Doctor Dolittle Questions

Test Yourself!

Here are some questions about the story of Doctor Dolittle for you to answer.
Remember: sometimes a question may have more than one right answer.

You can find answers to these questions at www.booksforlearning.com.au.

Go to The Children’s Classical Library page and follow the links to the
Doctor Dolittle page.

(Please note: these questions are designed to accompany the adapted version of Doctor
Dolittle by Books for Learning. Chapter numbers do not correspond to the original text.)
 

Chapter 1

1. True or False:

a. Doctor Dolittle has a wife called Sarah.

b. The Doctor has a very large house.
c. Sarah likes having the animals in the house.
d. The Doctor likes animals more than people.
e. The Doctor loses all of his people patients.
f. Polynesia teaches Doctor Dolittle how to understand animal language.
g. Parrots are the only animals that can speak human language.

2. Sick people stop coming to see Doctor Dolittle, because—

a. he is not a very good doctor.

b. he does not like people.
c. his house is too untidy.

3. Doctor Dolittle gets the idea of becoming a vet from—

a. the cat’s-meat man.

b. Polynesia the parrot.
c. the plow horse.

4. People start to bring their sick animals to Doctor Dolittle, because—

a. the animals like him.

b. he has decided to be a vet.
c. he can understand animal language.

5. The Doctor gives up being a people doctor, because—

a. nobody wants to come to him any more.

b. he likes animals.
c. he learns how to talk animal language.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 2

1. True or False:

a. Doctor Dolittle has never paid money for a pet.

b. The crocodile comes to Puddleby with a circus.
c. The Doctor does not ask the crocodile to leave.
d. Doctor Dolittle is glad that Sarah is leaving.
e. The Doctor is very worried about being poor.
f. The animals are not very good at cleaning.

2. Many animals stay with the Doctor even when they have gotten well,
because—

a. they refuse to leave.

b. they may get sick again.
c. the Doctor does not send them away.

3. The crocodile wants to stay with the Doctor, because—

a. he has a toothache.
b. it is nice living with the Doctor.
c. people are afraid of him.

4. Sarah leaves Doctor Dolittle, because—

a. she is afraid of the crocodile.

b. the crocodile is scaring people away.
c. they are getting very poor.

5. Doctor Dolittle believes that money—

a. makes people happy.

b. stops people being happy.
c. has nothing to do with being happy.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 3

1. True or False:

a. Polynesia is very old.

b. It takes the Doctor five weeks to get to Africa.
c. The Doctor decides to take seven animals with him to Africa.
d. The Doctor is steering the ship when it hits the rocks.

2. The message about the sick monkeys is sent by—

a. Chee-Chee’s cousin.
b. the swallow.
c. Chee-Chee.

3. The sailor lends Doctor Dolittle his boat, because—

a. they are friends.

b. the Doctor made his baby well.
c. the monkeys are sick.

4. The crocodile, monkey and parrot are happy to be going to Africa, because—

a. it will be an adventure.
b. they want to help save the monkeys.
c. Africa is their real home.

5. The ship hits the rocks because—

a. they are not looking where they are going.

b. it is dark.
c. the rocks are under the water.

6. The Doctor goes to meet the King, because—

a. he wants to.
b. he has to.
c. the King owns all the land.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 4

1. True or False:

a. The King’s palace is in the middle of a forest.

b. The palace is made of gold.
c. If the King does not set the Doctor free, Polynesia will make him sick.
d. The King goes out into the jungle to find the Doctor.
e. The King’s army goes out three times to find the Doctor.
f. It only takes about a day to get to the Land of the Monkeys.

2. The King does not want the Doctor to travel through his lands, because the last
traveler—

a. killed many people.

b. took gold and ivory.
c. killed all the elephants.

3. The King lets Doctor Dolittle go free, because—

a. he is afraid of Polynesia.
b. he does not want to get sick.
c. he is afraid of Doctor Dolittle.

4. At first, the King’s army cannot find the Doctor and the animals, because—

a. they are too fast.

b. Chee-Chee knows where to go.
c. it is too dark.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 5

1. True or False:

a. There are not many pushmi-pullyus left in the world.

b. Pushmi-pullyus talk and eat through both mouths.
c. The Doctor is glad to be leaving Africa.

2. The monkeys decide to give the Doctor a present, because—

a. they want him to stay.

b. they want to thank him for helping them.
c. they are sad he is leaving.

3. The monkeys decide to give the Doctor a pushmi-pullyu, because—

a. it is very rare.
b. it is hard to catch.
c. it will help the Doctor make money.

4. Pushmi-pullyus are hard to catch, because—

a. they are always awake.

b. they are very rare.
c. it is impossible to sneak up behind them.

5. The pushmi-pullyu agrees to go with the Doctor, because—

a. he wants to see foreign lands.

b. the Doctor needs him.
c. he trusts the Doctor.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 6

1. True or False:

a. Doctor Dolittle knows a way to get back home again.

b. The Doctor is lost in the jungle for days.
c. The Doctor and all his animals get put back in prison.
d. Polynesia hides in a rose bud.
e. Bumpo talks to a fairy.
f. Bumpo’s life is very hard.

