Chapter 2 

                                             Abu Ali Counts his Donkeys


1. Who was Abu Ali?

Answer: Abu Ali was a man who went to a fair and bought some donkeys. He is shown as a humorous character in the story because he keeps making a funny mistake while counting his donkeys.


2. Where did Abu Ali go one day?

Answer: One day, Abu Ali went to the fair. He went there to buy donkeys and returned home after purchasing them.


3. How many donkeys did Abu Ali buy?

Answer: Abu Ali bought nine donkeys from the fair. This number becomes important because he keeps forgetting to count one of them properly.


4. How did Abu Ali return home from the fair?

Answer: Abu Ali rode home on one donkey, while the other donkeys followed him from behind along the road.


5. What question did Abu Ali ask himself on the way?

Answer: On the way home, Abu Ali asked himself whether all his donkeys were with him. This thought made him stop and count them.


6. What happened when Abu Ali first counted his donkeys?

Answer: When Abu Ali first counted his donkeys, he counted only eight. He became worried because he thought one donkey was missing.


7. Why did Abu Ali think one donkey was missing?

Answer: Abu Ali thought one donkey was missing because he forgot to count the donkey he was sitting on while counting the others behind him.


8. What did Abu Ali do after counting only eight donkeys?

Answer: After counting only eight donkeys, Abu Ali jumped down from the donkey and started looking around to find the missing one.


9. Where did Abu Ali search for the donkey?

Answer: Abu Ali searched behind rocks and trees, thinking that the missing donkey might be hiding somewhere nearby.


10. Did Abu Ali find any missing donkey?

Answer: No, Abu Ali did not find any missing donkey. All the donkeys were actually there.


11. What happened when Abu Ali counted again after getting down?

Answer: When Abu Ali counted again after getting down from the donkey, he found all nine donkeys. This confused him.


12. What did Abu Ali do after counting nine donkeys?

Answer: After counting nine donkeys, Abu Ali climbed back onto the donkey and continued riding home.


13. What happened when Abu Ali counted the donkeys again later?

Answer: Later, when Abu Ali counted the donkeys again while riding, he once more found only eight donkeys.


14. Why did Abu Ali keep getting confused?

Answer: Abu Ali kept getting confused because he forgot to include himself and the donkey he was riding in his count.


15. What did Abu Ali do when he felt confused again?

Answer: When Abu Ali felt confused again, he jumped down from the donkey and started searching for the missing one.


16. Who did Abu Ali meet on the road?

Answer: Abu Ali met his friend Musa walking along the road.


17. Why did Abu Ali call Musa?

Answer: Abu Ali called Musa because he wanted help in counting his donkeys properly.


18. What problem did Abu Ali explain to Musa?

Answer: Abu Ali explained that whenever he counted the donkeys while riding, one donkey seemed missing, but when he got down, all were there again.


19. How many donkeys did Musa count?

Answer: Musa counted ten donkeys in total.


20. Why did Musa laugh?

Answer: Musa laughed because he understood Abu Ali’s mistake and found the situation funny.


21. How did Musa explain the counting mistake?

Answer: Musa explained that Abu Ali was sitting on one donkey, eight were behind him, and Abu Ali himself was the tenth “donkey” in the count.


22. How did Abu Ali react to Musa’s explanation?

Answer: Abu Ali realized his mistake and accepted that he was foolish for not understanding it earlier.


23. Why did Abu Ali ask about the tenth donkey?

Answer: Abu Ali asked about the tenth donkey because he was surprised when Musa said there were ten donkeys.


24. What did Musa say about the tenth donkey?

Answer: Musa said that the tenth donkey was Abu Ali himself, sitting on the first donkey.


25. What makes this story humorous?

Answer: The story is humorous because Abu Ali repeatedly forgets to count the donkey he is riding and becomes confused again and again.


26. What lesson does the story teach?

Answer: The story teaches us to think carefully and not make silly mistakes. It also shows how confusion can arise from carelessness.


27. What kind of person is Abu Ali?

Answer: Abu Ali is shown as a simple, innocent, and foolish man who makes a funny mistake but is honest and good-hearted.


28. What kind of friend is Musa?

Answer: Musa is a clever and helpful friend who calmly solves Abu Ali’s problem and explains it clearly.


29. Why did Abu Ali jump down from the donkey each time?

Answer: Abu Ali jumped down because he believed that one donkey was missing and wanted to search for it.


30. Why were the rocks and trees mentioned in the story?

Answer: The rocks and trees show the places where Abu Ali searched for the donkey, making his confusion more realistic.


31. What does the word “behind” mean in the story?

Answer: The word “behind” means at the back. The donkeys were walking behind Abu Ali on the road.


32. What does the word “climbed” mean?

Answer: The word “climbed” means went up. Abu Ali climbed back onto the donkey to ride again.


33. Why did Abu Ali keep stopping on the way?

Answer: Abu Ali kept stopping because he was worried about losing a donkey and kept counting them.


34. Was any donkey actually lost?

Answer: No, no donkey was ever lost. All nine donkeys were always with Abu Ali.


35. Why is counting important in the story?

Answer: Counting is important because the whole story revolves around Abu Ali’s mistake in counting.


36. What mistake did Abu Ali make while counting?

Answer: Abu Ali forgot to count the donkey he was riding on.


37. How did Musa solve the problem easily?

Answer: Musa solved the problem by calmly counting all the donkeys, including the one Abu Ali was riding.


38. What does the story tell us about thinking clearly?

Answer: The story tells us that clear thinking can solve problems easily, while confusion can create unnecessary trouble.


39. Why is this story suitable for children?

Answer: The story is simple, funny, and teaches an important lesson, making it suitable for children.


40. What is the main theme of the story?

Answer: The main theme of the story is humor arising from carelessness and the importance of using common sense.

Answer by Mrinmoee