Question

excerpt from the story of doctor dolittle
by hugh lofting

1 all the folks, young and old, knew him well by sight. and whenever he walked down the street in his high hat everyone would say, \there goes the doctor!-hes a clever man!\ and the dogs and the children would all run up and follow behind him; and even the crows that lived in the church-tower would caw and nod their heads. the house he lived in, on the edge of the town, was quite small; but his garden was very large and had a wide lawn and stone seats and weeping willows hanging over. his sister, sarah dolittle, was housekeeper for him; but the doctor looked after the garden himself.

identify the characters
a. who are the characters?
b. what are the characters doing?
c. what adjectives describe each character?
d. write your summary note for the paragraph.

assess the characters opinions
2 he was very fond of animals and kept many kinds of pets. besides the goldfish in the pond at the bottom of his garden, he had rabbits in the pantry, white mice in his piano, a squirrel in the linen closet and a hedgehog in the cellar. his sister used to grumble about all these animals and said they made the house untidy. and one day when an old lady with rheumatism came to see the doctor, she sat on the hedgehog who was sleeping on the sofa and never came to see him anymore, but drove every saturday all the way to oxenthorpe, another town ten miles off, to see a different doctor. then his sister, sarah dolittle, came to him and said, \john, how can you expect sick people to come and see you when you keep all these animals in the house? thats the fourth personage these animals have driven away. we are getting poorer every day. if you go on like this, none of the best people will have you for a doctor.\

e. do they like or dislike each other?
f. why does each character make a particular decision or take a particular course of action?
g. write your summary note for the paragraph.

identify the tone and themes
3 but he kept on getting still more pets; and of course it cost a lot to feed them. and the money he had saved up grew littler and littler. and now, when he walked down the street in his high hat, people would say to one another, \there goes john dolittle, m.d.! there was a time when he was the best known doctor in the west country-look at him now-he hasnt any money and his stockings are full of holes!\ but the dogs and the cats and the children still ran up and followed him through the town-the same as they had done when he was rich.

h. what is the overall tone of the passage?
i. what are the themes (morals, lessons, or messages) the author conveys?
j. write your summary note for the paragraph.

summarize
k. what happens in the passage?
l. what are the \turning points\ in the passage?

Explanation:

Identify the Characters

Using the Character Analysis and Text Summarization knowledge points

• A. Who are the characters? The main characters introduced in Paragraph 1 are Doctor John Dolittle and his sister, Sarah Dolittle.
• B. What are the characters doing? The Doctor is looking after his garden, and the townspeople, children, dogs, and crows are greeting and following him with respect.
• C. What adjectives describe each character? The Doctor is described as "clever" and popular. Sarah Dolittle is described as his "housekeeper."
• D. Write your summary note for the paragraph. Doctor Dolittle is a highly respected, clever doctor who lives in a large house with his housekeeper sister, Sarah.

Assess the Characters' Opinions

Using the Character Analysis and Text Summarization knowledge points

• E. Do they like or dislike each other? Sarah dislikes the Doctor's habit of keeping numerous pets, which causes tension between them.
• F. Why does each character make a particular decision or take a particular action? Sarah complains because the animals make the house untidy and drive away paying patients, making them poorer. The Doctor continues keeping pets because of his deep fondness for animals.
• G. Write your summary note for the paragraph. Sarah Dolittle confronts the Doctor about his excessive pets, warning him that his animal collection is driving away wealthy patients and ruining them financially.

Identify the Tone and Themes

Using the Tone Identification, Theme and Message, and Text Summarization knowledge points

• H. What is the overall tone of the passage? The tone is whimsical yet gently critical, shifting from admiration to concern over the Doctor's financial decline.
• I. What are the themes (morals, lessons, or messages) the author conveys? A central theme is the conflict between material wealth and compassion/passion for animals.
• J. Write your summary note for the paragraph. Despite losing his wealth and patients due to his growing collection of pets, the Doctor remains loved by animals and children.

Summarize

Using the Text Summarization knowledge point

• K. What happens in the passage? Doctor Dolittle's deep love for animals leads him to fill his home with pets, causing his sister's frustration, the loss of his human medical practice, and his eventual financial ruin, though he retains the affection of animals and children.
• L. What are the "turning points" in the passage? The key turning point is when the Doctor's sister confronts him about the animals driving away patients, marking his transition from a wealthy, respected doctor to a poor man with a house full of pets.

Answer:

Question 1: Identify the Characters

• A. Who are the characters? Doctor John Dolittle and his sister, Sarah Dolittle.
• B. What are the characters doing? The Doctor is tending to his garden and walking through town while the townspeople, children, and animals greet him warmly.
• C. What adjectives describe each character? The Doctor is "clever" and beloved; Sarah Dolittle is practical and critical.
• D. Write your summary note for the paragraph. Doctor Dolittle is a highly respected and clever doctor living in a large house with his sister and housekeeper, Sarah.

Question 2: Assess the Characters' Opinions

• E. Do they like or dislike each other? They love each other as siblings, but Sarah strongly dislikes and disapproves of the Doctor's choice to keep so many pets in the house.
• F. Why does each character make a particular decision or take a particular action? Sarah complains and warns John because the pets make the house untidy and scare away paying patients, causing them to lose money. The Doctor keeps the pets because of his deep, uncompromising love for animals.
• G. Write your summary note for the paragraph. Sarah confronts John about his pets, explaining that his animal collection has driven away their wealthiest patients and is leading them into poverty.

Question 3: Identify the Tone and Themes

• H. What is the overall tone of the passage? The tone is whimsical, warm, and gently ironic.
• I. What are the themes (morals, lessons, or messages) the author conveys? The conflict between financial success and personal passion/compassion; true wealth is found in love and companionship rather than money.
• J. Write your summary note for the paragraph. Although the Doctor loses all his money and his social standing because of his pets, he remains genuinely loved by children and animals.

Question 4: Summarize

• K. What happens in the passage? A highly successful doctor loses his human patients and his wealth because he insists on keeping a vast number of animal pets in his home, choosing his love for animals over financial prosperity.
• L. What are the "turning points" in the passage? The primary turning point occurs when Sarah confronts the Doctor about the animals driving away their last wealthy patients, marking his transition from a prosperous town doctor to a impoverished animal lover.