Rikki-Tikki-Tavi's Battle
by Rudyard Kipling from Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
This is a passage from Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 short story about a brave young mongoose named Rikki-tikki-tavi. He lives in an English household in India, where he protects the family from a dangerous pair of cobras, Nag and Nagaina. Rikki has already helped kill another snake, Karait, who almost killed the English boy, Teddy. Now he has learned of the cobras’ plot to kill the human family and prepares to battle the evil Nag.
Reading Comprehension Passage
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi's Battle
by Rudyard Kipling from Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Reading Comprehension Questions
Vocabulary List
Vocabulary List
Each of the vocabulary words below are used in the reading passage. As you read the passage, pay attention to context clues that suggest the word’s meaning.
- coiled
- glitter
- bulge
- savage
- purchase
- battered
- preferred
- senseless
Context Clues
Context Clues
Using context clues from the sentences in the passage, underline the correct meaning of the word in boldface.
1) "Nag coiled himself up, raised his head, and looked into the bathroom"
a. stretched b. wind, curl, or loop c. slithered up d. moved forward
2) "Rikki could see his eyes glitter"
a. blink or wink b. look around c. move sideways d. shine, glimmer
3) "Nag coiled himself down, coil by coil, round the bulge at the bottom of the water jar"
a. a rounded part that sticks out, a bump b. saucer c. decoration d. handle or knob
4) "He looked at the thickness of the neck below the hood, but that was too much for him; and a bite near the tail would only make Nag savage."
a. escape, get loose b. break apart c. violent, wildly angry d. uncomfortable
5) "This gave him just one second’s purchase"
a. grip or hold b. run after, chase c. goods to be bought d. decision
6) "Then he was battered to and fro as a rat is shaken by a dog"
a. wet, covered in liquid b. followed c. beaten, damaged d. covered up
7) "for the honor of his family, he preferred to be found with his teeth locked"
a. refused b. wanted, would choose c. admitted d. tried, attempted
8) "A hot wind knocked him senseless"
a. onto the ground b. very hard, strongly c. painfully d. unconscious, without senses