Once there was a bird. It was an utterly foolish bird. It sang songs, but did not read the scriptures. It flew, it jumped, but did not have the faintest sense of etiquette.

The King said, “Such birds! They are of no use at all. They only eat the fruits in the orchards and the royal fruit-market runs a deficit.”

He called the minister, and commanded, “Educate it.”

— 2 —

The King’s nephew was given the responsibility of educating the bird.

The scholars held long discussions, the subject being — “What is the reason behind the foolishness of this creature?”

The conclusion was: much learning could not be stored in the tiny nest that the bird could make with just chips and twigs. So, first of all, it was necessary to build a good cage for it.

The scholars got amply rewarded and went home merrily.

— 3 —

The goldsmith started building the cage. The cage turned out to be so exquisite that everyone under the sun rushed to see it. Some said, “Education indeed!” Others said, “Education or no education, at least the bird has got the cage! What a lucky bird!”

The goldsmith got a bagful of rewards. He set out for home cheerfully.

The pundit came to teach the bird. He took a pinch of snuff and said, “A few books won’t do.”

The nephew summoned the scribes. They copied from the books and copied from those copies and made an enormous mound of such things. Whoever saw it, said, “Bravo! Learning is going to overflow!”

The scribes got cartfuls of rewards. At once they rushed home. None of their descendants faced any poverty ever since.

The nephew was always busy, doing endless number of things regarding the surveillance of the precious cage. Repairs were quite frequent. Apart from that, there was the washing and the cleaning and the polishing of the cage. Everyone admitted, “Sure signs of improvement.”

Many people were employed and to supervise them, many more people were employed. Each of them got a handful of coins every month and filled their chests with them.

They, their brothers, sisters and cousins began to live in great luxury and happiness.

— 4 —

The world lacks many things; only fault-finders are there in plenty. They said, “There are improvements of the cage all right, but nobody cares for the bird.”

The words reached the King’s ears. He called the nephew and said, “What’s this I hear, dear nephew?”

The nephew said, “Your Majesty! If you want to know the truth then call the goldsmith, send for the pundits and the scribes, summon the repairmen and their supervisors. The fault-finders cannot make both ends meet and talk nonsense.”

The situation became crystal-clear to the King, and a gold necklace adorned the nephew’s neck.

— 5 —

The King wished to see for himself the lightening speed at which education was proceeding. So one day he came to the education center with his entire entourage of friends, companions and courtiers.

As soon as he reached the entrance, there arose a chorus of bells and drums and harps and flutes and lyres and lutes and cellos and violins and cymbals and mandolins and trombones and bassoons and harpsichords and clavichords. The pundits swung their pig-tails and started chanting hymns at the top of their voices. The repairmen and the laborers and the goldsmith and the scribes and the supervisors and the cousins greeted the King with a huge uproar.

The Nephew said, “Your Majesty! What do you think?”

The King said, “Amazing! This is a non-trivial amount of sound!”

The Nephew said, “It’s not just the sound Your Majesty, there is also a non-trivial amount of money behind it.”

The King was extremely pleased. He started back. He came out of the front door and was about to ride his elephant, when a fault-finder, who had been hiding in a bush, yelled, “Your Majesty! Have you looked at the bird?”

The King was startled. He said, “Oh! I forgot. I didn’t see the bird after all.”

He went in once again and told the pundit, “I want to see your method of educating the bird.”

And he saw it. Very pleasing indeed. The method was so overwhelming compared to the bird that one could hardly notice the bird. It seemed it was rather irrelevant to look at the bird. The King understood that the arrangements were faultless. There was no corn in the cage, no water either. Only heaps of pages had been torn out from heaps of books; and with the tip of a pen, those pages were being stuffed into the bird’s mouth. There was no room in the mouth for the bird to squeeze out a cry, let alone a tune. It was really a terribly pleasing sight.

This time, before mounting the elephant, the King ordered the ear-pulling expert to pull the fault-finder’s ears severely.

— 6 —

In a rather respectable and predictable way, the bird became half-dead as the days passed. The guardians understood that the situation was hopeful. But still — as its bad habits were — the bird looked at the morning sun and flapped its wings in a very objectionable manner. Some days it was even found to make an attempt to break the rods of the cage with its sickly beak.

The administrator said, “What audacity!”

Immediately, the blacksmith came to the education department with bellows and fire and hammer and chisels. His hits were absolutely spectacular! An iron chain was manufactured and the wings of the bird were cut off.

The King’s relatives shook their heads gravely and said, “In this land, you see, the birds are not only stupid, but ungrateful as well.”

Then the pundits came with a pen in one hand and a spear in another and did something which one could really call education.

The blacksmith became very well-to-do. His wife got gold ornaments. The administrator gained a title from the King for his alertness.

— 7 —

The bird died — no one knew when. The infamous fault-finder spread the news, “The bird has died.”

The King called the nephew and asked, “Dear nephew, what is this that I hear?”

The nephew said, “Your Majesty, the bird’s education is now complete.”

The King asked, “Does it still jump?”

The nephew said, “God forbid.”

“Does it still fly?”

“No.”

“Does it sing any more?”

“No.”

“Does it scream if it doesn’t get food?”

“No.”

The King said, “Bring the bird in. I would like to see it.”

The bird was brought in. With it came the administrator, the guards, the horsemen. The King felt the bird. It didn’t open its mouth and didn’t utter a word. Only the pages of books, stuffed inside its stomach, raised a ruffling sound.

Outside, where the gentle south wind and the blossoming woods were heralding spring, the young green leaves filled the sky with a deep and heavy sigh.

