"The Cat's Bell"

10. What is the theme of the passage?

• A One will feel better after seeking help for a difficult situation.

• B One who acts upon a good idea will succeed when faced with a difficult situation.

• C A difficult situation is made easier when everyone works together.

• D A difficult situation can be overcome through careful planning and unhurried action.

11. Which quotation from the passage best supports the answer to Part A?

• A “Colby was paralyzed by fright. In less than two seconds, he was all alone in the nook, the

  bell still clutched between his paws.” (paragraph 15)

• B “But in its zeal to get Colby, the cat had unthinkingly left its paws on the other side of the

  hole. Colby, his senses heightened by fear, noticed the cat’s mistake and it filled him with a rush of courage.” (paragraph 16)

• C “Awkwardly, the cat tried to escape, but Colby was faster. Leaping on top of the cat’s head, far back enough to evade the feline’s lethal jaws, Colby threw the bell’s thread around the cat’s collar and tied the ends together as tightly as he could.” (paragraph 17)

• D “He could hear the click-click of claws on the floor behind him as the cat readied to spring,

  and for a moment Colby knew he was done for.” (paragraph 18)

12. Which phrase from paragraph 2 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word fashioned?

• A “...liked to build things...”

• B “...odds and ends...”

• C “...carried it everywhere...”

• D “...hearing it ring...”

13. How did the cat react to the bell on its collar?

• A The cat was frightened by the bell and tried to run away from it.

• B The cat was angered by the bell and chased the mice.

• C The cat was confused by the bell and decided to stay away from the mice.

• D The cat was distracted by the bell and did not like it.

14. Which two quotations support the inference that Colby was creative?

• A “Colby was the youngest of the TRCHOC family. He was very smart and liked to build things out of the odds and ends that found their way into the Top-Right Cabinet.” (paragraph 2)

• B “Before Lord Stilton could say anything, there was an anxious squeak, and Colby stood up.”

  (paragraph 10)

• C “‘My plan,’ he said, ‘is to put my bell on the neck of the cat. That way, we’ll always know

  when it is coming.’ He shook the bell to illustrate.” (paragraph 12)

• D “In less than two seconds, he was all alone in the nook, the bell still clutched between his

  paws. He could see one huge lantern eye of the cat outside, and he heard it give a hiss of

  triumph as it squeezed its rotund head through the hole.” (paragraph 15)

• E “But in its zeal to get Colby, the cat had unthinkingly left its paws on the other side of the

  hole. Colby, his senses heightened by fear, noticed the cat’s mistake and it filled him with a

  rush of courage.” (paragraph 16)

15. What does the author mean by the phrase “pulling his scattered wits back together” in paragraph 16?

• A Colby picked up the parts of his bell.

• B Colby looked around for a way to escape.

• C Colby called for all the mice to come back.

• D Colby tried to calm down and think clearly.

Questions 16-17 ask about what you read in both the poem “The Gentleman in Gray” and the passage “The Cat’s Bell.”

16. How do the structural elements used in the poem and the passage differ?

• A To organize ideas, the poem uses stanzas, while the passage uses paragraphs.

• B To create rhythm, the poem uses sentences, while the passage uses rhyme scheme.

• C To introduce each of the characters, the poem uses description, while the passage uses a cast

  list.

• D To describe the actions

17. How are the mouse in the poem and Colby in the passage different?

• A The mouse in the poem roams the house in the dark to avoid a cat, but Colby in the passage

  teases a cat during the daytime.

• B The mouse in the poem finds food by looking for crumbs on the floor, but Colby in the

  passage takes food directly from the kitchen table.

• C The mouse in the poem lives in a hole in a small corner of the room, but Colby in the passage

  has his own large house in a safe place.

• D The mouse in the poem explores the house with little fear of danger, but Colby in the passage

  comes face to face with a frightening cat.