The Singa

THE SINGA
Sang Nila Utama, an imaginative adventurous king was restless by

nature and wanted to travel to faraway places. He loved hunting wild animals,
so when he heard that there were stags in the jungles of Tanjong Bentam
which were not easy to hunt, he was excited and took with him a great fleet of
ships to Tanjong Betnam. When the king arrived upon the island, he and his
subjects had a hunting expedition that lasted several hours, slaying many wild
and savage beasts, but no stags. This disappointed the king, for he
unfulfillment in his heart.
Suddenly, a large stag darted out of the bush in front of Sang Nila
Utama, giving the king shock, but the king drew his silver dagger and hurled it
at the stag, only grazing animal. The stag began to run and the king pursued it
(in those days, it was either your feet or nothing.
The stag ran through the jungle and darted up a knoll. The king followed
the stag up the hill, but upon reaching the summit, the stag was nowhere to be
seen. There was a large rock, so the king climbed it and looked the land and
sea spread out around him. In the distance, he saw a stretch of white sand and
island.
Sang Nila Utama was fascinated by the sight of the island. He turned to
one of his subjects looked into the distance and smiled.
‘What is the name of that island?’ The subject looked into the distance
and smiled.
That is Temasek, Your Highness.
Then we are going there.
The king ordered his fleet to set sail and they began on their journey
towards the island. Suddenly the once clear blue skies were, covered with
black clouds, heavy rain poured from them and strong bursts wind threatened
to tear the ships apart. The ship carrying Sang Nila Utama was in the very eye
of the storm. The crew lowered the sails, started to bail the water from the ship
and get most of the cargo for jettisoning. However, an idea came to the king’s
head. He remembered a story his grandfather told him of how one of his
ancestor became the Sea-King and that his crown was the only thing which
belonged to his ancestor. He removed his crown immediately and throw it into
the sea.
All at once, the storm broke. As suddenly as it started, the skies began to
clear and the crew gave a shout of joy and island, a creature stepped out of
nowhere, and the king and his men were awe-struck by the magnificent
creature. It was large and moved with grace, had a black head, covered in a
furry mane, a whitish neck and a red body. When the king drew his
bow&arrow, the beast stared back at him with golden eyes and let out a
deafening roar before leaping into the jungle.
‘What sort of animal was that?’, the king asked.
A wise old man stepped forth.
‘I have seen animals in portraits from the Far West. Perhaps this is a
‘singa’, but I wonder how it got all the way here.’
‘This must be a great place if it breeds such a beautiful animal. Let us

live here… here on the island of Singapura.’
Footnote: the word ‘singa’ is actually the Indonesian and Malay word for
‘lion’
Therefore, Singapore is sometimes referred to as the ‘Lion City’

Identify the meaning of the highlighted words
1. He and his subjects had a hunting expedition that lasted several hours.
a. journey b. rigidity c. failure d. delay
2. The stag ran through the jungle and darted up and a knoll.
a. Sudden movement b. movement c. walk d. dawdles
3.Sang Nila Utama was fascinated by the sight of the Island
a. enchanted b. bored c. indifferent d. unhappy
4.It was large and moved with grace, had a black head, covered in a furry
mane a whitish neck and a red body.
a. short hair b. long and thick hair c. long and thick hair d. hair
5. The fan stood in awe he saw his favorite movie actor
a. to inspire b. wonder c. dread d. sublime
6.When he heard that there were stags in the jungles of Tanjong Bentam,
which were not hunt
a. bawdy b. fur c. animals d. thorn
7.The king’s subject obeys his rules faithfully.
a. target b. respondents c. authority d. audience
8. When the tourist went to his farm, he climbed a knoll to take a good look
at the beauty surroundings
a. archaic b. demoded c. knell d. knee
9.When the king drew his bow and arrow, the beast stared back at him with
gold and eyes and let out a deafening roar before leaping in the jungle
A. soft b. hard c. loud d. noisy
10. Suddenly, a large stag darted out the bush in front of Sang Nila Utama
a. clean b. dirty c. dirt d. trash

The Singa

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THE SINGA

Sang Nila Utama, an imaginative adventurous king was restless by

That is Temasek, Your Highness.

Then we are going there.

‘What sort of animal was that?’, the king asked.

A wise old man stepped forth.

‘This must be a great place if it breeds such a beautiful animal. Let us

Therefore, Singapore is sometimes referred to as the ‘Lion City’

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