Questions / instructions

Here is a list of children who put notices about pets in the newspaper. Skim quickly through the list, then answer the questions below. Do as many answers as you can in 5 minutes. I will tell you when the time is up.

PET PALS

•Black dog found - I have found a black Poodle in Smith Street. He has a pink collar with his name on it. It says "Brutus". Ring Hema 996 4793.

•Fluffy the cat - My cat Fluffy was lost at the airport on Saturday. Fluffy is 5 years old. She has green eyes, grey fur and a red collar. Ring Jamie 975 6934.

•Hop the rabbit - My large white rabbit ran away on Thursday. We were in High Street when I lost her. Ring Aroha 997 7473.

•Labrador dog found - I found a friendly golden labrador. Her name tag says "Lindy". I live in Wai Street. Ring Jonah 985 8566.

•Mice for sale - I have 23 baby mice to sell. They are 50 cents each. They are white with pink eyes and very cute. I live in Queen Street. Ring Jo 987 4321.

•Pony Wanted - I want to buy a pony for show jumping. I would like a chestnut pony about 14 hands high. I live in Green Street. Ring Todd 975 4986.

•Spot the guinea pig - Spot was lost when a big dog chased him. Spot is white with a big black spot on his back. I live in Glen Road. Ring Mark 983 0888.

•Squeak the budgie - I lost Squeak on Friday. Squeak is green and says "Hello there". Squeak was lost in Gardens Road. Ring Cathy 997 5037.

•Terry the Terrier - I have lost my dog Terry. He is black and brown with a white stomach. I live in Tui Street. Ring Mary 997 5974.

•Three legged cat found - I have found a very friendly cat with three legs. The cat likes to eat porridge. I live in Glen Street. Ring Nick 964 9821.

1. What animal is Fluffy?

correct
no response

y4

88
2

2. What colour is Squeak?

correct
no response

72
10

3. Where was Hop lost from?

correct
no response

4. Who is the boy who wants a pony?

correct
no response

5. What is the name of the black poodle?

correct
no response

6. Whose phone number has four 8's in it?

correct
no response

7. Who would you phone if you found a dog that was black and brown and white?

correct
no response

8. Which phone number should you phone if you have lost your pet rat and want to find her?

correct
no response

Commentary

Students working individually had a fixed time of 5 minutes to skim and locate information. The increasing percentage of unattempted responses through to the end of the questions suggests that many students either couldn't skim quickly enough to find all of the information in the time available or lost the urge to finish the task.