Unit 18: The Priest

Word List

n. Ability is the quality of a person being able to do something well.

His swimming abilities let him cross the entire lake.
n. Agriculture is the growing of plants and raising of animals for food.

The farmer studied agriculture in college.
n. A cartoon is a funny drawing.

Sometimes, people draw cartoons for the newspaper.
n. The ceiling is the top of a room.

He painted the ceiling with a special roller.
v. To convince someone means to make that person sure of something.

She convinced me to buy the house.
adj. A curious person or animals wants to know about something.

I opened up the clock because I was curious about how it worked.
v. To delay means to wait to do something.

I was delayed at the airport for over two hours.
n. A diary is a book in which people write their personal experiences.

I do not let anybody read my diary.
n. An element of something is a particular part of it.

Tackling an opponent is Johnny's favorite element of American football.
n. Faith is trust or belief without proof.

The sick girl had faith in doctors. She knew they would make her better.
n. A grain is a food crop such as wheat, corn, rice, or oats.

The farmer planted two fields of grain this year.
v. To greet someone means to meet and welcome that person.

When my friend came over, I greeted him at the door.
v. To investigate means to search for something or learn about it.

The detective went to investigate the crime.
n. Joy is a feeling of great happiness.

I love baseball. I feel joy when I play.
n. A label is a tag that tells about something.

The label on the back of your shirt will tell you what size it is.
n. A monk is a religious person who lives a simple life.

The monks knew a lot about religion.
adj. Something odd is unusual.

Her cat is odd. It walks on two feet.
v. To pause means to stop doing something for a while.

Since she was so hungry, she paused to make a snack.
n. A priest is a person trained to perform religious duties.

The priest taught us about God.
n. A profession is a person's job.

He loved sailing, so he chose to work on ships as a profession.

Exercise

A ‣ Circle the right definition for the given word.

investigate
- a. to search for
- b. to meet
- c. to stop
- d. to make someone sure
element
- a. the top of a room
- b. a funny drawing
- c. a tag
- d. a part of something
odd
- a. a religious man
- b. wanting to know more
- c. not normal
- d. a happy feeling
priest
- a. a private book
- b. a person trained to perform religious duties
- c. food crops
- d. a funny drawing
label
- a. things you do well
- b. a tag that tells about something
- c. your job
- d. a particular part of something
pause
- a. to search for
- b. to meet
- c. to stop
- d. to make someone sure
agriculture
- a. the growing of food
- b. believing in something
- c. not normal
- d. wanting to know more
diary
- a. a job
- b. food crops
- c. the top of a room
- d. a private book
faith
- a. a happy feeling
- b. things you do well
- c. a tag
- d. belief in something
curious
- a. the business of farming
- b. wanting to know more
- c. a religious man
- d. things you do well

B ‣ Write the word that best fits for each sentence.

joy / odd
The boy was full of _____ when his new brother was born.
The store was _____ . It was only open one day a week.
faith / diary
The girl writes in her _____ every night.
The boy's _____ his father was strong.
cartoons / profession
The _____ in this book make me laugh.
I want a _____ that lets me help others.
convinced / greeted
I _____ my new neighbors for the first time.
She _____ me that she was right.
label / abilities
The _____ on my jacket says "do not wash."
The smart child had many _____ when it came to math.

C ‣ Circle the two words in each group that are most closely related.

- a. agriculture
- b. label
- c. grain
- d. odd
- a. diary
- b. abilities
- c. monk
- d. priest
- a. faith
- b. curious
- c. investigate
- d. greet
- a. delay
- b. ceiling
- c. joy
- d. pause
- a. label
- b. element
- c. profession
- d. odd

The Priest

A young priest was always sad. He was good at his profession, but he still had no joy. He visited a group of monks.

When he got to the monks' house, they greeted him and let him in. The monks asked the priest, "What is the matter?” The priest said, "I should be happy, but I am not. I don't know what to do.” The wise monks paused for a minute. Then, one said, “We are convinced of your faith. You are a very good priest. But to find joy, you have to do more. Above all, investigate the elements of your life that you love."The priest thought that this answer was odd, but he was curious.

The next day, the priest thought about his abilities. He got a few ideas, and he did not want to delay any longer. He liked to draw, so he made some cartoons. He also liked to write, so he started a diary. He was interested in agriculture, so he planted some grain. He made jam from fruit. He made his own labels to put on the jars of jam. He painted his ceiling. The priest learned something. It is not too hard to be happy after all. All one has to do is find things one likes doing and do them!

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

What is this story about?
- a. Why monks have faith in God
- b. How a priest finds joy
- c. How to investigate odd answers
- d. Why a priest did not like his profession
Why did the priest go to the monks?
- a. Because he was convinced that he was a fine priest
- b. Because he wanted to greet them
- c. Because he wanted their help
- d. Because he wanted to tell them how happy he became
After the priest talked to the monks, what did he think about?
- a. His abilities
- b. His curious job
- c. His pauses
- d. His delays
According to the passage, all the following are true of the priest EXCEPT _____.
- a. he painted his ceiling
- b. he tried agriculture and planted grains
- c. he drew cartoons
- d. he forgot to put labels on his jam
Why did the priest get a diary?
_____

Answer Key

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