Fairness Wins Respect: Reading Comprehension on “The Greedy Merchant” for Class 5 

This Grade 5 reading comprehension worksheet brings the moral folk tale The Greedy Merchant to life — a meaningful story about honesty, fairness, and the consequences of greed. Created to build strong reading and inference skills, it helps learners understand facts, character actions, and values through structured exercises. 

Students explore how the merchant’s cheating affected others, how the judge cleverly taught him a lesson, and why realizing our mistakes leads to true change. Through MCQs, short-answer questions, and higher-order thinking prompts, the worksheet strengthens comprehension, reasoning, and moral reflection. 

Each activity supports vocabulary development, sequencing, and critical thinking, making it ideal for improving fluency, clarity, and ethical understanding. 

Why Reading Comprehension Matters in Grammar? 

Comprehension skills form the backbone of confident communication. For Grade 5 learners, this topic is important because: 
1. It builds vocabulary and reading accuracy. 
2. It encourages logical thinking and value-based reflection. 
3. It connects grammar with real stories and meaningful interpretation. 
4. It helps children understand fairness, honesty, and responsibility. 

What’s Inside This Worksheet? 

🧠 Exercise 1 – Multiple Choice Questions 
Students choose answers about how the merchant cheated, who caught him, and what the judge did. 

✏️ Exercise 2 – Short Answer Questions 
Learners write complete-sentence answers about why the judge planned a trick, what lesson was learned, and how the merchant felt. 

📚 Exercise 3 – Higher-Order Thinking 
Students reflect on the story’s message, fairness, and how honesty earns respect, followed by a vocabulary-based question. 

📝 Vocabulary Builder 
Find the synonym of “cheated” from the story (answer: deceived). 

✅ Answer Key (For Parents & Educators) 

Exercise 1 – Choose the Correct Option 
1. c) He cheated with false weights 
2. b) A poor farmer 
3. c) Tricked him with fake weights 

Exercise 2 – Short Answer Questions 
1. The judge wanted to show the merchant his own unfairness. 
2. He learned that fairness brings trust and respect. 
3. The merchant felt ashamed when his trick was exposed. 

Exercise 3 – Higher-Order Thinking Answers 
1. The story teaches that greed leads to shame, honesty brings peace. 
2. Realization changed him more as he felt true guilt. 
3. Honesty earns respect because people trust you more. 
4. Synonym of “cheated”: deceived 

Help your child learn how honesty builds trust and respect with this powerful reading comprehension worksheet! 
Encourage fairness, critical thinking, and moral learning with every story they read. 
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