Chapter Six Practice Quiz — My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter Six
What is the title of Chapter 6 of My Father's Dragon?
The chapter is titled "My Father Meets a Rhinoceros."
What are the wild boars discussing when Elmer overhears them?
They are discussing the tortoises' report of seeing Monkey carrying something at night, and they suspect an invasion is afoot on Wild Island.
How do the boars divide their search for the intruder?
One boar searches the trail toward the dragon, the other goes back through the big clearing, and they send Mouse to watch the Ocean Rocks.
Where does Elmer hide when the first boar walks past?
Elmer hides behind a mahogany tree just in time as the first boar walks right past him.
What happens when Elmer stops to drink water at the brook?
A rhinoceros picks him up by the seat of his pants with its tusk and shakes him, angry that Elmer is using its private weeping pool.
What does Elmer use to distract the rhinoceros?
Elmer uses a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste from his knapsack to scrub the rhinoceros's tusk until a spot shines pearly white.
What does the boar notice when he returns from the clearing?
The boar sees the rhinoceros brushing its tusk with a toothbrush and toothpaste, making him even more suspicious about the invasion.
What is the rhinoceros's biggest complaint about himself?
His tusk has turned from pearly white to a nasty yellow-gray with age, and since everything else about him is already ugly, the discolored tusk makes him feel completely ugly.
How does Elmer demonstrate resourcefulness in Chapter 6?
Instead of fighting or fleeing from the rhinoceros, Elmer listens to the animal's problem and offers a practical solution using items from his pack, turning a threat into an opportunity to escape.
What character trait does the wild boar display throughout Chapter 6?
The boar is suspicious, determined, and organized, coordinating search parties and growing increasingly alarmed as each animal he encounters has been distracted by something unusual.
How does Mouse contribute to the search for the intruder?
Mouse is sent by the boars to watch the Ocean Rocks in case the invasion tries to leave the island, showing even the smallest animal plays a role in the coordinated search.
What is the rhinoceros's reaction when he sees the white spot on his tusk?
He is so pleased that he grabs the toothbrush and begins scrubbing violently, completely forgetting about Elmer.
How does Chapter 6 illustrate the theme of cleverness over brute force?
Elmer overcomes the physically powerful rhinoceros not through strength but by identifying the animal's emotional weakness and offering a clever solution from his knapsack.
What does the rhinoceros's weeping pool symbolize?
It symbolizes hidden insecurity beneath a fearsome exterior, showing that even intimidating creatures can be vulnerable and consumed by self-doubt about their appearance.
How does the knapsack function thematically in the story?
The knapsack represents the power of preparation and ingenuity, with each ordinary household item proving perfectly suited to solve a different animal's problem.
What theme does the boar's growing suspicion represent?
It represents rising tension and the consequences of Elmer's actions, as each successful distraction leaves a trail of evidence that makes his mission increasingly dangerous.
What type of irony is used when the boars discuss the "invasion"?
Dramatic irony, because the reader knows the fearsome "invasion" is simply a young boy with a knapsack of household items, while the animals imagine something far more threatening.
How does Gannett use situational irony with the rhinoceros?
The rhinoceros threatens to drown Elmer but is itself drowning in tears over its appearance, and the fearsome animal is ultimately defeated by a toothbrush.
What narrative technique gives the story its fairy-tale quality?
The frame narrative, in which the narrator tells the story of "my father," creates distance that gives the tale a once-upon-a-time quality typical of fairy tales.
What does "invasion" mean as the boars use it in this chapter?
The boars use "invasion" to mean an unwelcome intrusion by an outsider onto their island, treating Elmer's arrival as a hostile incursion into their territory.
What does "suspicious" mean in the context of the boar's observations?
It means having a feeling that something is wrong or that someone is behaving dishonestly. The boar finds it suspicious that multiple animals are suddenly too busy with new activities.
What does "violently" mean when describing how the rhinoceros brushes?
In this context, "violently" means with great force and energy, describing the rhinoceros's enthusiastic, vigorous scrubbing of its tusk.
Who says "Don't you know that's my private weeping pool?" and why?
The rhinoceros says this to Elmer after catching him by the seat of his pants. The rhinoceros is angry because he reserves the pool exclusively for weeping about his ugly appearance.
What does the boar mutter at the end of Chapter 6?
He mutters "Very suspicious—tigers too busy chewing gum, Rhinoceros too busy brushing his tusk—must get hold of that invasion. Don't like it one bit, not one bit!"