Question

Visualizing Lesson 3
Comprehension: Visualizing

The Heart of a Lion

A cat lying on the floor in the living room of a house, with moonlight coming in through a window.

Image credit: Shutterstock AI Generator/Shutterstock


On the edge of a thick, green forest, inside an old stone house, all were asleep—all, that is, except Leo. The sleek, tawny-hued housecat lay stretched across a patch of moonlit carpet, wriggling his body back and forth, delighting in the silvery-white glow that shone through the living room window. Though named for the big cats of the Serengeti Plains, Leo the Lionhearted had always been more interested in chasing moonbeams than wildebeests.

As he scratched his back against the bristly carpet, a purr of contentment rumbled within him, filling the room with a low hum. Leo loved purring. Though his father had tried to teach him to yowl, it just wasn't the same—purring made Leo's heart sing. But that night, another sound accompanied his song…a faint creak issuing from the floor above.

Leo opened one hazel eye and gazed at the ceiling. Perhaps it's just a mouse, he thought. Leo had little interest in chasing mice. It was tiring, after all, and they were so small it seemed unfair to bother them. Cr-e-e-a-a-k…the sound came again, quickly followed by a loud thump that caused Leo to sit bolt upright. That was too heavy for a mouse, he thought.

The strange sounds grew louder, but now they were accompanied by a tinny clickety-clack, and the whole commotion seemed to be hurtling down the stairs toward the living room door! Leo's fur rose in a spiky progression along his spine, from the back of his neck to the tip of his tail, which was now standing on end. His legs began to tremble. What am I to do? he wondered.

Leo recalled the words of his grandmother, the renowned Arabella Hightail. "Leo," she had said many times, "you are a cat. Your ancestors once ruled the animal kingdom. Be valiant!"

Yes, Leo told himself, I am descended from lions—I will be stalwart.

Yet as the living room door eased open, and a dark, glistening, snout appeared, Leo scampered behind the sofa in a flurry of fur and dust. Flattening his body against the floor, he thought to himself, Even lions hide to catch their prey.

Leo tried to make his shaking body take the stance of a stalking lion, peering out around the couch at the patch of moonlight still visible on the floor. He fought the urge to cower as the light began to fade, obscured by a great, hulking shape that inched its way toward the sofa. Be a lion! Leo commanded himself as the shadowy figure came nearer—so, drawing a shaky breath, he let it out in one long, ferocious, steady hiss that rattled his whiskers.

The movement beyond the sofa paused, and then Leo heard a loud phwump, as if a heavy bag had been dropped to the floor. Yes! he thought. With a mighty meow, Leo launched himself from behind the sofa in triumph and leaped into the moon's spotlight. Slowly, he turned toward his now-subdued foe and saw…Marigold?

The large, golden-haired pup gave an eager yap and swept her tail across the carpet, gazing affectionately at Leo with round brown eyes. Of course! Leo thought. She must have woken up and been frightened by the dark. And all that ruckus was just her dashing through the house to find me. Gratified, Leo dropped down beside the now-snoring pup and snuggled into her warm, feathery fur. Don't you worry, he thought, as his eyes began to droop, Leo the Lionhearted is on the watch.

Question 2


2 / 4

Which is the closest synonym for the word hulking, as it is used in the story?


clumsy
invisible
enormous
furious

Answer 1

enormous

("Hulking" here means large, heavy, or massive — closest in meaning to "enormous.")