A Pharaohly Big Deal - Stage 4 Comp - Chapter 3 - Comprehension Pack.pdf

STAGE 4 Unit focus: A Pharaohly Big Deal Text focus: Narrative Chapter 3 Bastet, the cat, knew something was wrong. Sen had never seen the moggy move as quickly as it did...

STAGE 4 Unit focus: A Pharaohly Big Deal Text focus: Narrative Chapter 3 Bastet, the cat, knew something was wrong. Sen had never seen the moggy move as quickly as it did when the ghost of Qar advanced on it. “Come here,” he said, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck. “You might want to look away,” Qar said to Sen. Sen turned his head and closed his eyes. The sound from behind him put him in mind of a crocodile with digestive troubles and a bad temper, but it was over quickly enough. When he turned back, the ghost had gone. He breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe it had all been a bad dream, the result of too much garlic the night before. Bastet was wide-eyed but otherwise unharmed. “That was easy,” the cat said without moving its lips. “Come on then, let’s get over to the palace.” Bile rose in Sen’s stomach, and he sighed heavily, but he followed the cat out into the burning midday sun. It seemed to be walking differently, as though part of it wanted to head one way but was being coerced into going another. Maybe Bastet didn’t like having company in there. “I don’t even know how to get to the palace,” he said, kicking the sand. “It’s that big building over there,” the ghost’s voice said in the vicinity of the cat. “There’s a back entrance for the slaves. We’ll nip in there.” “How will we get people to believe that you were murdered?” Sen said, trying to cover his head from the scorching heat. “I’ll deal with that, young boy. You just get inside.” Nobody paid them much attention as they wandered along the main road past the half-built pyramids. “I remember when all this was dunes,” the ghost muttered with feeling. “You won’t be able to move for mummies at this rate.” “Things are much better now,” Sen tried to argue. He didn’t know if it was true, but it was something Dje said a lot, and it sounded smart. all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com “Nonsense. You new-dynasty kids have no respect for your elders. Back when I was a young lad, we were terrified of anybody over the age of 15! The gods were better back then, as well. None of this diversifying into other areas that you get now. They knew their jobs and stuck to them.” Sen didn’t respond. Their idle walking had taken them into the shadows of the back of the palace. It towered over them like the gods that called it home. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end, and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with papyrus. “Go on then, don’t just stand there gawping, boy,” Qar said. Bastet didn’t look any more comfortable with his guest than he had earlier and jumped every time the ghost spoke. Gulping, Sen pushed open the small wooden door and stepped through. He found himself in a small antechamber, filled floor to ceiling with shelves stacked with clay jars. Each one seemed to contain a different grain or spice. There was another door in the far wall, so he reached out to open it but was cut short as somebody else opened it from the other side. INFERENCE FOCUS 1. What does Bastet do to show that he isn’t happy about the ghost approaching him? 2. Why did the ghost tell Sen to turn away? 3. How does the reader know that Sen isn’t happy about having to follow the cat out to the palace? 4. How do you get the impression that the ghost doesn’t like how things are now? 5. Why might Sen be panicking at the end of the text? VIPERS QUESTIONS V Find and copy a word that tells you how slowly they had been walking? V What does “coerced” mean? S What was there before all the pyramids were built? R What had Sen eaten the night before? V Find and copy a simile that tells you Sen’s mouth was dry? all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com