Reading Comprehension practice by moments The Adventure of Toto
Reading Comprehension practice by moments The Adventure of Toto : Here are three passages from “The Adventures of Toto,” each followed by 10 multiple-choice questions designed for a reading comprehension test.
Reading Comprehension Test: Passage 1
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
GRANDFATHER bought Toto from a tonga-driver for the sum of five rupees. The tonga-driver used to keep the little red monkey tied to a feeding-trough, and the monkey looked so out of place there that Grandfather decided he would add the little fellow to his private zoo. Toto was a pretty monkey. His bright eyes sparkled with mischief beneath deep-set eyebrows, and his teeth, which were a pearly white, were very often displayed in a smile that frightened the life out of elderly Anglo-Indian ladies. But his hands looked dried-up as though they had been pickled in the sun for many years. Yet his fingers were quick and wicked; and his tail, while adding to his good looks, also served as a third hand.
Grandmother always fussed when Grandfather brought home some new bird or animal. So it was decided that Toto’s presence should be kept a secret from her until she was in a particularly good mood. Grandfather and the narrator put him away in a little closet opening into the narrator’s bedroom wall, where he was tied securely to a peg. A few hours later, they found the walls, which had been covered with ornamental paper, now stood out as naked brick and plaster. The peg had been wrenched from its socket, and the school blazer hanging there was in shreds.
Multiple-Choice Questions (Passage 1)
- From whom did Grandfather buy Toto?
a) A zookeeper
b) A tonga-driver
c) A pet shop
d) A circus
Answer: b) A tonga-driver - How much did Grandfather pay for Toto?
a) Three rupees
b) Five rupees
c) Ten rupees
d) One rupee
Answer: b) Five rupees - What feature of Toto frightened elderly Anglo-Indian ladies?
a) His long tail
b) His dried-up hands
c) His wide smile
d) His deep-set eyebrows
Answer: c) His wide smile - According to the passage, what served as Toto’s “third hand”?
a) His feet
b) His teeth
c) His fingers
d) His tail
Answer: d) His tail - Why was Toto’s presence kept a secret from Grandmother?
a) She was afraid of monkeys
b) She was allergic to animals
c) She always fussed
d) She was not at home
Answer: c) She always fussed - Where was Toto first hidden in the house?
a) In the stable
b) In a little closet
c) In the kitchen
d) In the garden
Answer: b) In a little closet - To what was Toto tied in the closet?
a) A chair
b) A hook
c) A peg
d) A doorknob
Answer: c) A peg - What damage did Toto do to the walls?
a) He painted them
b) He scratched them
c) He tore off the paper
d) He made a hole
Answer: c) He tore off the paper - What item of clothing did Toto tear into shreds?
a) A school shirt
b) A school blazer
c) A pair of trousers
d) A tie
Answer: b) A school blazer - Grandfather’s private collection of animals is referred to as his…?
a) Menagerie
b) Farm
c) Private zoo
d) Animal shelter
Answer: c) Private zoo
Reading Comprehension Test: Passage 2
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
His presence in the house still a secret, Toto was now transferred to a big cage in the servants’ quarters where a number of Grandfather’s pets lived very sociably together. But the monkey wouldn’t allow any of his companions to sleep at night; so Grandfather, who had to leave Dehra Dun next day to collect his pension in Saharanpur, decided to take him along. A big black canvas kit-bag was provided for Toto. This, with some straw at the bottom, became his new abode. When the bag was closed, there was no escape. Toto could not get his hands through the opening, and the canvas was too strong for him to bite his way through.
His efforts to get out only had the effect of making the bag roll about on the floor or occasionally jump into the air — an exhibition that attracted a curious crowd of onlookers on the Dehra Dun railway platform. Toto remained in the bag as far as Saharanpur, but while Grandfather was producing his ticket at the railway turnstile, Toto suddenly poked his head out of the bag and gave the ticket-collector a wide grin. The poor man was taken aback; but, with great presence of mind, he said, “Sir, you have a dog with you. You’ll have to pay for it accordingly.”
