What is the main idea of the fable?

Careful observers check whether a measuring method, not just one reading, can be trusted. (The first cup is distorted by a dripping branch, so the animals repeat the measurement under fairer conditions before acting.)

Why does the finch finally choose a higher fork?

The repeated cup readings give her a sound reason to expect rising water. (Once cups in the same open setting agree, the finch treats their result as stronger evidence that water may reach the low fork.)

What does “crooked” mean in the phrase “a crooked answer”?

Misleading because the test was unfair (The cup under the dripping branch reports more water than the cups in the open, so its answer is distorted and misleading.)

What caused the first cup to fill unusually quickly?

It was sitting below a dripping branch. (The passage directly contrasts that cup with the other two and notes that it sat beneath a dripping branch.)

The Finch and the Rain Cups: Level 2 Reading Comprehension Questions

A finch planned to build her nest in the lowest fork of an orchard tree. A snail warned that spring water sometimes crossed that fork, but the bright ground looked dry. Instead of arguing, the snail placed three leaf cups beneath nearby branches. After each shower, he marked the water in every cup with berry dye.

The finch watched one cup fill quickly and decided the snail had proved his point. Yet that cup sat below a dripping branch, while the other two stayed shallow. The snail moved all three cups into the open and measured again. This time their levels matched, showing that the first cup had given a crooked answer. The finch chose a higher fork, and the next hard rain passed below her finished nest. She thanked the snail for testing the test, not merely trusting its first result. From then on, the orchard birds used several cups before changing their plans.

Comprehension questions