বাংলা অনুবাদ দেওয়া হলো—

১

এক ছিল একটি পাখি। সে ছিল একেবারেই নির্বোধ পাখি। গান গাইত, কিন্তু শাস্ত্র পড়ত না। উড়ত, লাফাত, কিন্তু ভদ্রতার বিন্দুমাত্র জ্ঞান তার ছিল না।

রাজা বললেন, “এমন পাখি! এরা কোনো কাজের নয়। শুধু বাগানের ফল খায় আর রাজকীয় ফলবাজার লোকসানে পড়ে যায়।”

তিনি মন্ত্রিকে ডেকে আদেশ দিলেন, “এটিকে শিক্ষিত করো।”

২

রাজপুত্রকে দায়িত্ব দেওয়া হলো পাখিটিকে শিক্ষিত করার।

পণ্ডিতেরা দীর্ঘ আলোচনা করলেন—বিষয় ছিল: “এই প্রাণীটি কেন নির্বোধ?”

উপসংহার হলো: ছোট ছোট কাঠি ও খড়কুটো দিয়ে যে ছোট্ট বাসা পাখিটি বানায়, সেখানে অনেক বিদ্যা ধরে না। সুতরাং প্রথমেই একটি ভালো খাঁচা বানানো দরকার।

পণ্ডিতেরা মোটা পুরস্কার পেলেন এবং আনন্দে বাড়ি ফিরে গেলেন।

৩

সোনার কারিগর খাঁচা বানাতে শুরু করলেন। খাঁচাটি এত সুন্দর হলো যে চারদিক থেকে মানুষ ছুটে এলো দেখতে। কেউ বলল, “এই তো শিক্ষা!” আবার কেউ বলল, “শিক্ষা হোক বা না হোক, অন্তত পাখিটি খাঁচা তো পেল! কী ভাগ্যবান পাখি!”

সোনার কারিগর এক থলি পুরস্কার পেলেন এবং খুশি মনে বাড়ি গেলেন।

পণ্ডিত এলেন পাখিকে পড়াতে। তিনি নস্যি টেনে বললেন, “কেবল কয়েকটা বই দিয়ে হবে না।”

রাজপুত্র লিপিকারদের ডাকলেন। তারা বই থেকে নকল করল, আবার সেই নকল থেকে আরেক নকল করল, এবং স্তুপ করে ফেলল অজস্র কাগজ। যে–ই দেখল বলল, “বাহ! বিদ্যা তো উপচে পড়ছে!”

লিপিকাররা গাড়ি ভরে পুরস্কার পেল। তৎক্ষণাৎ তারা ছুটে বাড়ি গেল। এরপর থেকে তাদের বংশধরেরা আর কখনও দারিদ্র্যে ভুগল না।

রাজপুত্র সর্বদা ব্যস্ত থাকতেন খাঁচার দেখাশোনায়। মেরামত প্রায়ই করতে হতো। তাছাড়া ধোয়া–মোছা, পালিশ করাও চলত নিয়মিত। সবাই বলত, “অবশ্যই উন্নতির লক্ষণ।”

অনেক লোক চাকরি পেল, আর তাদের তদারক করার জন্য আরও অনেক লোক নিযুক্ত হলো। প্রত্যেকেই প্রতি মাসে হাতভর্তি মুদ্রা পেত এবং তাদের ভাঁড়ার ভরে উঠল।

তারা, তাদের ভাইবোন ও চাচাতো–ফুপাতো আত্মীয় সবাই সুখ–স্বাচ্ছন্দ্যে বাস করতে লাগল।

৪

পৃথিবীতে অনেক কিছুর অভাব আছে; শুধু দোষ–খুঁজে বের করা লোকের কোনো অভাব নেই। তারা বলল, “খাঁচার উন্নতি হচ্ছে বটে, কিন্তু পাখির দিকে তো কেউ খেয়ালই করছে না।”

এই কথা রাজার কানে গেল। তিনি রাজপুত্রকে ডেকে বললেন, “বাবা, আমি কী শুনছি?”

রাজপুত্র বলল, “মহারাজ! আপনি যদি সত্য জানতে চান তবে সোনার কারিগরকে ডাকুন, পণ্ডিত ও লিপিকারদের ডাকুন, মিস্ত্রি আর তদারককারীদের ডাকুন। দোষ–খোঁজাদের পেটে ভাত জোটে না বলেই এসব বাজে কথা বলে।”

সব কিছু রাজার কাছে একেবারে পরিষ্কার হলো, আর রাজপুত্রের গলায় পড়ল সোনার হার।

৫

রাজা নিজেই দেখতে চাইলেন বিদ্যা কী দারুণ গতিতে এগোচ্ছে। তাই একদিন তিনি তার সঙ্গী–সাথী ও সভাসদদের নিয়ে এলেন শিক্ষাকেন্দ্রে।

রাজা দোরগোড়ায় পৌঁছাতেই একসঙ্গে বাজল ঘণ্টা, ঢাক, বাঁশি, বীণা, বেহালা, মন্দিরা, ম্যান্ডোলিন, ট্রোমবোন, বাসুন, হার্পসিকর্ড, ক্ল্যাভিকর্ড প্রভৃতি বাদ্যযন্ত্র। পণ্ডিতেরা শিখার ঝুঁটি দুলিয়ে গলা ফাটিয়ে মন্ত্রপাঠ শুরু করল। মিস্ত্রি, শ্রমিক, সোনার কারিগর, লিপিকার, তদারককারী ও চাচাতো ভাই–বোনেরা সবাই মিলেমিশে রাজাকে অভ্যর্থনা জানাল প্রচণ্ড ধুমধামের সঙ্গে।

রাজপুত্র বলল, “মহারাজ! কেমন লাগছে?”

