LISTENING COMPREHENSION AN ARAB AND HIS SONS

Var.1

1. True or False.
1. The old man had 4 sons and 18 horses.
2. He wanted to give his sons everything he owned.
3. He owned a lot of valuable things.
4. The Arab wanted his sons to divide everything according to his will.
5. He gave his second son one fourth of his horses.
6. The sons were very glad.
7. They asked a passer-by to help them.
8. He divided the horses wonderfully.

2. Answer the questions.
1. Why did the Arab call his sons?
2. What did he leave them?
3. Why were his sons in despair?
4. Why couldn’t his eldest son take one half of the horses?
5. Did the sons wanted to do what their father had told them?
6. Who helped them?
7. How did the old man manage to divide the horses?
8. How many horses did the old man get?
AN ARAB AND HIS SONS

Far to the East there lived in old days an Arab who had three sons, whom he
dearly loved. He had seventeen beautiful horses that he loved, too.
One day the old man became very ill. Feeling that the end was near, he
called his sons to give one - half of his horses to the eldest son, to the second son -
one third, and to the youngest - one-ninth.
The sons met to divide the horses but they didn't know how to divide them.
"How can I take one half of seventeen horses?" said the eldest son. "1 can't
divide a living horse in two. »
And how can I," asked the second, "take one third of seventeen horses? But
this is what my father wanted me to do".
"I also want to do what my father wanted us to. But what is one ninth of
seventeen horses?"
At that time an old man came riding on a horse. "May be he can tell us",
they said hopefully. They told him their story.
The man began to think. Several minutes passed before he spoke. At last he
said, "Take my horse and there will be eighteen".
They did so. The elder son took one half of the horses. Then the second son
called the horses, which he loved best, and the six animals came running to him.
And the youngest son took two horses. The sons said lo the man: "You divided the
horses wonderfully. Say what you want us to give you for it".
"I shall take all the horses that are left", said the old man and he rode away
with his own horse

Listening Comprehension - An Arab and His Sons

Var.1

1. True or False.
1. The old man had 4 sons and 18 horses.
- False. The old man had three sons and 17 horses.
Explanation: The passage states that the old man had three sons whom he dearly loved, and he had seventeen beautiful horses.

2. He wanted to give his sons everything he owned.
- False. The old man wanted to divide his horses among his sons according to a specific distribution.

3. He owned a lot of valuable things.
- Not mentioned. The passage does not provide information about the old man owning other valuable things besides his horses.

4. The Arab wanted his sons to divide everything according to his will.
- True. The old man wanted his sons to divide the horses according to his instructions in terms of fractions.

5. He gave his second son one fourth of his horses.
- False. The old man gave his second son one-third of his horses, not one-fourth.

6. The sons were very glad.
- Not mentioned. The passage does not provide information about the sons' emotions.

7. They asked a passer-by to help them.
- True. The sons asked a passer-by, an old man, for help in dividing the horses.

8. He divided the horses wonderfully.
- True. The old man divided the horses in a way that satisfied the sons' requirements.

2. Answer the questions.

1. Why did the Arab call his sons?
- The Arab called his sons because he wanted to divide his horses among them before he passed away.

2. What did he leave them?
- He left them 17 horses.

3. Why were his sons in despair?
- The sons were in despair because they were unsure how to divide the horses according to their father's instructions.

4. Why couldn't his eldest son take one half of the horses?
- The eldest son couldn't take one-half of the horses because dividing a living horse in two was impossible.

5. Did the sons want to do what their father had told them?
- Yes, the sons wanted to follow their father's instructions.

6. Who helped them?
- An old man, who happened to pass by and heard their dilemma, helped them.

7. How did the old man manage to divide the horses?
- The old man managed to divide the horses by offering them his own horse, which made the total number of horses 18. This allowed for fractions like one-half, one-third, and one-ninth to be more easily divided.

8. How many horses did the old man get?
- The old man took all the horses that were left after his sons took their shares, so he got 1 horse.

In summary, the passage is about an Arab man with three sons and 17 horses. The old man wanted to divide the horses among his sons according to specific fractions. His sons struggled to figure out how to divide the horses until an old man passing by offered a solution. He gave them his own horse, making the total number of horses 18. The sons were then able to divide the horses according to their father's instructions. Finally, the old man took all the remaining horses for himself.