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The Big Wooden Horse: reading passage and questions

A free printable myth and legend reading passage, written at a grade 1 reading level (Peabody level 6; 218 words) with 6 comprehension questions and an answer key. No sign-up.

Name: ____________________Date: ____________

The Big Wooden Horse

For ten years, the Greeks waited by Troy. Its walls were very high. They could not get in.

Then a clever man named Odysseus had an idea. "Let us build a big wooden horse," he said.

The Greeks built the horse. It was as tall as a house. It had a little door in its side.

Odysseus and his men hid inside the horse. It was dark in there. They did not make a sound!

The other Greeks went to their ships. They sailed away. The beach was empty, but for the horse.

The people of Troy came out. "The Greeks have gone!" they said. Then they saw the big wooden horse.

"It must be a gift," they said. They pulled the horse into the city. They sang and danced all day.

A man named Laocoon shouted, "Do not trust it! It may be a trick!" No one listened.

That night, the people of Troy went to bed. The horse stood still in the square. It was quiet.

In the night, the little door opened. Odysseus and his men climbed out. The Greeks came out of the horse.

And so the war was over. It was a clever trick. A wooden horse had won it.

People still say, "Look twice at a gift." It might hold a trick!

Questions

1. How long did the Greeks stay by Troy?
  1. One day
  2. Two weeks
  3. Ten years
2. Who had the idea for the horse?
  1. Laocoon
  2. Odysseus
  3. The people of Troy
3. Where did Odysseus and his men hide?
  1. Inside the horse
  2. In the ships
  3. Under the wall
4. Why did the people of Troy pull the horse in?
  1. They thought it was a gift
  2. They wanted to hide it
  3. They were afraid of it
5. In this story, what does "clever" mean?
  1. Very tall
  2. Very loud
  3. Quick at thinking up plans
6. What did Laocoon say about the horse?
  1. Pull it in
  2. Do not trust it
  3. It is a boat

Words to know

  • wooden: made of wood
  • clever: quick to think
  • gift: a present
  • trick: a sly plan

Answer key: The Big Wooden Horse

  1. C. Ten years
  2. B. Odysseus
  3. A. Inside the horse
  4. A. They thought it was a gift
  5. C. Quick at thinking up plans
  6. B. Do not trust it

For the teacher: how this passage is levelled

“The Big Wooden Horse” is a reading level 6 story. Every Peabody story at this level is written and checked to keep sentences to 10 words or fewer, to aim at an average of 6 words a sentence, and to show 12 to 20 words on a screen. At most 7% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Readers reach this level by climbing, not by grade.

This passage218 words, 12 screens, 6 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 4 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings
Longest sentence at this level10 words
Words on a screen12 to 20
Skills practised at this levelphonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words

Reading level 6: the limits, a real sample and the free games. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: use the questions to talk about the story, not to grade a child.