Narrative Text adalah salah satu materi paling esensial dalam pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris, terutama bagi siswa tingkat SMP dan SMA. Jenis teks ini tidak hanya bertujuan untuk menghibur, tetapi juga menyampaikan nilai-nilai kehidupan melalui rangkaian peristiwa atau komplikasi yang menarik. Memahami Narrative Text bukan sekadar tahu artinya, melainkan mampu menganalisis struktur generik seperti Orientation, Complication, Resolution, dan terkadang Re-orientation.
Dalam artikel ini, kita akan membedah lima jenis cerita yang berbeda—mulai dari fabel, legenda, hingga dongeng—melalui latihan soal pilihan ganda yang dirancang untuk menguji kemampuan pemahaman membaca (reading comprehension) Anda secara mendalam.
Memahami Struktur Utama Narrative Text
Sebelum masuk ke latihan soal, penting untuk mengingat kembali elemen-elemen kunci yang sering ditanyakan dalam ujian:
- Orientation: Pengenalan tokoh, tempat, dan waktu terjadinya cerita. Biasanya menjawab pertanyaan who, when, dan where.
- Complication: Bagian di mana masalah mulai muncul dan berkembang (klimaks). Ini adalah inti dari sebuah narasi.
- Resolution: Penyelesaian masalah. Masalah bisa berakhir bahagia (happy ending) atau sedih (sad ending).
- Moral Value: Pesan tersirat yang ingin disampaikan penulis kepada pembaca.
Latihan Soal 1: Fabel (The Lion and the Mouse)
Text 1 Once, when a lion was asleep, a little mouse began running up and down on him. This soon wakened the lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. “Pardon, O King!” cried the little mouse. “Forgive me this time. I shall never forget it. Who knows but I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?”
The lion was so tickled at the idea of the mouse being able to help him that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Some time later, a few hunters captured the king and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. “Was I not right?” said the little mouse, very happy to help the lion.
Soal 1: What is the main purpose of the text above? A. To describe how lions hunt in the wild. B. To entertain the readers with a story of a lion and a mouse. C. To persuade people to protect mice from lions. D. To inform the readers about the habitat of lions. E. To explain the process of hunting animals.
Kunci Jawaban: B Pembahasan: Pertanyaan ini menanyakan tujuan teks (Social Function). Karena teks tersebut adalah Narrative Text (fabel), tujuannya adalah untuk menghibur pembaca (to entertain/amuse the readers).
Latihan Soal 2: Legenda (The Legend of Malin Kundang)
Text 2 A long time ago, in a small village near the beach in West Sumatra, a woman and her son lived. They were Malin Kundang and his mother. His mother was a single parent because Malin Kundang’s father had passed away when he was a baby. Malin Kundang had to live hard with his mother.
Malin Kundang was a healthy, diligent, and strong boy. He usually went to sea to catch fish. After getting fish he would bring it to his mother, or sell the caught fish in the town. One day, when Malin Kundang was sailing, he saw a merchant’s ship which was being raided by a small band of pirates. He helped the merchant. With his brave and power, Malin Kundang defeated the pirates. The merchant was so happy and thanked to him. In return the merchant asked Malin Kundang to sail with him. To get a better life, Malin Kundang agreed. He left his mother alone.
Soal 2: Why did Malin Kundang decide to sail with the merchant? A. Because he wanted to run away from his mother. B. Because he wanted to become a pirate. C. Because he wanted to have a better life. D. Because the merchant forced him to join. E. Because he was bored living in the village.
Kunci Jawaban: C Pembahasan: Berdasarkan teks pada paragraf kedua kalimat terakhir, “To get a better life, Malin Kundang agreed.” Jelas bahwa motivasinya adalah untuk mencari kehidupan yang lebih baik.
Latihan Soal 3: Dongeng (Cinderella)
Text 3 Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Cinderella. She lived with her stepmother and two stepsisters. The stepmother and her daughters didn’t like Cinderella. They treated her very badly. Cinderella had to do all the household chores.
One day, an invitation to the ball came from the King. Her stepsisters didn’t let her go. Cinderella was very sad and she could not help crying. Fortunately, a fairy godmother came and helped her to get to the ball. At the ball, Cinderella danced with the Prince. The Prince fell in love with her then he married her. They lived happily ever after.