2. The Doctor and his pets get lost, because—

a. they do not know the jungle paths.

b. Chee-Chee is looking for coconuts.
c. the jungle is very thick.

3. Bumpo thinks of marrying a princess, because—

a. Polynesia gives him the idea.

b. he is a prince.
c. he has been reading fairy stories.

4. Bumpo wants to free Doctor Dolittle, because—

a. he is hoping to marry a princess.

b. he thinks the Doctor is a good man.
c. he is very brave.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 7

1. True or False:

a. Bumpo thinks he is saving a real princess.

b. There are many guards on each side of the prison.
c. The prison guards fall asleep.
d. Doctor Dolittle promises Bumpo he will marry a princess.
e. The pig, the duck and the crocodile decide to stay in Africa.

2. The Doctor has chloroform in his bag, because—

a. he needs it to get out of prison.

b. doctors use it when they are doing operations.
c. it helps him get to sleep.

3. Bumpo becomes sad, because—

a. he is afraid of the guards.

b. he is not very brave.
c. he does not know how to rescue the Doctor.

4. Polynesia tells Bumpo to—

a. put the guards to sleep.

b. kill the guards.
c. sneak past the guards.

5. The swallows come with Doctor Dolittle, because—

a. they want to help him get home.

b. they want to ride on his boat.
c. they are flying to England for the summer.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 8

1. True or False:

a. There are half a dozen pirates on the pirate ship.

b. The swallows pull the strings in their beaks.
c. The ship is pulled along by two thousand swallows.
d. The Doctor did not know that rats always leave a sinking ship.

2. The Doctor gets away from the pirates, because—

a. he puts up more sails.

b. he has a faster ship.
c. the swallows help him.

3. The Doctor sails to the island, because—

a. he wants to hide from the pirates.

b. the swallows are getting tired.
c. the animals need to get off and stretch their legs.

4. The big black rat has a tingly tail, because—

a. he has been sitting on it.

b. he wants to get off the ship.
c. the ship is not safe.

5. The pirates leave their ship, because—

a. they are looking for the Doctor.

b. they want to steal things.
c. it is going to sink.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 

Chapter 9

1. True or False:

a. Ben Ali wants to eat Gub-Gub and Too-Too.

b. The sharks have never heard of Doctor Dolittle.
c. The sharks know all about Ben Ali.
d. The pirate ship has lots of food in it.

2. The sharks want to eat the pirates, because—

a. they are hungry.

b. the pirates are annoying the Doctor.
c. the pirates are bad men.

3. Doctor Dolittle knows that the pirates are bad men, because—

a. he has heard of Ben Ali and his men before.

b. the shark tells him.
c. he can tell by looking at them.

4. Ben Ali agrees to become a farmer, because—

a. he knows he should not kill people.

b. he is afraid of the sharks.
c. the Doctor tells him to.

5. If Ben Ali does not keep his promise—

a. the sharks will eat him.

b. the birds will tell Doctor Dolittle.
c. the Doctor will punish him.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 10

Chapter 10

1. True or False:

a. The Doctor goes straight to Puddleby when he arrives in his own country.
b. The Doctor takes the pushmi-pullyu to all the circuses.
c. Dab-Dab lets children see the pushmi-pullyu for nothing.
d. It is winter when the Doctor gets back to Puddleby.
e. The Doctor buys himself two new ships.
f. The Doctor runs out of money again.

2. The Doctor keeps the pushmi-pullyu inside a wagon, because—

a. he is very shy.
b. he might run away.
c. people will have to pay to see him.

3. The Doctor will not sell the pushmi-pullyu, because—

a. he is making lots of money from the pushmi-pullyu.

b. he loves to keep his pets.
c. the pushmi-pullyu would be shut up in a cage.

4. The Doctor stops traveling with the pushmi-pullyu, because—

a. he is tired of traveling.
b. he misses home.
c. he has enough money.

5. The Doctor buys two ships for the sailor, because—

a. he lost the sailor’s ship in Africa.

b. he is very generous.
c. he has lots of money now.

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au
 11

Topics for Discussion

1. Doctor Dolittle does not think that money is very important. Why does he
think this? Do you agree with him?

2. The Doctor lets all of the animals stay with him, even though he and his sister
get very poor. Do you think he is doing the right thing?

3. What kind of a person do you think Doctor Dolittle is? What are some of the
good things about him, and why are these things good?

4. Do you think it is fair of Polynesia to tell Prince Bumpo that he will marry a
princess? Should she do this? Do you feel sorry for Bumpo? Is there a better way
to get the Doctor out of prison?

5. Do you think the Pushmi-pullyu is treated fairly in this story? Should he have
been taken overseas? Is it right to show him to people for money?

© Books for Learning

www.booksforlearning.com.au