Let’s go through each question one by one, using the story “The Cheeky Mouse” 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.”
We can tell from this sentence that she really didn’t like mice — so much that she wanted to get rid of 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 few lines:
> “The lady living in the house despised mice, and wanted to get rid of them all.”
She hated them and tried to trap them. She even put traps everywhere!
✔ Answer:
The lady hated mice and wanted to get rid of them.
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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 thought he was clever and felt good about tricking her.
✔ Answer:
The mouse felt proud and happy because he thought he was fooling the lady.
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4. Choose one word to describe the mouse and explain why.
The mouse is called “cheeky” in the title — which means bold or playful in a naughty way. He also tricks the lady every day by moving other mice into traps. That shows he’s clever but also a bit sneaky.
You could say:
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Cheeky – because he plays tricks on the lady.
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Clever – because he figures out how to avoid traps.
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Proud – because he feels good about fooling her.
Let’s pick
“cheeky” since it’s right in the title and fits his behavior.
✔ Answer:
Cheeky — because he playfully tricks the lady and thinks he’s getting away with it.
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5. Do you feel sorry for the mouse? Why or why not?
At the end, it says:
> “Snap!” went a trap…the poor mouse had not fooled the lady after all…
So even though he thought he was smart, he got caught! He might have been overconfident. You might feel sorry because he ended up trapped — or you might think he deserved it for being too cheeky.
There’s no single right answer — just give your opinion with a reason.
✔ Example Answer:
Yes, I feel sorry for him because he thought he was winning, but then he got caught anyway. It’s sad when someone tries hard and still fails.
*(Or if you don’t feel sorry: No, because he was stealing food and tricking the lady — maybe he needed to learn a lesson.)*
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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.
3. The mouse felt proud and happy because he thought he was fooling the lady.
4. Cheeky — because he playfully tricks the lady and thinks he’s getting away with it.
5. Yes, I feel sorry for him because he thought he was winning, 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 reading comprehension passages.