The Three Questions By Leo Tolstoy 1885

Transcription

1 Name: Class: The Three Questions By Leo Tolstoy 1885 Leo Tolstoy ( ) was a famous Russian author, perhaps best known for his novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In the following short story, a king looks for three answers to three questions in order to make himself a better ruler. As you read, 4nd evidence to answer this question: What is Tolstoy s message in The Three Questions and how does he communicate it? [1] It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake. And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to any one who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was the most important thing to do. And learned men came to the King, but they all answered his questions dikerently. In reply to the Irst question, some said that to know the right time for every action, one must draw up in advance, a table of days, months and years, and must live strictly according to it. Only "Leo Tolstoy 1897, black and white, 37767u" is in the public domain. thus, said they, could everything be done at its proper time. Others declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend to all that was going on, and then do what was most needful. Others, again, said that however attentive the King might be to what was going on, it was impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action, but that he should have a Council of wise men, who would help him to Ix the proper time for everything. [5] But then again others said there were some things which could not wait to be laid before a Council, but about which one had at once to decide whether to undertake them or not. But in order to decide that, one must know beforehand what was going to happen. It is only magicians who know that; and, therefore, in order to know the right time for every action, one must consult magicians. 1

2 Equally various were the answers to the second question. Some said, the people the King most needed were his councilors; others, the priests; others, the doctors; while some said the warriors were the most necessary. To the third question, as to what was the most important occupation: some replied that the most important thing in the world was science. Others said it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was religious worship. All the answers being dikerent, the King agreed with none of them, and gave the reward to none. But still wishing to Ind the right answers to his questions, he decided to consult a hermit, widely renowned for his wisdom. The hermit lived in a wood which he never quitted, and he received none but common folk. So the King put on simple clothes, and before reaching the hermit's cell dismounted from his horse, and, leaving his body-guard behind, went on alone. [10] When the King approached, the hermit was digging the ground in front of his hut. Seeing the King, he greeted him and went on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each time he stuck his spade into the ground and turned a little earth, he breathed heavily. The King went up to him and said: "I have come to you, wise hermit, to ask you to answer three questions: How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time? Who are the people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, pay more attention than to the rest? And, what akairs are the most important, and need my Irst attention?" The hermit listened to the King, but answered nothing. He just spat on his hand and recommenced digging. "You are tired," said the King, "let me take the spade and work awhile for you." "Thanks!" said the hermit, and, giving the spade to the King, he sat down on the ground. [15] When he had dug two beds, the King stopped and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, and said: "Now rest awhile and let me work a bit." But the King did not give him the spade, and continued to dig. One hour passed, and another. The sun began to sink behind the trees, and the King at last stuck the spade into the ground, and said: "I came to you, wise man, for an answer to my questions. If you can give me none, tell me so, and I will return home." "Here comes some one running," said the hermit, "let us see who it is." 2

3 [20] The King turned round, and saw a bearded man come running out of the wood. The man held his hands pressed against his stomach, and blood was Jowing from under them. When he reached the King, he fell fainting on the ground moaning feebly. The King and the hermit unfastened the man's clothing. There was a large wound in his stomach. The King washed it as best he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief and with a towel the hermit had. But the blood would not stop Jowing, and the King again and again removed the bandage soaked with warm blood, and washed and rebandaged the wound. When at last the blood ceased Jowing, the man revived and asked for something to drink. The King brought fresh water and gave it to him. Meanwhile the sun had set, and it had become cool. So the King, with the hermit's help, carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed. Lying on the bed the man closed his eyes and was quiet; but the King was so tired with his walk and with the work he had done, that he crouched down on the threshold, and also fell asleep so soundly that he slept all through the short summer night. When he awoke in the morning, it was long before he could remember where he was, or who was the strange bearded man lying on the bed and gazing intently at him with shining eyes. "Forgive me!" said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he saw that the King was awake and was looking at him. "I do not know you, and have nothing to forgive you for," said the King. "You do not know me, but I know you. I am that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on you, because you executed his brother and seized his property. I knew you had gone alone to see the hermit, and I resolved to kill you on your way back. But the day passed and you did not return. So I came out from my ambush to Ind you, and I came upon your bodyguard, and they recognized me, and wounded me. I escaped from them, but should have bled to death had you not dressed my wound. I wished to kill you, and you have saved my life. Now, if I live, and if you wish it, I will serve you as your most faithful slave, and will bid my sons do the same. Forgive me!" The King was very glad to have made peace with his enemy so easily, and to have gained him for a friend, and he not only forgave him, but said he would send his servants and his own physician to attend him, and promised to restore his property. [25] Having taken leave of the wounded man, the King went out into the porch and looked around for the hermit. Before going away he wished once more to beg an answer to the questions he had put. The hermit was outside, on his knees, sowing seeds in the beds that had been dug the day before. The King approached him, and said: "For the last time, I pray you to answer my questions, wise man." "You have already been answered!" said the hermit, still crouching on his thin legs, and looking up at the King, who stood before him. "How answered? What do you mean?" asked the King. 3

