The Rabbit and the Tortoise – Aesop’s Fables

Aesop’s Fables has a large number of stories and some of them such as the Red riding hood, the honest woodcutter and many more are well known across the world. The story of the “The Rabbit and the Tortoise” also has other names and is called as “The Hare and the Tortoise”. It is the story of a arrogant hare who makes fun of a tortoise for being slow and they have a race.

Story:

Once upon a time, there was a rabbit who was very fast. He used to make fun of all the animals which were slower than him

One day the rabbit was making fun of a tortoise for being very slow.

The rabbit said, “Ha Ha, Mr. Tortoise. Look how slow you are and look at how fast I am. You must be so ashamed. Ha Ha.”

The tortoise ignored the rabbit and was walking slowly.

The rabbit continued, “Do you even get anywhere when you walk so slowly? Ha Ha.”

The tortoise looked at the rabbit angrily and said, “Yes. I can get there faster than you can. I will race you and let us see who the winner is.”

The rabbit laughed loudly. “Are you challenging me to a race? You are going to lose so badly! Fine. Let Mr. Fox judge the race and let’s begin.”

The rules were simple. The two had to run across the fields and the meadows until the old oak tree and then back.

The rabbit ran at his full speed and soon was so far ahead that he could not see the tortoise. He was so arrogant that he thought, “Let me sleep for some time just to prove how ridiculous it was for the tortoise to challenge me”.

The rabbit lied down in the grass and slept. The Tortoise meanwhile slowly walked and crossed the place where the rabbit was fast asleep. When the rabbit woke up, it was already too late. The Tortoise was already at the finish line.

The rabbit ran as swiftly as he could but the tortoise had already won the race.

What is the moral of the story?

The moral of the story “The Rabbit and the Tortoise” is “Slow and steady wins the race..”

Other stories which you can read

Questions on “The Rabbit and the Tortoise“

1. Who are the main characters of the story?
2. Why was the rabbit very arrogant?
3. Who did the rabbit make fun of and what happened?
4. What happened at the start of the race between the rabbit and the tortoise?
5. Who wins the race?
6. Explain is the moral of the story?

Answers:

1. The main characters of the story are a very arrogant rabbit and a slow tortoise.
2. The rabbit was very fast and so he was arrogant. He used to make fun of all the animals which were slower than him
3. One day the rabbit made fun of a tortoise for being very slow. The tortoise challenged him to a race.
4. The rabbit ran at his full speed and soon was so far ahead that he could not see the tortoise. He was so arrogant that he slept for some time just to prove how ridiculous it was for the tortoise to challenge him. The rabbit lied down in the grass and slept.
5. The rabbit was sleeping and the Tortoise slowly walked and crossed the place where the rabbit was fast asleep. When the rabbit woke up, it was already too late. The Tortoise was already at the finish line. The rabbit ran as swiftly as he could but the tortoise had already won the race.
6. The moral of the story “The Rabbit and the Tortoise” is “Slow and steady wins the race..”

The Rabbit and the Tortoise – PDF

Looking for the free downloadable PDF version of “The Rabbit and the Tortoise” short story in English? If so, you’ve come to the right place. You can click on the link below to download the free story in PDF version format.

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