1a. What is the narrator doing at the Columbia-Green Humane Society?
2a. Why does Laura-Ann Cammisa say she doesn't want to fill the cat room with kittens?
3a. How are time and space major considerations at an animal shelter?
1b. What does this tell you about the narrator?
2b. Why would people rather take kittens than adult cats?
3b. Why should pet owners know about these considerations?
4a. Identify situations in which the shelter operates strictly according to rules and guidelines. Identify situations in which the shelter is more flexible.
4b. How do you think shelters decide whether to be strict or flexible? Explain your answer.
5a. How well does the narrator explain the operations of the Columbia-Green Humane Society? Support your answer with evidence from the text. To what extent do you think the average person knows about the information given in this selection?
5b. According to Insights: How to Choose a Dog, on pages 286–287, dashing out to get the first pet that strikes your fancy may not be the wisest approach. Write out a plan for how you would go about selecting your first (or next) pet.
Description. Select one of the most complete descriptions in "Shelter Shock" and identify the sensory details that are used to create that description.
Tone. Think about the overall tone in this selection. In what ways does this tone relate to the title of the selection?
1. Create a new advertising slogan that the Humane Society of the United States might use to increase responsible pet ownership.
2. Imagine you are the owner of a missing cat. Write a "Lost Cat" sign to be posted in public places. Provide a full description of the cat, information about how to contact you, and post a reward for its return.
3. Write a brief newspaper editorial giving your opinion about animal "collectors."
Forming New Words. Add the suffixes indicated below to make new words. Then tell whether the new word is a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Example conciliate (verb) + -ion = conciliation (noun)
1. decipher (verb) + -able =
2. exuberant (adjective) + -ly =
3. cynical (adjective) + -ly =
4. gregarious (adjective) + -ness =
5. temperament (noun) + -al =
6. impassive (adjective) + -ity =
7. affable (adjective) + -ly =
8. diverse (adjective) + -ness =
9. fluke (noun) + -y =
10. docile (adjective) + -ity =
Types of Nouns. A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. A compound noun is a noun made up of two or more words. Some compound nouns are written as one word, some as two words, and some as hyphenated words. A proper noun names a specific person, place, or thing and begins with a capital letter. A concrete noun names a thing that can be touched, seen, heard, smelled, or tasted—something that can be perceived with any of your five senses. An abstract noun names an idea, a theory, a concept, or a feeling—something that cannot be touched or seen.
List all the nouns in the following sentences. Tell whether each noun is common or proper. Then tell whether it is concrete or abstract. If a noun is compound, identify its parts.
radio: common, concrete World War II: proper, abstract, compound (World / War / II) desk: concrete answering machine: concrete, compound (answering / machine)
1. The shelter also wanted authorization to phone my veterinarian to find out whether I had consistently cared for my previous pets.
2. The chain, much too tight, had to be cut out of his hair and then clipped off with a wire cutter.
3. People here commonly treat dogs like livestock.
4. The first call is from a hysterical woman in Ghent, a nearby town, with an uninvited flock of Canadian geese in her backyard.
5. This is the cornerstone of our philosophy on animal welfare.
6. Mr. Walker went to the emergency room with a shattered kneecap.
7. Basil, their second rescue, was a purebred basset hound with a nasty temper.
8. It is a spectacular morning on Humane Society Road.
9. Most collectors are eventually turned in to the Humane Society by disgruntled neighbors or landlords when the noise or smell becomes intolerable.
10. Some dogs come back to the shelter and sink into depression; this is not Bandit's problem.
11. Million-dollar lawsuits over dog bites are not uncommon.
12. Grady takes one look at this scrawny bundle and sighs with pleasure.
