A black and white illustration of a serious man walking on a street. A single, brightly colored potato chip on the ground emits a vibrant sound wave that makes him smile.

A man walked downtown. He was very serious. He never laughed at all. He saw a funny clown. He passed a silly mime. He saw a dancing dog. The man did not smile. He did not laugh then. He kept walking ahead. Suddenly, he heard a sound. He stepped on a chip. The chip made a crunch. The crunch was very loud. The man smiled widely now. He began to laugh hard. The crunch was so funny. He thought it was great. It was as funny as a crunch. His sad mood went away. He was now very happy.

Excercise

True or False?

  1. The man was happy at the beginning of the story.
  2. The man laughed at the silly mime.
  3. The man smiled when he saw the dancing dog.
  4. The man stepped on a banana peel.
  5. The sound of the crunch made the man laugh.
  6. The man became sad again at the end of the story.

Answers

  1. False.The story tells the man was “very serious” and “never laughed at all.” This means he was not happy.
  2. False.The story says the man “did not laugh then,” even after seeing the mime, the clown, and the dancing dog.
  3. False.The story says “The man did not smile” at any of the funny things he saw.
  4. False.He stepped on a “chip,” not a banana peel.
  5. True.The man laughed hard because “The crunch was so funny.”
  6. False.The last sentences of the story state that “His sad mood went away. He was now very happy.”

Let’s talk about it

  • What sound makes you happy?
  • Tell us about a time you laughed at something silly.