A Fish Named Dog by Christyne Morrell [1] I locked eyes with the fish as I tapped flakes of food into his tank. He stared blankly at me through the glass. Not exactly my idea of a perfect pet. I’d begged my parents for a dog or a cat. Even an iguana would have been better than a fish. But they showed up one day with a bright gold fish swimming around in a plastic bag. They beamed at me and expected me to be ecstatic. For a fish. A silly little fish. In protest, I named him Dog. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against fish. They’re perfectly fine animals. But I wanted a pet that would do tricks and greet me when I entered a room. A pet that would show affection,3 like a tail wag or a meow. Instead, I got a dead-eyed fish. [5] Or so I thought. Question 1 The narrator thinks...(1 point) Responses other kids will not like their pet. other kids will not like their pet. the fish is not as cool as another pet. the fish is not as cool as another pet. their parents will never get them a pet. their parents will never get them a pet. the pet store will not be open long enough to get a new pet. the pet store will not be open long enough to get a new pet. “I’m never going to get a dog,” I said to my best friend, Jane, on the phone. I stared at my fish lazily munching on his flakes. Suddenly, Dog stopped eating and swam over from the other side of his tank. He looked at me, expectantly. “What do you want?” I muttered. Dog turned and swam back to his dinner. “It’s not fair,” I said, continuing to complain to Jane. “Everyone else has a dog.” Once again, the fish swam over from the other side of the tank, right up to the glass next to me. I gave him a puzzled look. [10] Did he know his name was Dog? Was he coming to me when I called him? No way. Fish weren’t that smart. Were they? Question 2 Why is the narrator puzzled?(1 point) Responses The fish seems to listen to them. The fish seems to listen to them. The fish does not need to be taken care of. The fish does not need to be taken care of. The narrator did not get the pet they wanted. The narrator did not get the pet they wanted. Jane does not like fish. Jane does not like fish. I waited for Dog to swim away again and begin eating. Then I said, “Dog!” He immediately swam over. Maybe Dog wasn’t a stupid fish, after all. After school the next day, I ran right home to see what else Dog could do. When the other kids asked where I was going, I said, “I’m going to teach Dog a new trick.” Nobody realized that Dog was actually a fish. [15] By the end of the week, Dog could do loop-the-loops at my command. After two weeks, he could swim figure eights. After one month of practice, he could retrieve a little plastic ball by swimming under it and pushing it up to the top of the tank, so I could drop it back into the water. He was playing fetch! Dog was a good listener, too. As we practiced his tricks, I’d tell him all about school, and friends, and my baseball games. I’m convinced8 that he would pout his fishy lips when I had a bad day and swish his tail happily when I told him good news. And whenever I walked into the room, Dog would always swim up to me and give me a happy glub-glub. I was rethinking all my ideas about fish. But there was still one thing left to do. I dug my old red wagon out of the garage, transferred Dog to a small round bowl, and nestled him inside the wagon. He peered up at me excitedly. For the first time since he’d been my pet, I took Dog outside. I wheeled him around the block and all the way to the park. “What on earth is that?” asked a kid from school, who was out walking his schnauzer. “That’s Dog,” I said. Question 3 How does the narrator feel about Dog?(1 point) Responses They feel upset that Dog is not a real dog. They feel upset that Dog is not a real dog. They feel excited that Dog can do tricks. They feel excited that Dog can do tricks. They feel annoyed at Dog for not listening. They feel annoyed at Dog for not listening. They feel tired from teaching Dog new tricks. They feel tired from teaching Dog new tricks. [20] A boy with a beagle chuckled. “When you said you were training your dog, you meant a fish?” I nodded proudly. “Well… ” said a girl with a basset hound, “what can he do?” I knelt down beside the fish bowl and shouted commands. Dog did each one as we’d practiced: loop-the-loop, figure eight, fetch. The kids were impressed.10 Some of them went home that very day and asked their parents for fish. I smiled down at Dog as we headed home. He gurgled and flapped his fins. And I’m pretty sure he smiled right back. Question 4 What is the main theme in the story?(1 point) Responses Always fight for the things you want. Always fight for the things you want. Animals do not like to be told what to do. Animals do not like to be told what to do. It is important to learn to love what you have. It is important to learn to love what you have. It takes time and hard work to train animals. It takes time and hard work to train animals. Question 5 Which detail from the story best shows that the narrator is proud of Dog? (Note: Scroll back in the story and reread each of the paragraphs 3, 14, 17 and 25 before choosing your answer.) (1 point) Responses "In protest, I named him Dog." (Paragraph 3) "In protest, I named him Dog." (Paragraph 3) "Maybe Dog wasn't a stupid fish, after all." (Paragraph 14) "Maybe Dog wasn't a stupid fish, after all." (Paragraph 14) "As we practiced his tricks, I'd tell him all about school, and friends, and my baseball games." (Paragraph 17) "As we practiced his tricks, I'd tell him all about school, and friends, and my baseball games." (Paragraph 17) "I smiled down at Dog as we headed home." (Paragraph 25) "I smiled down at Dog as we headed home." (Paragraph 25) Question 6 What word best describes the narrator in paragraphs 15-16? (Note: Scroll back in the story and reread paragraphs 15 and 16.) (1 point) Responses eager eager lonely lonely bored bored angry angry Question 7 What lesson does the narrator learn from the fish named Dog? Tell how the narrator felt about their pet at the beginning of the story, how their feelings change and why their feelings change by the end of the story. Give at least 2 details from the story to support your answer. Be sure to write your answer in complete sentences with capital letters at the beginning and periods at the end

