Simple and compound sentences; text work

In a story from Jalaluddin Rumi’s Masnavi, a proud scholar in a boat asks the boatman whether he has studied nahv (grammar) and, hearing “no”, says half his life has been wasted. When a storm rises at sea and the boat begins to sink, the boatman asks the scholar whether he can swim; when the scholar says he cannot, the boatman says that now his whole life is in danger. The lesson: book knowledge is of little value unless completed by practical skills, and putting oneself above others is foolishness. When working with the text, first read it expressively, look up unfamiliar words, try replacing them with synonyms, then retell it orally from a plan.