Boy stood there, unconcerned, flicking out his coarse tongue and licking his master’s hand. “But, ma’am…” Mrs. Anthony was both amazed and afraid. What would the Principal think?
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“Out! Out!” Mrs. Anthony said anew in an almost hysterical tone. “Get him out of here, boy, do you hear me?” At the mention of the word, boy , the calf gave a little moo, as his master had taught him. The class went wild with laughter. “Please, ma’am, he’s my project, ma’am. I want so much to tell the class about him.” “No! No! A hundred times no!” “Ma’am,” Josh said to Mrs. Anthony, “You won’t believe what he can do until you see him in action.” “Josh Mahon,” she said closing her eyes tightly, “if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get him out of here this minute!” “Oh no!” the children protested. “Pardon me?” asked Mrs. Anthony, looking at the class. “Let him stay,” said one boy, making sure that he was well hidden behind another when he said it. “Did I hear someone say to let this animal remain?” “Yes, ma’am,” chimed in the girls. “Please!” Josh gathered up all his courage. Licking his lips, he pleaded, “He’s real smart, ma’am. Just watch him. It’ll be over in no time.” “Oh dear me,” said Mrs. Anthony, sitting down at her desk and burying her face in her hands. The students watched gleefully as Josh calmly walked up to the front, with Boy following. Adapted from ‘A Cow Called Boy’ by C. Everard Palmer
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1 What was Mrs. Anthony doing when Josh arrived at school? 2 Why did the cow moo when he was in the classroom? 3 Which of these words best describes Mrs. Anthony? Explain why you think that. nervous courageous self-assured exhausted
• Remind students to bear in mind QAR (question–answer relationships) when they are answering comprehension questions. Read the questions together and ask students to say what kind of question each one is.
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