always desirable to learn something about the author. When you read,
for example, that Samuel White Baker gave the best years of his
life to a study of animals, you feel that his story of the dog's
faithfulness is well worth reading. Discussion. Next, if you will read
the story so carefully that you can answer the questions given under
the topic Discussion, you will probably find it easier to understand
certain incidents. For example, you hear much about the word "service"
in the different wars in which American soldiers have served their
country so nobly. But perhaps when you think of the answer to the
third question you will see more clearly than before that "service"
and "faithfulness" are qualities that are shown not only on the
battlefield but in humble walks of life--sometimes even by animals.
Glossary. One of the benefits that should result from reading is the
learning of new words. At the end of the Discussion you will find
a list of words, the meaning of which you are to look up in the
Glossary, and a second list that you should find out how to pronounce.
Many of these words you may feel certain you know how to pronounce
correctly. But perhaps you have been mispronouncing some of them. Look
up in the glossary the words listed under question 9, and you may find
that you have been mispronouncing calm, hearth, or extraordinary. When
you are looking up words in the pronunciation lists, be sure that you
understand the meaning, also. Besides the individual words that you do
not understand, you will sometimes read a phrase, or group of words,
used in some special sense. The most striking are listed under the
topic Phrases for Study. Look them up in the Glossary, for you will
often find the hardest passage of the reading lesson made easy by the
explanation of a single phrase.