The Snail's Painted Shell
Written by Studio AM.
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A snail envied the butterflies above the garden. Their wings carried orange spots and blue bands. His shell looked like a brown stone.
He asked a child to paint it. Soon, yellow stars and green leaves covered every curve. The snail thanked the child and began his slow trip home.
Rain fell. The paint became sticky. Dry petals clung to the shell, then twigs, then a crumpled seed case. The extra load made each step harder. When the snail reached a puddle, he washed until most colors drifted away. A butterfly landed nearby. “I am sorry you lost your decoration,” she said.
The snail looked at the pale swirls that remained. “I wanted your beauty without asking how your wings carried it,” he replied. After that, he still enjoyed bright colors, but he admired them without wishing his own shell were a pair of wings.
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Questions
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Question 1 of 4
What is the main idea of the fable?
The answer is A: The snail learns to admire another creature’s beauty without treating his own different form as a defect.
The decoration becomes a burden, leading the snail to reconsider envy rather than beauty itself.
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Question 2 of 4
Why does the paint make travel harder?
The answer is B: Its sticky surface collects petals, twigs, and a seed case.
The story describes debris clinging to wet paint and adding weight.
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Question 3 of 4
What does “envied” mean?
The answer is C: wanted a quality that someone else had
The snail wants the butterflies’ bright appearance because his own shell seems plain to him.
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Question 4 of 4
Where does the snail wash off most of the paint?
The answer is D: in a puddle
The snail reaches a puddle and washes there.
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