Reading
The Three Little Pigs and the Argument – A Family Production
Before you start reading, study the following vocabulary:
Portray
Lack
Eager
Blow down
Spoil
Announce
Shout
Aside
Cue
My sister-in-law's videotape about the three little pigs deserved a wider audience. Her three children played the pigs. Her husband, my brother, portrayed the big, bad wolf. If the video lacked professional polish, it certainly offered an original version of the story.
The older daughter played the first little pig. She has always been eager to learn and eager to perform perfectly. As usual my older niece worked hard and did her best.
This first little pig came before the camera in her pig costume. The pig told how she had built a house of straw. She said the wolf had huffed and puffed and blown her straw house down.
The only son, the middle child, played the second little pig. He has always been more easy-going than his older sister, but he is very cooperative and would never spoil a group project.
So the second little pig came before the camera in his pig costume and explained how he had built a house of wood. Then he told how the wolf had huffed and puffed and blown his house down.
It was now time for the last child, the younger girl, to portray the third little pig. The problem was that this little girl only wears clothing that she considers "beautiful." She actually uses that word. From the age of two she has refused to wear many things.
That was why the third little pig came before the camera dressed as a ballerina. This little pig announced that she was not going to play a pig unless she could wear her ballet outfit.
The first little pig, the perfectionist, replied that no pig had ever worn a ballet outfit. The first little pig shouted that the third little pig was ruining the production with her lack of realism.
The third little pig replied that she would either be a ballerina pig or she would not be a pig at all. She said her pig costume was not beautiful and that she could not wear anything that was not beautiful.
The second little pig stood aside and let his sisters argue.
Their father misunderstood the argument as his cue. He came on camera in his costume and announced that he was the big, bad wolf. His appearance did not end the argument about realism and art.
I don't think the players ever got to the scene in which the wolf tries to blow the brick house down. Art is often the victim of human disagreements.
Questions
Choose the best explanations...
- When the narrator refers to art she is…
- The narrator thinks the videotape…
- Why did the oldest child argue?
- The parents thought…
- Why did problems occur?
Are the following statements about the article correct?
1. The narrator thinks the three children are difficult.
2. The three children have different personalities.
3. The children had not learned their parts well.
4. The videotape was important to the oldest child.
5. The youngest child wanted to ruin the videotape.