Old Yeller Chapter 9
VOCABULARY
Marking Hogs - Travis marks the pigs by cutting into their ears in a distinctive manner. Each settler has a mark which is recognized by all the others, identifying the owner of the pig. The Coates' mark is "overbit the right and underslope the left."
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Biting shoat (102) noun, a young pig, especially one which is newly weaned.
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castrate (104) - A procedure that makes it so a male animal will not be able to reproduce
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sow - female hog
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Bar Hog - (105) A bar hog is a boar hog that has been cut or castrated.
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1. Humans who marked wild hogs laid claim to them but they did not feed the hogs. Explain how the hogs did not starve. Use text evidence.
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2. Explain why Momma doesn't feel good about Travis marking hogs on his own, even if he has Old Yeller. (102-103)
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3. Reread the passages about Old Yeller running the hogs. List at least 5 action words that express the excitement and energy involved in the process of marking hogs.
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4. Explain why Travis must castrate the pigs?
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5. Explain the purpose of marking the pigs.
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6. Picture yourself in Travis's situation. You are in a tree, lifting and marking the shoats from the rest of the herd. Then you must castrate them. Write a paragraph or two describing this event from your perspective.
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