4 [30] "Do you not see," replied the hermit. "If you had not pitied my weakness yesterday, and had not dug those beds for me, but had gone your way, that man would have attacked you, and you would have repented of not having stayed with me. So the most important time was when you were digging the beds; and I was the most important man; and to do me good was your most important business. Afterwards when that man ran to us, the most important time was when you were attending to him, for if you had not bound up his wounds he would have died without having made peace with you. So he was the most important man, and what you did for him was your most important business. Remember then: there is only one time that is important Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with any one else: and the most important akair is, to do him good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!" The Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy is in the public domain. 4

5 Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences. 1. Which of the following statements best summarizes how the three questions and the king s desire for their answers contribute to the overall narrative? [RL.3] A. The three questions provide the framework for the story s structure their answers are revealed over the course of the story. B. The three questions propel the action of the story. The king goes out in search of their answers. C. The three questions help create the story s mysterious mood. D. The three questions symbolize three things that cannot be known, but that one must search for throughout his or her whole life. 2. Which of the following best summarizes how the learned men of the kingdom answer his questions? A. Their answers are similar. B. Their answers are uniied and concise. C. Their answers are contradictory. D. Their answers are too varied for the king to decide. [RL.3] 3. Which of the following statements summarizes the most likely relationship between these answers and the people who answered them? [RL.3] A. The answers most likely reject what the people learned from their own masters. B. The answers most likely reject each person s own values and occupations. C. The answers most likely support what would be best for the individuals lifestyles and gain. D. None of the above 4. Which of the following statements best describes how the theme of power is developed in this story? [RL.2] A. The king wishes to be all-powerful, dominating everything around him. At the end of the story, he Inds the knowledge to make this possible. B. The king is an incredibly powerful ruler whose power is threatened by a crazed man who wants to seek revenge for his family s death. C. The king wants to have greater control over the future. He goes out in search of answers only to realize that his original wish was in vain. D. The king is weak, and very few people recognize him as an important man. By the end of the story, he has gained power in an unexpected way. 5

6 5. What does the Inal paragraph reveal about the storyâ s theme? [RL.5] 6

7 7 th Grade Math Redhound Day #6 Mrs. Anderson, Mr. Faulkner, Mrs. Hamlin Choose ONE of the following: Work on IXL/Carnegie for 45 minutes. Log your start & stop times here: Start Time: Stop Time: Complete this worksheet and show any work that you do. If you use a calculator, write down 1. The installment plan for Sara s new car was $1,500 down and $290 each month for 24 months. What was the total price Sara paid for her car? a. $3,600 b. $6,960 c. $7,110 d. $8, Solve the following problem = a b. 0.7 c. 70 d Dave bought 1.2 pounds of plums for $0.50 per pound. He also bought 1.5 pounds of nuts for $2.50 per pound. Dave gave the cashier $10.00 for the plums and nuts. How much change should he have received? a. $4.35 b. $5.65 c. $7.00 d. $ Doctors recommend 8 hours of sleep every night. Leslie spends 16 hours awake every day. Jordan spends 40% of every day asleep. Luis spends 1/3 of every day asleep. Nico sleeps hours every day. Recall there are 24 hours in a day. Who sleeps too much? a. Leslie b. Jordan c. Luis d. Nico 5. There are 9 employees in the accounting department where Stephon works, and 7 of them have passed the CPA (certified public accountant) exam. What percentage of the accounting employees have passed the exam? Round to the nearest tenth, if necessary. a. 56.3% b. 43.8% c. 77.8% d % b. 6. Of the 11 teachers at Harris Middle School, 7 of them have earned their master s degrees. Express this ratio as a decimal. Round to the nearest thousandth, if necessary. a b c d

