SHORT STORIES FOR

FORM ONE

THE
 ZAHID

Zahid is a small, quiet boy. He lives

with his grandmother because his
parents are separated. He bought a
pencil, which was later stolen.

He was then accused of stealing the

pencil and punished by Mr Jamal. He
then turned into a bad, naughty boy.
MR. JAMAL

Mr Jamal was a strict teacher.

He also liked to make hasty
desicions. He punished Zahid for
stealing Dolah's pencil, without
looking to the matter carefully.
Mr. Jamal later found out that
Zahid was innocent and Dolah was
guilty.
DOLAH UDIN

Dolah was envious of

Zahid's new pencil. He
stole the pencil and
carved his name on it.
Later, Zahid hit him and
slashed his hand.
 MR. BERAHIM

Mr Berahim was the principal of the

school. He was a very patient and
diplomatic leader. He managed to
change Zahid's behaviour and made
Mr Jamal treat Zahid better.
 
 Plot
Zahid and Dolah quarrel over a pencil. Mr. Jamal asked them to come up
front to see him. Dolah accused Zahid steals his pencil.
The pencil has Dolah's initial on it. Mr. Jamal believed him and punished
Zahid.  
Weeks before that, Zahid saw the pencil in a bookstore. He liked the
pencil very much. 
Zahid asked money from his grandmother so he can buy the pencil.
Grandmother asked him to work with his Uncle Teh instead.
He bought the pencil and treasured it very much.  
A few days after that, the pencil disappeared. It turned out Dolah had
the same pencil, only the paint was scrapped off.
Zahid interrogated Dolah about the pencil.   
 Zahid waited for Dolah in the bush after school to ambush Dolah. He hit
Dolah.
 Plot
Zahid found the pencil in Dolah's bag and broke it into pieces. He ran home.
He did not come to school for three days after that. He was down with
fever. 
After that, he became a little monster. He disturbed other children.He
bought a pocketknife and destroyed the nature table in the classroom. He
slashed Dolah's hand.
 Zahid was called into the Principal's office. Mr. Berahim, the principal,
asked Zahid why he do all the bad things. Zahid told him everything.
Dolah admitted that he stole Zahid's pencil and accused Zahid instead.
 Mr. Berahim told Mr. Jamal about Zahid's father.
Mr. Jamal now understand why Zahid became very naughty.
Mr. Berahim gave Zahid two new pencils. He was very happy and gave one
pencil to Dolah.
 Setting 1: CLASSROOM
Where Dolah accused Zahid of stealing his pencil
Where Mr. Jamal punished Zahid
Where Zahid disturbed the other children
Where Zahid destroyed the nature table

Setting 2 : ZAHID’S HOUSE

• Zahid and his grandmother live
here
 Setting 3: THE BOOKSTORE

Where Zahid first saw the pencil and

bought it
Zahid also bought the pocketknife here

Setting 4: THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

Where Mr Berahim consoled Zahid

Mr Berahim gave a new pencil to Zahid
 Theme
HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

We should be honest and admit if we made any mistakes.

Dolah did not admit that he stole the pencil from Zahid. As the
result, he was hit by Zahid on the way back from school.  
    
    
 BE PATIENT
We should be patient when dealing with difficult situation.Mr
Berahim asked Zahid softly why he slashed Dolah's hand. He did
not punished Zahid harshly like Mr Jamal did.
THINK BEFORE TAKING AN ACTION
Before taking any actions, we must think first about
the right and wrong, and the consequence. Decisions that
are made hastily will lead to troubles. Mr Jamal did not
evaluate the situation between Zahid and Dolah carefully.
He should not just listen to Dolah accusations.Zahid
should think before he punched Dolah. He should also
understand that destroying the nature table and
disturbing the other children will not bring any joy to
him.
Moral Values

Punishment without investigation is as

bad as the crime itself.
Do not claims things that are not yours.
Handling an issue with patience is more
effective than harsh punishment
 Weird words
Here are some difficult words you might find in
the story 

odour = smell
inflection = rise and fall of the voice of
someone speaking
Carved = cut something into an object
symphathize = feel pity for another
quiver = tremble slightly
unusual = not common
ambush = be hidden and waiting to attack
fathom = understand  
More literature websites

http://www.childrenslit.com/
http://palmm.fcla.edu/juv/
http://www.magickeys.com/books/
http://www.antbee.com/ Click to edit Master text style
Second level
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● Fifth level
 Section C: Novel
[10 marks]
The following are the short story studied in the
literature component in English language.
The Pencil – Ali Majod
 
Based on one short story you have read, write
the synopsis of the story.
Support your answer with evidence from the
short story.
Your response should be:
• not less than 50 words
• in continuous writing (not note form)
Zahid is the main character in this
story.He owns a special pencil.He feels
proud of owning the pencil and shows it
around.His friends share his happiness
while some of them are envious of
him.After a few days,he finds the pencil
missing.His classmate Dolah has a similar
pencil like his.However,the paint on the
pencil has been scrapped.Out of suspicion
he ask Dolah a few questions to find out
if the pencil really belongs to Dolah.
Dolah becomes evasive and refuses to
answer Zahid’s questions.Zahid accuses
Dolah of stealing his pencil and grabs
the pencil.Dolah and Zahid fights.The
teacher on duty,Mr.Jamal punishes
Zahid for fighting.Dolah gets the
teachers sympathy.Zahid rushes back
when the school bell rings.He hides in
the bush and waits for Dolah.He
ambushes him
They fight and Zahid wins.He takes the
pencil,breaks it and throws them into
the river.Zahid changes from his normal
self to more aggressive and
irresponsible.He buys a pocket knife and
brings it to school.He cuts Dolah with
the knife and is taken to see the
principal,Mr Berahim.Mr.Berahim
realises that something is wrong.
He gets Zahid to tell him the things
that have happened.He discusses with
Mr.Jamal and advises him on what to
do.Mr.Berahim gives Zahid two pencils
like the one he owned before.Zahid is
pleased and feels grateful.He give one
of the pencils to Dolah.
Based on The Pencil story, write
about the major theme. Give
evidence from the short story to
support your answer.
Your response should be:
in not less than 50 words
in continuous writing (not note
form)
Based on The Pencil story, write
about the moral values. Give
evidence from the short story to
support your answer.
Your response should be:
in not less than 50 words
in continuous writing (not note
form)