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    Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: getting completely lost with a map

    Arjun and the Confusing Map

    Name: ______________________   Date: ____________

    Arjun walked into the big museum entrance hall on a sunny morning. He was very excited because he wanted to see the dinosaur bones. The entrance hall was very large and full of people. There were tall white walls and a shiny floor. Arjun looked around and saw many doors and corridors. He did not know which way to go. He found a free paper map near the front desk. He picked it up and opened it. The map was very big and colorful. It had many lines, arrows, and small pictures on it. Arjun turned the map to the left. Then he turned it to the right. He looked at the map for a long time. He said to himself, "This map is very confusing." He did not understand it at all. Arjun tried to walk to the dinosaur room.

    He looked at the map and turned left. He walked past a large statue in the middle of the hall. Then he turned right and found a gift shop. "This is not the dinosaur room," he said quietly. He looked at the map again and turned it upside down. Now the map looked even more confusing. He walked back to the statue. Then he tried to go straight, but he found the toilets instead. A woman near the door saw him and smiled. "Are you lost?" she asked. "Yes, I am very lost," Arjun said with a small laugh. "I have a map, but it does not help me." The woman laughed too. "Many people get lost here," she said kindly. "The map is not very good." The woman pointed to a big blue sign on the wall.

    "Follow the blue signs for the dinosaur room," she said. Arjun looked up and saw the sign clearly. It had a small picture of a dinosaur on it. "Oh, I did not see that before!" Arjun said. He thanked the woman and followed the blue signs. He walked down a wide corridor and turned left at the next sign. After a short walk, he finally saw the dinosaur room. There were huge bones and a giant skeleton inside. Arjun smiled and put the map in his pocket. "I do not need this map anymore," he said happily. He spent a wonderful hour looking at the dinosaurs. Next time, he decided, he would look for signs first. He learned that sometimes a simple sign is better than a complicated map.

    Key vocabulary

    entrance (noun)the place where you go into a building“We met at the entrance of the building.”
    confusing (adjective)difficult to understand“The instructions were very confusing.”
    corridor (noun)a long narrow passage inside a building“She walked down the corridor to find her room.”
    statue (noun)a figure of a person or animal made from stone or metal“There is a large statue in the park.”
    upside down (adverb)with the top part at the bottom“He held the book upside down by mistake.”
    sign (noun)a board with words or pictures that gives information“The sign said the shop was closed.”
    skeleton (noun)the complete set of bones in a body“The museum has a skeleton of a whale.”
    complicated (adjective)having many parts and difficult to understand“The game has very complicated rules.”

    Useful phrases

    • get lost — to not know where you are“I always get lost in big buildings.”
    • pick something up — to take something with your hand“She picked up the pen from the table.”
    • look around — to look in different directions to see what is there“We looked around the shop but did not buy anything.”
    • turn left — to change direction to the left side“Turn left at the corner to find the bank.”
    • at all — used to make a negative statement stronger“I did not understand the question at all.”
    • point to — to show where something is using your finger“He pointed to the map and showed me the way.”
    • next time — the time after this one, in the future“Next time, I will bring an umbrella.”
    • look for — to try to find something“I am looking for my keys.”

    Word search

    Find all 8 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.

    ABCDEFGHIJKLM
    1ALNXENTRANCEB
    2BGNISUFNOCWJR
    3NWSTATUEHPDKN
    4WPWWCUZVNEGFI
    5OQSYQONDTPKNK
    6DDBGERRAEDPNH
    7ERVWHSCRKUMOX
    8DJYRSIIUIBYWZ
    9IKKELIMGODALN
    10SAUPSRIJNEOTE
    11POMXYHEVFLXRE
    12UOQDCQUHAKMYK
    13CLVNOTELEKSJC

    Comprehension quiz

    1. Where did the story take place?

      • A) In a school
      • B) In a park
      • C) In a museum entrance hall
      • D) In a shopping center
    2. What did Arjun want to see at the museum?

      • A) A statue
      • B) Dinosaur bones
      • C) A gift shop
      • D) Old paintings
    3. What does the word 'confusing' mean in the story?

      • A) Very small
      • B) Very colorful
      • C) Difficult to understand
      • D) Easy to read
    4. True or false: Arjun bought the map from the front desk.

