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Quiz about Old Possums Book of Practical Cats
Quiz about Old Possums Book of Practical Cats

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats Multiple Choice Quiz | Authors


Just about the best set of childrens' verses written to date, IMHO. This quiz is all about this famous set of poems by T.S. Eliot.

A multiple-choice quiz by LadyCaitriona. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
54,429
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
20
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
12 / 20
Plays
780
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
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Question 1 of 20
1. Which Cat is referred to as "the Napoleon of Crime"? Hint


Question 2 of 20
2. Who interferes in the "awefull" battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles? Hint


Question 3 of 20
3. What's the name of the establishment where Old Deuteronomy lies on the floor for his afternoon sleep? Hint


Question 4 of 20
4. What breed of Cat is responsible for Growltiger's "somewhat missing" ear? Hint


Question 5 of 20
5. Which Cat is the magician? Hint


Question 6 of 20
6. Which was Gus? Hint


Question 7 of 20
7. Which of these Cats is also a cat-burgler? Hint


Question 8 of 20
8. Which of these words best describes the Rum Tum Tugger? Hint


Question 9 of 20
9. What kind of Cats go to a Jellicle Ball?

Answer: (Two Words - "________ Cats")
Question 10 of 20
10. How should one begin when one "ad-dresses" a Cat? Hint


Question 11 of 20
11. According to the poems, which Cat (or Cats) is it that would be responsible for the knife or fork that disappears, and then is found a week later on the lawn? Hint


Question 12 of 20
12. What is the first Cat name that appears in the poems? Hint


Question 13 of 20
13. What act makes a Gumbie Cat? Hint


Question 14 of 20
14. What genders are Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer? Hint


Question 15 of 20
15. At what time does Skimbleshanks make his appearance? Hint


Question 16 of 20
16. Which activity do dogs participate in more: barking or biting?

Answer: (One Word - barking or biting)
Question 17 of 20
17. Who is in love with the Lady Griddlebone? Hint


Question 18 of 20
18. Which villager is constantly exclaiming over Old Deuteronomy? Hint


Question 19 of 20
19. In the battle involving the Pekes, Pollicles, Pugs, and Poms, which breeds start the barking? Hint


Question 20 of 20
20. On what street does Bustopher Jones live? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Which Cat is referred to as "the Napoleon of Crime"?

Answer: Macavity

From "Macavity: the Mystery Cat": "And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known/(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)/Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time/Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!"
2. Who interferes in the "awefull" battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles?

Answer: Rumpuscat

This poem has a rather longwinded title: "Of the Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles: Together with Some Account of the Participation of the Pugs and the Poms, and the Intervention of the Great Rumpuscat."
3. What's the name of the establishment where Old Deuteronomy lies on the floor for his afternoon sleep?

Answer: "The Fox and French Horn"

In the third Stanza of "Old Deuteronomy."
4. What breed of Cat is responsible for Growltiger's "somewhat missing" ear?

Answer: Siamese

From "Growltiger's Last Stand": "But most to Cats of foreign race his hatred had been vowed,/To Cats of foreign name and race no quarter was allowed./The Persian and the Siamese regarded him with fear-/Because it was a Siamese had mauled his missing ear."
5. Which Cat is the magician?

Answer: Mr. Mistoffelees

From ?Mr. Mistoffelees" (who's my favourite Cat!): "At prestidigitation/And at legerdemain/He'll defy examination/And deceive you again."
6. Which was Gus?

Answer: the Theatre Cat

From "Gus: the Theatre Cat": "In the Pantomime season I never fell flat,/And I once understudied Dick Whittington's Cat./But my grandest creation, as history will tell,/Was Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell."
7. Which of these Cats is also a cat-burgler?

Answer: Rumpelteazer

From "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer": "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had a very unusual gift of the gab./They were highly efficient cat-burglers as well, and remarkably smart at a smash-and-grab."
8. Which of these words best describes the Rum Tum Tugger?

Answer: disobliging

From "The Rum Tum Tugger": "The Rum Tum Tugger is a curious beast:/His disobliging ways are a matter of habit./If you offer him fish then he always wants a feast,/When there isn't any fish then he won't eat rabbit."
9. What kind of Cats go to a Jellicle Ball?

Answer: Jellicle

From "The Song of the Jellicles".
10. How should one begin when one "ad-dresses" a Cat?

Answer: "O Cat!"

From "The Ad-dressing of Cats: "I say, you should ad-dress a Cat./But always keep in mind that he/Resents familiarity./I bow, and taking off my hat,/Ad-dress him in this form: 'O CAT!' ... And so in time you reach your aim,/And finally call him by his NAME."
11. According to the poems, which Cat (or Cats) is it that would be responsible for the knife or fork that disappears, and then is found a week later on the lawn?

Answer: Mr. Mistoffelees

From "Mr. Mistoffelees": "If you look for a knife or fork/And you think it is merely misplaced-/You have seen it one moment, and then it is gawn!/But you'll find it next week lying out on the lawn."
12. What is the first Cat name that appears in the poems?

Answer: Peter

From "The Naming of Cats" "The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,/It isn't just one of your holiday games,/You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter/When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES./First of all, there's the name that the family uses daily,/Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,/Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-/All of them sensible everyday names."
13. What act makes a Gumbie Cat?

Answer: sitting

From "The Old Gumbie Cat": "I have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots,/Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots./All day she sits upon the stair or on the steps or on the mat,/She sits and sits and sits and sits--and that's what makes a Gumbie Cat!"
14. What genders are Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer?

Answer: The poems allude they are both male.

"They made their home in Victoria Grove.
They had no regular occupation.
They were plausible fellows who liked to engage
A friendly policeman in conversation." (Credit to Stargate for pointing out this verse.)

The word "fellows" is a good indication that Eliot wrote these characters as male. In Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical adaptation, Mungojerrie is usually male with a female Rumpelteazer.
15. At what time does Skimbleshanks make his appearance?

Answer: 11:42

From "Skimbleshanks: the Railawy Cat": "At 11.42 then the signal's nearly due/And the passengers are frantic to a man-/Then Skimble will appear and he'll saunter to the rear:/He's been busy in the luggage van!"
16. Which activity do dogs participate in more: barking or biting?

Answer: barking

From "The Ad-dressing of Cats": "Now dogs pretend they like to fight,/They often bark, more seldom bite,/But yet a Dog is, on the whole,/What you would call a simple soul."
17. Who is in love with the Lady Griddlebone?

Answer: Growltiger

From "Growltiger's Last Stand": "Growltiger had no eye or ear for aught but Griddlebone,/And the Lady seemed enraptured by his manly baritone,/Disposed to relaxation, and awaiting no surprise-/But the moonlight shone reflected from a thousand bright blue eyes."
18. Which villager is constantly exclaiming over Old Deuteronomy?

Answer: "the Oldest Inhabitant"

From "Old Deuteronomy".
19. In the battle involving the Pekes, Pollicles, Pugs, and Poms, which breeds start the barking?

Answer: Pekes and Pollicles

The Pugs and Poms don't start in until the end of the third stanza.
20. On what street does Bustopher Jones live?

Answer: St. James's

From "Bustopher Jones: the Cat about Town": "Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones-/In fact, he's remarkably fat./He doesn't haunt pubs--he has eight or nine clubs,/For he's the St. James's Street Cat!"
Source: Author LadyCaitriona

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