Grade 6 Reading Comprehension | Free English Worksheets - Free Printable

Let’s read the story carefully and think about what happened.

The Dark Knight was trapped in a cage. He made a small knife from stone and used it to chip away at the bars over three days. When the sun rose, he escaped — but he was weak and scared. Then, a young boy appeared and said, “I’ll help you.” The boy led him through the city streets (which he knew well) to the edge of the forest. He told the knight: “Run through the forest for 2 days and you’ll find your home.” The knight did that, got home safely, and was celebrated by everyone.

Later, when the king asked how he escaped, the knight started to say, “I was helped by a young boy…” — but then he saw a picture on the wall and pointed to it, saying, “That’s the boy who helped me!”

The king replied: “That’s Prince James,” and added, “he died 5 years ago…”

Now, let’s think: If Prince James died 5 years ago, how could he have helped the knight escape just now? That doesn’t make sense unless… something strange is going on.

Wait — maybe the boy wasn’t real? Or maybe it was a ghost? But the story says the boy moved with haste, spoke, grinned — all like a real person. And the knight followed him and made it home.

But here’s the key: The king says Prince James died 5 years ago. So if the boy looked exactly like Prince James, and the knight saw his picture and recognized him — then perhaps the boy *was* Prince James… but that can’t be, because he’s dead.

Unless… the boy was a spirit or ghost helping him? But the story doesn’t say that directly.

Actually, rereading the last part: The knight sees the picture and says, “That’s the boy who helped me.” The king says, “That’s Prince James… he died 5 years ago.”

So the only logical conclusion is: The boy who helped the knight cannot be alive — because Prince James has been dead for 5 years. Therefore, the boy must have been a ghost — or maybe the knight imagined it? But the story says the boy spoke, moved, gave directions — and the knight successfully found his way home.

Hmm. Maybe we’re supposed to realize that the boy was not physically real — but still helped the knight somehow.

But wait — there’s another possibility: What if the knight never actually met a real boy? What if, during his escape, he was so tired and desperate that he imagined the boy? But again, the story says the boy whispered, grinned, etc.

Actually, let’s look at the timeline:

- Knight escapes after 3 days of chipping.
- Boy appears right after escape.
- Boy leads him to forest edge.
- Tells him to run 2 days through forest → he gets home.
- Later, king says the boy in the picture (Prince James) died 5 years ago.

So the boy who helped him looks exactly like Prince James — who has been dead for 5 years.

Therefore, the most reasonable answer is: The boy who helped the Dark Knight was the ghost of Prince James.

But let’s check — does the story say anything supernatural? No. It just presents the facts.

Maybe the test wants us to notice the contradiction: A dead boy couldn’t help someone — unless it’s a ghost.

Alternatively, maybe the knight is mistaken? But he saw the picture and recognized the boy immediately.

Another thought: Could the boy be Prince James’ twin? But the king didn’t mention any other child — he just said “That’s Prince James” and “he died 5 years ago.” So probably not.

So, putting it all together: The boy who helped the knight must have been the spirit or ghost of Prince James, since he’s been dead for 5 years but appeared to help the knight.

Final Answer: The boy who helped the Dark Knight was the ghost of Prince James, who had died 5 years earlier.