Question

the elf and the dormouse by oliver herford 1 under a toadstool crept a wee elf, out of the rain to shelter himself. under the toadstool, sound asleep, sat a big dormouse all in a heap. 5 trembled the wee elf, frightened and yet fearing to fly away lest he get wet. to the next shelter—maybe a mile! sudden the wee elf smiled a wee smile. 9 tugged till the toadstool toppled in two. holding it over him, gaily he flew. soon he was safe home, dry as could be. soon woke the dormouse—\good gracious me! 13 \where is my toadstool?\ loud he lamented. --and thats how umbrellas first were invented. a dormouse is a rodent similar to a field mouse, except that its tail is hairy instead of scaly. it likes to hibernate. 1. lines 1, 2, 3, and 4 are important to the poem because __. a. identify the characters and the setting b. describes what happened after the elf got out of the rain c. tell how the dormouse felt d. tell how the elf felt 2. the elf was frightened because . a. he was wet from the rain b. he couldnt fly away c. there was a dormouse under the toadstool where he took shelter d. it was still raining outside of the toadstool 3. the elf solved his problem when __. a. he ran in the rain to the next toadstool b. he went to sleep next to the dormouse c. it stopped raining d. he used the toadstool for an umbrella to stay dry while he ran home 4. explain why this is a narrative poem.

Explanation:

Question 1

Lines 1 - 4 ("Under a toadstool crept a wee Elf, Out of the rain to shelter himself. Under the toadstool, sound asleep, Sat a big Dormouse all in a heap.") introduce the characters (Elf, Dormouse) and the setting (under a toadstool, rainy weather). Option A says they identify characters and setting, which matches. Option B is about what happens after the Elf gets out of rain, but these lines are the initial scene. Option C is about Dormouse's feelings, not here. Option D is about Elf's feelings, also not here.

The poem says "Trembled the wee Elf, frightened and yet Fearing to fly away lest he get wet." So the Elf is frightened because he was wet from the rain (or feared getting wet if he flew). Option A: "he was wet from the rain" aligns. Option B: he could fly (he feared to fly, not couldn't). Option C: the Dormouse was there, but fear is about rain, not Dormouse. Option D: it was raining, but the fear is about getting wet, not just rain being outside.

Lines 9 - 10: "Tugged till the toadstool toppled in two. Holding it over him, gaily he flew." So the Elf used the toadstool (after toppling it) as an umbrella to stay dry while flying. Option D: "used the toadstool for an umbrella to stay dry while he ran home" – wait, he flew, but the action is using toadstool as umbrella. Option D's description (using toadstool as umbrella to stay dry) matches. Option A: ran to next toadstool? No, he tugged the toadstool. Option B: went to sleep? No, Dormouse was asleep. Option C: stopped raining? No, he used toadstool as shelter.

Answer:

A. identify the characters and the setting

Question 2