Question 10 (5 points) (from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling)
Read the passage carefully and then answer the question,
"It must be the head," he said at last; "the head above the hood; and when I am once there, I must not let go."
Then he jumped. The head was lying a little clear of the water-jar, under the curve of it and, as his teeth met, Rikki braced his back against the
bulge of the red earthenware to hold down the head. This gave him just one second's purchase, and he made the most of it. Then he was
battered to and fro as a rat is shaken by a dog-to and fro on the floor, up and down, and round in great circles: but his eyes were red, and he
held on as the body cart-whipped over the floor, upsetting the tin dipper and the soap-dish and the flesh-brush, and banged against the tin
side of the bath. As he held he closed his jaws tighter and tighter, for he made sure he would be banged to death, and, for the honour of his
family, he preferred to be found with his teeth locked. He was dizzy, aching, and felt shaken to pieces when something went off like a
thunderclap just behind him a hot wind knocked him senseless, and red fire singed his fur. The big man had been wakened by the noise, and
had fired both barrels of a shot-gun into Nag just behind the hood.
Rikki-ikki held on with his eyes shut for now he was quite sure he was dead; but the head did not move, and the big man picked him up and
said: "It's the mongoose again, Alice: the little chap has saved our lives now." Then Teddy's mother came in with a very white face, and saw
what was left of Nag, and Rikki-tikki dragged himself to Teddy's bedroom and spent half the rest of the night shaking himself tenderly to find
out whether he was really broken into forty pieces, as he fancied.
Which sentence best describes the main idea of this passage? (5 points)
a "This passage is about the sound a shot-gun makes, and how it can frighten small animals in the dark."
Ob "This passage is about how destructive a cobra can be when it sneaks into a house late in the night."
Ос "This passage is about Rikki-ikki-tavi, who was willing to die to save the family from Nag the cobra."
Od "This passage is about Teddy's father, who saved the entire family by using his shot-gun on the cobra."