The Listening Cap

Select one sentence that shows how the woman is able to understand the robins' conversation.

• There once lived a woman at the edge of a large forest filled with thick, healthy trees in every shade of green.

• Every morning, the woman visited the shrine of her guardian spirit, even though the shrine was deep within the forest.

• The guardian spirit noticed the woman's devotion.

• One day, the woman found that the guardian spirit had left her a gift: a small, green cap.

Which word describes how the woman feels after hearing the robins' conversation?

• amused

• angered

• determined

• uninterested

Which sentence BEST supports how the woman feels after hearing the robins' conversation?

• She would not let the mayor die

• Hearing this, the woman again gasped.

• The mayor was in terrible danger, but what could she do?

Which statement BEST states the Theme of the story?

• People should respect all living things

• It is possible to use magic for a good cause.

• Medicine is not always the best cure for an illness.

• It is not polite to listen to other people's conversation.

Read this paragraph from the story.

"Is that why the mayor is so weak and sickly?" asked the second robin. "Is this how the tree is paying him back?" (paragraph 10)

Which phrase means the same as paying him back as it is used in the sentence above?

• to make someone ill

• to put a spell on someone

• to return money you have borrowed

• to punish someone who has done something to you

Read this paragraph from the story.

There were no thick woods here, and the only trees still standing were thin and spare with leaves a dull green. (paragraph 13)

How does this detail develop the story's plot

• It shows an effect of the mayor's actions

• It shows that the trees are out for revenge.

• It shows how the maple tree can solve its problems.

• It shows the real reason the mayor cut down the maple tree.

Read this paragraph from the story.

The wife fell to her knees and gripped the woman's hands. "Please - you must tell me what you know!" she implored.

• beg

• command

• offer

• refuse

What is the narrator's point of view of the woman?

• She is nosy.

• She is caring.

• She is energetic.

• She is dishonest.

Which detail from the story supports the narrator's point of view of the woman?

• "The woman leaned slightly nearer to where the robins were perched."

• "The woman felt as if she might cry."

• "She rushed home and donned a costume."

• "The woman pretended to check the mayor's pulse, then asked, 'When exactly did your husband build that tea house of yours:'"