Question

A Fish Named Dog by Christyne Morrell [1] I locked eyes with the fish as I tapped flakes of food into his tank. He stared blankly at me through the glass. Not exactly my idea of a perfect pet. I’d begged my parents for a dog or a cat. Even an iguana would have been better than a fish. But they showed up one day with a bright gold fish swimming around in a plastic bag. They beamed at me and expected me to be ecstatic. For a fish. A silly little fish. In protest, I named him Dog. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against fish. They’re perfectly fine animals. But I wanted a pet that would do tricks and greet me when I entered a room. A pet that would show affection,3 like a tail wag or a meow. Instead, I got a dead-eyed fish. [5] Or so I thought. Question 1 The narrator thinks...(1 point) Responses other kids will not like their pet. other kids will not like their pet. the fish is not as cool as another pet. the fish is not as cool as another pet. their parents will never get them a pet. their parents will never get them a pet. the pet store will not be open long enough to get a new pet. the pet store will not be open long enough to get a new pet. “I’m never going to get a dog,” I said to my best friend, Jane, on the phone. I stared at my fish lazily munching on his flakes. Suddenly, Dog stopped eating and swam over from the other side of his tank. He looked at me, expectantly. “What do you want?” I muttered. Dog turned and swam back to his dinner. “It’s not fair,” I said, continuing to complain to Jane. “Everyone else has a dog.” Once again, the fish swam over from the other side of the tank, right up to the glass next to me. I gave him a puzzled look. [10] Did he know his name was Dog? Was he coming to me when I called him? No way. Fish weren’t that smart. Were they? Question 2 Why is the narrator puzzled?(1 point) Responses The fish seems to listen to them. The fish seems to listen to them. The fish does not need to be taken care of. The fish does not need to be taken care of. The narrator did not get the pet they wanted. The narrator did not get the pet they wanted. Jane does not like fish. Jane does not like fish. I waited for Dog to swim away again and begin eating. Then I said, “Dog!” He immediately swam over. Maybe Dog wasn’t a stupid fish, after all. After school the next day, I ran right home to see what else Dog could do. When the other kids asked where I was going, I said, “I’m going to teach Dog a new trick.” Nobody realized that Dog was actually a fish. [15] By the end of the week, Dog could do loop-the-loops at my command. After two weeks, he could swim figure eights. After one month of practice, he could retrieve a little plastic ball by swimming under it and pushing it up to the top of the tank, so I could drop it back into the water. He was playing fetch! Dog was a good listener, too. As we practiced his tricks, I’d tell him all about school, and friends, and my baseball games. I’m convinced8 that he would pout his fishy lips when I had a bad day and swish his tail happily when I told him good news. And whenever I walked into the room, Dog would always swim up to me and give me a happy glub-glub. I was rethinking all my ideas about fish. But there was still one thing left to do. I dug my old red wagon out of the garage, transferred Dog to a small round bowl, and nestled him inside the wagon. He peered up at me excitedly. For the first time since he’d been my pet, I took Dog outside. I wheeled him around the block and all the way to the park. “What on earth is that?” asked a kid from school, who was out walking his schnauzer. “That’s Dog,” I said. Question 3 How does the narrator feel about Dog?(1 point) Responses They feel upset that Dog is not a real dog. They feel upset that Dog is not a real dog. They feel excited that Dog can do tricks. They feel excited that Dog can do tricks. They feel annoyed at Dog for not listening. They feel annoyed at Dog for not listening. They feel tired from teaching Dog new tricks. They feel tired from teaching Dog new tricks. [20] A boy with a beagle chuckled. “When you said you were training your dog, you meant a fish?” I nodded proudly. “Well… ” said a girl with a basset hound, “what can he do?” I knelt down beside the fish bowl and shouted commands. Dog did each one as we’d practiced: loop-the-loop, figure eight, fetch. The kids were impressed.10 Some of them went home that very day and asked their parents for fish. I smiled down at Dog as we headed home. He gurgled and flapped his fins. And I’m pretty sure he smiled right back. Question 4 What is the main theme in the story?(1 point) Responses Always fight for the things you want. Always fight for the things you want. Animals do not like to be told what to do. Animals do not like to be told what to do. It is important to learn to love what you have. It is important to learn to love what you have. It takes time and hard work to train animals. It takes time and hard work to train animals. Question 5 Which detail from the story best shows that the narrator is proud of Dog? (Note: Scroll back in the story and reread each of the paragraphs 3, 14, 17 and 25 before choosing your answer.) (1 point) Responses "In protest, I named him Dog." (Paragraph 3) "In protest, I named him Dog." (Paragraph 3) "Maybe Dog wasn't a stupid fish, after all." (Paragraph 14) "Maybe Dog wasn't a stupid fish, after all." (Paragraph 14) "As we practiced his tricks, I'd tell him all about school, and friends, and my baseball games." (Paragraph 17) "As we practiced his tricks, I'd tell him all about school, and friends, and my baseball games." (Paragraph 17) "I smiled down at Dog as we headed home." (Paragraph 25) "I smiled down at Dog as we headed home." (Paragraph 25) Question 6 What word best describes the narrator in paragraphs 15-16? (Note: Scroll back in the story and reread paragraphs 15 and 16.) (1 point) Responses eager eager lonely lonely bored bored angry angry Question 7 What lesson does the narrator learn from the fish named Dog? Tell how the narrator felt about their pet at the beginning of the story, how their feelings change and why their feelings change by the end of the story. Give at least 2 details from the story to support your answer. Be sure to write your answer in complete sentences with capital letters at the beginning and periods at the end