রাজা বললেন, “অসাধারণ! অল্পস্বল্প শব্দ নয়, বেশ বড় রকমেরই শব্দ!”

রাজপুত্র বলল, “শুধু শব্দই নয় মহারাজ, এর পেছনে বেশ বড় রকমের অর্থও ব্যয় হয়েছে।”

রাজা ভীষণ খুশি হলেন। তিনি ফেরার পথে হাতির পিঠে চড়তে যাচ্ছিলেন, এমন সময় এক দোষ–খোঁজা লোক, যে ঝোপের আড়ালে লুকিয়ে ছিল, চিৎকার করে উঠল, “মহারাজ! পাখিটিকে কি একবার দেখেছেন?”

রাজা চমকে উঠলেন। বললেন, “আহা! ভুলেই গেছি, আমি তো পাখিটিকে দেখিইনি।”

তিনি আবার ভেতরে গিয়ে পণ্ডিতকে বললেন, “আমি তোমার শিক্ষাদান পদ্ধতি দেখতে চাই।”

তিনি দেখলেন। খুবই মনোরম! পদ্ধতিটা এতই বিশাল যে পাখিটা চোখেই পড়ছিল না। পাখির দিকে তাকানো যেন অপ্রাসঙ্গিক মনে হচ্ছিল। রাজা বুঝলেন সব ব্যবস্থাই নিখুঁত। খাঁচায় দানা নেই, জলও নেই। শুধু অগণিত বইয়ের ছেঁড়া পাতা; আর কলমের নিব দিয়ে সেই পাতাগুলো গুঁজে দেওয়া হচ্ছে পাখির মুখে।

মুখে এত কাগজ থাকায় পাখিটি কোনো শব্দই করতে পারছিল না, সুর তো দূরের কথা। সত্যিই দৃশ্যটি ছিল ভীষণ আনন্দদায়ক।

এইবার রাজা হাতির পিঠে ওঠার আগে কানের–মালা–টানা–ওস্তাদকে আদেশ দিলেন দোষ–খোঁজার কান শক্ত করে টেনে দিতে।

৬

খুবই সম্মানজনক ও অনুমেয় ভঙ্গিতেই দিনের পর দিন পাখিটি আধমরা হয়ে পড়তে লাগল। অভিভাবকেরা বুঝলেন, পরিস্থিতি আশাব্যঞ্জক। কিন্তু তবুও—তার মন্দ অভ্যাস তো রয়েই গেল—সে সকালের সূর্যের দিকে তাকাত আর পাখা ঝাপটাত বড়ই আপত্তিকর ভঙ্গিতে। কোনো কোনো দিন আবার খাঁচার শিক ভাঙার চেষ্টা করত তার রোগা ঠোঁট দিয়ে।

প্রশাসক বললেন, “কি দুঃসাহস!”

তৎক্ষণাৎ কামার বেলুন, আগুন, হাতুড়ি আর ছেনি নিয়ে হাজির হলো শিক্ষা দপ্তরে। তার হাতুড়ির বাড়ি ছিল একেবারে চমকপ্রদ! বানানো হলো লোহার শিকল আর কেটে ফেলা হলো পাখির ডানা।

রাজপরিবারের লোকেরা গুরুগম্ভীরভাবে মাথা নেড়ে বললেন, “এই দেশে পাখিরা শুধু যে নির্বোধ তাই নয়, অকৃতজ্ঞও বটে।”

তারপর পণ্ডিতেরা এলেন এক হাতে কলম আর অন্য হাতে বর্শা নিয়ে, আর তারা যা করলেন তাই–ই প্রকৃত শিক্ষা বলা যায়।

কামার বেশ সচ্ছল হয়ে উঠল। তার স্ত্রীর গলায় উঠল সোনার গহনা। প্রশাসক তার সতর্কতার জন্য রাজার কাছ থেকে পেল উপাধি।

৭

পাখিটি মারা গেল—কখন মারা গেল কেউ জানল না। কুখ্যাত দোষ–খোঁজা খবর ছড়িয়ে দিল, “পাখি মারা গেছে।”

রাজা রাজপুত্রকে ডেকে জিজ্ঞাসা করলেন, “বাবা, কী শুনছি আমি?”

রাজপুত্র বলল, “মহারাজ, পাখির শিক্ষা এখন সম্পূর্ণ হয়েছে।”

রাজা জিজ্ঞেস করলেন, “এখনো কি সে লাফায়?”

রাজপুত্র বলল, “ঈশ্বর না করুন।”

“এখনো কি সে উড়ে?”

“না।”

“এখনো কি গান গায়?”

“না।”

“খাবার না পেলে কি চেঁচামেচি করে?”

“না।”

রাজা বললেন, “পাখিটিকে নিয়ে এসো। আমি তাকে দেখতে চাই।”

পাখিটিকে আনা হলো। সঙ্গে এল প্রশাসক, প্রহরী আর অশ্বারোহীরা। রাজা পাখিটিকে হাতড়ে দেখলেন। সে মুখ খোলেনি, কোনো শব্দও করেনি। কেবল তার পেটে গুঁজে দেওয়া বইয়ের পাতাগুলো থেকে ভেসে উঠছিল কাগজের মর্মর শব্দ।

বাইরে, যেখানে কোমল দক্ষিণ হাওয়া আর ফুল ফোটা অরণ্য বসন্তকে ঘোষণা করছিল, সেখানে কচি সবুজ পাতারা আকাশ ভরে তুলছিল এক গম্ভীর দীর্ঘশ্বাসে।

