Question 1 • CMS 2026-2027 English II CREDIT RECOVERY
Read the excerpt from "The Crab That Played with the Sea.” And the Rat of the Moon stopped biting the line; and the Fisherman let his line down till it touched the Sea, and he pulled the whole deep Sea along, past the Island of Bintang, past Singapore, past Malacca, past Selangor, till the canoe whirled into the mouth of the Perak River again. ‘Kun?’ said the Fisherman of the Moon. ‘Payah kun,’ said the Eldest Magician. ‘See now that you pull the Sea twice a day and twice a night for ever, so that the Malazy fishermen may be saved paddling. But be careful not to do it too hard, or I shall make a magic on you as I did to Pau Amma.’ Then they all went up the Perak River and went to bed, Best Beloved. Based on the details in the excerpt, what is its primary purpose?
Answer
A
to entertain children with a joke about a rat and a fisherman
B
to inform fishers about when it is easiest to sail on the Perak River
C
to warn fishers to avoid pulling too hard on their lines
D
to explain to children that the moon causes the tides
Explanation
The excerpt describes the Sea being pulled back and forth twice a day and twice a night, which resembles the changing tides. By linking this action to the Fisherman of the Moon, the story offers a fanciful explanation of what causes the tides. Its primary purpose is to explain to children that the moon causes the tides, not to give practical fishing advice.
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