Name: Date:

from Follow the Rabbit-Proof

Fence
Doris Pilkington

FIRST READ: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

1. In the first several paragraphs of the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, where
are the three sisters living?
a. on a farm along the rabbit-proof fence
b. in a special school settlement near a river
c. in the Jigalong region of western Australia
d. in the downtown area of an Australian city

2. In the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, what is the most likely reason that
the three girls run away?
a. They need to go home so that they can help their family.
b. They are mischievous and enjoy causing trouble.
c. They miss their home and want to return to it.
d. The other girls have been very mean to them.

3. According to the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, how does Molly know
about the rabbit-proof fence?
a. She read about it in history class.
b. It is part of a Mardu Aborigine legend.
c. She sees it from the dormitory window.
d. Her father is one of the fence inspectors.

4. According to the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, for what main reasons do
Daisy and Gracie agree to accompany Molly on the long journey? Choose two options.
a. Molly’s spirit of mischief is contagious.
b. They follow Molly’s lead because she is older.
c. They resent being bossed around by Martha Jones.
d. They know that Molly is familiar with the landscape.
e. Molly’s bossy attitude has always put her in charge.
f. They do not want Molly to make the dangerous trip alone.

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 GRADE 8 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST

FROM FOLLOW THE RABBIT-PROOF FENCE BY DORIS P ILKINGTON

Name: Date:

5. In the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, how do the girls finally cross the
river?
a. They build a raft to carry them across.
b. They find a small boat and row to the other side.
c. They follow the rabbit-proof fence to guide them across.
d. They use a tree leaning over the water as a natural bridge.

FIRST READ: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

6. Which of the following is something you would be most likely to do

cautiously?
a. walk across a slippery floor
b. eat your favorite meal when you are hungry
c. read the next book in a series that you enjoy
d. tell your best friend about your summer vacation

7. Which sentence describes a person who acted nervously?

a. The soccer player scored the winning goal for his team.
b. The zookeeper couldn’t stop smiling about the birth of the baby panda.
c. The actress felt unsure of her lines, so she trembled as she took to the
stage for her audition.
d. The mayoral candidate told voters that she would oversee the completion
of a new library building.

8. If a task urgently needs to be done, which of the following must be true?

a. It needs to be done in the future.
b. It needs to be done for another person.
c. It needs to be done without complaining.
d. It needs to be done right away.

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 GRADE 8 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST

FROM FOLLOW THE RABBIT-PROOF FENCE BY DORIS P ILKINGTON

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

9. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A What do the details suggest most clearly about the girls’ situation in the opening
of the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence?
a. Molly and her sisters have lived in similar places.
b. Molly and her sisters have only recently arrived there.
c. Molly and her sisters have been there for a very long time.
d. Molly and her sisters have fled from the settlement several times before.

Part B Which quotation from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence best supports the answer to
Part A?
a. The other girls were now getting ready for school, and the three watched
quietly amidst all the activity.
b. “The school bell’s gone. Don’t be late on your first day.”
c. “We’re not going to school, so grab your bags. We’re not staying here.”
d. She wanted to be miles away before their absence was discovered. Time
was of the essence.

10. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A Which phrase best describes the conditions of the settlement in the
opening of the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence?
a. mysterious and frightening
b. cozy and comfortable
c. extremely fancy
d. simple and rough

Part B Which detail in the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence best supports
the answer to Part A?
a. the detail about combing one another’s hair
b. the detail about the leeches in the river
c. the detail about raiding the granary
d. the detail about the toilet bucket

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 GRADE 8 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST

FROM FOLLOW THE RABBIT-PROOF FENCE BY DORIS P ILKINGTON

Name: Date:

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, why do the girls think that it
will be easy to find their way to Jigalong?
a. They feel they are smarter than everyone who will pursue them.
b. They have heard about other children making the same trip.
c. They believe that the fence will guide them home.
d. They think that the fence will keep them safe.

