Juan and the Guava Story

Read Juan and the Guava Story and test your comprehension!

Read the text below and answer the guide questions that follow. Juan and the Guava Storyretold by the Philippine Literature fan page1 Once there was a boy who was so lazy and his name was Juan Tamad (Tamad is the Filipino word for lazy). He was so lazy he would always spend some time thinking how to outwit the work-requiring situation.2 One day, he saw a guava tree and spotted a shiny ripe fruit hanging on its branch. It's not even a top branch. It was hanging so low that had he not been too lazy to stretch out his arm and jump up a little, he would have grabbed the fruit in no time.3 But Juan, oh Juan, being clever (at least for himself), didn't bother to do those two simple steps at all!4 "Hah! Why would I reach for that fruit when I know it would eventually reach for me?" He said to himself and devised a rather silly plan.5 He cleared the ground just below the shiny fruit and lied himself down like a god with some berries in hand, except that Juan didn't have his fruit yet.6 "I will wait here until that guava fruit falls right into my mouth. Then I wouldn't have to shove the fruit inside my mouth myself. Gravity will do it."7 So there Juan lied down day in and day out. Until one day, he felt some splatter of juice and seeds all over his face. He opened his eyes and saw a happy bat enjoying his feast on a reddish, fat and shiny guava fruit.8 And Juan finally gave up his devised plan and walked home with a long, tiring...9 "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr................" to the bat (not even to himself).Source: Yet Another Juan and Some Guava Story. (2009, December 12). Retrieved from What is the story all about? Explain in 3-5 sentences. How was Juan Tamad described in paragraph one? What other stories of Juan Tamad do you know? Cite examples. What is his common trait in those stories? Do you agree that a typical Filipino is illustrated in the stories of Juan Tamad? In 3-5 sentences, explain your answer. Juan Tamad is a much known character in Filipino folklore. He was given the surname “Tamad” for his extreme laziness. Due to his indolence, he usually ends up making stupid decisions causing him to disastrous or comedic conclusions in almost every story.The stories of Juan Tamad are often used to challenge young people—whether or not they are like Juan. His stories are indeed timeless that, even to this day, his name still symbolizes real-life persons resembling his characteristics.