In a small town, three friends named Max, Ben, and Mia decided to see who could make the best hot chocolate at Max’s house one cold day. Max’s mom, known for her amazing hot chocolate, was the judge. All the friends were excited and ready to try something fun.

Ben used a little chili powder to make his hot chocolate spicy. Mia chose peppermint to make hers minty. Max tried to make everyone laugh by adding hot sauce instead of something sweet. They all couldn’t wait to see which hot chocolate was the best.

When Max’s mom tried the hot chocolates, she suddenly looked very surprised and not too happy. Max got worried and thought he might have made a mistake with his ingredients. Ben and Mia didn’t know how to make things better.

But it turned out, Max’s mom was joking. She switched her cup with Max’s as a prank, making him taste his own spicy mix. Everyone started laughing, realizing that surprises can be fun and bring happiness.

In the end, they learned that being together and enjoying each other’s company was the best part of their hot chocolate competition. They kept making new kinds of hot chocolate and having a great time together. They found out that laughter, friendship, and unexpected surprises are the best things in life.

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who were the three friends in the story?
2. What did Ben put in his hot chocolate to make it spicy?
3. What did Mia put in her hot chocolate to make it minty?
4. What did Max put in his hot chocolate that made everyone laugh?
5. Why did Max’s mom look surprised and not happy when she tasted the hot chocolates?
6. What did they learn in the end about the best things in life?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small town, three (1)______ named Max, Ben, and Mia decided to see who could make the best hot chocolate at Max’s house one cold day. Max’s mom, (2)______ for her amazing hot chocolate, was the judge. All the friends were excited and ready to try something fun.

Ben used a little (3)______ powder to make his hot chocolate spicy. Mia (4)______ peppermint to make hers minty. Max tried to make everyone laugh by adding hot sauce instead of something sweet. They all couldn’t wait to see which hot chocolate was the best.

When Max’s mom tried the hot chocolates, she suddenly looked very surprised and not too (5)______. Max got (6)______ and thought he might have made a mistake with his ingredients. Ben and Mia didn’t know how to make things (7)______.

But it turned out, Max’s mom was (8)______. She switched her cup with Max’s as a prank, making him taste his own spicy mix. Everyone (9)______ laughing, realizing that surprises can be fun and bring happiness.

In the end, they learned that being together and enjoying each other’s company was the best part of their hot chocolate competition. They kept (10)______ new kinds of hot chocolate and having a great (11)______ together. They found out that laughter, friendship, and (12)______ surprises are the best things in life.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a hot chocolate competition?
2. How would you feel if you tasted something spicy by accident?
3. Do you like surprises? Why or why not?
4. What do you think is the best part of a competition: winning or having fun with friends?
5. Have you ever played a prank on someone? If so, what did you do?
6. What is your favorite kind of hot chocolate? Why?
7. How do you think Max felt when his mom switched the cups as a prank?
8. Do you think laughter and friendship are important? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. competition
2. ingredients
3. spicy
4. minty
5. prank
6. laughter
7. surprises
8. friendship
9. judge
10. realized
11. amazing
12. together

Meanings:
(A) A trick played on someone, usually to make others laugh
(B) Tasting like fresh, cool leaves
(C) The things you mix together to make food or drinks
(D) The sound you make when something is funny
(E) A contest where people try to be the best at something
(F) Having a strong, hot taste
(G) Really wonderful or impressive
(H) Understood something that wasn’t clear before
(I) Things that happen that you don’t expect
(J) Being in the same place with someone else
(K) A person who decides who wins a contest
(L) The feeling of being close and caring about each other
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who were the three friends that decided to have a hot chocolate competition?
(a) Max, Sam, and Mia
(b) Max, Ben, and Lucy
(c) Max, Ben, and Emma
(d) Max, Ben, and Mia

2. Who was the judge of the hot chocolate competition?
(a) Ben’s dad
(b) Mia’s sister
(c) Max’s grandma
(d) Max’s mom

3. What did Ben add to his hot chocolate to make it spicy?
(a) Cinnamon
(b) Chili powder
(c) Vanilla extract
(d) Nutmeg

4. What did Mia add to her hot chocolate to make it minty?
(a) Peppermint
(b) Caramel
(c) Marshmallows
(d) Chocolate syrup

5. What did Max add to his hot chocolate as a prank?
(a) Hot sauce
(b) Sugar
(c) Honey
(d) Maple syrup

6. Why did Max’s mom look surprised and not too happy?
(a) Max’s hot chocolate was too sweet
(b) Ben’s hot chocolate was too spicy
(c) She switched her cup with Max’s as a prank
(d) Mia’s hot chocolate was too minty

