Talaga Warna
Long ago there was a kingdom in West Java. The kingdom was ruled by a king called Prabu.Prabu was a kind and wise king, and there was no hunger in his kingdom. But Prabu and his queen didn’t have any children. It made them very, very sad.
Then one day Prabu went into the jungle. There he prayed to his god for a child. A few months later, the queen was expecting a baby, and all the people in the kingdom were happy. Prabu and the queen loved their little daughter and gave her everything. Th is made the princess a very spoiled girl. If she didn’t get what she wanted, she became very angry. But even though the princess behaved badly, her parents loved her, and so did the people in the kingdom.
Day by day, the princess grew more beautiful. When she was 17, her parents invited all the people in the kingdom to a party. Prabu took their gift s of gold and bright jewels and had a beautiful necklace made for his daughter.
On the day of the birthday, people gathered in the palace field. When Prabu and the queen appeared, people welcomed them happily. The cheers were even louder when the beautiful princess appeared. Prabu took the necklace. “My beloved daughter,” he said, “today I give this necklace to you. It is a gift from the people of this country because they love you so much.”The princess looked at the necklace. “I don’t want it! It’s ugly!” she shouted, and she threw the necklace on the ground, where it broke into pieces. Everyone was shocked. Nobody spoke.They never thought that their beloved princess would do that terrible thing.
In their silence people heard the queen crying. Everyone was sad and began crying, too. A pool of water formed on the ground. Soon the pool became a big lake. The lake sank all of the kingdom.
Today, people called the lake Talaga Warna. It means ‘Lake of Colours’. It is located in Puncak, West Java. On a bright day, the lake is full of amazing colours, which in fact come from the reflection of the trees and flowers around it. But some people believe that the colours are from the princess’s necklace, which still lies in pieces at the bottom of the lake.
1. Which of the following statements is correct?
a. King Prabu and his queen had lots of children.
b. The little princess was a very good child.
c. Prabu gave his wife a necklace for her birthday.
d. The people in Prabu’s kingdom loved their royal family.
e. The people envied to see the king’s happiness to have a beautiful princess
2. The people were shocked
a. by Prabu’s words to his daughter.
b. by the princess’s bad behaviour.
c. when the royal family appeared.
d. when the queen began to cry.
e. because of her kindness
3. “I don’t want it! It’s ugly!” Th e underlined word means:
a. not pretty
b. cheap
c. attractive
d. not modern
e. inexpensive
4. The lake is called Talaga Warna because ...
a. of the necklace that lies at the bottom.
b. of the colours reflected in the water.
c. that was the name of the princess.
d. it is located in Puncak.
e. they had dreamt for a child for a very long time
KUNCI JAWABAN
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. B