8 7. Solve the following problem ( 5 3) = a. 25 b. 20 c. 13 d Mr. Ramon has a long-distance calling plan that charges $0.08 per minute for long-distance calls. How much would a 45-minute long-distance call cost? a. $3.20 b. $3.40 c. $3.50 d. $ Laura is 3 years older than twice Joseph s age. If Laura is 27 years old, how old is Joseph? a. 12 b. 15 c. 24 d Amy baby-sat from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. If Amy was paid $15.75, how much did she earn per hour? a. $4.20 b. $4.50 c. $5.25 d. $ An employee of the XYZ Furniture Company receives a weekly salary of $125 per day plus $40 for each chair that he or she makes. What would be the weekly pay of a worker who made 12 chairs? a. $1,540 b. $1,980 c. $480 d. $ Jason bought 3 packages of sliced ham. Two packages weighed 7.5 ounces each. The other package weighed 10.5 ounces. What was the total number of ounces of ham that Jason bought? a b c d Solve for x: a. - 9 b. 1 c. 1 d Solve for x: a. 9 b. 9 c. 5 d a. 2!! b. 2!! c.!"!" d. 2!!

9 Redhound Day 6 7th Grade Science Teachers: Rice and Rougeux Below is the link for the reading and videos to watch before answering the questions. Science/lesson/States-of-Matter/?referrer=concept_details Explore More Use the following resource to answer the questions that follow. States of Matter at 1 What happens when the temperature of a system increases? 2 What causes a phase change to a more active state? 3 How can a physical change be created? Review 1 Define state of matter. 2 List four states of matter. Which states of matter are most common on Earth? 3 What type of property is state of matter? How could you demonstrate this? 4 Make a table comparing and contrasting solids, liquids, and gases. Vocabulary

10 Student Name: Teacher Name: Redhound Day Lesson 6-7 th Grade Social Studies This lesson replaces one day of classroom instruction in Social Studies. These tasks will be graded based upon correct completion. Students will have a five- day period including two ESS dates to complete any work that is not finished on the actual day that we miss school. Directions: Carefully analyze the maps for this lesson (paper copy or Edmodo resource) to answer the following questions in complete sentences. Remember to refer to the Historical Context section. (Lesson from Stanford History Education Group, Reading Like a Historian: new- world). 1. What do you see when you look at the map from 1635? 2. What do you see when you look at the map from 1651? 3. List three differences between Map A and Map B: 4. These maps are showing the EXACT SAME PIECE OF LAND. Why do you think they differ? 5. Look at the HISTORICAL CONTEXT SHEET. How might settlers attitudes towards Native Americans have changed from the 1630 s to the 1650 s? How might settlers attitudes toward the land have changed from the 1630 s to the 1650 s? Explain your answer. 6. Why does the cartographer for Map B think the Sea of China and the Indies are on the other side of Virginia? (HINT: Think about where Columbus thought he landed!) KCAS SS 7 KCAS SS 7 Academic Expectation 2.20: Students understand, analyze, and interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to develop historical perspective. Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6 12: CCSS.ELA- LITERACY.RH Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

11 Historical Context Sheet 1607: English settlers first land in Jamestown : Almost 150 (of 214) English colonists die from starvation and hardship. 1619: Virginia s population grows rapidly to 1, : Native Americans launch attacks against English settlements and kill 347 settlers : Colonists respond by poisoning and killing 250 Native Americans. 1634: Colonists build a wall across the Virginia Peninsula. 1634: An English Captain wrote that the wall completely excludes the Indians...; this will be of extraordinary benefit to the country." 1636: Date of Map A 1646: First Indian reservations established for surviving Powhatan Indians. 1651: Date of Map B.

12 Map A: Gerhard Mercator. Virginia and Maryland,

13 Map B: Edward Williams. A Map of Virginia,