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Comprehension Exercise
The Fable of the Weaver
Famously depicted in Velazquez’s Las Hilanderas (see our former activity
sheet), the story of Arachne is about spiders. To be precise, it is about the origin
of the spider. The following multiple choice comprehension is for Primary 4.
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The most famous weaver in myth is a figure
named Arachne, a woman who lived in ancient
Greece.
In Arachne’s time, a weaver’s skill was seen in
her tapestries. These were huge pieces of fabric,
like carpets, with sewn-on pictures of people and
events.
Arachne was so skilled, that any tapestry she
wove seemed to come alive. People travelled
great distances to see her handiwork, and kings
would go to war to possess one of her tapestries.
In time, the ancient Greeks began to imagine that
Arachne’s skill was inhuman.
“Arachne is the child of a Goddess,” some of them whispered, “and her skill is a gift
from the heavens.”
When Arachne heard this, she rolled her eyes in contempt. She declared that her skill
was quite her own. No God or Goddess, she insisted, gave her the talent for weaving.
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“I learned everything by myself,” Arachne said, “and anyway, I can weave better than
any Goddess.”
The Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, heard this. She took the form of an old
woman, and visited Arachne.
“You must retract what you said,” Athena told Arachne, “Your weaving can never
compare to that of a Goddess.”
“Even if Athena herself were to come down and challenge me,” Arachne said, “I would
not take back my words. I am the better weaver.”
Athena then removed her disguise, and no longer resembled an old woman. Now she
was tall and proud, in clothes of shimmering white. Without a word, Athena and
Arachne both stepped up to a loom, a device used for weaving.
The two began to weave at a furious pace, each intending to prove herself the better
weaver.
Passers-by stopped and gaped at the incredible contest. Both Arachne and Athena
showed great skill, and the beauty of their work drove some onlookers to tears.
At the end of it, Athena had woven a tapestry depicting the follies and foolishness of
human kind. Arachne had woven a tapestry showing the unfairness and cruelty of the
Greek Gods.
Arachne’s work deeply offended Athena, and the Goddess was infuriated when the
crowd sided with Arachne. She glowered at the crowd, who were clamouring that
Arachne’s tapestry was better.
In a fit of anger, Athena lifted the loom and smashed it over Arachne’s head. She
declared that, since Arachne loved weaving so much, she could go on and weave
forever.
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With a single gesture, Athena transformed Arachne into a horrid looking, eight-legged
creature. This creature was doomed to spit webs, and spend its whole life weaving.
This, then, is how the first spider came to be.
Questions:
1) Why would kings go to war to possess Arachne’s work?
(a) It was because Arachne’s tapestries seemed to come alive.
(b) It was because at the time, a weaver’s skill could be seen in her tapestries.
(c) It was because Arachne’s skill was inhuman.
(d) It was because Arachne’s skill was learned on her own.
2) Athena tells Arachne to retract her claim. What does “retract” mean?
(Vocabulary)
(a) It means that Arachne’s skill came from a God or Goddess.
(b) It means that Arachne had to admit her claim of being “better than any
Goddess” at weaving was untrue.
(c) It means Athena was threatening to turn Arachne into a spider.
(d) It means Arachne had to prove that she was better than Athena.
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3) Why do you think the crowd decided Arachne’s work was better?
(Extrapolation)
(a) The crowd did not like the way Athena portrayed human beings.
(b) The crowd wanted to offend Athena.
(c) The crowd wanted Arachne to be turned into a spider.
(d) It is because Arachne’s work moved some of the crowd to tears.
4) In the sixth paragraph, it says that Arachne rolled her eyes in “contempt”.
What does “contempt” mean, in this context? (Vocabulary)
(a) It means Arachne hated the people who whispered such opinions.
(b) It means Arachne’s eyes were irritated.
(c) It means Arachne looked down on the people who whispered such opinions.
(d) It means Arachne was very confident in her skills.
5) Why did Athena turn Arachne into a spider?
(a) It was because Athena was furious at losing the contest.
(b) It was because Arachne loved weaving, and hence should weave forever.
(c) It was because Arachne saw through Athena’s disguise.
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(d) It was because Athena broke the loom.
Answer Key:
1 – (a)
2 – (b)
3 – (a)
4 – (c)
5 – (a)
Word Bank:
Contempt – The feeling that something is worthless, or beneath consideration. For
example: Susan was the brightest student, so she treated her classmates with
contempt.
Retract – To admit that a statement we made before is wrong. For example: Anthony
no longer felt the movie was good. He retracted his statement that everyone should
watch it.
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Shimmering – To shine with a soft, wavering light. For example: I could barely see by
the shimmering candlelight.
Gaped – To stare with one’s mouth hanging open. For example: I gaped as the
acrobat leapt from one rope to another.
Follies - Mistakes caused by a lack of foresight or common sense. For example:
Studying at the last minute was one of my follies.
Infuriated - To become extremely angry. For example: Samuel infuriated the teachers
by always showing up late.
Clamouring - To loudly and insistently state something. For example: The students
are all clamouring for a longer recess.
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