Read the story. Then place the four main events in the correct order to form a strong summary of the story. Two of the six possi
ble events will not be used in the summary. Riding a Bicycle
It was a bright Sunday morning when Belle woke up with the biggest smile on her face. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Her father was going to teach her to ride a bicycle. She dressed quickly and gulped down her breakfast.
After breakfast, Belle’s father showed her the different parts of a bike. Then he said he would hold onto the back of the bike while she peddled. But Belle’s excitement got the better of her. She said she wanted to try riding by herself. Her father let go. Belle quickly lost her balance and crashed to the ground. The fall dazed her. She grumpily agreed to let her father keep holding the bike while she rode.
Every once in a while, he would let go. The moment he did, Belle would lose her balance and topple over. Her father explained that this was perfectly normal. He said that all first-time riders fall. Even so, Belle’s mood darkened with each fall. After a while, she wanted to give up and return home.
Belle’s father tried to talk her out of quitting. He pointed toward some other children biking nearby. He showed her how happy they looked as they rode their bicycles. He told her she needed to keep trying. With a little more effort, she would soon enjoy riding just like the other children. His words gave Belle the determination to keep going.
After several more failed tries, Belle finally got the hang of it. She began gently peddling by herself, beaming with pride. She had finally done it! That night, she went to bed with a couple of bruises and cuts. But she had an even bigger smile on her face than she’d had in the morning. She would forever remember this day and the lesson she learned about never quitting.
Belle’s father tells her not to give up.
Belle keeps trying and finally manages
to ride on her own.
Belle’s father spends time going over
the different parts of the bike. Then he
tells her he’ll hold onto the bike as she
peddles.
Belle quickly eats her breakfast before
going with her father to learn how to
ride the bicycle.
Belle wakes up excited at the idea
of finally learning how to ride a bicycle.
Belle tries to ride the bicycle but gets
frustrated when she falls down without
her father’s help.
Belle falls asleep while thinking of the
day she had and the important lesson
she learned about never quitting.
The theme of this fable is that no one can overcome honesty. In light of that we see that greed and malice are to be downfalls of the individual. We can therefore deduce that leaders must be honest and honorable and not fall to vices like greed and be fair and not malicious.
