What is the main idea of the fable?

The courier learns that briefly addressing a growing small problem can prevent a much larger delay later. (The pebble, altered stride, blister, and later thread show the compounding cost and the qualified lesson.)

Why does the courier mention already ignoring the pebble for an hour?

Past delay makes her feel committed to continuing the same choice. (She treats earlier endurance as a reason for more endurance even as evidence of harm grows.)

What does “stride” mean?

the pattern or manner of walking steps (She changes how she walks to protect the sore heel, so stride means her walking pattern.)

How long does removing the pebble take?

three breaths (The third paragraph says the pebble takes three breaths to shake free.)

The Pebble in the Sandal: Level 3 Reading Comprehension Questions

A courier felt a pebble enter her sandal at sunrise. She had promised to deliver a letter before noon. “Stopping will waste time,” she said, and walked faster.

The pebble rubbed one spot on her heel. At the next well, a heron advised her to remove it. The courier saw carts passing and refused. “I have already ignored it for an hour. I can ignore it for one more.”

Soon she changed her stride to avoid the sore place. Her knee began to ache. At last she sat beside the road. The pebble took three breaths to shake free, but the blister made every remaining step slow. The heron passed again near noon. “Was the pebble large?” he asked. “No,” said the courier. “Only the delay was.”

She delivered the letter late. On the return journey, a thread loosened from her bag. She stopped, tied it, and continued before the seam could open. The lesson was not to interrupt every journey for every discomfort. It was to notice which small problem was actively becoming a larger one.

Comprehension questions