1. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is in the same tradition of nonsense verse as the works of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. In what ways do Eliot's Cats resemble Lear's Pussycat or Carroll's Cheshire Cat? What differences exist?

2. Which of Eliot's Cats is most admirable or least admirable? Why?

3. When critics say Eliot's Cats are complex characters, they mean that most of them cannot be labelled as totally good or totally evil. In fact, Eliot may have been trying to illustrate the difficulty of distinguishing between good and evil individuals. What negative characteristics are found in the admirable Cats, and what positive characteristics in the criminals?

4. Eliot frequently points out that a Cat is not really what he or she appears to be. List some examples of the differences between appearance and reality. What does Eliot seem to be...