Answer 1

The narrator learns the lesson that it is important to learn to love what you have. At the beginning of the story, the narrator is disappointed and upset about having a fish as a pet instead of a dog or a cat. They think that a fish cannot do tricks or show affection, and they are not happy with their new pet. However, as the story progresses, the narrator starts to see that Dog, the fish, is actually capable of learning tricks and showing affection. They spend time teaching Dog new tricks and talking to him about their day. The narrator's feelings towards Dog change, and they begin to appreciate and love him as their pet. Two details from the story that support this are when the narrator says, "I’m convinced that he would pout his fishy lips when I had a bad day and swish his tail happily when I told him good news" (paragraph 17) and when they take Dog outside in a wagon and proudly show him to other kids, who are impressed by his tricks (paragraph 20).

Answer 2

gIVE THE ANSWERS TO ALL THE QUESTIONS

Answer 3

Question 1: The narrator thinks the fish is not as cool as another pet.

Question 2: The narrator is puzzled because the fish seems to listen to them.

Question 3: The narrator feels excited that Dog can do tricks.

Question 4: The main theme in the story is that it is important to learn to love what you have.

Question 5: The detail from the story that best shows the narrator is proud of Dog is "I smiled down at Dog as we headed home." (Paragraph 25).

Question 6: The word that best describes the narrator in paragraphs 15-16 is eager.

Question 7: The narrator learns the lesson that it is important to learn to love what you have. They initially felt disappointed and upset about having a fish as a pet, but their feelings change as they discover that the fish can learn tricks and show affection. Two details that support this are when the narrator talks about Dog's ability to pout his fishy lips and swish his tail happily (paragraph 17) and when they proudly show Dog to other kids and they are impressed by his tricks (paragraph 20).