A dog with dark fur and light tan markings looks off into the distance while sheep graze in the background.

Question

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The dingo and the working dog faced each other, eyes locked in the light of the luminous moon. The presence of the working dog, a Kelpie, was inexplicable in the remote surroundings. Earlier that evening, his owner had fed him after he'd finished his own meal—a reminder to the dog of who was boss and to keep close by—a working dog shouldn't wander. So, as usual, he'd curled up in his kennel with a full stomach, languid and content. But then he'd heard the dingo cry.

The thin, disconsolate thread of sound had interrupted his leg-twitching, lip-quivering dream. At that moment, Nature had crooked a finger at him that he simply could not ignore. He'd left his kennel and traversed through paddocks, across a dry riverbed, along a ridge, then down into a gully. The dingo was alone, having recently lost her mate to a poison bait. When the Kelpie took a step forward, she growled. But instead of further warning him off, her amber eyes glinted.

***

Hunger pangs woke the pup where he lay, ravenous, in a den with his brothers and sisters while their mother hunted. It was days since he'd last fed on meat—rabbit, rat, or wombat. The arid landscape provided little respite from the heat, and sustenance was scarce. He was about to rouse his siblings when a surge of noise forced them all into consciousness. They scrambled upright, ears pricked, eyes wide, whiskers trembling.

Something crunched on dirt and stones outside the den. A face unlike any he'd ever seen appeared low to the ground, then a hand reached in and dragged out one of the pup's brothers. The hand returned and dragged out the other brother and the two sisters—one at a time. The pup pressed himself against the rock wall, but there was no escaping the clutching fingers that persisted, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and pulling him into the early-morning sunlight.

His brothers and sisters were nowhere to be found, but the strange face regarded him with interest. Unlike the ginger-colored fur of his siblings, the pup's coat was black, his chest and paws light tan.

"You look as much like a Kelpie pup as any I've seen," the hunter said. He brought the pup's face close to his own. "Apart from that yellow topaz glint in your eyes." He grinned. "But that'll be our little secret. You'll fetch a good price." He carried the pup to his horse, swung into the saddle, and moved off, holding the terrified bundle in front of him with a broad hand.

***

Question 5


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Think about the story. The reader can predict that __________.

Mike Cameron will not bring Chip home after finding him with the sheep
Mike Cameron will not attempt to get another working dog because it might be part dingo
Mike Cameron will seek to domesticate dingoes and teach them to help herd his sheep
Mike Cameron will choose to give Chip back to the man on the motorbike

Answer 1

Based on the context provided in the story, the most accurate prediction is:

Mike Cameron will not attempt to get another working dog because it might be part dingo.

This prediction aligns with the narrative's themes surrounding the uniqueness and potential wild nature of the dingo, as well as the man’s initial view of the pup he encounters. The mention of the pup's dingo heritage and the implications of having a dog that is part dingo would likely lead Mike to reconsider obtaining another working dog.