EnglishFreePrintable

Understanding Ralph's Story

A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Understanding Ralph's Story

Read the original passage below, then answer the questions using details from the text. When asked to explain an idea, support it with evidence.

My name is Ralph. I am a rabbit, and I have a job. At least, that is what the people here call it. They say I help make products safe for humans. Most mornings begin with a bright light and the click of a door. I know the sounds so well that I can tell what is happening before I see anyone. I try to sit tall when the door opens. The people seem to like it when I look calm. So I hold still, even when I would rather hide in the softest corner of my enclosure. There is a small mark on my ear where my fur has not grown back. I used to wonder how it got there. Now I try not to wonder about things I cannot change. I am good at that. I am good at smiling, too. When someone asks how I am, I say, “Fine.” It is an easy word to give people. I have never seen the world outside this building. I imagine it sometimes: grass under my paws, a patch of sun, the smell of rain. Maybe rabbits out there have jobs too. Maybe they get to choose when to rest. I do not know. People say my work matters. I understand why they want things to be safe. Everyone wants to avoid harm. But when I hear that my discomfort is part of the plan, I wonder whose comfort the plan is protecting. I cannot explain this with a chart or a clever speech. I can only tell you what it feels like from here. If you are listening, please do not stop at my smile. Ask what it is hiding. Ask whether there might be other ways to learn what is safe. I am only one rabbit, but my story is a chance to think carefully about the choices people make—and about who gets to make them.

Reading closely

Use specific details from Ralph's account where possible.

1.Who tells the story, and what point of view does this create?

2.Which detail best shows that Ralph has learnt to hide how he feels?

He has never seen the world outside the building.
He says “Fine” when people ask how he is.
He imagines grass and the smell of rain.
He can recognise the sounds of the door.

3.Ralph says, “I am good at that. I am good at smiling, too.” What does this suggest about his use of humour or understatement?

4.True or false: Ralph knows exactly what life is like outside the building. Give one detail that supports your answer.

TrueFalse

5.What might the “bright light” and the “click of a door” suggest about Ralph's daily life? Explain how the sound details affect the mood.

6.Complete the idea: Ralph imagines “grass under my paws, a patch of sun, the smell of rain” because …

7.Ralph acknowledges that people want products to be safe. Why is this admission important to the passage's argument?

Interpreting and responding

Consider how the writer shapes the reader's response and what questions the passage leaves open.

8.Which statement best describes the passage's main message?

All people who work in research are cruel.
Readers should think critically about animal testing and consider who bears its costs.
Ralph is certain that no products can ever be made safely.
Rabbits prefer living indoors to living outdoors.

9.At the end, Ralph asks readers to “Ask what it is hiding.” What might the smile be hiding, and why does this line matter?

10.Write a short response to Ralph's account. State one emotion or thought it prompted, support your response with a detail from the passage, and explain why that detail affected you.

11.The passage ends by calling Ralph's story “a chance to think carefully.” Write one open-ended question a reader could investigate about animal testing or alternatives to it.