EnglishFreePrintable
Malaysian Folk Tale Worksheet
A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.
Name:Date:
Malaysian Folk Tale Worksheet
Read the folk-tale retelling, then answer the questions using evidence from the story. When a question asks what you think, support your interpretation with a detail from the text.
Bawang Putih and the River Basket
A Malaysian folk-tale retelling
Bawang Putih lived with her stepmother and stepsister, Bawang Merah, in a village near a broad river. The family had little money, so everyone was expected to help. Bawang Putih often did more than her share, while Bawang Merah found excuses to avoid the chores.
One morning, Bawang Putih carried a basket of washing to the river. As she rinsed a bright red scarf, it slipped from her hands and floated downstream. She ran along the bank, searching until she found an elderly woman sitting beside a narrow footbridge. The woman had rescued the scarf and was trying to dry it in the sun.
“Thank you for saving it,” said Bawang Putih. She noticed that the woman’s water jar had tipped over, so she helped fill it from the river. The woman introduced herself as Mak Cik Suri. Before Bawang Putih left, Mak Cik Suri gave her a choice between two covered baskets: one small and light, the other large and heavy.
“Choose the one you can carry safely,” Mak Cik Suri advised. Bawang Putih chose the small basket. At home, she opened it and found a handful of ripe fruit and a note thanking her for her help. The fruit was enough to share with the whole family.
When Bawang Merah heard what had happened, she hurried to the river. She found Mak Cik Suri and offered to carry the water jar, but she kept glancing at the baskets. “I have been so helpful,” she said. “Surely I should have the biggest reward.”
Mak Cik Suri handed her the large basket. It was filled with smooth river stones. Bawang Merah struggled to carry it home. When she finally set it down, the stones rolled across the floor. She felt embarrassed, but Bawang Putih helped her gather them. Together, they returned the stones to the riverbank.
Bawang Merah apologised for thinking only about a reward. Mak Cik Suri smiled. “A kind act matters even when nobody is watching,” she said. After that, the sisters shared their chores more fairly. The tale does not promise that every good deed brings a prize; instead, it asks readers to consider what kindness looks like when there is nothing to gain.
Check your understanding
Use specific details from the story where you can.
1.Why did Bawang Putih go to the river at the beginning of the story?
2.What problem interrupts Bawang Putih’s washing, and how does she respond?
3.Which detail best shows that Bawang Putih helps Mak Cik Suri without being asked?
- She asks Mak Cik Suri to reward her.
- She helps refill the tipped water jar.
- She chooses the large basket.
- She tells Bawang Merah to do the washing.
4.Why might Mak Cik Suri advise Bawang Putih to choose the basket she can carry safely?
5.What does Bawang Merah’s repeated glance at the baskets suggest about her reason for helping Mak Cik Suri?
6.How is the outcome for Bawang Merah different from the outcome she expected?
7.True or false: The story says that every kind act will earn a material reward. Give a detail that supports your answer.
TrueFalse
8.Put these events in the order they happen: Bawang Merah carries the stone-filled basket; Bawang Putih finds the scarf; Bawang Putih helps refill the water jar; the sisters return the stones to the riverbank.
9.At the end, Bawang Putih helps Bawang Merah gather the stones. What does this action reveal about Bawang Putih?
10.Explain one way the sisters’ relationship changes by the end. Use evidence from the story.
11.The tale is a retelling with a lesson. Which lesson is best supported by its ending?
- People should help only when they know a reward is waiting.
- A thoughtful act can matter even when it brings no prize.
- The biggest choice is always the best choice.
- Siblings should never work together.
12.The story begins by saying Bawang Putih often did more than her share. How does this detail help explain the ending?
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
About This Worksheet
Free in Kuraplan
Sign up free, grab the PDF, and customize it for your class.
Print-Ready
Formatted for standard paper. Clean layout, easy to read.
AI-Generated
Created with Kuraplan's AI, designed for real classroom use.
For Teachers & Parents
Use in classrooms, for homework, tutoring, or homeschool.
Need a custom version of this worksheet?
Kuraplan's AI generates custom worksheets in seconds — differentiated for every learner, aligned to your curriculum.
Generate Custom Worksheets — Free No credit card Curriculum-aligned Under 60 seconds
