A Caterpillar's Tale

The caterpillar’s actions while building its cocoon support the idea that it is —

• too impatient to argue with the ant and the bee

• confused by the questions the ant and the bee are asking

• unconcerned about what the ant and the bee think about its house

• afraid to show the ant and the bee the best way to make a house

Which sentence does the author use to suggest that the caterpillar has experienced an important change?

• Up and down the caterpillar’s head moved, weaving and weaving.

• At last the veil grew so thick that you could only guess that the caterpillar might still be at work inside.

• But the caterpillar did not die.

• Many days and nights passed, and at last what had once been the caterpillar began to stir and wake.

Which of the following is the best summary of paragraphs 1 through 9?

• An ant and a bee see a caterpillar making a house. Both of them talk to the caterpillar while it works to finish its task the only way it knows how.

• A caterpillar is making a house out of something like silk on a twig. The house is called a cocoon, and it takes a long time to make.

• A caterpillar is making a house for itself. An ant and a bee suggest better places for the caterpillar to live, but the caterpillar continues with its task.

• An ant and a bee watch a caterpillar making a house. They think the caterpillar is having trouble, so they suggest different places for it to live.

In paragraph 6, the word absurd means —

• silly

• messy

• difficult

• gloomy

Which sentence from the story shows that the caterpillar is successful at building a good house for itself?

• Every time the caterpillar’s head moved, it left behind something that looked like a glistening thread of silk.

• Through the veil you could still faintly see the caterpillar moving.

• The bee came by that way again and stopped to look at the little house.

• It was fast asleep in its little cocoon house, knowing not whether the sun shone or the rain beat down.