Where the Red Fern Grows
Comprehension Questions for Chapters 1-7

1. What happened in the first ''scene'' of the book?

a) family picnic
b) pet store visit
c) dog fight
d) dog show

2. The man helped the dog by ____________.
a) cleaning his wounds
b) taking him to the vet
c) bathing and feeding him
d) stitching up the cut in his side

3. Papa gave Billy _____________ in place of the coon dogs he wanted.
a) a collie
b) a sling shot
c) a cat
d) traps

4. Billy kept catching ___________ in his traps.
a) squirrels
b) the neighbor's dogs
c) the family cat
d) rabbits

5. Billy's family lived __________________.
a) in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains
b) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains
c) by the Ohio River in the Kentucky
d) in Ontario, Canada

6. While looking through a magazine one of the fishermen left behind, Billy found an ad for _________________.
a) hunting rifles
b) a new type of trap
c) coon hounds
d) camping equipment

7. Billy was going to earn money to buy the coon dogs by _____________.
a) selling vegetables, berries, and minnows
b) delivering groceries
c) collecting bottles
d) working for his grandfather in his store

8. Billy saved his money for _____________ before he had enough to buy the dogs.
a) 4 years
b) 1 month
c) 2 years
d) 6 months

9. Why does Grandpa and Billy decide NOT to tell Papa about Billy buying the pups?
a) Papa would make Billy share the money with his sister.
b) Papa thinks Billy is too young for coon hunting.
c) Papa is trying to save money to buy a mule.
d) Papa would not allow Billy to have a pet.

10. What good news did Billy learn about the pups?
a) Billy could get the pups immediately without a wait.
b) Billy could have two boy pups.
c) The owner would deliver the pups to Billy's home.
d) The price for the pups had come down.

11. Billy went to ___________ to pick up his pups.
a) the general store
b) the railroad station
c) the post office
d) the schoolhouse

12. Billy was going to bring the pups home __________________.
a) in a wagon
b) in a gunny sack
c) in a back pack
d) inside his coat

13. Billy bought _______________ for his family while he was in Tahlequah.
a) overalls, cloth, and candy
b) books, soda pop, and an ax
c) shoes
d) games, a lantern, and books

14. Why does Billy get into a fight in town?
a) One boy in the gang punches Billy for no reason.
b) The boys called him a hillbilly.
c) The leader of the gang jumps Billy.
d) The leader of the gang pulls the ear of Billy's pup.

15. The noise of a __________ frightened Billy during the night on his way back home from town.

a) mountain lion
b) bear
c) porcupine
d) timber wolf

16. Where did Billy get the idea for naming his pups?
a) The names were in the magazine where he first learned about the dogs.
b) The names were carved on a tree.
c) The names were in a song his mother sang.
d) The names came to him in a dream.

17. Billy needed a raccoon hide ____________.
a) for his Papa's birthday cap
b) to sell for some extra money
c) to train his pups
d) to make a blanket for the cat

18. How was Billy going to catch the raccoon?
a) Billy had an old bear trap that had belonged to his grandpa.
b) The raccoon would reach his hand in the tight hole on the log to retrieve the shinny tin then could not get his hand back out.
c) A wooden crate with one side raised off the ground. Once the raccoon took the fish the crate would fall on the coon trapping him.
d) Billy was going to place food on the back porch of his cabin. When the raccoon came up to eat he was going to chase it into a cage.

19. Which sequence of events best describes the order of events in Where the Red Fern Grows?

1) Billy takes the money to his grandpa.
2) Billy gives his family presents.
3) Billy begins training the pups.
4) Billy finds a magazine with an ad for coon dogs.
5) Billy works for two years saving his money to buy the dogs.
6) Billy walks to town to get his pups.
7) The pups are delivered to the train station in Tahlequah.

a) 4, 5, 1, 7, 6, 2, 3
b) 1, 4, 5, 7, 6, 2, 3
c) 5, 7, 6, 2, 4, 3, 1
d) 3, 4, 5, 1, 7, 6, 2

20. What is the main conflict in this story up to this point and how is it resolved?
a) Billy wants coon dogs, so he travels to Tahlequah where he hears they are being sold to buy one.
b) Billy's parents will not let him have coon dogs because they need the money to buy a mule, so Grandpa buys Billy the dogs.
c) Billy wants coon dogs, so he works to earn the money to buy them.
d) Billy can not have coon dogs, so his father buys him traps to use instead.



----------Key----------

1. (c)
2. (c)
3. (d)
4. (c)
5. (a)
6. (c)
7. (a)
8. (c)
9. (c)
10. (d)
11. (b)
12. (b)
13. (a)
14. (d)
15. (a)
16. (b)
17. (c)
18. (b)
19. (a)
20. (c)