Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Characters Mrs.Frisby - a widow and mother of four
children. Cynthia - the youngest and always
frightened. Timothy - the next to the youngest and
very frail. Martin - the oldest and strongest. Teresa - the next to the oldest and very
caring for Timothy. Mr. Ages - has all the medicine and is very
old.
Jeremy – the crow
Dragon – the cat
Setting
Mr. Fitzgibbon’s farm
Mrs. Frisby’s house: a cinder block in the ground
Problem
Mrs. Frisby’s youngest son has pneumonia.
They live right in the path of the spring plowing machine.
Timothy won’t be able to move for at least a month.
They may plow in 4 or 5 days.
Ch. 1: The Sickness of Timothy Frisby
Ch. 1 Questions
1. Describe the treasure found by Mrs. Frisby. Why didn’t she take it all at once? Why didn’t she feel guilty about taking it?
2. Do you think Mrs. Frisby was a good mother? Give evidence to support your thinking.
3. The author uses foreboding in this chapter to give us a sense that a misfortunate event is going to occur. Explain the example the author uses.
Ch. 2: Mr. Ages
Ch. 2 Questions
1. How does Mrs. Frisby explain Timothy’s frailness?
2. Why would it be unusual that a mouse would be white from old age?
3. Thinking back to chapter one, why is Mr. Ages’ prognosis disturbing?
Ch. 3: The Crow and the Cat
Ch. 3 Questions
1. Who was dragon? How did he receive his name?
2. What gamble did Mrs. Frisby take?
3. Who is Jeremy? What adjectives (words that describe nouns) would you use to describe him?
Ch. 4: Mr. Fitzgibbon’s Plow
Ch. 4 Questions
1. Why was moving day so important?
2. Why did Mrs. Frisby dread moving day this year? How did the warmth of the day add to her worries?
3. What do you think Mr. Frisby meant when he told Mrs. Frisby, “All doors are hard to unlock until you have the key”?
Ch. 5: Five Days
Ch. 5 Questions
1. How do you know the Frisby’s will have to move in the next five days?
2. It says in this chapter that it had been a day of “oddities and alarms”. Describe the oddities.
Ch. 6: A Favor from Jeremy
Ch. 6 Questions
1. How did Mrs. Frisby show her bravery in this chapter? Why couldn’t Mrs. Frisby visit the owl in the daytime?
Ch. 7: The Owl
Ch. 7 Questions
1. Explain the statement: “She knew something of the dietary habits of owls and she did not much like the idea of being trapped.”
2. The author uses a simile to describe the river from Mrs. Frisby’s point of view. Explain.
3. Besides physical traits, describe the owl?
Ch. 8: “Go to the Rats:
Ch. 8 Questions
1. How did the owl’s advice and tone change when he learned who Mrs. Frisby was?
2. Describe the problem the owl faced regarding his home. Evaluate his decision not to leave.
Ch. 9: In the Rosebush
Ch. 9 Questions
1. How did Timothy know that it was almost moving day?
2. What did the author mean by the following: “Mrs. Frisby realized that he had somehow switched their positions”?
3. Describe the entranceway to the rats’ domain. Do you think the author paints a picture with his description? How important is description to writing?
Ch. 10: Brutus
Ch. 10 Questions
1. Why was Mrs. Frisby fearful of seeing Brutus again? How did Mr. Ages help her with her fear?
2. The animal’s response to Mrs. Frisby is great respect. What could this foreshadow in the story?
3. What did Mrs. Frisby have to promise before Mr. Ages would take her to talk to Nicodemus?
Ch. 11: In the Library
Ch. 11 Questions
1. What things about the rats’ colony surprise Mrs. Frisby?
Ch. 12 Isabella
Ch. 12 Questions
1. Why did Mrs. Frisby change her mind about leaving the library?
2. Who might the rats of NIMH be?
3. What did Isabella have against the rat named Jenner?
Ch. 13 A Powder for Dragon
Ch. 13 Questions
1. Explain the following: Why didn’t Dragon chase Mrs. Frisby? How did Mr. Ages break his leg? How did Mr. Frisby die?
Ch. 14 The Marketplace
Ch. 14 Questions
1. What unusual things might have been warnings if the rats had been noticing and thinking?
2. How did the men capture so many rats?
Ch. 15 In the Cage
Ch. 15 Questions
1. According to Nicodemus, what was the worst part of their capture?
2. Identify the following people: Dr. Schultz, Julie, and George
3. Analyze Nicodemus’ statement: “Yet for twenty of us those injections were to change our whole lives.” Explain what you think happened to the rats in the lab.
Ch. 16 The Maze
Ch.16 Questions
1. What type of doctor was Dr. Schultz? Describe the main purpose of his experimentation.
2. Why was the maze so frustrating for Nicodemus?
3. Justify Justin’s thinking he assured Nicodemus that if he were captured, he would not be harmed. Explain the scientists’ reaction to Justin’s escape attempt
4. Explain your opinion about animal experimentation
Ch. 17 A Lesson in Reading
Ch. 17 Questions
1. What important information did Justin learn during his time out of his cage?
2. Why was Dr. Schultz excited about the test results? Was his caution his undoing? Explain.
3. Why wouldn’t Justin allow Nicodemus to accompany him outside of the cage? Do you agree with his reasoning? Explain.
Ch. 18 The Air Ducts
Ch. 18 Questions
1. What made Justin so sure that the air ducts would be the best escape route? Who were the mice that escaped with the rats?
2. On what basis was Nicodemus chosen to be the leader of the rats? What qualities make a good leader?
3. What concerns did Jenner have for the rats’ future? Are his concerns justified? Explain.