7. What did they learn in the end about the hot chocolate competition?
(a) Max’s hot chocolate was the best
(b) Ben’s hot chocolate was the best
(c) Being together and enjoying each other’s company was the best part
(d) Mia’s hot chocolate was the best

8. What did they find out were the best things in life?
(a) Hot chocolate, marshmallows, and whipped cream
(b) Laughter, friendship, and unexpected surprises
(c) Pranks, jokes, and surprises
(d) Max’s mom, Max’s house, and Max’s hot chocolate

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Max’s mom was the judge of the hot chocolate competition because she was known for making amazing hot chocolate.
2. Mia made her hot chocolate minty by adding peppermint.
3. Ben made his hot chocolate spicy by adding a little bit of chili powder.
4. In the end, they realized that the best part of the competition was trying the different flavors and experimenting.
5. Max’s mom accidentally switched her cup with Mia’s as a prank, making him taste her own spicy hot chocolate.
6. Max’s mom looked surprised and a bit amused when she tasted the hot chocolates.
7. Max tried to be funny by adding hot sauce to his hot chocolate instead of something sweet.
8. Max, Ben, and Mia decided to have a competition to see who could make the most unique hot chocolate.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who were the three friends in the story?
Max, Ben, and Mia were the three friends in the story.

2. What did Ben put in his hot chocolate to make it spicy?
Ben put chili powder in his hot chocolate to make it spicy.

3. What did Mia put in her hot chocolate to make it minty?
Mia put peppermint in her hot chocolate to make it minty.

4. What did Max put in his hot chocolate that made everyone laugh?
Max put hot sauce in his hot chocolate that made everyone laugh.

5. Why did Max’s mom look surprised and not happy when she tasted the hot chocolates?
Max’s mom looked surprised and not happy because she switched cups with Max and tasted his spicy hot chocolate by mistake.

6. What did they learn in the end about the best things in life?
They learned that being together, enjoying each other’s company, and having fun surprises are the best things in life.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) friends
(2) known
(3) chili
(4) chose
(5) happy
(6) worried
(7) better
(8) joking
(9) started
(10) making
(11) time
(12) unexpected
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. competition
Answer: (E) A contest where people try to be the best at something

2. ingredients
Answer: (C) The things you mix together to make food or drinks

3. spicy
Answer: (F) Having a strong, hot taste

4. minty
Answer: (B) Tasting like fresh, cool leaves

5. prank
Answer: (A) A trick played on someone, usually to make others laugh

6. laughter
Answer: (D) The sound you make when something is funny

7. surprises
Answer: (I) Things that happen that you don’t expect

8. friendship
Answer: (L) The feeling of being close and caring about each other

9. judge
Answer: (K) A person who decides who wins a contest

10. realized
Answer: (H) Understood something that wasn’t clear before

11. amazing
Answer: (G) Really wonderful or impressive

12. together
Answer: (J) Being in the same place with someone else
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who were the three friends that decided to have a hot chocolate competition?
Answer: (d) Max, Ben, and Mia

2. Who was the judge of the hot chocolate competition?
Answer: (d) Max’s mom

3. What did Ben add to his hot chocolate to make it spicy?
Answer: (b) Chili powder

4. What did Mia add to her hot chocolate to make it minty?
Answer: (a) Peppermint

5. What did Max add to his hot chocolate as a prank?
Answer: (a) Hot sauce

6. Why did Max’s mom look surprised and not too happy?
Answer: (c) She switched her cup with Max’s as a prank

7. What did they learn in the end about the hot chocolate competition?
Answer: (c) Being together and enjoying each other’s company was the best part

8. What did they find out were the best things in life?
Answer: (b) Laughter, friendship, and unexpected surprises
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Max’s mom was the judge of the hot chocolate competition because she was known for making amazing hot chocolate. (Answer: True)
2. Mia made her hot chocolate minty by adding peppermint. (Answer: True)
3. Ben made his hot chocolate spicy by adding a little bit of chili powder. (Answer: True)
4. In the end, they realized that the best part of the competition was trying the different flavors and experimenting. (Answer: False)
5. Max’s mom accidentally switched her cup with Mia’s as a prank, making him taste her own spicy hot chocolate. (Answer: False)
6. Max’s mom looked surprised and a bit amused when she tasted the hot chocolates. (Answer: False)
7. Max tried to be funny by adding hot sauce to his hot chocolate instead of something sweet. (Answer: True)
8. Max, Ben, and Mia decided to have a competition to see who could make the most unique hot chocolate. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