Cause and Effect in Fiction

Cause and Effect in Fiction

Read the passage below carefully. Then, answer the questions about cause and effect relationships in the story.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once there was a shepherd boy who was bored watching his flock of sheep on the hillside. To amuse himself, he shouted, 'Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!' The villagers heard his cries and ran up the hill to help the boy. When they arrived, they saw no wolf and the boy laughed at their wasted effort. A few days later, the boy cried 'Wolf! Wolf!' again, and the villagers again ran to help, only to find themselves tricked a second time. Then, one day, a wolf really did come. The boy cried out, 'Wolf! Wolf! Please help! The wolf is really here!' But the villagers, having been fooled twice before, thought it was another trick and did not come. The wolf attacked the sheep, and the boy learned a valuable lesson.

1. What caused the villagers to run up the hill the first time?

2. What was the effect of the boy tricking the villagers twice?

3. The boy was bored, so he  .

4. Because the villagers thought the boy was tricking them, they   when the real wolf came.

5. What was the cause of the wolf attacking the sheep?

6. What was the effect of the wolf attacking the sheep on the boy?

7. The villagers came to help because they heard the boy laugh.

8. The boy learned a valuable lesson because the villagers did not come when the real wolf appeared.