Unit 12: The Mean Chef

Word List

v. To abuse means to hurt someone or something on purpose.

The mean man abused his dog when it barked too loudly.
v. To afford something means to have enough money to pay for it.

I've been saving my money so I can afford to buy a new bike.
v. To bake means to cook food in an oven.

My sister is a good cook. She bakes delicious cakes.
n. A bean is a plant seed that is good to eat.

There are many different kinds of beans to eat.
n. A candle is a stick of wax that is lit on fire for light or heat.

When the lights went out, we lit some candles.
v. To convert something means to change it into something else.

The man converted his messy field into a garden of flowers.
n. A debt is an amount of money that a person owes.

I have not paid my gas bill. I owe a debt to the gas company.
v. To decrease something is to make it less than it was before.

Hiring more police officers has decreased crime in the city.
n. A fault is responsibility for a mistake.

It is my fault that the cat ran away. I left the door open.
n. A fund is an amount of money that people have.

We all put money into our club's fund.
adj. A generous person likes to give things to people.

The generous man donated several new computers to our school.
n. An ingredient is something that is part of a food dish.

The main ingredients in cake are eggs, sugar, and flour.
v. To insist means to be firm in telling people what to do.

I insist that you try some of these cookies.
n. A mess is a condition that is not clean or neat.

Heather's room was a complete mess.
n. Metal is a strong material people use to build things.

Steel is a common metal that is used to build buildings.
v. To monitor people or things is to watch them closely.

The teacher monitors the students when they take tests.
v. To oppose something means to dislike it or act against it.

I want to be a police officer because I oppose crime.
adj. A passive person does not take action to solve problems.

Marcie is so passive that she never solves her own problems.
n. A quantity is a certain amount of something.

I have a small quantity of milk in my glass.
v. To sue is to take someone to court for some harmful action.

I sued the company after I slipped on a banana peel in their hallway.

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the word that fits the definition.

a certain amount
- a. ingredient
- b. quantity
- c. metal
- d. fault
to make less
- a. decrease
- b. oppose
- c. insist
- d. abuse
to watch closely
- a. bake
- b. monitor
- c. mess
- d. afford
a plant seed
- a. sue
- b. passive
- c. bean
- d. fund
money you owe
- a. convert
- b. debt
- c. candle
- d. generous

B ‣ Fill each blank with another form of a word from the same sentence.

An insistent person keeps _____ .
In a messy room, everything is in a _____ .
When you act generously, you are _____ to everyone.
The opposition is the group _____ to the present government.
If someone is faultless, they have no _____ .
An abusive person _____ others.
If someone is indebted to you, they are in your _____ .
A bakery is a shop selling things that have been _____ .
A metallic object is made of _____ .
A baker _____ cakes and bread.

C ‣ Check (✔) the one that best fits the blank.

To make sure the door was strong, _____ .
- a. it was made out of metal
- b. we did not monitor it
I was treated unfairly by my company, so _____ .
- a. I went into debt to help them
- b. I decided to sue them in court
I went to the grocery store to _____ .
- a. make a mess there
- b. get a small quantity of eggs
When your friend borrows money from you, _____ .
- a. he owes you a debt
- b. he is very generous
The man wants to cook noodles. _____ .
- a. He will get the ingredients
- b. He sits passively
I have enough money. _____ .
- a. My fund is too small
- b. I can afford to buy the shirt
When the oven was hot enough, _____ .
- a. we baked the potato
- b. we made a mess in the kitchen
In case the power goes out, _____ .
- a. you should keep candles at home
- b. you will be generous
When the girl became hungry, _____ .
- a. she became passive and decided to do something about it
- b. she cooked some beans
My homework was not turned in. _____ .
- a. I did a large quantity of it
- b. It was all my fault

The Mean Chef

Once there was a chef who was mean to his cooks. He was mean to the people who came in to eat. He charged too much for meals. Many people were not able to afford the cheapest bean dish. When his metal oven broke, he did not have it fixed. So everything they tried to bake in it burned. The only light was from candles, and the whole place was a mess. Sometimes, he didn't pay his waiters. Since they had no funds, they had many debts.

The chef behaved this way all the time. He monitored the cooks and got angry if they did not do things his way.

One day, the cooks decided that they were tired of the abuse and that they would not be passive anymore. Everyone opposed the chef. At first, they thought about suing him. Instead, they made him sit quietly while they controlled the restaurant! They decreased the price of food. They used the best ingredients and served large quantities of food. They repaired the equipment. They turned on the lights. The restaurant was converted into a happy place. For the first time, many people came to eat.

The chef realized that the restaurant's problems were his fault. The chef learned an important lesson, and now the generous chef insisted on giving the customers a free meal.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

What is this story about?
- a. How a mean chef was converted into a generous man
- b. Why metal ovens bake food until it burns
- c. Why waiters' funds are not enough to pay their debts
- d. How simple beans brought a large quantity of customers
Why could people not afford to eat at the restaurant?
- a. The chef insisted they take free food.
- b. The chef made prices too high.
- c. The chef monitored the cooks.
- d. The chef got tied up.
What did the chef learn at the end of the story?
- a. Electricity was better than using candles.
- b. It was his fault that the restaurant did so well.
- c. The waiters and cooks took over his restaurant.
- d. Behaving in a nice way is better than being mean.
According to the passage, all the following are true of the waiters and cooks EXCEPT _____.
- a. they decreased prices
- b. they used good ingredients
- c. they were replaced by robots
- d. they opposed the abuse of the chef
Why did the chef insist on giving his customers a free meal at the end of the story?
_____

Answer Key

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