Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-8

Reading Check

1. Why does Mrs. Frisby go to see Mr. Ages?

2. What does the owl tell Mrs. Frisby to do?

3. How many children does Mrs. Frisby have?

4. What is going to happen in five days?

5. Why does the owl decide to help Mrs. Frisby?

6. Where do the Frisbys live?

7. Who is the animal Mrs. Frisby must watch out for the most?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why is Mrs. Frisby worried about moving?

2. Whom does Mrs. Frisby set free, and how do they repay her?

3. How does Mrs. Frisby get to the owl?

Paired Resource

“What Does Home Mean to You?”

• Habitat for Humanity asks readers to define what “home” means to them. The personal stories and quotations on this site connect to the theme The Meaning of Home.
• What does the concept of home mean to you? How does home make you feel?

“Adaptation and Survival”

• A short article from National Geographic that details specific kinds of animal adaptations
• Connects to the novel’s theme of Adapting in the Face of Forces More Powerful Than Oneself
• What are some other ways that animals change their behaviors to adapt to their environment?

Chapters 9-18

Reading Check

1. Who does Mrs. Frisby meet first under the rosebush?

2. How does Mrs. Frisby gain entry to the rat colony?

3. Who captures the rats?

4. What do the rats learn to do at the lab?

5. Who discovers how to get out of the cages?

6. What does Mrs. Frisby volunteer to do?

7. How do the rats become super intelligent?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Nicodemus say was the worst part about being in the lab?

2. What illusion in the maze tricks the rats?

3. How do the rats and mice escape the lab?

Paired Resource

“Learning to Read and Write” excerpt

• Leading abolitionist, writer, teacher, and former slave Frederick Douglass believed that “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” He taught himself to read, which aided in achieving his own freedom and teaching other slaves to read so they could do the same.
• This autobiographical excerpt connects to the theme The Double-Edged Sword of Knowledge, Science, and Technology.
• How is knowledge and the ability to read connected to one’s freedom? You may use examples from the novel, the excerpt by Frederick Douglass, or any other ideas you may have.

“Why Do Medical Researchers Use Mice?"

• This article helps to explain why rodents are used in psychological and medical studies.
• This information connects to the theme The Double-Edged Sword of Knowledge and Technology as well as the Reading Context questions.
• What connections can you make between the article and the animals’ experiences in the novel? Is it ethical to perform research on animals? Why or why not? Is the answer more complicated than “yes” or “no”?

Chapters 19-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Where do the rats stay after they escape the lab?

2. How do the rats become experts on things like engineering and electricity?

3. What do the rats find inside the Toy Tinker’s truck?

4. What happens to Mrs. Frisby when she puts the sleeping powder in Dragon’s bowl?

5. Who does Nicodemus think the rats found at the hardware store are?

6. How is the rosebush destroyed?

7. Where do the Frisbys move at the end of spring?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is the rats’ Plan?

2. What happens after some rats are found trying to steal a motor at the hardware store?

3. Who is suspected to have stayed behind to help the other rats, and why does Teresa believe it to be this rat?

Recommended Next Reads

 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

• This novel explores similar themes to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH as its protagonist Charlie participates in an experiment to improve his low IQ. A mouse named Algernon is part of the same experiment and becomes a close friend of Charlie’s.
• This resource connects to the theme The Double-Edged Sword of Knowledge and Technology.
• How do Charlie and Algernon’s experiences relate to the experiences of the rats of NIMH? What are the potential concerns surrounding such invasive and transformative procedures?
• Flowers for Algernon on SuperSummary