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 1 . Which creature did Alice decide to visit?
a. the queen
b. the Cheshire Cat
c. the Hatter
d. the March Hare
 2 . What curious sight did Alice experience?
a. the March Hare bustling about in sheer madness
b. the Queen playing croquet
c. the Cheshire Cat vanishing slowly so that only its grin lingered
d. the cat’s extremely long claws and many teeth
 3 . What does the word spectacle mean as it is used in the text?
a. a strange and remarkable sight
b. a public exhibition
c. a pair of eyeglasses
d. foolish behavior
 4 . What effect did the cat’s behavior have on Alice?
a. It made her feel frustrated.
b. It made her feel dizzy.
c. It made her feel respected.
d. It made her feel lonely.
 5 . What is the significance of the cat vanishing?
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*excerpted from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (www.gutenberg.org)
#3658 Daily Warm-Ups: Reading 
160 
©Teacher Created Resources

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Name
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Daily 
Warm-Up
11
Fiction: Fantasy
Thoughts From a Muse
One day, Shaggy met an owl on his afternoon walk by 
the river. The owl called himself Muse—an interesting 
name for an owl, yet Shaggy inquired no further. The 
owl flew alongside Shaggy on his usual solitary journey.
Shaggy asked the owl his occupation, to which he 
replied, “I flutter over the shoulders of others, giving 
them tidbits for their life stories as I’m able. And in 
return, they give me perspective, as they allow me to see 
through the eyes of another.”
Shaggy enjoyed his chat with the Muse. Although 
probably inaccurate, the latter’s knowledge of the future 
was of particular interest. The owl predicted a world 
with various restrictions placed on people, yet at the 
same time a type of utopian society. He then stopped 
his narrative to ask Shaggy his opinion. Shaggy replied 
that the notion seemed but a crumbling dictatorship, 
cracking at the seams. The owl then told of a young 
boy who had managed to keep a treasure in that society, 
where such secrets, knowledge, and treasure are 
forbidden. Shaggy wondered what treasure the boy 
might have had, but the Muse declined to answer. The 
owl remarked how he enjoyed the conversation, 
complaining that most humans had little time for such 
things anymore. Promising to return next week to the 
owl’s tree-top dwelling, Shaggy bid the Muse farewell 
and walked himself down to the meadow.
His paws tired, Shaggy flopped on the grass and idly 
observed some ducks trawling lazily across the pond as 
he contemplated the ideas the Muse had discussed. One 
idea flitted through his unkempt head but dissipated 
before he could fully identify it. Scattered thoughts 
drifted on the wind: people of the past who refused to 
back down, the boy with the forbidden treasure.
Shaggy rolled over, reveling in the feel of the tender 
clover, content to let such weighty thoughts pass him by.
Text Questions
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