Here’s a Vocabulary Table based on the passage:

Words	Bangla	Synonyms	Antonyms
Utterly (adv)	সম্পূর্ণরূপে	completely, totally	partly, slightly
Etiquette (n)	আচার–ব্যবহার, শিষ্টাচার	manners, courtesy	rudeness, impoliteness
Command (v)	আদেশ করা	order, direct	request, plead
Exquisite (adj)	অপূর্ব, চমৎকার	beautiful, elegant	ugly, crude
Surveillance (n)	নজরদারি	supervision, watch	neglect, inattention
Fault-finder (n)	দোষ অনুসন্ধানকারী	critic, complainer	supporter, admirer
Entourage (n)	সঙ্গী–সাথী, অনুসারী দল	retinue, attendants	—
Overwhelming (adj)	প্রবল, অত্যধিক	overpowering, immense	weak, trivial
Audacity (n)	দুঃসাহস	boldness, daring	timidity, fear
Infamous (adj)	কুখ্যাত	notorious, dishonorable	famous, reputable
Grave (adj)	গম্ভীর, গুরুতর	serious, solemn	trivial, lighthearted
Herald (v/n)	ঘোষণা/অগ্রদূত	announce, signal	conceal, hide
Sigh (n/v)	দীর্ঘশ্বাস	exhale, moan	—
Ornament (n)	অলংকার	decoration, jewelry	plainness
Luxury (n)	ভোগ–বিলাস	comfort, extravagance	poverty, hardship

 

Here’s a Vocabulary Table of 50 words based on the passage

Word	Part of Speech	Bangla	Synonyms	Antonyms
Bird	Noun	পাখি	Fowl	Mammal
Foolish	Adjective	মূর্খ	Silly, unwise	Wise, intelligent
Sang	Verb	গান গেয়েছে	Vocalized, chirped	Silence
Scriptures	Noun	শাস্ত্র	Holy texts	Fiction, novel
Flew	Verb	উড়েছিল	Soared, glided	Landed
Jumped	Verb	লাফালাফি করেছে	Leaped, hopped	Crawled
Etiquette	Noun	শিষ্টাচার	Manners, decorum	Impropriety
King	Noun	রাজা	Monarch, ruler	Subject, commoner
Use	Noun/Verb	ব্যবহার	Purpose, function	Uselessness
Fruits	Noun	ফল	Produce	Vegetables
Deficit	Noun	ঘাটতি	Shortfall, loss	Surplus
Minister	Noun	মন্ত্রী	Official, administrator	Commoner
Commanded	Verb	আদেশ দিয়েছেন	Ordered, directed	Requested
Educate	Verb	শিক্ষা দেওয়া	Teach, train	Neglect
Responsibility	Noun	দায়িত্ব	Duty, obligation	Irresponsibility
Scholars	Noun	পণ্ডিত	Academics, intellectuals	Ignorant
Discussions	Noun	আলোচনা	Debate, talk	Silence
Reason	Noun	কারণ	Cause, explanation	Irrationality
Conclusion	Noun	সিদ্ধান্ত	Decision, result	Beginning
Tiny	Adjective	ক্ষুদ্র	Small, minute	Large, huge
Nest	Noun	বাসা	Home, roost	Cage
Chips	Noun	কাটা অংশ	Splinters, fragments	Whole
Twigs	Noun	ডালপালা	Branchlets, sticks	Trunk
Cage	Noun	খাঁচা	Enclosure, pen	Open space
Rewarded	Verb	পুরস্কৃত	Honored, compensated	Punished
Merrily	Adverb	আনন্দময়ভাবে	Cheerfully, happily	Sadly
Goldsmith	Noun	স্বর্ণকার	Jeweler	Customer
Exquisite	Adjective	চমৎকার	Beautiful, delicate	Ugly, crude
Cheerfully	Adverb	আনন্দের সঙ্গে	Joyfully, happily	Sadly
Pundit	Noun	পণ্ডিত	Scholar, expert	Amateur
Snuff	Noun	স্নাফ (ধূমপানযোগ্য ধূলি)	Powder	–
Mound	Noun	ঢিবি	Heap, pile	Flat
Bravo	Interjection	বাহ!	Well done, applause	Boo
Descendants	Noun	উত্তরসূরি	Offspring, heirs	Ancestors
Surveillance	Noun	নজরদারি	Monitoring, observation	Neglect
Repairs	Noun	মেরামত	Fixing, maintenance	Damage
Polishing	Noun	পালিশ	Buffing, shining	Tarnishing
Luxury	Noun	বিলাসিতা	Comfort, opulence	Poverty
Happiness	Noun	সুখ	Joy, contentment	Misery
Fault-finders	Noun	খুঁতখুঁতিয়া	Critics, complainers	Praisers
Crystal-clear	Adjective	পরিষ্কার	Obvious, transparent	Vague
Necklace	Noun	হার	Chain, ornament	Bracelet
Entourage	Noun	সঙ্গীসমূহ	Retinue, company	Solitude
Chorus	Noun	সুরবাহ	Ensemble, group	Solo
Hymns	Noun	স্তোত্র	Chants, psalms	Secular songs
Overwhelming	Adjective	অত্যধিক	Powerful, immense	Weak, minor
Faultless	Adjective	নিখুঁত	Perfect, flawless	Defective
Audacity	Noun	দুঃসাহস	Boldness, daring	Timidity
Spectacular	Adjective	চমকপ্রদ	Stunning, marvelous	Ordinary
Alertness	Noun	সতর্কতা	Vigilance, attentiveness	Carelessness

