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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 museum entrance hall. It was a big, busy place. There were many people walking around. Arjun looked at his map. The map was very large. He opened it carefully. It showed all the rooms in the museum. There were lots of different colors on the map. Arjun looked at the red lines. Then he looked at the blue lines. He did not understand them. He turned the map around. He turned it again. He still did not know where he was. Arjun stopped walking. He looked up at the hall.

    He saw a big sign on the wall. The sign said 'Welcome'. There were arrows on the sign. The arrows pointed in different directions. Arjun looked at the arrows. Then he looked at his map again. The map did not match the sign. He felt confused. "Where am I on this map?" he said to himself. He looked left. He looked right. Everything looked the same to him. A woman walked past him quickly. He wanted to ask for help. He felt a little shy. Arjun took a deep breath.

    He walked to the information desk. A man was sitting there. The man smiled at Arjun. "Can I help you?" the man asked. "Yes, please," said Arjun. "I am lost. I cannot read this map." The man laughed kindly. "Do not worry," he said. "Many people find this map difficult." The man showed Arjun a simple path on the map. He drew a small circle. "You are here," the man said. Arjun smiled. He felt much better. He said thank you and walked happily into the museum.

    Key vocabulary

    entrance (noun)the door or gate where you go into a building“Arjun stopped at the entrance of the museum.”
    map (noun)a drawing that shows where places are“He opened the map to find the right room.”
    confused (adjective)not able to understand something clearly“She felt confused when she looked at the signs.”
    arrow (noun)a sign shaped like a pointer that shows direction“The arrow on the wall pointed to the exit.”
    match (verb)to be the same as something else“The picture did not match what she saw.”
    information desk (noun phrase)a place in a building where staff help visitors“He went to the information desk to ask for directions.”
    shy (adjective)nervous about talking to other people“She was shy and did not ask the question.”
    path (noun)the route you take to get somewhere“The man showed him a simple path on the map.”

    Useful phrases

    • to get lost — to not know where you are“Arjun got lost in the big museum entrance hall.”
    • to look around — to look in many directions to see what is there“She looked around the hall but could not find the exit.”
    • to turn something around — to rotate an object to face a different direction“He turned the map around to try to understand it.”
    • to take a deep breath — to breathe in slowly to help yourself feel calm“She took a deep breath before asking for help.”
    • Do not worry — used to tell someone that everything is fine and they should feel calm“"Do not worry," said the man. "I can help you."”
    • Can I help you? — a polite question used to offer assistance“The woman at the desk said, "Can I help you?"”
    • to point in a direction — to show which way to go“The arrow pointed in the direction of the main gallery.”
    • to ask for help — to request assistance from another person“He was shy, but he decided to ask for help.”

    Word search

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

    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO
    1IRRLUUWYQMXEDIV
    2GLMIXOOERHBQYNN
    3FIEIYJCFBJQWHFM
    4ILMHONNOJEGAROL
    5ZQSPAAZPWQCWRRP
    6ADAROQBGZOHHXMG
    7YTTATIGTDCRTNAL
    8HNCTKGKSTPNRXTK
    9EMUOQWMASJAYAIU
    10HVDDNSMQNWAMPOX
    11YAGJCFOSFRDRJNO
    12UKUXKTURCKHOZDN
    13FYDNMAJSOGQIWES
    14VBIWAUWEEGPERSB
    15HRIKYFULGDAYRKV

    Comprehension quiz

    1. Where does the story take place?

      • A) In a library
      • B) In a museum entrance hall
      • C) In a train station
      • D) In a hotel lobby
    2. What did Arjun look at when he first arrived?

      • A) An arrow on the floor
      • B) The information desk
      • C) His map
      • D) A sign on the wall
    3. What did Arjun do when he did not understand the map?

      • A) He looked at the information desk
      • B) He turned the map around
      • C) He asked a woman for help
      • D) He left the museum
    4. What did the sign on the wall say?

      • A) Gallery
      • B) Exit
      • C) Information
      • D) Welcome
    5. What does the word 'confused' mean?

      • A) Tired after a long walk
      • B) Angry about a problem
      • C) Very happy and excited
      • D) Not able to understand something clearly
    6. Why did Arjun feel shy?

      • A) He forgot his map at home
      • B) He could not find the entrance
      • C) He wanted to ask for help but felt nervous
      • D) He did not like museums
    7. What did the man at the information desk do to help Arjun?

      • A) He pointed to a sign on the wall
      • B) He walked with Arjun to the gallery
      • C) He gave Arjun a new map
      • D) He drew a small circle on the map
    8. The man at the information desk was unkind to Arjun. True or False?

      • A) Not mentioned
      • B) False
      • C) Not stated
      • D) True
    9. What does 'information desk' mean?

      • A) A room where you can read books
      • B) A table where maps are printed
      • C) A desk where you pay to enter
      • D) A place where staff help visitors
    10. How did Arjun feel at the end of the story?

      • A) Angry at the museum
      • B) Still confused and worried
      • C) Much better and happy
      • D) Tired and ready to leave

    Answer key (A2 (Elementary))

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

    arrow: M9 ↖ · confused: C8 ↘ · entrance: A9 ↗ · information desk: N1 ↓ · map: L10 ↖ · match: G10 ↗ · path: D5 ↙ · shy: C5 ↗

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

    Arjun's Map Disaster

    Name: ______________________   Date: ____________

    Arjun arrived at the museum entrance hall feeling confident, but that feeling did not last long. The hall was vast and crowded, with visitors moving in every direction. He unfolded his map and immediately regretted it. The document was enormous, covered in colored lines, symbols, and tiny printed labels that seemed to blur together the longer he stared at them. He rotated the map several times, trying to match its layout to the physical space around him, but the corridors and archways in front of him bore no resemblance to anything he could find on paper. A group of visitors brushed past him without a second glance. Standing in the middle of the busy hall, completely disoriented, Arjun quietly admitted to himself that he had absolutely no idea where he was.

    He studied the map more carefully, hoping that a moment of focus would bring some clarity. Several large signs were mounted on the walls around the hall, each one featuring bold arrows and room numbers, but none of them matched the section of the map he was looking at. "This is impossible," he muttered under his breath. He noticed a woman nearby consulting her own map with a similarly frustrated expression, which made him feel slightly less alone. Arjun took a slow breath and decided that staring at the map for another ten minutes was not going to solve anything. He folded it back up, tucked it under his arm, and looked around for someone who might be able to point him in the right direction. He spotted an information desk near the far wall, partly hidden behind a crowd of visitors.

    As he approached, a staff member looked up and greeted him with a warm smile. "You look like you might need some help," she said. "I think that's a fair assessment," Arjun replied, laughing a little at himself. He spread the map open on the desk and explained that he had been trying to locate the main gallery without any success. The staff member placed her finger on a small red dot near the center of the map. "You are standing right here," she said clearly. "The gallery you want is just through those doors on your left." Arjun thanked her, folded the map with considerably more confidence than before, and headed towards the gallery feeling genuinely relieved.

    Key vocabulary

    disoriented (adjective)confused about where you are or which direction you are facing“After turning so many corners, she felt completely disoriented.”
    vast (adjective)extremely large in size or area“The entrance hall was so vast that his voice echoed.”
    resemblance (noun)a similarity in appearance between two things or people“The map bore no resemblance to the actual layout of the building.”
    clarity (noun)the quality of being clear and easy to understand“He read the instructions again, hoping for some clarity.”
    assessment (noun)a judgment or opinion about a situation“Her assessment of the problem was very accurate.”
    muttered (verb (past simple))spoke quietly in a way that was hard to hear, usually when frustrated“He muttered something under his breath and walked away.”
    consulting (verb (present participle))looking at something for information or guidance“She was consulting the timetable when he arrived.”
    locate (verb)to find the exact position of something“It took him several minutes to locate the correct room.”

    Useful phrases

    • bear no resemblance to — to look completely different from something“The route on the map bore no resemblance to the actual streets.”
    • under his breath — in a very quiet voice, so others cannot easily hear“She muttered under her breath when she got the wrong answer.”
    • point someone in the right direction — to help someone find where they need to go“The receptionist pointed us in the right direction straight away.”
    • without a second glance — without stopping to look or pay attention“He walked past the broken sign without a second glance.”
    • a fair assessment — an accurate and reasonable judgment of a situation“Saying the traffic was bad was a fair assessment of the journey.”
    • to spread something open — to unfold or open something flat so it can be seen clearly“She spread the map open on the table so they could plan the route.”
    • with considerably more confidence — feeling much more certain and self-assured than before“He answered the second question with considerably more confidence.”
    • to admit to oneself — to privately accept that something is true, even if it is uncomfortable“She had to admit to herself that she had taken the wrong turn.”

    Word search

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

    ABCDEFGHIJKLM
    1YGHYVRKTWGDCE
    2YKNZTKCHLIILW
    3XAYIUICNSUQSH
    4CSSVTHROBCJCR
    5RSOINLRAEIGMC
    6PEIEWIUTLJKUQ
    7FSNEECASTCMTI
    8MSQNOCFONFKTD
    9YMTAOQSIDOVEJ
    10FEALUHYJIACRY
    11DNSRHUGDSUQED
    12ETZMOJPTPYJDB
    13ECNALBMESERDY

    Comprehension quiz

    1. How did Arjun feel when he first arrived at the museum?

      • A) Nervous and unsure
      • B) Confident, but that soon changed
      • C) Bored and uninterested
      • D) Excited and ready to explore
    2. What does 'disoriented' mean in the context of the story?

      • A) Tired after a long journey
      • B) Angry about a situation
      • C) Confused about where you are
      • D) Interested in your surroundings
    3. Why did Arjun find the map so difficult to use?

      • A) It was torn and missing several sections
      • B) It only showed the outside of the building
      • C) It was covered in lines, symbols, and tiny labels that blurred together
      • D) It was in a language he did not speak
    4. What did the woman nearby make Arjun feel?

      • A) More confused than before
      • B) Embarrassed about his mistake
      • C) Slightly less alone in his frustration
      • D) Confident that he could solve the problem
    5. What does 'muttered under his breath' mean?

      • A) Repeated the same word several times
      • B) Shouted loudly across the room
      • C) Spoke very quietly so others could not hear
      • D) Asked a question politely
    6. Arjun continued to study the map for ten more minutes before going to the desk. True or False?

      • A) True
      • B) Not mentioned
      • C) Not stated
      • D) False
    7. Where was the information desk located?

      • A) At the main entrance doors
      • B) Next to the gallery Arjun wanted to find
      • C) In the center of the hall
      • D) Near the far wall, partly hidden by visitors
    8. What does the word 'locate' mean?

      • A) To ask someone for directions
      • B) To find the exact position of something
      • C) To memorize the layout of a building
      • D) To draw a map of a place
    9. How did the staff member help Arjun find his position on the map?

      • A) She walked him to the gallery herself
      • B) She pointed to a large sign on the wall
      • C) She drew a new, simpler map for him
      • D) She placed her finger on a small red dot on the map
    10. How did Arjun feel at the end of the story?

      • A) Frustrated that it had taken so long
      • B) Embarrassed and unwilling to continue
      • C) Genuinely relieved and more confident
      • D) Grateful but still a little confused

    Answer key (B1 (Intermediate))

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

    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.

    assessment: B3 ↓ · clarity: J7 ↖ · consulting: K10 ↖ · disoriented: K1 ↙ · locate: D10 ↗ · muttered: L5 ↓ · resemblance: K13 ← · vast: K9 ↙

    Free Daily English · www.freedailyenglish.com/stories/arjun-and-the-confusing-map-2026-08-21