The Wind in the Willows, Part 1

Classics Quick Check Level Z1

Name Date
Instructions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer.

1. What important event happens 3. On page 15, when Rat says that
before Mole meets Rat? the boat ride with Mole was an
Otter pops up and complains “impromptu affair,” he means
A that .
about not being invited.
Mole stops cleaning his home it began on time
A
B
and heads to the surface. it was not planned
B
Rat invites Mole to join him
C it was only for Mole
C
in his boat and they sail off it was not enjoyable
together.
D
4. What evidence from the text
Mole takes control of the
D indicates that this story is told
boat and accidentally
in the third-person omniscient
capsizes it.
point of view?
2. Based on the story, which two The reader has access to only
words best describe Mole?
A
Rat’s thoughts.
cruel and unfriendly
A The narrator is telling the
B
fussy and difficult
B story directly, using the
trusting and friendly pronoun I.
C
loud and foolish The narrator is addressing
C
D the reader, using the
pronoun you.
The reader has access to the
D
thoughts of many characters.

Quick Check continued on following page

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 The Wind in the Willows, Part 1
Classics Quick Check (continued) Level Z1

Name Date

5. Which of the following details 7. Which animal is a main character

from the text expresses an in this story?
opinion? the rabbit
A
Mole learns to swim and row,
A Otter
and joins the life of living
B
on a river. Badger
C
Green turf slopes down to Mole
D
B
the edge of the river, where 8. What genre best describes this
brown tree roots gleam. story?
Mole sees a brown little face,
C fantasy
A
with whiskers and thick,
biography
B
silky hair.
realistic fiction
C
The best part of a holiday
D
is not so much to be resting historical fiction
D
yourself as to see all the other 9. Based on the story, readers can
fellows busy working. conclude that .
6. How has Mole changed by the Mole is dangerous
A
end of the story?
boats are imaginary
B
He has embraced the lifestyle
A Rat makes friends easily
C
of a river dweller.
living along the river is boring
D
He has decided he never
B
wants to see Rat again.
He has returned to his
C
underground home to stay.
He has become best friends
D
with the Badger.

Quick Check continued on following page

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 The Wind in the Willows, Part 1
Classics Quick Check (continued) Level Z1

Name Date

10. On page 5, the word entranced

means .
in a bad mood
A
filled with wonder
B
entered a room or building
C
concerned about people’s
D
feelings
11. Extended Response: Write
several sentences to describe
the effect that the setting
has on the events in this story.
Then, explain why setting is an
important story element.
12. Extended Response: Write a
paragraph that compares Rat
and Mole, and then explain
how you know they are main
characters in the story. Support
your answer with details from
the text.

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 The Wind in the Willows, Part 1
Classics Quick Check Answer Key Level Z1

1. 11. Answers will vary. Sample response:

B Sequence Events The story is set mostly along the river
2. C Analyze Character where Rat lives, and important events
happen on and next to the river, such as
3. B Vocabulary Mole meeting Rat, and Rat taking Mole
4. D Narrative Point of View for a ride in his boat. Mole’s surprise
and delight with river life occupies a
5. D Fact or Opinion good portion of the plot. Also, the
6. A Analyze Character contrast between different animal
communities and where they live is an
7. D Story Elements: Identify Character important theme. The reason setting is
so important to a story is because the
8. A Identify Genre time and place of a situation will shape
9. C Make Inferences / Draw Conclusions almost everything that happens to the
characters in that situation.
10. B Vocabulary
12. Answers will vary. Sample response:
Rat and Mole live in the same general
area and are part of the same large
community of animals that talk and act
like people. They are both polite and
gentle, and seem to enjoy some of the
same things. They both understand
animal etiquette. Mole used to live
below ground, however, and Rat is
a river creature. Rat is much more
social than Mole. Rat also knows more
places than Mole, while Mole knows
more about life in the underground
communities. I know these two are
main characters because the action
in the story centers around them.

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