Soal 3: “The stepmother and her daughters didn’t like Cinderella. They treated her very badly.” The underlined word is closest in meaning to… A. Served B. Healed C. Behaved toward D. Ignored E. Loved
Kunci Jawaban: C Pembahasan: Kata “treated” dalam konteks ini berarti memperlakukan. Sinonim yang paling tepat adalah “behaved toward” (berperilaku terhadap). Pilihan B (Healed) berarti mengobati, yang tidak sesuai dengan konteks ini.
Latihan Soal 4: Cerita Rakyat (The Rabbit and the Turtle)
Text 4 One day a rabbit was boasting about how fast he could run. He was laughing at the turtle for being so slow. Much to the rabbit’s surprise, the turtle challenged him to a race. The rabbit thought this was a good joke and accepted the challenge. The fox was to be the umpire of the race.
As the race began, the rabbit raced way ahead of the turtle, just like everyone thought. The rabbit got to the halfway point and could not see the turtle anywhere. He was hot and tired and decided to stop and take a short nap. All this time the turtle kept walking step by step. He never quit no matter how hot or tired he got. He just kept going. However, the rabbit slept longer than he had thought and woke up. He could not see the turtle anywhere! He went at full-speed to the finish line but found the turtle there waiting for him.
Soal 4: What can we learn from the story? A. Speed is the most important thing in a race. B. Never underestimate others and stay persistent. C. Sleeping is good for your health during a race. D. You should always listen to a fox. E. Being arrogant will make you famous.
Kunci Jawaban: B Pembahasan: Ini adalah pertanyaan tentang pesan moral. Kelinci yang sombong kalah karena dia meremehkan kura-kura, sementara kura-kura menang karena kegigihannya (persistent). Pesan moralnya adalah jangan meremehkan orang lain.
Latihan Soal 5: Mitos (The Story of Rainbow)
Text 5 A long time ago, there was a farmer who had a very beautiful daughter. He was very proud of her. Many young men wanted to marry her, but the farmer always said that they were not good enough. One day, a young man came to the farmer’s house. He was very handsome and rich. The farmer liked him and allowed him to marry his daughter.
However, the young man was actually a rainbow spirit. He could only stay on earth for a short time. After some years, the rainbow spirit had to go back to the sky. He left his wife and their son. His wife was very sad. She cried every day. Seeing this, the rainbow spirit created a beautiful bridge of colors so he could visit his family occasionally.
Soal 5: What is the “bridge of colors” mentioned in the last paragraph? A. A wooden bridge B. A mountain C. A rainbow D. A river E. A road
Kunci Jawaban: C Pembahasan: Dalam konteks mitologi ini, “bridge of colors” (jembatan warna-warni) merupakan metafora atau deskripsi dari pelangi (rainbow), sesuai dengan judul atau tema cerita tentang asal-usul pelangi.
Strategi Menjawab Soal Narrative Text
Agar Anda sukses dalam menjawab berbagai variasi soal Narrative Text, berikut adalah beberapa tips jitu:
- Identifikasi Jenis Pertanyaan: Apakah soal menanyakan ide pokok (main idea), informasi rinci (detailed information), referensi kata (word reference), atau pesan moral (moral value).
- Cari Kata Kunci: Jika soal menanyakan alasan seorang tokoh melakukan sesuatu, carilah kata kerja atau kata sifat yang berkaitan di dalam teks.
- Perhatikan Tenses: Narrative Text hampir selalu menggunakan Simple Past Tense (V2). Jika ada soal yang menanyakan urutan kejadian, perhatikan penanda waktu seperti after that, then, before.
- Simpulkan Pesan Moral: Biasanya pesan moral terletak di bagian akhir cerita (Resolution/Re-orientation), namun terkadang tersirat di seluruh isi cerita.
Kesimpulan
Menguasai Narrative Text tidak hanya membantu Anda dalam ujian bahasa Inggris, tetapi juga mengasah kemampuan empati dan pemahaman budaya melalui cerita-cerita yang ada. Kelima soal di atas mencakup berbagai aspek penilaian, mulai dari kosakata hingga logika naratif. Teruslah berlatih dengan membaca berbagai literatur bahasa Inggris untuk memperkaya perbendaharaan kata dan intuisi bahasa Anda.
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