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Reading Comprehension Passages - 3

1. BRUCE AND THE SPIDER

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Robert Bruce was the king of Scotland. He needed to be both brave and wise because the times in
which he lived were wild. The king of England was at war with him and had led a great army into
Scotland to drive him out of the land.

Battle after battle had been fought. Six times Bruce had led
his brave army against his foes and six times his men lost the
battle. At last his army was scattered and he was forced to hide
in the woods and in lonely places among the mountains.

One rainy day, Bruce lay on the ground in a cave. He was tired
and unhappy. He was ready to give up all hope. It seemed
to him that there was no use of trying. As he was thinking, he saw a spider above getting ready to
weave her web. He watched as she toiled slowly and with great care. Six times she tried to throw her

frail thread from one beam to another, and six times it fell short. “Poor thing”, said Bruce. “You too
know what it is to fail? But the spider did not lose hope with the sixth failure. With more care she

tried a seventh time and succeeded! “I too, will try a seventh time!” cried Bruce. He called his men
together and told them of his plans. Soon there was an army of brave men around him. The battle
was fought, and the king of England was retreated to his own country!

1. Who was Robert Bruce?

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2. What happened after the battles had been fought?

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3. Where did Bruce hide?

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4. What did he observe in the cave?

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5. What did Bruce decide to do in the end?

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