Name: ______________________ Date: ______________________

Reading Comprehension Worksheet

THE TALE OF SAMUEL WHISKERS

By Beatrix Potter

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

Once upon a time there was an old cat, called Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, who was an
anxious parent. She used to lose her kittens and they were lost always in
mischief! On baking day she determined to shut them up in a cupboard. She
caught Moppet and Mittens, but she could not find Tom. The cupboard door was
not locked, so Moppet and Mittens pushed it open and came out. They went
straight to the dough. Somebody knocked at the door, and Moppet jumped into
the flour barrel. Mittens ran away to the dairy. The visitor was Mrs. Ribby. Mrs.
Tabitha came, “Come in,” Cousin Ribby, “I'm in sad trouble I've lost my son
Thomas; I'm afraid the rats have got him.” They returned to the kitchen. Ribby,
dragged Moppet out of the flour barrel. “Oh! Mother,” said Moppet, “there's been
an old rat in the kitchen, and she's stolen some of the dough!” They found
Mittens, “Oh, Mother,” said Mittens, “There has been an old rat in the dairy, and
he's stolen a pat of butter and the rolling pin.” Ribby said, “We must send for
John Joiner at once.” When Tom Kitten saw that his mother was going to bake,
he determined to hide and fixed upon the chimney. He climbed up. All at once he
fell in the dark hole. “What do you mean by tumbling into my bed?” said the rat.
“Anna Maria,” squeaked the rat. All in a minute she rushed upon Tom Kitten, and
he was rolled up in a bundle, and tied with string. “Anna Maria,” said the old man
rat (whose name was Samuel Whiskers), make me a kitten dumpling roly-poly
pudding for my dinner.” “It requires dough, a pat of butter, and a rolling-pin,” said
Anna Maria. The rats came back and set to work. First they smeared him with
butter, and then they rolled him in the dough and the rolling-pin went roly-poly.
When all at once there began other sounds up above and the noise of a little dog,
scratching! “We are discovered Anna Maria; let us depart at once.” There was
nobody under the floor except the rolling-pin and Tom Kitten! The cat family had
quite recovered and Tom Kitten into a hot bath to get the butter off. After that;
there were no more rats for a long time at Tabitha Twitchit's.

Answer each question.

1. Who was Tabitha Twitchit and why did she lose her kittens?
2. Who helped her in finding Moppet and Mittens?
3. What did Moppet and Mittens tell to their mother?
4. Where was Tom Kitten?
5. What did Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria do with Tom Kitten?
6. How did they find Tom Kitten and who did help them?
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Name: ______________________ Date: ______________________

Grade 6 Reading Comprehension Worksheet

THE TALE OF SAMUEL WHISKERS

By Beatrix Potter
Read the story. Then answer the questions.
Once upon a time there was an old cat, called Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, who was an anxious parent.
She used to lose her kittens and they were lost always in mischief! On baking day she determined
to shut them up in a cupboard. She caught Moppet and Mittens, but she could not find Tom. The
cupboard door was not locked, so Moppet and Mittens pushed it open and came out. They went
straight to the dough. Somebody knocked at the door, and Moppet jumped into the flour barrel.
Mittens ran away to the dairy. The visitor was Mrs. Ribby. Mrs. Tabitha came, “Come in,” Cousin
Ribby, “I'm in sad trouble I've lost my son Thomas; I'm afraid the rats have got him.” They
returned to the kitchen. Ribby, dragged Moppet out of the flour barrel. “Oh! Mother,” said Moppet,
“there's been an old rat in the kitchen, and she's stolen some of the dough!” They found Mittens,
“Oh, Mother,” said Mittens, “There has been an old rat in the dairy, and he's stolen a pat of butter
and the rolling pin.” Ribby said, “We must send for John Joiner at once.” When Tom Kitten saw
that his mother was going to bake, he determined to hide and fixed upon the chimney. He climbed
up. All at once he fell in the dark hole. “What do you mean by tumbling into my bed?” said the rat.
“Anna Maria,” squeaked the rat. All in a minute she rushed upon Tom Kitten, and he was rolled up
in a bundle, and tied with string. “Anna Maria,” said the old man rat (whose name was Samuel
Whiskers), make me a kitten dumpling roly-poly pudding for my dinner.” “It requires dough, a pat
of butter, and a rolling-pin,” said Anna Maria. The rats came back and set to work. First they
smeared him with butter, and then they rolled him in the dough and the rolling-pin went roly-poly.
When all at once there began other sounds up above and the noise of a little dog, scratching! “We
are discovered Anna Maria; let us depart at once.” There was nobody under the floor except the
rolling-pin and Tom Kitten! The cat family had quite recovered and Tom Kitten into a hot bath to
get the butter off. After that; there were no more rats for a long time at Tabitha Twitchit's.

Answer each question.

1. Who was Tabitha Twitchit and why she lost her kittens?
Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit was an old cat. She was an anxious parent and she lost them always in mischief.
Like on baking day she determined to shut them up in a cupboard. She caught Moppet and Mittens, but
she could not find Tom.
2. Who helped her in finding Moppet and Mittens?
Tabitha Twitchit’s cousin Ribby helped her in finding Moppet and Mittens.
3. What did Moppet and Mittens tell to their mother?
Moppet told that there's been an old rat in the kitchen, and she's stolen some of the dough. And Mittens
told that there has been an old rat in the dairy, and he's stolen a pat of butter and the rolling pin.
4. Where was Tom Kitten?
When Tom Kitten saw that his mother was going to bake, he determined to hide and fixed upon the
chimney. He climbed up and all at once he fell in the dark hole of the old rats.
5. What did Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria do with the Tom Kitten?
When Tom Kitten had fell in the dark hole of the rats, so the old man rat squeaked old woman rat, Anna
Maria. And all in a minute she rushed upon Tom Kitten, and he was rolled up in a bundle, and tied with
string. Then the old man rat whose name was Samuel Whiskers said to her that would make him a kitten
dumpling roly-poly pudding for his dinner but Anna Maria said that it would require dough, a pat of
butter, and a rolling-pin. When the rats came back and set to work. So first they smeared him with butter,
and then they rolled him in the dough and the rolling-pin went roly-poly.
6. How did they find Tom Kitten and who did help them?
They found that the rats caught Tom Kitten because the heard the noise of the rolling-pin. Then Tabitha’s
cousin Ribby asked her to call John Joiner, the dog. The dog helped him by sniffing and scratching that
the rats left Tom Kitten and ran away from there.
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