Part B Which quotation from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence best supports the
answer to Part A?
a. “I know it’s a long way to go but it’s easy. We’ll find the rabbit-proof
fence and follow that all the way home.”
b. Many young people had stood under the same big pine tree and waited
while someone went into the stable or the garage to distract Maitland, the
caretaker and stableman.
c. But these three girls from East Pilbara had no intention of participating,
they had a more important task ahead of them.
d. Molly was standing near a large river gum. As they stood gasping for wind
she said, “We gunna cross here.”

12. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A In the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, what is Molly searching for
as she looks for a place to cross the river?
a. a place where there are no leeches
b. a canoe, a rowboat, or another small boat
c. bull rushes that she can fashion into a homemade raft
d. a spot where the water is shallow and flowing slowly

Part B Which of the following sentences in Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence best supports
the answer to Part A?
a. Every now and then, the swimmers would sit on the coarse river sand and
yank ugly, brown, slimy leeches off their bodies and impale them on sticks
and turn them inside out and plunge them into the hot burning mud.
b. “The river is too deep and fast here, let’s try up further.”
c. As three pairs of eager eyes examined it closely, they knew that they had
found the perfect place to cross the flooded river.
d. The only sounds that could be heard were the startled birds fluttering
above as they left their nests in fright, and the slish, slosh of the girls’ feet
as they trampled over the bull rushes.

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 GRADE 8 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST

FROM FOLLOW THE RABBIT-PROOF FENCE BY DORIS P ILKINGTON

Name: Date:

CLOSE READ: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

13. Read this sentence from the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence.
On they went, dashing down the sandy slope of the cliffs, dodging the small shrubs on the
way and following the narrow path to the flooded river.
What mood does the language in the sentence convey most clearly to the reader?
a. the tense excitement of running away
b. the bitter anger at being forced to relocate
c. the deep sorrow at being so far from home
d. the perfect happiness of a lovely day outdoors

14. Read this sentence from the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence.
The three girls watched the swirling currents and the white and brown frothy foam that clung
to the trunks of the young river gums and clumps of tea-trees.
What quality of the river does the description capture most clearly for the reader?
a. the river’s icy temperature
b. the river’s rapid movement
c. the river’s rainbow of colors
d. the river’s calming influence

15. Read this sentence from the selection from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence.
The girls scraped mud from their feet then climbed onto the trunk and walked cautiously to
the end then swung down off the limb onto the slippery, muddy bank on the other side.
Which sentences best explain the main effects of this description? Choose two options.
a. The description helps the reader picture the girls’ activities as they finally
cross the river.
b. The description helps the reader taste the fresh piney air as the girls
finally cross the river.
c. The description helps the reader smell the eucalyptus trees that line both
sides of the river.
d. The description helps the reader see the expressions of the three girls as
they cross the river.
e. The description helps the reader hear the sound of the river rushing past
as the girls finally cross it.
f. The description helps the reader feel the scraping, the climbing and
walking, and the mud on the other side.

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 GRADE 8 • UNIT 3 • SELECTION TEST

FROM FOLLOW THE RABBIT-PROOF FENCE BY DORIS P ILKINGTON

Name: Date:

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.
16. Which statement is generally true about the suffix -ly?

a. When added to an adjective, it usually turns the adjective into an adverb.

b. When added to an adverb, it usually turns the adverb into an adjective.
c. When added to a noun, it usually turns the noun into a verb.
d. When added to a verb, it usually turns the verb into a noun.

17. In which of the following situations would you be most likely to use a word with the -ly
suffix?
a. when explaining how a task will be done
b. when describing where a task will be done
c. when asking who will be doing a task
d. when giving a reason why a task is necessary

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Conventions

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

18. Which word in this sentence is an adjective?

The British first came to Australia in the eighteenth century.

a. British
b. first
c. eighteenth
d. century

19. Which word in this sentence is an adverb, and what information does it
provide?
The British soon made Australia a prison colony.

a. soon; it tells when something happened

b. made; it tells how something happened
c. prison; it tells why something happened
d. colony; it tells where something happened

20. In which sentence is the use of adverbs correct?

a. The girls crossed the river slow and careful.
b. The swollen river moved rapidly.
c. The sound of the river echoed loud.
d. Molly’s sisters followed her close.

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