100 MCQs

1. The bird in the story was described as —
   (i) wise (ii) foolish (iii) intelligent (iv) educated
2. What did the bird do instead of reading scriptures?
   (i) Danced (ii) Sang songs (iii) Studied (iv) Listened
3. What sense did the bird lack?
   (i) Etiquette (ii) Intelligence (iii) Power (iv) Memory
4. Who declared that such birds were of no use?
   (i) Minister (ii) King (iii) Nephew (iv) Goldsmith
5. What did the King complain the birds ate?
   (i) Crops (ii) Fruits (iii) Seeds (iv) Vegetables
6. What suffered a deficit due to the bird?
   (i) Royal garden (ii) Royal fruit-market (iii) Treasury (iv) Palace
7. Who did the King command to educate the bird?
   (i) Minister (ii) Pundit (iii) Nephew (iv) Goldsmith
8. Who was given the responsibility of educating the bird?
   (i) King (ii) King’s nephew (iii) Minister (iv) Blacksmith
9. What did the scholars discuss about the bird?
   (i) Its food (ii) Its foolishness (iii) Its cage (iv) Its wings
10. Why did the scholars conclude the bird was foolish?
    (i) Small nest (ii) No cage (iii) No food (iv) No voice
11. What did they decide to build for the bird?
    (i) A palace (ii) A cage (iii) A library (iv) A school
12. Who was called to build the cage?
    (i) Pundit (ii) Scribe (iii) Goldsmith (iv) Blacksmith
13. What was the cage like?
    (i) Simple (ii) Exquisite (iii) Ordinary (iv) Weak
14. What did people rush to see?
    (i) The bird (ii) The cage (iii) The books (iv) The goldsmith
15. What did some people say the cage represented?
    (i) Freedom (ii) Education (iii) Wealth (iv) Power
16. Who received a bagful of rewards?
    (i) Bird (ii) Nephew (iii) Goldsmith (iv) Pundit
17. Who came to teach the bird?
    (i) Minister (ii) Pundit (iii) Scholar (iv) King
18. What did the pundit say after taking snuff?
    (i) A few books won’t do (ii) The bird is clever (iii) Build more cages (iv) Stop feeding the bird
19. Who copied from books and made a mound?
    (i) Goldsmith (ii) Scribes (iii) Scholars (iv) Guards
20. What did people say when they saw the mound of copies?
    (i) Wasteful (ii) Bravo (iii) Boring (iv) Foolish
21. Who got cartfuls of rewards?
    (i) Scribes (ii) Guards (iii) Nephew (iv) King
22. Who supervised the cage maintenance?
    (i) Pundit (ii) Nephew (iii) Scribes (iv) King
23. What did the nephew supervise most?
    (i) The cage (ii) The bird (iii) The food (iv) The books
24. What became frequent in the cage?
    (i) Repairs (ii) Singing (iii) Teaching (iv) Escape attempts
25. What did people admit about the cage maintenance?
    (i) Signs of waste (ii) Sure signs of improvement (iii) Foolishness (iv) Ignorance
26. Who were employed to maintain the cage?
    (i) Laborers (ii) Ministers (iii) Scholars (iv) Fault-finders
27. Who supervised the workers?
    (i) Nephew (ii) Guards (iii) Supervisors (iv) King
28. What did the workers receive every month?
    (i) Food (ii) Coins (iii) Fruits (iv) Books
29. Who lived in luxury from the rewards?
    (i) Guards (ii) Scribes’ families (iii) Nephew’s family (iv) Fault-finders
30. What did the fault-finders complain about?
    (i) Bird was neglected (ii) Cage was small (iii) Too many books (iv) Too much noise
31. Whose ears did the King listen to about fault-finders?
    (i) Nephew (ii) Minister (iii) Scholars (iv) Guards
32. What did the nephew call the fault-finders?
    (i) Honest (ii) Hungry (iii) Liars (iv) Nonsense talkers
33. What gift did the King give the nephew?
    (i) Coins (ii) Necklace (iii) Ring (iv) Title
34. What did the King want to see himself?
    (i) The bird (ii) The education speed (iii) The cage (iv) The books
35. Who came with the King to the education center?
    (i) Alone (ii) Entire entourage (iii) Only minister (iv) Only nephew
36. What instruments played when the King arrived?
    (i) Only drums (ii) Bells, drums, harps, flutes etc. (iii) Only flutes (iv) No music
37. What did the pundits chant?
    (i) Songs (ii) Hymns (iii) Stories (iv) Poems
38. Who greeted the King with uproar?
    (i) Pundits only (ii) Everyone involved (iii) Fault-finders (iv) Only scribes
39. What did the King say about the sound?
    (i) Amazing (ii) Boring (iii) Useless (iv) Foolish
40. What did the nephew say besides sound?
    (i) Non-trivial money (ii) Bird progress (iii) Bird health (iv) Waste of time
41. Who shouted from the bush?
    (i) Nephew (ii) Fault-finder (iii) Minister (iv) Scribe
42. What did the fault-finder ask the King?
    (i) Have you looked at the bird? (ii) Have you seen the cage? (iii) Did you hear the noise? (iv) Did you reward the scribes?
43. What had the King forgotten to see?
    (i) Cage (ii) Bird (iii) Books (iv) Nephew
44. What did the pundit do with the bird?
    (i) Fed books (ii) Taught songs (iii) Gave fruits (iv) Set free
45. What was stuffed into the bird’s mouth?
    (i) Corn (ii) Pages (iii) Water (iv) Stones
46. What was missing in the cage?
    (i) Books (ii) Corn and water (iii) Music (iv) Nephew
47. What could the bird not do with its mouth full?
    (i) Cry or sing (ii) Eat fruits (iii) Escape (iv) Sleep
48. What punishment did the fault-finder receive?
    (i) Jail (ii) Ear pulling (iii) Fines (iv) Exile
49. How did the bird become half-dead?
    (i) Lack of food (ii) Overfeeding pages (iii) Heat (iv) Noise
50. What habit of the bird annoyed the administrators?
