The Cat and the Mice

A certain house was overran with Mice. A Cat discovering this, made her way into it, and began to catch and eat them one by one. The Mice being continually devoured, kept themselves close in their holes. The Cat, no longer able to get at them, perceived that she must tempt them forth by some device. For this purpose she jumped upon a peg, and suspending herself from it, pretended to be dead. One of the Mice, peeping stealthily out, saw her, and said, "Ah, my good madam, even though you should turn into a meal-bag, we will not come near you."

From The Cat and the Mice by Aesop, translated by George Fyler Townsend (1867). Public domain.

Check your understanding

1. What does the word "device" mean as it is used in the passage?

A piece of technologyA clever trick or planA mechanical trapA loud noise

2. Why did the Cat suspend herself from a peg?

She wanted to take a nap.She was trying to reach a high mouse hole.She wanted the mice to think she was dead.She was trying to turn into a meal-bag.

3. Why does the mouse say "even though you should turn into a meal-bag, we will not come near you"? What does this show about the mice?

4. How does the behavior of the mice change from the beginning of the story to the end? What causes this change?

5. The author describes one of the mice "peeping stealthily out." How does the word "stealthily" help you understand the mouse's feelings in that moment?