Reading Literature ~ The Brothers and the Cherry Tree - Practice Test

Once upon a time, three brothers lived with their mother in a cottage on the bank of a river. The river was not wide, but it was swift and powerful. Neither the brothers nor the woman had ever attempted to cross it.

Across the river from the cottage stood a magical cherry tree. Every summer, the woman watched the fruit grow and ripen on the tree. When they were deep red and as large as plums, the cherries dropped one by one to the ground. The woman always sighed at this sight, for she longed to eat the magical fruit.

Many summer passed this way, and the brothers became young men. They were tall, strong, and sure of themselves. One day, they noticed their mother staring sadly at the cherry tree. "Mother has given us everything," the brothers said, "so we should give her something in return. Let's find a way to gather cherries from the tree."

The youngest brother, who seldom looked before he leaped, thought that was a great idea. He threw off his shoes, jumped into the water, and started swimming. But the swift, powerful river carried him off.

The middle brother had just a bit more sense than the youngest. With a pocketknife, he cut some branches from a tree. Then he tied them together to make a raft. He put the raft in the river, climed on, and started paddling with his hands. But the swift, powerful river carried him off, too.

The olders brother was both clever and careful. He sat down for an hour to think. Then he found an ax and walked along the riverbank, looking at each tree that grew there. He stopped at a tall, strong oak and started chopping it. After a while, he gave the tree a gentle push. It fell across the river to make a sturdy bridge.

Just then the oldest boy saw his two brothers trudging up the riverbank, dripping with water. "You are just in time to gather cherries," he told them. With that, the three brothers walked across the bridge to the other side of the river.

	Quiz Log In Username: Password: