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.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | R | R | L | U | U | W | Y | Q | M | X | E | D | I | V |
| 2 | G | L | M | I | X | O | O | E | R | H | B | Q | Y | N | N |
| 3 | F | I | E | I | Y | J | C | F | B | J | Q | W | H | F | M |
| 4 | I | L | M | H | O | N | N | O | J | E | G | A | R | O | L |
| 5 | Z | Q | S | P | A | A | Z | P | W | Q | C | W | R | R | P |
| 6 | A | D | A | R | O | Q | B | G | Z | O | H | H | X | M | G |
| 7 | Y | T | T | A | T | I | G | T | D | C | R | T | N | A | L |
| 8 | H | N | C | T | K | G | K | S | T | P | N | R | X | T | K |
| 9 | E | M | U | O | Q | W | M | A | S | J | A | Y | A | I | U |
| 10 | H | V | D | D | N | S | M | Q | N | W | A | M | P | O | X |
| 11 | Y | A | G | J | C | F | O | S | F | R | D | R | J | N | O |
| 12 | U | K | U | X | K | T | U | R | C | K | H | O | Z | D | N |
| 13 | F | Y | D | N | M | A | J | S | O | G | Q | I | W | E | S |
| 14 | V | B | I | W | A | U | W | E | E | G | P | E | R | S | B |
| 15 | H | R | I | K | Y | F | U | L | G | D | A | Y | R | K | V |
Comprehension quiz
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
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
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
What did the sign on the wall say?
- A) Gallery
- B) Exit
- C) Information
- D) Welcome
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
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
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
The man at the information desk was unkind to Arjun. True or False?
- A) Not mentioned
- B) False
- C) Not stated
- D) True
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
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 ↗