What lesson does the fable teach?

A limited role can be deeply valuable when it serves a real need reliably. (The lantern fails when imitating the moon, then succeeds by steadily lighting the dangerous steps travelers actually use.)

Why does the moon mention the loose stone?

It shows that the lantern can reveal a nearby danger that broad moonlight misses. (The moon admits a limit of its broad light and points to the lantern's specific practical value.)

What does “steady” mean in the final paragraph?

constant and controlled (After the wasteful high flame, the lantern holds a controlled flame that lasts and guides travelers.)

What happens when the lantern burns its wick too high?

Its glass blackens and its oil runs out before midnight. (The second paragraph states both consequences before the late traveler arrives.)

The Lantern and the Moon: Level 4 Reading Comprehension Questions

A small brass lantern hung outside a mountain inn. Each evening, it lit three steps, a gate, and the beginning of a stony path. Travelers thanked it, but the lantern watched the moon pour silver over the entire valley.

“My circle is miserably small,” the lantern said. “I should light every roof and ridge.” It burned its wick as high as it could. The flame smoked, the glass blackened, and the oil vanished before midnight. A late traveler found the gate dark and stumbled past it.

The moon saw what had happened. “Why copy my distance?” it asked. “No one uses my light to see this loose stone.” The moon's broad glow showed the shape of the valley, but it left the inn's steps in shadow.

The keeper cleaned the lantern and filled it again. This time, the lantern held a steady flame. It could not reveal the far ridge, yet it showed the traveler's next safe step, then the next one. The lantern finally understood that a narrow task was not a lesser task. Light is useful not because it reaches everything, but because it reaches what someone needs.

Comprehension questions