      • A) Not stated
      • B) Not mentioned
      • C) False
      • D) True
    5. What did Arjun find when he turned right in the hall?

      • A) The dinosaur room
      • B) The toilets
      • C) A gift shop
      • D) The exit
    6. What does 'upside down' mean?

      • A) Very far away
      • B) Folded in half
      • C) Turned to the right
      • D) With the top part at the bottom
    7. Who helped Arjun find the dinosaur room?

      • A) A woman near a door
      • B) A man at the front desk
      • C) A young child
      • D) A security guard
    8. What color were the signs Arjun needed to follow?

      • A) Green
      • B) Blue
      • C) Yellow
      • D) Red
    9. True or false: Arjun spent two hours looking at the dinosaurs.

      • A) Not stated
      • B) Not mentioned
      • C) False
      • D) True
    10. What lesson did Arjun learn at the end of the story?

      • A) You should never use a paper map
      • B) Museums are too big to visit alone
      • C) Sometimes simple signs are better than complicated maps
      • D) Maps are always the best tool

    Answer key (A2 (Elementary))

    1. C 2. B 3. C 4. C 5. C 6. D 7. A 8. B 9. C 10. C

    Word search answer key (A2 (Elementary))

    Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.

    complicated: A13 ↗ · confusing: J2 ← · corridor: E4 ↘ · entrance: E1 → · sign: F7 ↘ · skeleton: K13 ← · statue: C3 → · upside down: A12 ↑

    Free Daily English · Level B1 (Intermediate) · Topic: getting completely lost with a map

    The Map That Made Things Worse

    Name: ______________________   Date: ____________

    Arjun had been looking forward to visiting the city museum for weeks, and when he finally stepped through the glass doors into the grand entrance hall, he felt a rush of excitement. The hall was enormous, with high ceilings, polished stone floors, and dozens of people moving in every direction. He had come specifically to see the exhibition on ancient sea creatures, which he had read about online the night before. Hoping to navigate the building efficiently, he grabbed a folded paper map from a display stand near the information desk. However, as soon as he unfolded it, his confidence began to fade. The map was covered in tiny symbols, overlapping labels, and color-coded zones that seemed to contradict the arrows printed beside them. Arjun rotated the map several times, trying to match it with his surroundings, but nothing lined up. "Well, this is going to be more of an adventure than I expected," he muttered to himself.

    Convinced that he had figured out the correct route, Arjun set off to the left, walked past a towering marble statue, and followed what he believed was a path towards the exhibition halls. Instead, he ended up standing in front of the museum gift shop, surrounded by postcards and toy dinosaurs. He retraced his steps, consulted the map once more, and tried heading in the opposite direction, only to find himself at the entrance to the staff offices. A security guard, who had apparently been watching Arjun wander back and forth, approached him with a friendly smile. "Having a bit of trouble with that map?" the guard asked. "Honestly, I have been walking in circles for the last ten minutes," Arjun admitted, holding up the crumpled map as evidence. "You are not the first person today," the guard replied with a chuckle. "That map confuses almost everyone who picks it up."

    The guard pointed towards a series of clearly marked overhead signs that Arjun had somehow completely overlooked in his determination to rely on the map. Each sign displayed a simple icon and a room number, making the layout of the museum suddenly seem obvious and straightforward. Arjun thanked the guard, folded the useless map into his jacket pocket, and followed the signs down a wide corridor to the left. Within two minutes, he had arrived at the entrance to the ancient sea creatures exhibition, which was filled with beautifully lit displays and detailed models of creatures that had lived millions of years ago. As he gazed at a giant shell fossil mounted on the wall, he could not help but laugh at how much time he had wasted trying to decode the map. He realized that he had been so focused on reading the map that he had ignored all the simple, helpful signs around him. It was a good reminder, he thought, that sometimes the easiest solution is the one right in front of you.

