Capa de The Rat and the Elephant

An uncommonly small rat was watching an uncommonly big elephant and sneering at the slowness of his steps.

Um rato incomumente pequeno observava um elefante incomumente grande, zombando da lentidão de seus passos.

The enormous animal was heavily laden. On his back rose a three-storied howdah, wherein were accommodated a celebrated sultana, her dog, her cat, her monkey, her parrot, her old servant, and all her household. They were going upon a pilgrimage.

O enorme animal ia pesadamente carregado. Em suas costas erguia-se um pálio de três andares, onde se acomodavam uma célebre sultana, seu cachorro, sua gata, seu macaco, seu papagaio, sua velha criada e toda a sua criadagem. Iam em peregrinação.

The rat wondered why all the people should express astonishment at seeing this enormous bulk—"As if the fact of occupying more or less space implied that one was the more or less important accordingly! What is it you admire in him, you men? If it is only the weight of his body which fills the children with terror, then we rats, small as we are, consider ourselves not one grain less than the elephant." He would have said more; but the cat, bounding out of her cage, let him see in an instant that a rat is not an elephant.

O rato se perguntava por que todos se mostravam tão admirados ao ver aquele volume enorme — "Como se o fato de ocupar mais ou menos espaço significasse ser mais ou menos importante! O que é que vocês admiram nele, homens? Se é apenas o peso do corpo dele que enche as crianças de terror, então nós, ratos, por menores que sejamos, não nos consideramos nem um grão menos importantes que o elefante." Ele teria dito mais; mas a gata, saltando para fora de sua gaiola, fez com que ele visse num instante que um rato não é um elefante.

🧠 Teste sua compreensão

  1. What was the rat doing at the start of the story?

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    Resposta: Watching the elephant and sneering at its slow steps

    The rat was watching the huge elephant and sneering at how slowly it moved.

  2. Why was the elephant heavily laden?

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    Resposta: It was carrying a sultana and her household on a pilgrimage

    The elephant carried a three-storied howdah with a sultana, her pets, her servant, and her household, all going on a pilgrimage.

  3. What was the rat's argument about size and importance?

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    Resposta: He claimed that being big didn't make one more important than being small

    The rat argued that occupying more space didn't make the elephant more important, and that rats were just as significant despite their size.

  4. What stopped the rat before he could finish boasting?

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    Resposta: The cat leaped out and showed him a rat is not an elephant

    The cat bounded out of her cage, reminding the rat in an instant that a rat is not an elephant.

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