____________________________

8. Red diamonds are among the rarest, most dazzling gemstones in the world. What is another word you could

use to describe these gemstones? _____________________________

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It!

Directions: After reading The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle, go back and reread sections to answer the
questions below. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.

Close-Reading Questions:
1. What character traits does the prince show in Scene 1? Support your answer with examples.
What character traits does Kambu show in Scene 2? How is he similar to the prince?
2. 
3. What problem comes up for Kambu’s family in Scene 3? What plan do they make to solve it?
4. Reread the lines Kambu says to Mongoose in Scene 3. What do they tell you about Kambu? How do
they lead to his problem?
5. In Scene 5, why can’t Kambu keep his mouth closed around the stick?
6. In Scene 6, when Rishi and Rishika “give each other a knowing look,” what do you think
they are thinking?

Critical-Thinking Questions:
7. In the last line of the play, the prince states the moral, or the lesson, of the story about Kambu. Restate
the moral in your own words, or think of another moral from the story.
8. In Scene 1, Rishi explains that a Panchatantra is “a story within a story, in which animals help teach a
lesson.” How does this play fit that description?

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It!

Close-Reading Questions: After reading The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle, go back and
reread sections to answer the questions below.

1. What character traits does the prince show in Scene 1? Support your answer
with examples.

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2. What character traits does Kambu show in Scene 2? How is he similar to the prince?
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3. What problem comes up for Kambu’s family in Scene 3? What plan do they make to
solve it?

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Continued on next page >

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It! p. 2

4. Reread the lines Kambu says to Mongoose in Scene 3. What do they tell you about
Kambu? How do they lead to his problem?

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5. In Scene 5, why can’t Kambu keep his mouth closed around the stick?
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6. In Scene 6, when Rishi and Rishika “give each other a knowing look,” what do you think
they are thinking?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Continued on next page >

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It! p. 3

Critical-Thinking Questions: After answering the close-reading questions, answer the
critical-thinking questions below, thinking about the meaning of the whole play.

7. In the last line of the play, the prince states the moral, or the lesson, of the story about
Kambu. Restate the moral in your own words, or think of another moral from the story.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. In Scene 1, Rishi explains that a Panchatantra is “a story within a story, in which animals
help teach a lesson.” How does this play fit that description?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
LL September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It!

Close-Reading Questions: Read The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle. Then go back and
reread scenes from the play to answer the questions below.

1. In Scene 1, why do the tutors have such a hard time getting the prince’s attention?

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2. What do you learn about Kambu in Scene 2? How is he similar to the prince?

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Continued on next page >

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
LL September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It! p. 2

3. The cranes warn Kambu’s family that fishing boats are near. What plan do they
make to solve this problem?

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4. Reread the lines between Kambu and Mongoose in Scene 3. How do you think
Kambu feels when he realizes he’s far from his family?

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Continued on next page >

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 Close Reading & Critical Thinking
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
LL September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Think About It! p. 3

5. In Scene 5, how does Kambu learn his lesson to talk less and listen more?

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Critical-Thinking Question (a big question about the whole play):

6. Compare the prince’s tutors to Kambu’s family. What similar lesson are they trying
to teach the prince and Kambu?

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 Comparing Characters
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
Core Skills Workout September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

The Prince and Kambu

Directions: Answer the questions in the chart below, comparing the prince with Kambu. Use specific examples
from the play. Then answer the writing prompt below.

The Prince Kambu

1. At first, how does

the character feel
about listening to
others (like the
Prince’s tutors or
Kambu’s parents)?
How can you tell?

2. What word would

you use to describe
the character?
Explain with
evidence from the
play.

3. What does the

character learn by
the end of the play?

Your turn! Use your responses above to help you answer the writing prompt on page 25: How is the prince
similar to Kambu? Why do you think Rishi and Rishika told him the story about Kambu?

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 Theme
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
Core Skills Workout September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

The Theme of the Talkative Turtle

Directions: The theme of a story is the big, important idea you take away from reading it. Answer each of
the questions in the chart below about The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle. Then complete item No. 5.

At the beginning of the play By the end of the play

1. How does the prince

feel about listening to
other people (like his
tutors)?

2. What does Kambu

think about himself?

3. How does Kambu feel

about listening to
others?

4. What do the tutors

think the prince needs
to do differently?

