The Stag at the Pool There was once a Stag who was tremendously proud of his beautiful horns. They were large and well-formed, with many points. The other animals of the forest bowed to him, and they often spoke of his antlers with admiration. “How beautiful your horns are!” the Fox and the Rabbit would say. “They are as glossy as satin or sunlight reflecting off water!”

Whenever the Stag passed a pool of water, he would stop to look in and admire his magnificent horns. One day, he was passing through a meadow. He came to a clear pond and bent to the water. There was his reflection, as glorious as ever. “No one in the world has such astonishing antlers as mine!” he said, preening as he turned this way and that.

A stag looks off into the distance.

For the first time, though, he noticed his legs reflected in the water. “How lean my legs are!” he said. “I wish they were thicker and stronger. My wonderful antlers look ridiculous atop a body with such weak-looking legs!”

The Stag was so engrossed that he did not notice that a Lion had crept up alongside him. Suddenly, he saw the Lion reflected in the pond. For a moment the two animals stared at each other in the water. The Lion displayed his teeth, flaunting them as if he were bragging. The Stag leaped away, terrified, and the Lion immediately gave chase.

Through the meadow the Stag raced, gasping in fear. The ground was flat and even, and the Stag moved with the velocity of an arrow shot from a bow. His legs kept him far ahead of the Lion, whose legs were much shorter and thicker than his own. From a distance, the other animals watched the chase.

“The Stag will surely outrun the Lion!” the Fox cried.

The Rabbit said, “Oh, he must, he must!” But then the Stag entered the forest, dense with trees.

Weaving among the trees, the Stag kept ahead of the Lion at first. He was not fatigued at all, for his long legs could carry him far and fast without tiring, but the branches of some of the trees hung low, and vines curled around them. The vines clutched at the Stag’s antlers as he dodged among the trees. Before he knew it, the Stag had caught his antlers in the branches and vines. Closer and closer the Lion came, smiling with its sharp teeth showing. The Stag, knowing his end was near, closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

“Oh,” he said, “how I have fooled myself! The long legs that I hated would have saved me, but the antlers that I loved have led to my destruction!”

This question has two parts. First, answer part A. Then, answer part B.

Part A:
Which statement best summarizes the theme of the text?

A.
You do not always recognize what is most valuable.

B.
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

C.
Fine possessions do not make a fine person.

D.
The best things come in small packages.

Part B:
Which evidence from the text best supports your answer in part A?

A.
“The other animals of the forest bowed to him, and they often spoke of his antlers with admiration.”

B.
“The Stag was so engrossed that he did not notice that a Lion had crept up alongside him.”

C.
“. . . but the branches of some of the trees hung low, and vines curled around them.”

D.
“The long legs that I hated would have saved me, but the antlers that I loved have led to my destruction