In this reading comprehension question on ancient Egypt, choose the correct answer to: "Egyptians appreciated the cat's ability to destroy _____."

Introduction / Context:
This reading comprehension question focuses on a passage about how ancient Egyptians regarded cats. Good comprehension requires careful reading of specific details rather than guessing from general knowledge. The relevant sentence in the passage states that Egyptians appreciated a particular ability of cats related to pests, and you must identify exactly which creatures they valued cats for destroying.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The passage explains that ancient Egyptians kept grass snakes and weasels before cats.
• It states that these earlier animals could not cope with hordes of rats invading from Asia.
• The passage directly says Egyptians highly appreciated the cat's ability to destroy rodents.
• The options mention snakes, weasels, houses and rodents.

Concept / Approach:
Reading comprehension questions often test attention to detail. Instead of relying on general knowledge that cats catch rats, you should go back to the original sentence in the passage. It does not simply mention rats but uses a more general term that includes rats and similar animals. Identifying this term and matching it to the options ensures that your answer is based on the text, which is what examiners expect.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Locate the key sentence in the passage: "Ancient Egyptians, for example, highly appreciated the cat's ability to destroy rodents."Step 2: Notice that the specific word used for what cats destroy is "rodents," not just rats.Step 3: Remember that rodents include rats, mice and similar small gnawing animals.Step 4: Compare this with the options: snakes, weasels, houses and rodents.Step 5: Recognise that snakes and weasels were actually kept before cats and proved ineffective, so they are not what cats destroyed in the passage.Step 6: Observe that "houses" makes no sense in this context, and choose "rodents" as the exact word used in the passage.

Verification / Alternative Check:
If you reread the paragraph, you will see clearly that grass snakes and weasels were used earlier as pest controllers but could not cope with the invading rats. This is the reason Egyptians later valued cats, which were more effective. The sentence explicitly states "ability to destroy rodents," confirming that "rodents" is not an inferred answer but a direct quotation from the passage. No other option matches that exact wording.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Snakes are mentioned in the passage, but Egyptians had kept grass snakes themselves as helpers, and these animals were not the target of cats. Weasels are also mentioned as earlier house animals, not as pests. Houses appear only as locations where these animals were kept and obviously are not something Egyptians wanted cats to destroy. Choosing any of these options would show that the reader has mixed up the roles of the different animals rather than following the passage carefully.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake in comprehension is to answer from background knowledge instead of the given text. Because most people know that cats kill rats, some candidates might jump to that conclusion. However, the passage deliberately uses the more general term "rodents" and the exam tests whether you notice and respect that choice of word. Training yourself always to look back at the passage for exact wording will increase your accuracy in such questions.

Final Answer:
According to the passage, Egyptians appreciated the cat's ability to destroy rodents.