5. Write one sentence that states the theme, or big idea, of the play.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 Setting
The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle
Core Skills Workout September 2016
Name: ____________________________________________ Date: ________________

Where Is It? When Is It?

Directions: Setting is the time period and place in which a story happens. By describing the setting of a story,
an author can help you imagine living in that world. Answer the questions below to help you understand the
setting in The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle.

1. Where does this play take place? (Hint: Use one of the text features on page 23.) Based on the play’s
illustrations, how is this place different from where you live?
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2. What do you think the prince’s kingdom is like? How can you tell?
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3. Do you think this play takes place in today’s world? Explain your answer.
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4. Where does Kambu’s story take place? What is that place like?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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 Assessment
September 2016 Name: Date:
LL

The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle Quiz

Directions: Read the play The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle in the September 2016 issue
of Storyworks. Then fill in the bubble next to the best answer for each question below.
1. Where does this play take place? 4. What does squabbling mean in the
A United States C India sentence “Kambu hears the white cranes
B China D South Africa squabbling overhead”?
A arguing C flying
2. Which of the following best describes the B singing D laughing
prince at the beginning of the story?
A He is kind. 5. Why does Kambu let go of the stick?
B He is mainly interested in himself. A He wants to take credit for his smart idea.
C He gets bored very easily. B He sees his family below and wants to swim
D He loves animals. to them.
C He wants to show how brave he is.
3. Which line from the story supports your D The stick is too slippery to hold on to.
answer to question 2?
A “His tutors, Rishi and Rishika, walk alongside 6. What is the moral, or lesson, of the story?
him.” A Talkative people have genius ideas.
B “Just think, Rishi, someday this kingdom B A good friend can help get you out of trouble.
shall be all mine.” C Always keep your opinions to yourself.
C “Rishi and Rishika each take a deep breath to D Talking too much can keep you from
help them remain patient.” listening.
D “Perhaps, wise Rishika, instead of a
math lesson, we should tell the prince a
Pan-cha-tan-tra.”

Constructed Response
Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write your answer to each question in a well-organized response.
Make sure you support your answers with details from the play.
7. What do other characters in the play 8. H
 ow have the prince and Kambu both
think of Kambu? changed by the end of the play?

© 2016 Scholastic Inc. Teachers may make copies of this page to distribute to their students.
 Assessment
September 2016 Name: Date:
HL

The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle Quiz

Directions: Read the play The Tale of the Too Talkative Turtle in the September 2016 issue
of Storyworks. Then fill in the bubble next to the best answer for each question below.
1. Which character trait best describes the
prince at the beginning of the story?
A patient C bored
B self-centered D smart
2. Which line from the story supports your
answer to question 1?
A “His tutors, Rishi and Rishika, walk alongside
him.”
B “Just think, Rishi, someday this kingdom
shall be all mine.”
C “Rishi and Rishika each take a deep breath to
help them remain patient.”
D “Perhaps, wise Rishika, instead of a math
lesson, we should tell the prince a Pan-cha-
tan-tra.”
3. What does exquisite mean in the sentence
“This exquisite lake shall be mine too”?
A beautiful C deep
B large D clean
5. Which line from the play supports your
answer to question 4?
A “Kambu! Enough!”
B “Kambu, don’t lean or we’ll fall.”
C “They all topple over into the thick mud.”
D “Sister and Mother lie helpless, upside down.”
6. How does Kambu’s talking with Mongoose
get him into trouble?
A He accidentally reveals a secret to
Mongoose.
B He makes Mongoose angry at him.
C He tells Mongoose a lie about the cranes.
D While he’s talking, he misses the shikara.
7. Why does Kambu let go of the stick?
A He wants to take credit for his smart idea.
B He sees his family below and wants to swim
to them.
C He wants to show how brave he is.
D The stick is too slippery to hold on to.

4. How do Brother and Sister feel when 8. What is the moral of the story?
Kambu won’t sleep? A Talkative people have genius ideas.
A uninterested C frustrated B A good friend can help get you out of trouble.
B depressed D helpless C Always keep your opinions to yourself.
D Talking too much can keep you from
listening.

Constructed Response
Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write your answer to each question in a well-organized response.
Make sure you support your answers with details from the play.
9. A Panchatantra is “a story within a story, 10. H
 ow are Prince and Kambu similar?
in which animals help teach a lesson.” How have they both changed by the end
How is this play a Panchatantra? of the play?

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