Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Page 1 of 5
Student:
Class:
Date:
Read the passage - 'Excerpt from Old Indian Legends: ?Dance in a Buffalo Skull?' - and answer the question
below:
Page 2 of 5
fire hopped the mice, each bouncing hard on his two hind feet. Some carried their tails over their arms, while
others trailed them proudly along.
Ah, very near are those round yellow eyes! Very low to the ground they seem to creepcreep toward the
buffalo skull. All of a sudden they slide into the eye-sockets of the old skull.
Spirit of the buffalo! squeaked a frightened mouse as he jumped out from a hole in the back part of the skull.
A cat! a cat! cried other mice as they scrambled out of holes both large and snug. Noiseless they ran away
into the dark.
1 frolic:
to play
2 footfalls:
3 nigh:
footsteps
near in space
Old Indian Legends: Dance in a Buffalo Skull retold by Zitkala-Sa. Project Gutenberg,
2001. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/338/338-h/338-h.htm#2H_4_0012 (06/15/2012).
1.
In paragraph 10, what does it mean when the author says the mice were
all unconscious of those fearful eyes?
A.
B.
The mice were asleep after all of their dancing and feasting.
C.
The mice were tired and ready for bed while the others sang.
D.
The mice were starting another song at the feast around the fire.
Read the passage - 'Excerpt from Old Indian Legends: ?Dance in a Buffalo Skull?' - and answer the question
below:
2.
In paragraph 10, what does it mean when the author says the mice were
all unconscious of those fearful eyes?
A.
B.
The mice were asleep after all of their dancing and feasting.
C.
The mice were tired and ready for bed while the others sang.
D.
The mice were starting another song at the feast around the fire.
Read the passage - 'Excerpt from Old Indian Legends: ?Dance in a Buffalo Skull?' - and answer the question
below:
Page 3 of 5
3.
In paragraph 10, what does it mean when the author says the mice were
all unconscious of those fearful eyes?
A.
B.
The mice were asleep after all of their dancing and feasting.
C.
The mice were tired and ready for bed while the others sang.
D.
The mice were starting another song at the feast around the fire.
Read the passage - 'Excerpt from Old Indian Legends: ?Dance in a Buffalo Skull?' - and answer the question
below:
4.
Which sentence from the selection shows the mice were having fun in the
dark?
A.
Overhead the stars were twinkling bright their red and yellow lights.
B.
There in a huge old buffalo skull was a great feast and dance!
C.
All the while across the dark from out the low river bottom came that
pair of fiery eyes.
D.
Read the passage - 'Excerpt from Old Indian Legends: ?Dance in a Buffalo Skull?' - and answer the question
below:
5.
In paragraph 3, how does the phrase out of the wooded river bottom
glided forth two balls of fire affect the tone?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Read the passage - 'Excerpt from Old Indian Legends: ?Dance in a Buffalo Skull?' - and answer the question
below:
Page 4 of 5
6.
In paragraph 3, which statement from the selection explains why the cat
was not readily visible?
A.
B.
C.
The dark hid the body of the creature with those fiery eyes.
D.
They came on and on, just over the tops of the prairie grass.
Page 5 of 5