    Key vocabulary

    overlapping (adjective)covering part of the same area so that edges cross over each other“The overlapping circles on the diagram made it hard to read.”
    contradict (verb)to say or show the opposite of something else“The two reports seemed to contradict each other.”
    retrace (verb)to go back along the same path you have just taken“She retraced her steps to find her lost phone.”
    wander (verb)to walk around slowly without a clear direction or purpose“They wandered through the old streets for hours.”
    crumpled (adjective)crushed or squeezed so that something is no longer smooth“He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his bag.”
    determination (noun)the quality of continuing to try to do something even when it is difficult“Her determination helped her finish the race.”
    straightforward (adjective)easy to understand or simple to do“The instructions were clear and straightforward.”
    decode (verb)to work out the meaning of something that is difficult to understand“It took him a while to decode the handwritten note.”

    Useful phrases

    • look forward to — to feel excited and happy about something that is going to happen“I am really looking forward to the weekend.”
    • set off — to start a journey or begin going somewhere“We set off early to avoid the traffic.”
    • end up — to finally be in a place or situation that was not planned“We took the wrong road and ended up at the beach.”
    • back and forth — moving first in one direction and then in the opposite direction“The children ran back and forth across the playground.”
    • walk in circles — to keep moving without making progress or finding the right way“Without a compass, we walked in circles for an hour.”
    • right in front of you — very close and easy to see, but often not noticed“The answer was right in front of you the whole time.”
    • could not help but — was unable to stop yourself from doing something“She could not help but smile at the funny photo.”
    • figure out — to understand something or find the answer by thinking about it“It took me a while to figure out how the machine worked.”

    Word search

    Find all 8 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.

    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO
    1VURINTTDECODEBL
    2IKDMXSCPBTCTZFQ
    3HGEOISMIUWNKBIQ
    4VVTTUHXNDZRXSKC
    5SVENFTDYHALIIZN
    6STRAIGHTFORWARD
    7ZQMESTMCNRCTRHQ
    8OPICNIBREROSNVS
    9ANNAGKEDUKNLBOH
    10BHARPMNMXGVBBQC
    11PNTTPAPYOVYUXHT
    12XVIEWLDWZQIQXAT
    13DAOREPNQDHGHZVP
    14RCNDGRHWEMJOGEL
    15PGNIPPALREVOLTH

    Comprehension quiz

    1. What exhibition did Arjun specifically want to visit?

      • A) Space exploration
      • B) Modern art
      • C) Ancient sea creatures
      • D) Dinosaur bones
    2. What does the word 'contradict' mean as used in the story?

      • A) To show the opposite of something else
      • B) To make something colorful
      • C) To agree with something
      • D) To repeat information
    3. True or false: Arjun had visited the museum many times before.

      • A) True
      • B) Not stated
      • C) False
      • D) Not mentioned
    4. What does the phrase 'walking in circles' mean in this story?

      • A) Walking very quickly
      • B) Following a circular path on the map
      • C) Moving without making progress or finding the way
      • D) Walking in a round shape for exercise
    5. Where did Arjun end up on his first attempt to find the exhibition?

      • A) The main exit
      • B) The museum gift shop
      • C) The staff offices
      • D) The toilets
    6. What does 'crumpled' mean in the context of the story?

      • A) Neatly folded
      • B) Brightly colored
      • C) Carefully decorated
      • D) Crushed and no longer smooth
    7. Who helped Arjun find the right direction?

      • A) A staff member at the desk
      • B) A security guard
      • C) A museum guide
      • D) Another visitor
    8. True or false: The guard said Arjun was the only person confused by the map that day.

      • A) Not mentioned
      • B) Not stated
      • C) False
      • D) True
    9. What does 'straightforward' mean in the story?

      • A) Extremely detailed
      • B) Easy to understand
      • C) Curving to the right
      • D) Pointing straight ahead
    10. What lesson did Arjun learn from his experience?

      • A) Sometimes the easiest solution is the one right in front of you
      • B) It is best to avoid large buildings
      • C) Museums should not give out maps
      • D) Paper maps are always better than signs

    Answer key (B1 (Intermediate))

    1. C 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. B 6. D 7. B 8. C 9. B 10. A

    Word search answer key (B1 (Intermediate))

    Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.

    contradict: O10 ↖ · crumpled: K7 ↙ · decode: H1 → · determination: C2 ↓ · overlapping: L15 ← · retrace: D13 ↑ · straightforward: A6 → · wander: E12 ↗

    Free Daily English · www.freedailyenglish.com/stories/arjun-and-the-confusing-map-2026-05-12