Directions: Read the story and answer the questions that follow. How the Water Got to the Plains

An Australian Folktale

1 A very long time ago, there was a village perched at the top of a mountain. The surrounding plains were dry and endless, but the village was blessed with rains that kissed the mountain. Its people were happy because the regular precipitation provided plenty of water to drink and grow crops. But one year, quite unexpectedly, the rains did not come. After weeks without even a cloud in the sky the villagers became worried. All but one of their deep-water wells had dried up and soon there would be no water to drink.

2 Upset, the villagers turned to their chief elder. The elder was the wisest and most experienced person in the village. The villagers trusted him to lead them in times of trouble. Surely, he would come up with a plan to save the people.

3 The villagers gathered and spoke nervously to each other waiting to hear what plan would rescue them from this disaster. Once the chatter quieted down, the wise elder walked to the center of the group and began, "People of my village! Our rains have not come this year. We have asked the sky for water, and it has not answered us. We only have one well that still has water. We must be very careful how we use our water. From this day on, only our youngest children and the oldest among us may have all the water they need. The rest of us must do with less."

4 Although alarmed, the villagers understood this must be the way until the rains came again. They nodded in agreement with the elder, but two men slithered like snakes away from the crowd. "I do not like this one bit," said the first man.

5 "I agree," said the second man. "This is not fair to us. We work harder and are more valuable to the village than all the children and old people put together."

6 The two men came up with a sneaky plan. Once the villagers were asleep, they crept to the well and scooped all the water into an enormous pouch. The men carefully made their way down the mountain and into the dry plains to escape.

7 When the villagers awoke and discovered the last well went dry overnight, they assembled for an important meeting. That is when they noticed two of their men were missing. The village elder said, "I'm sad to say that some men of our village have been selfish. They left us and have taken our water with them. Our best warriors must go and find these thieves and return them to us."

8 The warriors soon found footprints leading down the mountain from the village. Pausing on a cliff, they could see the water thieves far off in the distance. The men were trudging through the dry land lugging the heavy water sack between them. The thieves could not run and carry the water, but they hurried the best they could. Running to catch up, the warriors began to throw spears in order to stop them in their tracks. One spear punctured the bag. The criminals hurried faster but didn't notice that the water was slowly leaking from a hole in the water sack. When the warriors caught up, all the water had seeped from the bag.

9 The warriors returned the two men to the village. The villagers talked long into the night about punishments that would teach them a lesson. Early the next morning the thieves were led to the center of the village with their heads bowed in shame. The elder announced that they no longer could live among the people. Because the elder knew some magic, he turned the exiled men into animals. One became the first emu * and the other the first blue-tongued lizard. They were forced to leave the village for the rest of their lives and live in the wild.

10 The next day the villagers awakened to a wondrous sight. Across the plains where there was once dry land, small water holes now dotted the landscape. These water holes, or billabongs, had magically appeared where the water pouch leaked the day before. All around them grass, flowers, shrubs, and trees grew. The villagers could see birds swooping down to the billabongs. The villagers jumped with glee and ran down to the closest one. They were happy now because they realized there was enough water for everyone.

* emu – a large, flightless bird found in Australia

What is the main conflict of the story?

A: The chief elder won't give all of the villagers enough water.
B: The two thieves could not escape the village warriors.
C: The rains have not come, and the wells will dry up soon.
D: The two thieves are magically turned into creatures