    (i) Looking at sun and flapping wings (ii) Singing (iii) Eating fruits (iv) Escaping
51. Who was summoned with hammer and chisels?
    (i) Goldsmith (ii) Blacksmith (iii) Pundit (iv) Minister
52. What was manufactured by the blacksmith?
    (i) Cage (ii) Iron chain (iii) Sword (iv) Hammer
53. What did they cut off the bird?
    (i) Feet (ii) Wings (iii) Tail (iv) Beak
54. What did the King’s relatives call the birds?
    (i) Stupid and ungrateful (ii) Wise (iii) Happy (iv) Lucky
55. Who came with pen in one hand and spear in another?
    (i) Nephew (ii) Pundits (iii) Blacksmith (iv) Fault-finder
56. What did the pundits claim this was?
    (i) True education (ii) Waste of time (iii) Foolishness (iv) Bravery
57. Who became well-to-do after cutting wings?
    (i) Goldsmith (ii) Blacksmith (iii) Pundit (iv) Nephew
58. What did the blacksmith’s wife get?
    (i) Coins (ii) Ornaments (iii) Clothes (iv) Land
59. What did the administrator gain?
    (i) Title (ii) Coins (iii) Ring (iv) Land
60. What happened to the bird eventually?
    (i) Died (ii) Escaped (iii) Sang (iv) Flew away
61. Who spread the news of the bird’s death?
    (i) Nephew (ii) Fault-finder (iii) Pundit (iv) King
62. What did the nephew call the bird’s death?
    (i) Sad (ii) Education complete (iii) Waste (iv) Foolishness
63. What did the King ask if the bird still did?
    (i) Jump (ii) Sleep (iii) Read (iv) Cry
64. What did the nephew say the bird no longer did?
    (i) Jump, fly, sing, scream (ii) Eat (iii) Rest (iv) Chirp only
65. What did the King demand to see?
    (i) Bird (ii) Cage (iii) Books (iv) Pundits
66. Who accompanied the bird when brought in?
    (i) Guards and horsemen (ii) Scribes (iii) Scholars (iv) Fault-finder
67. What sound came from the bird’s stomach?
    (i) Pages ruffling (ii) Crying (iii) Singing (iv) Silence
68. What season was described outside?
    (i) Winter (ii) Spring (iii) Summer (iv) Autumn
69. What did the south wind and woods herald?
    (i) Autumn (ii) Spring (iii) Winter (iv) Storm
70. What filled the sky with sighs?
    (i) Leaves (ii) Birds (iii) Clouds (iv) Cages
71. The story mainly satirises —
    (i) Education system (ii) Agriculture (iii) Politics (iv) Industry
72. The cage symbolises —
    (i) False education (ii) Freedom (iii) Entertainment (iv) Wealth
73. The scholars were more interested in —
    (i) Rewards (ii) Bird’s welfare (iii) Knowledge (iv) Singing
74. What was considered as improvement?
    (i) Cage polishing (ii) Bird’s health (iii) Bird’s singing (iv) Food supply
75. Who gained most wealth in the story?
    (i) Workers and supervisors (ii) Bird (iii) King (iv) Fault-finders
76. The nephew cared for —
    (i) Cage (ii) Bird (iii) Scriptures (iv) Singing
77. What emotion did the relatives show after wings were cut?
    (i) Grave nodding (ii) Joy (iii) Sadness (iv) Laughter
78. The King rewarded people based on —
    (i) Appearances (ii) Truth (iii) Bird’s progress (iv) Songs
79. The bird’s mouth was filled with —
    (i) Pages (ii) Fruits (iii) Coins (iv) Stones
80. Which expert punished fault-finders?
    (i) Ear-pulling expert (ii) Blacksmith (iii) King (iv) Minister
81. Who gained titles from the King?
    (i) Administrator (ii) Bird (iii) Fault-finder (iv) Scholars
82. The sound of education was actually —
    (i) Noise and money (ii) Bird’s song (iii) Reading (iv) Silence
83. The scribes became rich because of —
    (i) Copying books (ii) Selling cages (iii) Singing (iv) Farming
84. The King was pleased with —
    (i) Noise and money (ii) Bird’s health (iii) Bird’s song (iv) Truth
85. The story ends with the bird —
    (i) Dead (ii) Alive (iii) Singing (iv) Flying
86. The nephew claimed death meant —
    (i) Completion of education (ii) Failure (iii) Neglect (iv) Weakness
87. What was the main food given to the bird?
    (i) Torn pages (ii) Fruits (iii) Water (iv) Nuts
88. What important necessity was absent in the cage?
    (i) Food and water (ii) Music (iii) Guards (iv) Gold
89. What action symbolises suppression of creativity?
    (i) Cutting wings (ii) Giving food (iii) Polishing cage (iv) Copying books
90. Who represented critics of false education?
    (i) Fault-finder (ii) King (iii) Pundits (iv) Relatives
91. What natural image contrasts the bird’s death?
    (i) Blossoming spring outside (ii) Winter cold (iii) Rainfall (iv) Autumn leaves
92. The King preferred —
    (i) Appearance over reality (ii) Truth (iii) Bird’s welfare (iv) Simplicity
93. What did supervisors collect every month?
    (i) Coins (ii) Fruits (iii) Books (iv) Notes
94. The story highlights —
    (i) Hypocrisy in education (ii) Bird rearing (iii) Cage making (iv) Goldsmith skills
95. The bird symbolises —
    (i) Learner/student (ii) King (iii) Wealth (iv) Fault-finder
96. Who said “Bravo! Learning is going to overflow”?
    (i) Onlookers (ii) Nephew (iii) King (iv) Pundit
97. Who became rich for generations?
    (i) Scribes’ descendants (ii) Nephew’s family (iii) Guards’ family (iv) Relatives
98. What did the King feel when he touched the bird?
    (i) Silent and lifeless (ii) Warm and active (iii) Singing (iv) Crying
99. What filled the sky at the end?
    (i) Green leaves and sighs (ii) Birds (iii) Clouds (iv) Stars
100. The moral of the story is —
     (i) Real education nourishes life (ii) Noise brings progress (iii) Money is power (iv) Birds should be caged

