Short Story of the Month Reading Literature

”Stray” by Cynthia Rylant Skills Test

Comprehension Skills Test

Choose the best answer.

_____ 1. Who is the protagonist of the story?

a. Doris
b. Mr. Lacey

_____ 2. Which excerpt below does not include details about the setting?
a. In January, a puppy wandered…
b. Mr. Lacey was at the table, cleaning his fingernails with his pocketknife.

_____ 3. Which excerpt from the story best shows how Mrs. Lacey felt about allowing the
stray to stay in the basement?
a. “I don’t know where it came from,” he said mildly, “but I know for sure
where it’s going.”
b. He agreed to let it sleep in the basement while Mrs. Lacey grudgingly let
Doris feed it table scraps.

_____ 4. Why won’t Mr. and Mrs. Lacey allow Doris to keep the stray?
a. The Laceys can’t afford a dog.
b. Doris’s brother is allergic to dogs.

_____ 5. What did Mrs. Lacey say to Doris after Mr. Lacey opened the trunk of his car?
a. “It will be time for dinner soon.”
b. ”You try to act more grown-up about this.”

M Assessment 29 ©2017 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Short Story of the Month Reading Literature
”Stray” by Cynthia Rylant Skills Test

_____ 6. What connotation does the underlined word have in the following sentence?
He agreed to let it sleep in the basement while Mrs. Lacey grudgingly let Doris
feed it table scraps.
a. positive
b. negative

_____ 7. What is the denotation of the underlined word in the following sentence?
Her face was wet and red, her eyes full of distress.
a. delight
b. extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain

_____ 8. Which sentence best describes the plot of the story?

a. Doris wanted to keep the abandoned puppy she found, but her parents
would not allow it.
b. Doris’s father made so little money that pets were out of the question.

_____ 9. What was the first sign in the story that Mr. Lacey is sensitive to the dog’s
feelings?
a. Mr. Lacey did not take the dog to the pound right away.
b. Mr. Lacey allowed the dog to sleep in the basement.

_____ 10. Which excerpt below does not include evidence that life is difficult for the
Laceys?
a. The woman was sensitive about throwing out food.
b. “I wouldn’t leave an ant in that place,” he said.

M Assessment 30 ©2017 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Short Story of the Month Reading Literature
”Stray” by Cynthia Rylant Skills Test

Use complete sentences to answer the questions.

11. Who has a change of heart in the story? What causes it?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

12. Do you think the story would have turned out differently if the pound had not been such
an awful place? Explain your thinking.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

M Assessment 31 ©2017 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Short Story of the Month Reading Literature
”Stray” by Cynthia Rylant Skills Test

Comprehension Skills Test

Choose the best answer.

a
_____ 1. Who is the protagonist of the story?
a. Doris
b. Mr. Lacey

b
_____ 2. Which excerpt below does not include details about the setting?
a. In January, a puppy wandered…
b. Mr. Lacey was at the table, cleaning his fingernails with his pocketknife.

b
_____ 3. Which excerpt from the story best shows how Mrs. Lacey felt about allowing the
stray to stay in the basement?
a. “I don’t know where it came from,” he said mildly, “but I know for sure
where it’s going.”
b. He agreed to let it sleep in the basement while Mrs. Lacey grudgingly let
Doris feed it table scraps.

a
_____ 4. Why won’t Mr. and Mrs. Lacey allow Doris to keep the stray?
a. The Laceys can’t afford a dog.
b. Doris’s brother is allergic to dogs.

b
_____ 5. What did Mrs. Lacey say to Doris after Mr. Lacey opened the trunk of his car?
a. “It will be time for dinner soon.”
b. ”You try to act more grown-up about this.”

M Assessment 29 ©2017 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Short Story of the Month Reading Literature
”Stray” by Cynthia Rylant Skills Test

b
_____ 6. What connotation does the underlined word have in the following sentence?
He agreed to let it sleep in the basement while Mrs. Lacey grudgingly let Doris
feed it table scraps.
a. positive
b. negative

b
_____ 7. What is the denotation of the underlined word in the following sentence?
Her face was wet and red, her eyes full of distress.
a. delight
b. extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain

a
_____ 8. Which sentence best describes the plot of the story?
a. Doris wanted to keep the abandoned puppy she found, but her parents
would not allow it.
b. Doris’s father made so little money that pets were out of the question.

b
_____ 9. What was the first sign in the story that Mr. Lacey is sensitive to the dog’s
feelings?
a. Mr. Lacey did not take the dog to the pound right away.
b. Mr. Lacey allowed the dog to sleep in the basement.

b
_____ 10. Which excerpt below does not include evidence that life is difficult for the
Laceys?
a. The woman was sensitive about throwing out food.
b. “I wouldn’t leave an ant in that place,” he said.

M Assessment 30 ©2017 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Short Story of the Month Reading Literature
”Stray” by Cynthia Rylant Skills Test

Use complete sentences to answer the questions.

11. Who has a change of heart in the story? What causes it?
Mr. Lacey has a change of heart in the story. At first, he does not want Doris
____________________________________________________________________________________
to keep the puppy and only allows it to stay until he can bring it to the pound.
____________________________________________________________________________________
He changes his mind after he sees the terrible conditions at the pound. It’s
____________________________________________________________________________________
overcrowded, stinky, and animals are only given size days to find a home before
____________________________________________________________________________________
they are killed. Mr. Lacey does not feel like it is right to leave any animal there,
____________________________________________________________________________________
so he brings the dog back home.
____________________________________________________________________________________

12. Do you think the story would have turned out differently if the pound had not been such
an awful place? Explain your thinking.

(Possible answers) I think the story would have turned out differently if the pound had
____________________________________________________________________________________
been a nice place. Mr. Lacey had already decided that he would bring the puppy to the
____________________________________________________________________________________
pound. If the living conditions were better at the pound and it seemed like a nice place to
____________________________________________________________________________________
be, I think he would have left the puppy there like he planned to. OR I think that Mr. Lacey
____________________________________________________________________________________
would have allowed Doris to keep the puppy, even if the pound had been a decent place. He
____________________________________________________________________________________
might have left the dog there at first, but I think he would have gone back and picked the
____________________________________________________________________________________
puppy up from the pound and brought it home. I think Mr. Lacey liked the puppy.

M Assessment 31 ©2017 erin cobb imlovinlit.com