Grade 3 Reading Comprehension Worksheet – "Johnny-Cake"
Let's go through the story and answer each question step by step.
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Story Summary:
This is a folk tale about a magical Johnny-cake that comes to life when it escapes from the oven. The little boy is left in charge of watching it, but he fails to do so. The cake rolls out of the oven and runs away, outrunning everyone and everything it meets — including people and animals — until finally, a clever fox tricks it into coming closer and eats it.
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Answers to Questions:
1. What did the old woman ask the little boy?
👉 *The old woman asked the little boy to watch the Johnny-cake while she and her husband went out to work.*
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Answer: She asked him to watch the Johnny-cake while they went to work.
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2. What did happen when the little boy didn’t watch it?
👉 When the little boy didn’t watch the Johnny-cake, the oven door popped open and the cake jumped out, rolling down the road. It ran faster than anyone could catch it.
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Answer: The oven door opened, and the Johnny-cake jumped out and started running away. The little boy tried to chase it, but couldn’t catch up.
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3. How many people and animals came in Johnny-cake’s way?
Let’s count them:
- Old man (father)
- Old woman (mother)
- Little boy
- Two ditch-diggers
- A bear
- A wolf
- A fox
That’s:
3 people (old man, old woman, little boy) + 2 ditch-diggers =
5 people
Plus 3 animals (bear, wolf, fox) =
3 animals
Total:
8 beings (5 people + 3 animals)
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Answer: Eight people and animals came in Johnny-cake’s way.
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4. How did the fox eat Johnny-cake?
👉 The fox tricked Johnny-cake by saying, “I can’t quite hear you; won’t you come a little closer?” Johnny-cake moved closer, shouted about how fast he was, and the fox snapped him up in his sharp teeth.
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Answer: The fox tricked Johnny-cake into coming closer by pretending he couldn’t hear him, then quickly ate him.
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5. If you will come across the Johnny-cake what will you do?
This is an opinion question. There is no single correct answer, but students should use imagination and logic.
✔ Example answer:
> I would try to stop him from running away, maybe by calling for help or trying to catch him gently. But if he keeps running, I might just laugh because he’s so fast and funny!
Or another possible answer:
> I would run with him and see where he goes, because he seems like a fun and magical cake!
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Answer (example): I would try to catch him and bring him back to the kitchen so he doesn’t get eaten.
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✔ Final Answers:
1. She asked him to watch the Johnny-cake while she and her husband went to work.
2. The oven door opened and Johnny-cake jumped out and ran away.
3. Eight people and animals came in Johnny-cake’s way.
4. The fox tricked Johnny-cake into coming closer and then snapped him up in his teeth.
5. (Open-ended) Example: I would try to stop him and bring him back safely.
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Let me know if you'd like this turned into a printable PDF or need a version with answers filled in!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of worksheet for 3rd graders reading.
