Read the following passage and answer the questions set on it.
The story of the domestic cat’* relationship with humans is an interesting tale. The cat has been the object of adoration, reverence, hatred and even persecution by humans throughout time.
Cats were first domesticated by the ancient Egyptians as early as 3000 BC. ** wild cats started preying upon the mice and rats that filled the Egyptian grain stores and it didn’t take long for the Egyptians to become appreciative of the cats’ help in eliminating the rodent population. ** a cat, even when accidental, was punishable by . Egyptians shaved away their eye-brows as a symbol of grief when their pet passed away; they would even mummify the cat and bury it in a special ***, with supplies of mummified rats for the afterlife. From Egypt, cats spread to other parts of the world. They were a great success in the East, where they were again thought to have magical and mystical qualities. Artists in China and Japan celebrated these animals in their art. In Japan, cats are seen as lucky. One of the most known is the beckoning cat, often regarded as good luck charm for both households and businesses.
“The cat spread across Europe during the Roman Empire. The Romans kept the animals to be petted and for companionship, as well as for controlling the rat and mice population. Cats were represented mainly as working animals in Roman art, and there is little indication of reverence or mystical powers given to them.
During the Middle Ages, however, cats became an object of superstition and were associated with evil. They were often believed to be endowed with powers of magic and suspected of being owned and used by witches. As a result, cats were beaten, and driven away from towns and villages. The destruction of cats was so extensive that **-carrying rats flourished, contributing greatly to the wide spread of epidemics and plagues throughout Europe.
Not surprisingly, the Europeans once more began to realize the value of the cats in eliminating rodents and cats gradually regained acceptance as household pets. In 1871, the very first cat show was held in London. A cat association was formed in 1887 in Britain called ‘the National Cat Club of Great Britain’.
Answer the following in a word, a phrase or a sentence each.
(a) Mention any one of the feelings of a man towards cats.
(b) When were cats first domesticated?
(c) What did the cats eliminate to win the appreciation of Egyptians?
(d) Egyptians shaved away their eye-brows when a cat
(i) ** mice.
(ii) passed away.
(iii) eliminated rats.
(e) Mention one of the qualities that the East attributed to cats.
(f) Who celebrated cats in their art?
(g) In which art were cats represented as working animals?
(h) ***-carrying rats (contributing/contributed) to widespread epidemics.
(i) Name the cat association formed in Britain.
(j) Add a prefix to the word ‘lucky’ to form its antonym.
