Let’s go through each question one by one, using the story to find the answers.
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1. What does “despise” mean?
In the story, it says:
> “The lady living in the house despised mice, and wanted to get rid of them all.”
If she wants to get rid of them all, that means she really doesn’t like them — maybe even hates them. So “despise” means to hate or strongly dislike something.
✔ Answer: Despise means to hate or strongly dislike.
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2. How did the lady feel about mice?
Again, from the first sentence:
> “The lady... despised mice, and wanted to get rid of them all.”
So she didn’t just dislike them — she hated them so much she tried to trap them.
✔ Answer: The lady hated mice and wanted to get rid of them all.
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3. How did the mouse feel about his plan?
Look at this part:
> “The little cheeky mouse was so proud of himself for fooling the old lady.”
He felt proud because he thought he was tricking her every day.
✔ Answer: The mouse felt proud of himself because he thought he was fooling the lady.
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4. Choose one word to describe the mouse and explain why.
We can pick a word like
cheeky,
clever, or
proud.
Let’s choose
cheeky — it’s right in the title! And in the story, he sneaks around, tricks the lady (or thinks he does), and eats food freely. That’s cheeky behavior — bold and playful, but not always respectful.
✔ Answer: Cheeky — because he sneakily avoided traps and acted like he was smarter than the lady, even though he ended up getting caught.
*(Other good answers: clever — because he figured out how to avoid traps; proud — because he felt happy thinking he fooled her.)*
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5. Do you feel sorry for the mouse? Why or why not?
This is your opinion — but let’s think about it.
At first, the mouse seemed smart and lucky. But at the end:
> “Snap!” went a trap… the poor mouse had not fooled the lady after all…”
He got caught! He thought he was winning, but he wasn’t. That’s sad. Also, he was eating food that wasn’t his, and the lady was trying to protect her home.
You could say yes — because he got trapped even though he tried hard.
Or no — because he was stealing food and being sneaky.
✔ Sample answer: Yes, I feel sorry for him because he thought he was doing great, but then he got caught anyway. It’s sad when someone tries hard and still fails.
*(Or: No, because he was stealing food and tricking the lady — he deserved to get caught.)*
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Final Answer:
1. Despise means to hate or strongly dislike.
2. The lady hated mice and wanted to get rid of them all.
3. The mouse felt proud of himself because he thought he was fooling the lady.
4. Cheeky — because he sneakily avoided traps and acted like he was smarter than the lady, even though he ended up getting caught.
5. Yes, I feel sorry for him because he thought he was doing great, but then he got caught anyway. It’s sad when someone tries hard and still fails.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of comprehension worksheet with questions.
