The Monkey and the Crocodile

Intelligence and wit versus dishonesty and betrayal

Step 1: The monkey represents quick thinking, wit, and the ability to stay calm — positive intellectual virtues. Step 2: The crocodile represents betrayal — he used the monkey's trust to lure him into a trap, which is morally wrong. Step 3: Option A is wrong because the monkey does not show bravery through combat; he uses brains, not physical courage. Step 4: Option C (generosity vs greed) is more accurately the contrast between the monkey and the crocodile's wife, not the crocodile himself. Step 5: The central contrast in the story's plot is how clever thinking (monkey) defeats treacherous pl

The crocodile knew his action was wrong but chose his wife's wishes over his conscience

Step 1: Internal conflict means a character's inner struggle between two opposing desires or values. Step 2: The crocodile explicitly calls betrayal 'a sin', showing he had a moral conscience and understood right from wrong. Step 3: However, he still chose to obey his wife, placing family loyalty above friendship and ethics. Step 4: Option A is directly contradicted by his own statement — he clearly felt it was wrong. Step 5: Option C overstates the wife's power; she did not threaten him violently. Option D has no evidence in the text. The correct answer captures the real dilemma: knowing some

She was mocking her husband's friendship and dismissing the monkey's value

Step 1: Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony where one says the opposite of what they mean to mock or criticise. Step 2: The wife had just been told the monkey was 'a very nice monkey' by her husband. By repeating 'A nice monkey, I'm sure,' she was not agreeing — she was mocking the idea. Step 3: Her very next line — 'I want to eat his heart' — shows her true hostile feelings, confirming the sarcasm. Step 4: Options A and C describe genuine positive reactions, which contradict her aggressive demand to eat the monkey. Step 5: Sarcasm here reveals her jealousy of the friendship and her manipulative

The monkey realised a friend who betrays trust once cannot be trusted again

Step 1: The monkey's final words — 'if you don't mind, we won't meet again' — are calm but firm, indicating a reasoned decision, not an emotional reaction. Step 2: The crocodile had attempted to kill the monkey using the disguise of an invitation to his home — the ultimate betrayal of trust. Step 3: A friendship that has been used as a weapon cannot be the foundation of a safe relationship going forward. Step 4: Option A is wrong — there is no mention of fruits being eaten up. Option C is speculation not supported by the text. Step 5: This decision reflects the story's moral: trust, once broke