Answers: 

1. (ii) foolish, 2. (ii) sang songs, 3. (i) etiquette, 4. (ii) King, 5. (ii) fruits, 6. (ii) royal fruit-market, 7. (i) Minister, 8. (ii) King’s nephew, 9. (ii) its foolishness, 10. (i) small nest, 11. (ii) a cage, 12. (iii) Goldsmith, 13. (ii) exquisite, 14. (ii) the cage, 15. (ii) education, 16. (iii) Goldsmith, 17. (ii) Pundit, 18. (i) a few books won’t do, 19. (ii) Scribes, 20. (ii) Bravo, 21. (i) Scribes, 22. (ii) Nephew, 23. (i) the cage, 24. (i) Repairs, 25. (ii) sure signs of improvement, 26. (i) Laborers, 27. (iii) Supervisors, 28. (ii) Coins, 29. (ii) Scribes’ families, 30. (i) bird was neglected, 31. (i) Nephew, 32. (iv) nonsense talkers, 33. (ii) Necklace, 34. (ii) Education speed, 35. (ii) Entire entourage, 36. (ii) Bells, drums, harps, flutes etc., 37. (ii) Hymns, 38. (ii) Everyone involved, 39. (i) Amazing, 40. (i) Non-trivial money, 41. (ii) Fault-finder, 42. (i) Have you looked at the bird?, 43. (ii) Bird, 44. (i) Fed books, 45. (ii) Pages, 46. (ii) Corn and water, 47. (i) Cry or sing, 48. (ii) Ear pulling, 49. (i) Overfeeding pages, 50. (i) Looking at sun and flapping wings, 51. (ii) Blacksmith, 52. (ii) Iron chain, 53. (ii) Wings, 54. (i) Stupid and ungrateful, 55. (ii) Pundits, 56. (i) True education, 57. (ii) Blacksmith, 58. (ii) Ornaments, 59. (i) Administrator, 60. (i) Died, 61. (ii) Fault-finder, 62. (ii) Education complete, 63. (i) Jump, 64. (i) Jump, fly, sing, scream, 65. (i) Bird, 66. (i) Guards and horsemen, 67. (i) Pages ruffling, 68. (ii) Spring, 69. (ii) Spring, 70. (i) Leaves, 71. (i) Education system, 72. (i) False education, 73. (i) Rewards, 74. (i) Cage polishing, 75. (i) Workers and supervisors, 76. (i) Cage, 77. (i) Grave nodding, 78. (i) Appearances, 79. (i) Pages, 80. (i) Ear-pulling expert, 81. (i) Administrator, 82. (i) Noise and money, 83. (i) Copying books, 84. (i) Noise and money, 85. (i) Dead, 86. (i) Completion of education, 87. (i) Torn pages, 88. (i) Food and water, 89. (i) Cutting wings, 90. (i) Fault-finder, 91. (i) Blossoming spring outside, 92. (i) Appearance over reality, 93. (i) Coins, 94. (i) Hypocrisy in education, 95. (i) Learner/student, 96. (i) Onlookers, 97. (i) Scribes’ descendants, 98. (i) Silent and lifeless, 99. (i) Green leaves and sighs, 100. (i) Real education nourishes life.

 

Here are 50 WH questions based on the parrot/bird story passage (without answers):

1. Who was the bird described as in the story?
2. What did the bird do instead of reading scriptures?
3. Why did the King say the bird was of no use?
4. Who did the King command to educate the bird?
5. Who was given the responsibility of educating the bird?
6. What did the scholars discuss about the bird?
7. Why did the scholars conclude the bird was foolish?
8. What did the scholars decide to build for the bird first?
9. Who started building the cage for the bird?
10. How did people react to the cage?
11. What did some people say about the cage and education?
12. Who received a bagful of rewards for making the cage?
13. Who came to teach the bird after the cage was ready?
14. What did the pundit say about a few books?
15. Who copied books to make a large mound for the bird?
16. How did people react when they saw the mound of books?
17. Who got rewards for copying books?
18. What was the nephew busy with regarding the cage?
19. Why were repairs of the cage frequent?
20. Who were employed to maintain and supervise the cage?
21. What did the supervisors receive for their work?
22. What did the fault-finders complain about?
23. How did the nephew respond to the fault-finders’ complaints?
24. What reward did the King give the nephew?
25. Why did the King want to see the education himself?
26. Who accompanied the King to the education center?
27. What instruments played when the King arrived?
28. What did the pundits do when the King came?
29. How did the repairmen and laborers greet the King?
30. What did the King say about the sound at the center?
31. How did the nephew respond to the King’s comment on the sound?
32. Who shouted from the bush asking about the bird?
33. What did the King realize when the fault-finder spoke?
34. How was the bird being “educated” inside the cage?
35. What was missing in the cage for the bird’s survival?
36. Who was punished for criticizing the education system?
37. How did the bird become half-dead as days passed?
38. What behavior of the bird annoyed the administrators?
39. Who cut off the bird’s wings?
40. What did the pundits do after the wings were cut?
41. How did the blacksmith and his family benefit?
42. Who received a title from the King?
43. When did the bird die?
44. Who spread the news of the bird’s death?
45. How did the nephew describe the bird’s death?
46. Did the bird still jump or fly after the education?
47. What did the King want to see when the bird was brought in?
48. What sound came from the bird’s stomach?
49. What season and natural setting were described outside at the end?
50. What is the implied lesson or moral of the story?

