Summary of A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg
In this story “A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg” by Leo Tolstoy, we learn about a grain that was as big as a hen’s egg. Long ago, land and the things it produced were free for everyone. One day, children found this large grain in a ravine and sold it to a traveler who, in turn, sold it to the king as a curiosity.
The king asked his wise men to figure out what the grain was, but they couldn’t until a hen pecked a hole in it, revealing it was a grain of corn. The king then tried to find out where such corn had grown but couldn’t find the answer in books.
They brought an old deaf peasant who said he’d never seen or bought such grain. His father was then brought before the king, who also hadn’t seen such grain and said in his time, people grew their own corn and shared with each other.
The king asked the oldest grandfather, who recognized the grain and tasted it. He explained that in his time, this kind of grain was everywhere, and people didn’t buy or sell bread. The land was free for all, and people lived by their own labor.
The king then asked why the grain had become smaller, and why the men in the family needed crutches. The old man explained that when people stopped depending on their own work and started relying on others, these problems began.
So, this story teaches us the importance of working for what we have and not relying on others. It also shows that in the past, people shared and worked together, and things were different when everyone had their own land.
Theme of A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg
The theme of this story is about how people used to live in a time when they worked for themselves and shared what they had with others. In those days, land and the things it produced were free for everyone. The story tells us that as people started depending on others instead of their own work, things changed. The big grain of corn in the story symbolizes a time when people lived by their own labor and shared with one another. It shows the value of self-reliance and working for what you have instead of relying on others.
Message of A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg
The story’s message is that in the past, people lived by working for themselves and sharing with others. They didn’t rely on buying or selling things. The big grain represents a time when self-reliance was important. The story teaches us that it’s better to work for what we have and share with others, rather than depending on others for everything.
A. Tick the most appropriate options. A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg
1. Which of these sentences can describe the grain of corn found by the children?
a. It was grooved. b. It was round.
c. It had a conical shape. d. It was as big as a hen’s egg.
2. The traveller thought that the object was
a. curious b. wonderful
c. strange d. very big
3. The wise men discovered the true nature of the thing only because
a. they were wise. b. they looked at its head and tail.
c. they pondered over it. d. of a hen.
4. The person who looked the youngest among the three old men was actually a sin
a. the youngest. b. the older.
c. the oldest. d. older.
5. The old man was sure the grain was similar to the ones he had sown after he had
a. turned it over. b. seen it.
c. tasted it. d. studied it.
Answer
1. Which of these sentences can describe the grain of corn found by the children?
d. It was as big as a hen’s egg.
2. The traveller thought that the object was
a. curious
3. The wise men discovered the true nature of the thing only because
d. of a hen.
4. The person who looked the youngest among the three old men was actually a sin
a. the youngest.
5. The old man was sure the grain was similar to the ones he had sown after he had
c. tasted it.
B. Answer these questions. A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg
1. How was the first man different from his grandfather?
2. What did the oldest man say about the object?
3. “No,” he said. “I never sowed nor reaped any grain like this in my field…”
a. Who said these words?
b. Who wanted an answer?
c. What was the question?
4. “It is the very same kind.”
a. Who said these words?
b. What did ‘it’ refer to?
c. What did the speaker compare ‘it’ to?
5. ‘My field was God’s earth”.
a. Who said this to whom?
b. To which question was this reply given?
Answer
1. How was the first man different from his grandfather?
The first man was older and needed two crutches, while his grandfather was still strong and didn’t need any crutches.
2. What did the oldest man say about the object?
The oldest man said, “It is the very same kind.”
3. “No,” he said. “I never sowed nor reaped any grain like this in my field…”
a. Who said these words?
The first man (the deaf old man) said these words.
b. Who wanted an answer?
The king wanted an answer.
c. What was the question?
The question was, “Have you ever bought any like it, or sown any in your fields?”
4. “It is the very same kind.”
a. Who said these words?
The oldest man (the grandfather) said these words.
b. What did ‘it’ refer to?
‘It’ referred to the grain of corn.
c. What did the speaker compare ‘it’ to?
The speaker compared ‘it’ to the grain of corn they were discussing.
5. ‘My field was God’s earth”.
a. Who said this to whom?
The oldest man (the grandfather) said this to the king.
b. To which question was this reply given?
This reply was given to the question, “Where was your field, where did you grow corn like this?”
C. Think and write. A Grain as big as a Hen’s Egg
1. Why do you think the corn was larger in the father’s time, and largest in the grandfather’s time?
a. In the father’s time, they used to share, so the grain was larger; in the grandfather’s time even the land was not owned so the grain was the largest.
b. The productivity of the land decreased progressively with time.
c. The father’s generation had better farmers; the grandfather’s generation had the best farmers.
2. What do you think the grandfather thought of today’s world?
3. The first old man and his father used crutches, while the grandfather used none. What is the significance of this?
Answer
1. a. In the father’s time, they used to share, so the grain was larger; in the grandfather’s time even the land was not owned, so the grain was the largest. This explanation suggests that in the grandfather’s time, not only did people share, but land was also freely available, leading to larger and more abundant crops.
2. The grandfather likely thought that today’s world was very different from his own time. He might have believed that people now rely on buying and selling, and land is owned individually, leading to smaller grain and changes in how people live.
3. The significance of the first old man and his father using crutches while the grandfather used none highlights the physical well-being and self-sufficiency of the grandfather’s generation. The need for crutches in the younger generations may symbolize their increasing dependence on others and the decline in physical health, possibly linked to changes in their way of life.