[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-486553-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-486553-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","black-cats-and-superstition-part-2-practice-questions","Black Cats and Superstition - Part 2 - Practice Questions","","Engaging reading passage and comprehension practice focus on why black cats have been viewed as both bad luck and good fortune across cultures. It traces the folklore roots in Europe and the Middle Ages, contrasts beliefs in Britain, Japan, and aboard ships, and then shifts to a scientific explanation for the dark coat using melanin and genetics. The activities test understanding of the author’s attention hook, key details, central idea, historical beliefs, and real-world impacts on cats in shelters.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/black-cats-and-superstition-part-2-practice-questions/486553/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/black-cats-and-superstition-part-2-practice-questions/486553.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"CatatanPagi","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the author’s main reason for describing both bad luck and good luck beliefs about black cats?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The passage explains that the opposite meanings come from what people choose to believe, not from any inherent magic in the cats themselves.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What scientific factor gives a black cat its dark coat, according to the passage?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The passage states that a pigment called melanin determines how much dark fur a cat has.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What real consequence does superstition have for black cats today?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Superstition can lead them to be overlooked at shelters, where they may wait longer to be adopted than lighter-colored cats.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},486553,1790873640,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,95,100,105,109,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":110,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":117,"preview_page_count":4},962090894170,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Picture a black cat crossing your path on a foggy evening, its eyes flashing like two tiny lanterns. If you flinched, you have centuries of storytelling to blame, because plenty of people once believed that little walk meant bad luck was coming your way. Here is the twist worth chewing on: the very same cat, in the very same pose, has also been treated as a lucky charm in other parts of the world. How can one animal be both a warning and a blessing? The answer says less about cats and more about the people watching them.  \nThat split reputation didn't fall from the sky; it was built, brick by brick, in the folklore of Europe. During the Middle Ages, storytellers spread the idea that witches could disguise themselves as black cats to sneak around unnoticed. Because so many nighttime creatures blended into the dark, a cat that seemed to appear from nowhere felt spooky and secretive. By the time European settlers sailed to America, some carried that suspicion in their luggage, along with tales that a black cat could be a witch's helper.  \nCross an ocean or two, though, and that fearful whisper flips into a cheerful welcome. In much of Britain, a black cat wandering toward your door has long been considered a sign of good fortune, not doom. Sailors sometimes kept them aboard ships, hoping the animals would guard the food stores from mice and bring calm seas. In Japan, cat figurines with a raised paw, called maneki-neko, are displayed to invite luck and customers, and dark-colored versions are thought to ward off trouble. Same cat, opposite meaning, all depending on which story a community decided to trust.  \nStrip away every legend and you're left with a much simpler explanation for that inky coat: a pigment called melanin. Cats with lots of melanin grow fur that ranges from deep brown to true black, the same substance that colors your own hair and skin. Genetics decides how much a kitten gets, which is why a single litter can hold a black cat, a gray cat, and a striped one all at once. There's nothing magical hiding in that dark fur, only chemistry doing exactly what it does in every living thing.  \nKnowing the science is exactly why these old beliefs still matter today. Because superstition lingers, black cats are sometimes overlooked at shelters, waiting longer than lighter-colored cats to be adopted. That's a real cost paid by real animals for a story someone made up hundreds of years ago. The next time one strolls across your path, remember it isn't a witch, a warning, or a walking good-luck charm. It's a purring, mouse-chasing pet that happens to be wearing the world's oldest costume: plain black fur.  \nBlack Cats and Superstition  \nName:  \n\n| Solve each problem.\u003Cbr>Use the article to answer the question.\u003Cbr>1) According to the passage, what surprising idea does the author use to grab the reader's attention?\u003Cbr>A. Every country in the world fears black cats in the same way\u003Cbr>B. Black cats were the very first animals people kept as pets\u003Cbr>C. Black cats can actually change the color of their fur at night\u003Cbr>D. The same black cat has been seen as both bad luck and good luck |  |  |  |  | Answers\u003Cbr>1.  \u003Cbr>2.  \u003Cbr>3.   |  |  |  |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 2) What does the author most likely mean by calling black fur \"the world's oldest costume\"?\u003Cbr>A. The fur can be removed and put on like a mask\u003Cbr>B. The fur is older than any other animal's coloring\u003Cbr>C. The fur is worn only during the Halloween season\u003Cbr>D. The fur is ordinary and natural, not a sign of anything spooky |  |  |  |  | 4.  \u003Cbr>5.  \u003Cbr>6.  \u003Cbr>7. |  |  |  |  |  |\n| 3) What did sailors hope black cats aboard ships would do?\u003Cbr>A. Guard the food stores from mice and bring calm seas |  |  |  |  | 8. |  |  |  |  |  |\n| B. Warn the crew whenever a dangerous storm approached\u003Cbr>C. Frighten away pirates who tried to board the vessel\u003Cbr>D. Lead the ship safely toward the nearest harbor\u003Cbr>4) Which statement best captu","cbCaighNuJ04Yl9Q","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaighNuJ04Yl9Q","pdf",86410,"English","# Comprehension Questions\n## Questions 1-9","[{\"question\":\"What is the author’s main reason for describing both bad luck and good luck beliefs about black cats?\",\"answer\":\"The passage explains that the opposite meanings come from what people choose to believe, not from any inherent magic in the cats themselves.\"},{\"question\":\"What scientific factor gives a black cat its dark coat, according to the passage?\",\"answer\":\"The passage states that a pigment called melanin determines how much dark fur a cat has.\"},{\"question\":\"What real consequence does superstition have for black cats today?\",\"answer\":\"Superstition can lead them to be overlooked at shelters, where they may wait longer to be adopted than lighter-colored cats.\"}]","Black Cats and Superstition - Part 2 - Practice Questions | PDF",1790806624]