A Foolish Stag English Story Cadet College Test

A Foolish Stag

For 8th Class Student 

Once a stag was drinking water at a pond. He saw his shadow in the water. He felt proud of his beautiful horns but felt sad about his thin and ugly legs. Suddenly, he saw some hounds coming. He ran as fast as he could to save his life. While running through the jungle, his horns got stuck in a bush. He tried hard to free himself, but he failed. The hounds came and caught him. He was killed. Now he was sorry for the horns he once admired.

Moral: All that glitters is not gold.

For 9th Class Student 

One hot afternoon, a stag went to a forest pond to drink water. As he bent down, he noticed his reflection in the clear water. He admired his large, branching horns and felt proud of their beauty. Then his eyes fell on his thin, bony legs, and he frowned in disgust.

Just then, he heard the barking of hounds in the distance. Alarmed, he leapt away, his legs carrying him swiftly through the forest. For a while, his speed kept him safe. But soon, his magnificent horns became his enemy—they got entangled in the branches of a bush. He struggled desperately to free himself, but it was too late. The hounds closed in, and the poor stag was killed.

In his final moments, he regretted valuing beauty over usefulness.

Moral: All that glitters is not gold.

For 11th Class Student 

On a warm afternoon, a stag approached a tranquil forest pond to quench his thirst. As he lowered his head, the still water mirrored his image with perfect clarity. He gazed in admiration at his splendid antlers, proud of their size and elegance. But when his eyes moved to his thin, spindly legs, a wave of dissatisfaction swept over him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the distant yet urgent barking of hounds. In a flash, the stag dashed into the forest, his legs propelling him with remarkable speed. For a brief moment, he felt grateful for the very limbs he had despised. But fate intervened—his magnificent antlers became ensnared in the dense foliage of a bush. He twisted and pulled in vain. The hounds arrived, and his life came to a tragic end.

In those last seconds, the stag realised the irony: what he had admired had betrayed him, and what he had despised had almost saved him.

Moral: True worth lies in usefulness, not mere appearance.