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The Enormous Turnip: reading passage and questions

A free printable fairy tale and folktale reading passage, written at a grade 1 reading level (Peabody level 5, where 2nd grade readers start; 93 words) with 4 comprehension questions and an answer key. No sign-up.

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The Enormous Turnip

Grandpa plants a seed.

It grows and grows.

A big, big turnip!

Grandpa pulls. Pull, pull!

It will not come!

"Grandma, help me!"

Grandma pulls. Pull, pull!

It will not come!

"Girl, help us!"

The girl pulls. Pull, pull!

It will not come!

"Dog, help us!"

The dog pulls. Pull, pull!

It will not come!

"Cat, help us!"

The cat pulls. Pull, pull!

It will not come!

"Mouse, help us!"

The mouse pulls. Pull, pull!

Pop! Up it comes!

They all fall down!

They all laugh.

"Thank you, mouse!"

Turnip soup for all!

Questions

1. What does Grandpa plant?
  1. A seed
  2. A tree
  3. A hat
2. Who comes to help last?
  1. The cat
  2. The dog
  3. The mouse
3. What happens when it pops up?
  1. They all fall down
  2. The mouse runs off
  3. Grandpa naps
4. Why does the turnip come up at last?
  1. It got small
  2. They all pull together
  3. The cat digs

Words to know

  • turnip: big root plant
  • plants: puts in dirt
  • pulls: tugs hard
  • soup: hot food

Answer key: The Enormous Turnip

  1. A. A seed
  2. C. The mouse
  3. A. They all fall down
  4. B. They all pull together

About The Enormous Turnip

The short version

Grandpa plants a seed and grows a huge turnip, but he cannot pull it up alone. Grandma, the girl, the dog, the cat and finally the mouse each join the line. With the mouse's help the turnip pops out, and everybody has turnip soup.

Quick facts

  • It is a folk tale from Russia, where it is called “Repka”.
  • Alexander Afanasyev wrote it down in his collection of Russian folk tales in 1863.
  • The line of helpers gets longer and the helpers get smaller, so the smallest one finishes the job.
  • It is a good read-aloud because the “pull, pull!” part repeats.

What is the moral of The Enormous Turnip?

Pulling together gets big jobs done. Nobody can pull up the turnip alone, and even the smallest helper, the mouse, makes the difference.

Where does The Enormous Turnip come from?

It is a Russian folk tale. People told it aloud for a long time before Alexander Afanasyev wrote it down in 1863.

Who helps pull the turnip?

Grandpa, Grandma, the girl, the dog, the cat and the mouse, in that order.

Why does the mouse matter in The Enormous Turnip?

The mouse is the last one to join. The turnip comes up right after, which shows that every helper counts, however small.

For the teacher: how this passage is levelled

“The Enormous Turnip” is a reading level 5 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 5 words a sentence, and to show 1 to 12 words on a screen. At most 6% of its words may be off the familiar-word list. Children in 2nd grade start at this level.

This passage93 words, 24 screens, 4 multiple-choice questions with an answer key, and 4 vocabulary words with kid-sized meanings
Longest sentence at this level10 words
Words on a screen1 to 12
Skills practised at this levelphonics (sounding words out), first sounds, sight words

Reading level 5: 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.

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