Here are the  answers for the 50 WH questions based on the bird story:

1. The bird was described as utterly foolish. It sang songs but had no sense of etiquette.
2. The bird sang songs, flew, and jumped instead of reading scriptures. It ignored learning completely.
3. The King said the bird was of no use because it only ate fruits and did not contribute to the kingdom. He noted the royal fruit-market ran a deficit.
4. The King commanded his minister to educate the bird. The minister was responsible for carrying out the King’s order.
5. The King’s nephew was given the responsibility of educating the bird. He was in charge of supervising all efforts.
6. The scholars discussed why the bird was foolish. They tried to find the reason for its ignorance.
7. The scholars concluded that the bird’s tiny nest could not hold much learning. Therefore, they considered the bird naturally limited.
8. The scholars decided to build a good cage for the bird first. They thought this would allow proper education.
9. The goldsmith started building the cage. He constructed it with great skill and beauty.
10. People rushed to see the cage in amazement. They admired its exquisite design.
11. Some people said the cage represented education. Others said the bird was lucky to have such a cage regardless of learning.
12. The goldsmith received a bagful of rewards for building the cage. He left for home cheerfully.
13. The pundit came to teach the bird after the cage was ready. He was responsible for its formal education.
14. The pundit said a few books would not be enough for the bird. He insisted on providing large amounts of learning material.
15. The scribes copied books repeatedly to create an enormous mound for the bird. They ensured a huge volume of pages for study.
16. People reacted by praising the effort, saying “Bravo! Learning is going to overflow.” They admired the scholars’ hard work.
17. The scribes got cartfuls of rewards for their work. They became wealthy and never faced poverty again.
18. The nephew was busy overseeing the cage and its maintenance. He supervised repairs, cleaning, and polishing.
19. Repairs were frequent because the cage required constant upkeep. Regular maintenance was needed to keep it in perfect condition.
20. Many laborers were employed to maintain the cage, and supervisors were employed to oversee them. They all received coins for their work.
21. Supervisors received a handful of coins every month. They filled their chests with wealth from their salary.
22. Fault-finders complained that the bird was neglected. They argued the cage was improved, but no attention was given to the bird.
23. The nephew said the fault-finders were talking nonsense. He explained that those people could not manage practical work themselves.
24. The King gave the nephew a gold necklace as a reward. This honored his management of the bird’s education.
25. The King wanted to see for himself how fast education was proceeding. He wished to observe the progress personally.
26. The King was accompanied by his friends, companions, and courtiers. They all went together to the education center.
27. Bells, drums, harps, flutes, and other instruments played as the King arrived. A grand musical welcome was arranged.
28. The pundits chanted hymns at the top of their voices. They performed loudly to show devotion and learning.
29. Repairmen, laborers, goldsmith, scribes, and supervisors greeted the King with uproar. They all participated in the grand display.
30. The King said the sound was amazing. He acknowledged the impressive noise but did not notice the bird.
31. The nephew explained that the display involved not just sound but also a non-trivial amount of money. He highlighted the financial aspect.
32. A fault-finder shouted from the bush, asking if the King had looked at the bird. He reminded the King of the bird’s neglect.
33. The King realized he had forgotten to see the bird. He understood the focus had been on appearances, not the bird itself.
34. The bird’s education involved stuffing torn pages from books into its mouth. It received no food or water and could not sing or cry.
35. Corn and water were missing in the cage. Only heaps of pages from books were provided for “education.”
36. The ear-pulling expert punished the fault-finder. This was done to stop criticism of the elaborate display.
37. The bird became half-dead as a result of overfeeding with book pages. Its natural behavior was suppressed.
38. The bird flapping its wings in the morning annoyed the administrators. They viewed its attempts at freedom as audacious.
39. The blacksmith cut off the bird’s wings. He ensured the bird could no longer attempt to fly.
40. The pundits used pen and spear to complete the bird’s “education.” They claimed this finalized its learning process.
41. The blacksmith became well-to-do from his work. His family also benefited with gold and wealth.
42. The administrator received a title from the King. His alertness and participation were rewarded.
43. The bird died eventually, though no one knew exactly when. Its death marked the completion of the education process.
44. The infamous fault-finder spread the news that the bird had died. This confirmed the end of the bird’s life.
45. The nephew told the King that the bird’s education was now complete. He implied death equaled the “completion” of learning.
46. The bird no longer jumped or flew after its education. It had become completely powerless.
47. The King wanted to see the bird when it was brought in. He wished to observe the result of the education process.
48. Only the sound of pages ruffling in the bird’s stomach was heard. The bird itself made no noise.
49. Outside, it was spring with gentle south wind and blossoming woods. Young green leaves filled the sky with a heavy sigh.
50. The implied moral of the story is that false education, focused on appearances and oppression, destroys natural life and learning. Real education nourishes growth, freedom, and knowledge.