The Tortoise's Shortcut
Written by Studio AM.
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A tortoise carried herbs along a path curving around silver moss. The curve added nine minutes. Late one morning, he crossed the moss directly. His feet left a dark line, but he reached the healer early. “A useful shortcut,” he decided. He used it again. A rabbit saw the new track and followed. Goats widened it, then carts cut the corner. Rain entered the broken moss. Water gathered in the footprints, loosened soil, and flowed onto the stone path. Soon the curve was buried under mud. Travelers now spent twenty minutes pulling wheels and cleaning their feet.
The village council blamed the goats. The goats blamed the first visible cart rut. The tortoise said nothing until a child spoke. “I saw you cross the moss before the carts came,” she said. “I saved nine minutes twice,” he admitted, “and gave the road a habit.”
Repair took many mornings. People moved water through a lined channel, closed the damaged ground, and carried pieces of moss only under a gardener's guidance. The tortoise volunteered for every trip. He did not pretend his two crossings caused each later choice, but he had made the harmful route look available.
When the moss recovered, the council added a proper side path on durable ground. The lesson was not that every shortcut is selfish. Some remove pointless delay. The question is where saved effort goes: a shortcut may reduce the user's cost by placing a larger cost on land, workers, or travelers who come later.
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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 tortoise learns that a personal shortcut can export larger costs by making a fragile, harmful route appear available to others.
The fable traces one time saving into imitation and shared cost, then qualifies the lesson with better shortcuts.
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Question 2 of 4
Why does the tortoise say he gave the road a habit?
The answer is B: His first track invited repeated use that turned one action into a damaging pattern.
The visible line made the route seem available, allowing others’ choices to compound the harm.
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Question 3 of 4
What does “durable” mean in the final paragraph?
The answer is C: able to withstand repeated use without failing quickly
The new path is placed on ground that can bear traffic without repeating the fragile-moss damage.
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Question 4 of 4
How much time did the original shortcut save per trip?
The answer is D: nine minutes
The opening says the curve added nine minutes, which the direct crossing avoided.
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