Flashcards: Poetry Passages

Adapted from “The Duel” by Eugene Field (1888)

The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'Twas half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Not one nor t'other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
(I wasn't there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

The gingham dog went "bow-wow-wow!"
And the calico cat replied "mee-ow!"
The air was littered, an hour or so,
With bits of gingham and calico,
While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place
Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a family row!
(Now mind: I'm only telling you
What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)

The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, "Oh, dear! What shall we do?"
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way and tumbled that,
Employing every tooth and claw
In the awfullest way you ever saw--
And, oh! how the gingham and calico flew!
(Don't fancy I exaggerate!
I got my views from the Chinese plate!)

Next morning where the two had sat
They found no trace of the dog or cat;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole the pair away!
But the truth about the cat and the pup
Is this: They ate each other up!
Now what do you really think of that!
(The old Dutch clock, it told me so,
And that is how I came to know.)

From whom does the author claim he heard this story?

A stranger in a restaurant

His mother when he was a child

None of these answers

The Gingham dog and the Calico cat

The Dutch clock and the Chinese plate

Want to review SSAT Elementary Level Reading but don’t feel like sitting for a whole test at the moment? Varsity Tutors has you covered with thousands of different SSAT Elementary Level Reading flashcards! Our SSAT Elementary Level Reading flashcards allow you to practice with as few or as many questions as you like. Get some studying in now with our numerous SSAT Elementary Level Reading flashcards.

Our Elementary Level SSAT Reading Flashcards each contain one question that might appear on the Reading section of the Elementary Level SSAT. You can use them to get a comprehensive overview of each topic covered by the Elementary Level SSAT Reading section one problem at a time, or to do problem drills that focus on particular problem types or content areas found on the Elementary Level SSAT Reading section.

If you are hoping that your child will be admitted to that selective independent school, then it is important to encourage them to study for the SSAT. If your child will be entering fourth grade, then they will take the SSAT Elementary Level Third-Grade test. If you are hoping to have your child admitted to the school as a fifth-grader, then he or she will take the SSAT Elementary Level-Fourth Grade test. The four sections of the test include Writing, Quantitative/Math, Verbal, and Reading.

Varsity Tutors' Learning Tools offers many study help activities to help you and your child prepare for all three scored portions of the test, including the SSAT Elementary Level Reading section. One great Learning Tool that makes studying on-the-go easy is the SSAT Elementary Level Reading flashcards.

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The SSAT Elementary Level Reading study flashcards can help your child practice the reading and comprehension skills that the SSAT will test them on. During this section of the SSAT, your child will be presented with seven passages to read. After reading each passage, they will answer several multiple-choice questions based on it. Poetry, prose, nonfiction, and fiction passages may appear on the test. There are flashcard decks that cover each type of writing, so if there is one type that your child struggles to comprehend most, you can practice with that deck a little extra.

The flashcards quiz your child on evaluative understanding, inferential understanding, and literal understanding of all four types of passages, along with helping them practice determining a meaning of a word based on the context.

Another Learning Tool that can aid you and your child in your SSAT Elementary Level Reading review is the flashcards maker. To begin using this Learning Tool, just click on the “Create Tests & Flashcards” icon. You will then be directed to the flashcards builder and prompted to give your new deck of flashcards a name you will remember. Then, you will be provided with as many blank flashcards templates as you need to create your new deck.

When creating your own passage-based questions and answers, it can be a great idea to enter passages from your child's favorite books into the templates. While they do need a lot of practice answering questions on passages they have never read before, working with familiar passages can help them begin to understand concepts they may be struggling to understand. Then, once they master the familiar passages, you can move onto the ready-made flashcards or flashcards you create with passages they are not familiar with.

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Be sure to get in as much SSAT preparation with your child as you can before test day. Practicing questions they will encounter on the test can help your child feel confident and prepared to do their best on the SSAT!

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