A Hardworking Cat

Read this sentence from paragraph 4.
Instead of paying Tama with money, the company pays her with cat food.
This sentence helps the reader know that the train company —

• treats Tama well.
• has too much food.
• does not think Tama looks healthy.
• wants to find a new home for Tama.

Throughout the selection, the author describes Tama as being —

• adventurous
• brave
• friendly
• clever

Why did the train company decide to operate the station without workers?

• The train company was unable to find a person who wanted the job of stationmaster.
• The people who came to the train station were there only to see the stationmaster cat.
• The train station was located in an area where people did not want to work.
• The train company was not earning enough money to pay people.

Tama has been given two cat assistants because she —

• is too busy to work
• is too famous to work
• needs more time to rest
• needs more time to eat

The reader can tell that Tama is allowed to stay at the station because she —

• cares for other cats
• walks people to the train
• sits inside the ticket booth
• attracts more passengers

In paragraph 7, the word promoted means —

• finished with a task
• discussed by others
• required to work more hours
• given a better job

Which sentence shows that people are interested in learning about Tama?

• She spent most of her time at Kishi Station.
• She walks around the station in her uniform and greets passengers.
• Tama has been featured in many newspaper and magazine articles as well as on television shows and in video clips.
• From stray cat to famous stationmaster, life is sweet for Tama!

In what way does Tama’s presence at the train station help the nearby town?

• People in the town want to work at the train station.
• People in the town enjoy taking pictures with the visitors.
• People who come to see Tama often spend money in the town.
• People who come to see Tama want to move to the town.

The author wrote this selection most likely to —

• show the reader how cats are different from other animals
• explain why some stray cats like to be around people
• share an opinion about why cats make great pets
• inform the reader about a special cat that lives in an unusual place

What is the best summary for the selection?

• A. A cat works as a stationmaster at a train station.  She has a lot of fans who love her and come to visit her each year.  She works very hard.
• B. Tama the cat works at a train station in Japan as the official stationmaster.  When the train station was in danger of closing, she helped it remain open by attracting visitors who wanted to meet her.  Today, she continues to greet customers who visit the station.
• C. Tama lives at a train station in Japan.  She became the official station master and works very hard to attract customers to the station to spend money.  She has become famous.
• D. Tama is a stray cat that found a home at a train station.  Tama spends her days greeting customers and getting affection from them.  The train station could not afford to stay open so all the workers were let go.  Tama stayed and ran the train station by herself.