I Am The Minotaur Reading Comp

I Am the Minotaur
I’m the Minotaur: half man, half bull.
King Minos’s pet, so strong and tall.
With horns like daggers and piercing eyes,
I’ve muscles of rock; I’m colossal in size.
I live in a maze on the island of Crete.
While chained to a wall, I sleep and eat meat.
The Athenians are our fierce enemies;
huge battles have caused terrible memories.
For peace, they made a deal one day.
If they simply feed me, Minos will stay away.
He promised he wouldn’t attack any more
if hosts of youths were sent to our shore.
It’s every nine years, to be precise;
seven boys, seven girls, just a roll of the dice.
They nervously wait to hear if they’re selected
then enter my maze and look so dejected!
Lucky for me, they will soon be here.
“They’re on the horizon,” comes Minos’s cheer.
I’ve waited so long to hear that noise:
the Athenian boat full of girls and boys.
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I Am the Minotaur
Waiting here hungry in this complex maze,
fresh meals to feast on are just what I crave.
Now they’ve arrived, I’m excited to see
how breakfast will look and if they’re scared of me!
Tomorrow morning, my treats will come in;
this time, I’ll put all the bones in the bin.
Just as I start to relax for the night,
there’s a creak of the door; a surprising sight.
A handsome young man with a sword in his hand
walks closer to me, which I don’t understand!
He tightly grips onto a long piece of string
with a finger that carries a shiny, gold ring.
He then shouts to me, (he’s brave, at least!)
“It’s the end for you, you nasty, old beast!”
I laugh, I roar then I charge at my prey
but he stands his ground; he does not run away.
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I Am the Minotaur
I’m shocked at his strength, his movement and speed.
Frustrated, I pounce; I need my feed.
With a swish of his sword, I crash to the ground
and the whole maze shakes with a thundering sound.
He then calmly says, with a foot on my chest,
“It looks like you’ve met your ultimate test.
I’m sorry poor beast but this battle is done.
Never again will you have your fun.”
“I’ll use this string to find my way out.
It’s the end for you; there is no doubt.
Ariadne and my friends are safe and free;
I’ll marry her soon – just wait and see.”
“Oh no, of course, you won’t be around;
you’re lifelessly laying under the ground.
My boat’s white sails will show we’ve succeeded.
We’ll all rejoice; it’s what Athens has needed.”
I look into his eyes and accept the defeat.
Someone so brave I never did meet.
The boy runs off, disappearing from view.
Now, I may as well sleep… what else can I do?
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1. What kind of text is this? Tick (✔) the correct answer.
story
poem
newspaper report
2. How do you know? Choose the feature of the text that supports your
answer. Tick (✔) one box.
paragraphs
short lines
direct speech
3. Who feeds the Minotaur?
__________________________________________________________
4. Number the events below from 1-4, in the order that they happen.
The Minotaur goes to sleep.
A boat full of Athenian girls and boys arrives.
A young man comes gripping onto a piece of string.
A deal is made with King Minos.
5. Give two noun phrases that can be used to describe the Minotaur.
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
6. Circle the adverb in the sentence below.
He tightly grips onto a long piece of string with a finger that carries a shiny,
gold ring.
7. What about the young man shocks the Minotaur?
__________________________________________________________
8. Come up with another way to say says for the sentence below.
He then calmly says, with a foot on my chest, “It looks like you’ve met your
ultimate test.”
__________________________________________________________
9. Find one example of a contraction in the text.
________________________________________________________________
10. Look at this sentence.
My boat’s white sails will show we’ve succeeded. We’ll all rejoice.
What do you think the word rejoice’ means? Tick (✓) one box.
jump
wave
celebrate
11. What does the pronoun they refer to in paragraph 5?
________________________________________________________________
12. What kind of figurative language is ‘muscles of rock’? Tick (✓) one box.
rhyme
alliteration
metaphor
onomatopoeia

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I Am the Minotaur

I’m the Minotaur: half man, half bull.

King Minos’s pet, so strong and tall.

With horns like daggers and piercing eyes,

I’ve muscles of rock; I’m colossal in size.

I live in a maze on the island of Crete.

While chained to a wall, I sleep and eat meat.

The Athenians are our fierce enemies;

huge battles have caused terrible memories.

For peace, they made a deal one day.

If they simply feed me, Minos will stay away.

He promised he wouldn’t attack any more

if hosts of youths were sent to our shore.

It’s every nine years, to be precise;

seven boys, seven girls, just a roll of the dice.

They nervously wait to hear if they’re selected

then enter my maze and look so dejected!

Lucky for me, they will soon be here.

“They’re on the horizon,” comes Minos’s cheer.

I’ve waited so long to hear that noise:

the Athenian boat full of girls and boys.

Waiting here hungry in this complex maze,

fresh meals to feast on are just what I crave.

Now they’ve arrived, I’m excited to see

how breakfast will look and if they’re scared of me!

Tomorrow morning, my treats will come in;

this time, I’ll put all the bones in the bin.

Just as I start to relax for the night,

there’s a creak of the door; a surprising sight.

A handsome young man with a sword in his hand

walks closer to me, which I don’t understand!

He tightly grips onto a long piece of string

with a finger that carries a shiny, gold ring.

He then shouts to me, (he’s brave, at least!)

“It’s the end for you, you nasty, old beast!”

I laugh, I roar then I charge at my prey

but he stands his ground; he does not run away.

I’m shocked at his strength, his movement and speed.

Frustrated, I pounce; I need my feed.

With a swish of his sword, I crash to the ground

and the whole maze shakes with a thundering sound.

He then calmly says, with a foot on my chest,

“It looks like you’ve met your ultimate test.

I’m sorry poor beast but this battle is done.

Never again will you have your fun.”

“I’ll use this string to find my way out.

It’s the end for you; there is no doubt.

Ariadne and my friends are safe and free;

I’ll marry her soon – just wait and see.”

“Oh no, of course, you won’t be around;

you’re lifelessly laying under the ground.

My boat’s white sails will show we’ve succeeded.

We’ll all rejoice; it’s what Athens has needed.”

I look into his eyes and accept the defeat.

Someone so brave I never did meet.

The boy runs off, disappearing from view.

Now, I may as well sleep… what else can I do?

3. Who feeds the Minotaur?

The Minotaur goes to sleep.