Museletter junior 3

Part 3: Reginald

Read the passage carefully before answering the questions. Click any word to collect it. Click an underlined word to reveal its definition below.

Reginald had never much minded cats. Sure, they wanted to catch him, but that was in their nature. They had to eat. Nevertheless, he always made an attempt to be civil. Manners, after all, cost nothing.

Despite his good humour and manners, the cat Simon, for some reason seemed to despise him. Why, Reginald wasn't quite sure, but he could tell from the furious glare the cat fixed on him with his luminous eyes each day that he was the object of some anger on the part of his feline cohabitant.

Nonetheless, Reginald ensured that he remained kind and polite. He was out that morning in the rain, his favourite weather as it meant that there were more insects and worms out for him to eat, when he saw Simon eying him from the window, angrily.

"Morning Simon," said Reginald, gleefully, "Lovely day."

All Simon had done was yowl back.

"Ah well," thought Reginald, and headed off to look for some more beetles to eat. As he did so he saw the other cat arrive. A far more composed and decent creature, she ignored him mostly, greeting him with the occasional nod if they ran into each other while he was scavenging. Mutual respect, that was all Reginald needed. The humans didn't need their leftovers anyway. The youngest one threw most of his on the floor in protest anyway, screeching his protestations. Reginald was doing the humans a favour by cleaning up.

"Alas," he sighed, "once again the undeniable value of a rat has been ignored."

But for now, beetles.

Word Collector

Click any word in the passage to collect it

Vocabulary

Click an underlined word in the passage above to reveal its definition here.

Section 1: What Happened?

Answer using evidence from the passage. Use full sentences where possible.

1

Who is Reginald, and who is Simon?

(2 marks)
2

How does Reginald feel about cats in general?

(1 mark)
3

What does Simon do when Reginald says good morning to him?

(1 mark)
4

Why does Reginald love rainy days?

(1 mark)
5

How does the second cat treat Reginald differently from Simon?

(2 marks)
6

What does Reginald eat? Find two things from the story.

(2 marks)
7

Why does Reginald think he is doing the humans a favour?

(2 marks)

Section Total: _____ / 11

Section 2: Character Analysis

Explore the characters' feelings, values and motivations using the text as evidence.

8

Reginald says "manners cost nothing." What does this tell you about what kind of character he is?

(2 marks)
9

This part of the story is told from Reginald's point of view. Who was the story told by before? How can you tell this has changed? Think about what Reginald notices and cares about.

(3 marks)
10

Do you feel sorry for Reginald, or do you think he is funny? Use something from the story to explain your answer.

(2 marks)
11

Why do you think Simon dislikes Reginald so much? The story doesn't tell us — what is your best guess?

(2 marks)

Section Total: _____ / 9

Section 3: Writer's Corner

Analyse the writer's craft, techniques and the effects they create.

12

Reginald says "Lovely day" while standing in the rain. Why is this funny?

(2 marks)
13

The writer uses the word "yowl" to describe what Simon does. Why is this a good word choice?

(2 marks)
14

At the end, Reginald sighs and says the value of a rat has been ignored. What does this tell us about how he sees himself?

(2 marks)
15

If you were going to give Reginald a different animal name, what would you pick and why?

(2 marks)

Section Total: _____ / 8

Section 4: Over to You

Writing Task

Write a short story from the point of view of an animal. It could be a pet, a garden creature, or a wild animal.

What does your animal think about the humans or other animals around it? Remember to think about what your animal would notice — and what it would find strange or funny!