It Happened to Me

The Cookies--Part 2


One day, while backpacking through Germany, my friend and I were ravenous, but low on cash. We decided to stop at a village market to get a few groceries. I chose some cookies and went to the front counter to make the purchase. Near the counter I noticed some packaged cookies in a large bin. They looked scrumptious and were a lot cheaper than the ones I had in my hand, so I took them instead.

We left the store and looked for a place where we could eat. We devoured our sandwiches first, and then we gobbled up the cookies. We thought they were terrific.

"Let's get these again," I said. "They're really cheap and tasty."

My friend can read some German, but I can't, so I handed her the package so she could look for the brand name. She glanced at it and then burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"Because they're dog biscuits!" she said.

Adapted from a first person story by M.P., taken from The Detroit News circa 1980

Vocabulary Questions

In the first paragraph, what does backpacking mean?
1. Traveling with all our possessions in a backpack.
2. Using a backpack to carry things to and from our car.
3. Filling a backpack with groceries.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the first paragraph, what does ravenous mean?
1. Extremely tired.
2. Extremely hungry.
3. Extremely upset.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the first paragraph, what does low on cash mean?
1. Having a small bank account.
2. Able to buy things cheaply.
3. Not having much money to spend.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the first paragraph, what does make the purchase mean?
1. Ask a question.
2. Look around.
3. Buy something.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the first paragraph, what does noticed mean?
1. Became aware of something by looking at it.
2. Bought at the checkout counter.
3. Ate.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the first paragraph, what does scrumptious mean?
1. Looked like they wouldn't taste good.
2. Delicious.
3. Cheap.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the second paragraph, what does devoured mean?
1. Ate something slowly.
2. Made something.
3. Ate something quickly and completely.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the second paragraph, what does gobbled up mean?
1. Ate something very quickly.
2. Broke into small pieces.
3. Threw something away.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the third paragraph, what does tasty mean?
1. Full of flavor; tasting good.
2. Bland, not having much taste.
3. Having a strange taste.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the fourth paragraph, what does glanced mean?
1. Took a long look at something.
2. Translated slowly.
3. Looked at something quickly.

Click here after you choose the answer.

In the fourth paragraph, what does burst out laughing mean?
1. Laughed quietly.
2. Started to laugh suddenly.
3. Laughed for a long time.

Click here after you choose the answer.

Your Turn

People whose native language isn't English often have problems buying or using things. Think about a language misunderstanding that happened to you or someone you know.

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