Rikki Tikki Tavi Comprehension Questions

What is most likely the author's reason for beginning the story with Rikki being swept away by the flood (paragraphs 3-4)?

• To trick the reader into thinking that Rikki is dead.

• To start the narrative with the beginning of Rikki's "new" life.

• To make sure the reader doesn’t lose interest in the story

• To create sympathy for Rikki’s biological parents

What is most likely the author’s intent (what they are trying to do) in the following passage (paragraph 21-23)?

• To make the snake seem frightening before he is introduced

• To move the narrative along as fast as possible

• To show that Darzee and his wife are weak

• To demonstrate that Rikki-tikki is easily scared

What information mainly does the following passage communicate to readers about Rikki’s character (paragraphs 24-27)?

• It informs the reader that a mongoose’s role in life is to kill and eat snakes.

• It tells the reader exactly where Rikki is from.

• It teaches readers about Rikki’s particular fighting strategies.

• It demonstrates Rikki’s eagerness to kill Karait.

Which of the following best explains why Nag waits in the water jar for the man to bathe (paragraph 58)?

• The man will be embarrassed to be caught naked.

• It will be morning, when Nag is able to see better.

• The man will not have a weapon handy.

• Nag is able to move easier in the water.

Which of the following inferences about Darzee is best supported by the following passage (paragraph 79)?

• Darzee is not careful enough with his children.

• The relationship between Darzee and his mate is very difficult.

• Darzee always protects children, no matter the species.

• Darzee lives by strategy and compromise, just like a human being.

Which sentence from the paragraph 79 most strongly supports the inference that Darzee is similar to a human being?

• “Darzee was a feather-brained little fellow who could never hold more than one idea at a time in his head.”

• “And just because he knew that Nagaina’s children were born in eggs like his own, he didn’t think at first that it was fair to kill them.”

• “But his wife was a sensible bird, and she knew that cobra’s eggs meant young cobras later on.”

• “Darzee was very like a man in some ways.”

Which of the following best expresses the central idea of paragraph 33?

• When a mongoose fights a snake, it relies not on magic but on skill.

• Poisonous snakes are very dangerous in any tense situation.

• People in India prize the mongoose for its skill in fighting snakes.

• Rikki is very lucky that he escaped getting struck from behind.

Which sentence from the previous passage 33 most strongly supports the central idea that when a mongoose fights a snake, it relies not on magic but on skill?

• “If you read the old books of natural history, you will find they say that when the mongoose fights the snake and happens to get bitten, he runs off and eats some herb that cures him.”

• “The victory is only a matter of quickness of eye and quickness of foot—snake’s blow against mongoose’s jump—and as no eye can follow the motion of a snake’s head when it strikes, this makes things much more wonderful than any magic herb.”

• “Rikki-tikki knew he was a young mongoose, and it made him all the more pleased to think that he had managed to escape a blow from behind.”

• “It gave him confidence in himself, and when Teddy came running down the path, Rikki-tikki was ready to be petted.”

Which definition of consolation most closely matches its meaning in paragraph 83?

• noun | the act of providing comfort or reassurance

• noun | something that eases a person’s suffering or makes them feel better

• noun | in sports, a contest in which runners-up compete for a less valued prize

• none of the above

Choose the correct chronological order of events in the story.

• 1. Rikki goes underground to kill Nagaina.
  2. Nag hides in the water jar in an attempt to kill the big man.
  3. Rikki destroys the cobra eggs.
  4. The family finds Rikki-tikki after he is swept away by the flood.
• 1. Rikki destroys the cobra eggs.
  2. Rikki goes underground to kill Nagaina.
  3. The family finds Rikki-tikki after he is swept away by the flood.
  4. Nag hides in the water jar in an attempt to kill the big man.
• 1. The family finds Rikki-tikki after he is swept away by the flood.
  2. Nag hides in the water jar in an attempt to kill the big man.
  3. Rikki destroys the cobra eggs.
  4. Rikki goes underground to kill Nagaina.
• 1. The family finds Rikki-tikki after he is swept away by the flood.
  2. Rikki destroys the cobra eggs.
  3. Rikki goes underground to kill Nagaina.
  4. Nag hides in the water jar in an attempt to kill the big man.