Table 3.

Excerpts from three of the stories in the story comprehension task

	Examples
The Bradford Boar	[…] …the people of Bradford had second thoughts about visiting the well. That the people of Bradford bore the brunt of the beast’s ferocity was unfair in the eyes of the people of the region. […] By the handsome reward many felt tempted… […] Seeing the slain carcass of the boar the huntsman rejoiced in his good fortune. […] He was suddenly realizing his tricky situation could end badly for him. […] Listening to the tale, the Lord of the Manor tried to discern which huntsman was telling him the truth. […]
King of Birds	[…] The eagle, who already thought himself the de facto king, arrived fashionably late. It was a hawk who was most excited about the meeting… […] It was decided that the bird that could fly the highest should be king. […] The little bird lay low near the eagle at first, but the eagle did not notice the bird hopping onto his back … […] … and he laughed to himself at how easy it had been to outwit the other birds. […]
Elvis	[…] … I could not figure out what this Elvis Presley guy had that the rest of us boys did not have. […] When I got my new Buster Brown shoes, I was smiling from ear to ear. […] I cried desperately. […] … from his expression I could tell that he wished he could cut it as I had asked. […] “I am not a baby”, I said as I wiped the tears from my eyes. […] My head was no longer in the clouds. […]

Marked in bold are a few examples of mental state content