Multiple-Choice Questions (Passage 2)
- After the closet, where was Toto transferred?
a) The stable
b) The kitchen
c) A big cage
d) The garden
Answer: c) A big cage - What problem did Toto cause for the other pets at night?
a) He stole their food
b) He made loud noises
c) He wouldn’t let them sleep
d) He fought with them
Answer: c) He wouldn’t let them sleep - Why was Grandfather going to Saharanpur?
a) To visit a relative
b) To buy more pets
c) To sell Toto
d) To collect his pension
Answer: d) To collect his pension - What was used to carry Toto on the trip?
a) A wooden box
b) A canvas kit-bag
c) A leather suitcase
d) A plastic basket
Answer: b) A canvas kit-bag - What was placed at the bottom of the bag for comfort?
a) A blanket
b) Old clothes
c) Some straw
d) Newspapers
Answer: c) Some straw - What did Toto’s struggles inside the bag cause it to do on the platform?
a) Open up
b) Tear apart
c) Roll and jump
d) Slide away
Answer: c) Roll and jump - The “exhibition” on the platform attracted a…?
a) Curious crowd
b) Flock of birds
c) Group of dogs
d) Railway police
Answer: a) Curious crowd - At what point did Toto poke his head out of the bag?
a) While on the train
b) At the railway turnstile
c) Before leaving the house
d) When the train stopped
Answer: b) At the railway turnstile - Who did Toto grin at?
a) Grandfather
b) The ticket-collector
c) A passenger
d) A porter
Answer: b) The ticket-collector - The ticket-collector insisted that Grandfather had a __ with him.
a) Cat
b) Rabbit
c) Monkey
d) Dog
Answer: d) Dog
Reading Comprehension Test: Passage 3
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
A great treat for Toto during cold winter evenings was the large bowl of warm water given him by Grandmother for his bath. He would cunningly test the temperature with his hand, then gradually step into the bath, first one foot, then the other (as he had seen the narrator doing), until he was into the water up to his neck. Once comfortable, he would take the soap in his hands or feet, and rub himself all over. When the water became cold, he would get out and run as quickly as he could to the kitchen-fire in order to dry himself. If anyone laughed at him during this performance, Toto’s feelings would be hurt and he would refuse to go on with his bath.
One day Toto nearly succeeded in boiling himself alive. A large kitchen kettle had been left on the fire to boil for tea and Toto, finding himself with nothing better to do, decided to remove the lid. Finding the water just warm enough for a bath, he got in, with his head sticking out from the open kettle. This was just fine for a while, until the water began to boil. He continued hopping up and down for some time, until Grandmother arrived and hauled him, half-boiled, out of the kettle.
Multiple-Choice Questions (Passage 3)
- What was a “great treat” for Toto in winter?
a) A warm blanket
b) Roasted nuts
c) A bowl of warm water
d) Hot milk
Answer: c) A bowl of warm water - How did Toto test the water temperature?
a) With his tail
b) With his foot
c) With his hand
d) By sniffing it
Answer: c) With his hand - From whom had Toto learned his bathing method?
a) Grandfather
b) Grandmother
c) The narrator
d) The other pets
Answer: c) The narrator - Where would Toto run to dry himself after a bath?
a) Into the garden
b) To the kitchen-fire
c) Under the bed
d) To the rooftop
Answer: b) To the kitchen-fire - What would happen if someone laughed at Toto during his bath?
a) He would splash water
b) He would get angry
c) His feelings would be hurt
d) He would run away
Answer: c) His feelings would be hurt - In what object did Toto nearly boil himself?
a) A bathtub
b) A large pot
c) A kitchen kettle
d) A water heater
Answer: c) A kitchen kettle - Why was the kettle on the fire?
a) To cook soup
b) To wash dishes
c) To boil for tea
d) To keep the room warm
Answer: c) To boil for tea - Why did Toto get into the kettle?
a) He was hiding
b) He was thirsty
c) He was cold
d) He thought it was a bath
Answer: d) He thought it was a bath - What part of Toto was sticking out from the open kettle?
a) His tail
b) His hands
c) His head
d) His feet
Answer: c) His head - Who rescued Toto from the kettle?
a) Grandfather
b) The narrator
c) Grandmother
d) An aunt
Answer: c) Grandmother
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