Answer keys - Richmond

LEVEL: ADVANCED
A Study in Scarlet
return to the USA. They have looked for information
about a man whose address was on a letter.
19 Holmes deduces that the man was poisoned by a tall
man, who had arrived at the house in a horse-drawn
cab. He even describes the shoes the man wore and
the type of cigar he smoked.
WHAT JOHN RANCE HAD TO TELL
20 Holmes explains his deductions as the result of his
observations: the footprints in the garden, marks on
the wall, ash he picked up from the floor etc.
21 Watson notices that Holmes blushes with pleasure
when he compliments him on his work.
22 Rance’s story: It was a quiet night, so he was not very
busy. When he saw a light in an empty house he
decided to investigate (but he looked for a colleague
first, because he was frightened of ghosts). He found
the dead man of the floor, went outside and called his
colleagues. There was also a drunk man in the street,
who they did not arrest because they were busy with
the death.
23 Holmes means that Rance should learn to use his
head for thinking.
OUR ADVERTISEMENT BRINGS A VISITOR
24 Holmes puts an advertisement saying that a wedding
ring has been found in Brixton Road. He hopes this
will attract the murderer, who he believes lost the ring
at the scene of the crime.
25 The visitor is a wrinkled old woman. This
surprises Holmes and Watson, who expected a large
violent man.
26 Holmes was both amused and disappointed to find
he had been deceived. The ‘old woman’ was a young
man is disguise, and had escaped from him.
TOBIAS GREGSON SHOWS WHAT HE CAN DO
27 Three newspapers give different reports and comments
on the crime. The Daily Telegraph emphasises that it
had been foreigners bringing their arguments to
Britain, something which the government should stop.
The Standard gives a lot of details, blames the liberal
government for the increase in crime, and says that
Lestrade and Gregson are investigating. The Daily
News is sure the crime was political, and comments
on Mr Gregson’s energy and abilities.
28 Holmes uses these homeless boys because they work
hard and can go anywhere. They are much more
effective than the police at finding information.
29 Gregson has discovered that a certain Arthur
Charpentier was Drebber’s killer, in revenge for
Drebber’s insults to his sister. He has been arrested.
30 Lestrade brings the news that Stangerson, Drebber’s
companion, has been murdered. This suggests that
Charpentier is innocent.
LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
31 At Stangerson’s lodgings Lestrade finds blood coming
from his bedroom door, and – when they break down
the locked door – they find a body on the bed,
stabbed through the heart. As at the scene of
Drebber’s death, the word RACHE has been written
in blood.
32 Holmes asks Watson to bring the sick dog so that he
can test a pill which was found in Stangerson’s room.
He gives the dog half one of the tablets and waits.
Nothing happens.
33 The second tablet kills the dog immediately, proving
that Holmes’ original conjecture was correct.
34 He refuses to name the killer because the information
could get out, and if the man realises he is suspected,
he will disappear.
35 He captures him by using his ‘assistant’ Wiggins to
bring a cab to 221B Baker Street. Holmes then arrests
the cab driver.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PART 1
MR SHERLOCK HOLMES
1 Watson is in London because he has been wounded
while in the army, and sent home with a pension.
2 Stamford finds Holmes strange, cold-blooded, and
erratic in his behaviour.
3 Watson’s first meeting with Holmes takes place in
the laboratory, where Holmes is extremely excited
by a discovery he has made. He is much more
interested in this, and its possible applications, than
in meeting Watson.
4 Watson’s ‘shortcomings’ are that he is lazy, has a dog,
and keeps strange hours. Holmes’ are that he smokes,
suffers from spells of depression, and plays the violin.
The violin would only be a problem if he plays it badly
– Watson cannot stand noise – but Holmes plays
it well.
THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION
5 Holmes is not a difficult man for Watson to live with
because he is quiet and his habits are very regular.
6 Watson’s life is ‘objectless’ because he has nothing to
do, and nothing to think about. This is because his
health is not good.
7 Holmes is ignorant about literature, philosophy and
politics. He does not even know that the Earth travels
around the sun.
8 Holmes deliberately keeps his mind empty of information so that he can fill it with information that is useful
to him. (He believes the mind has a limited capacity).
9 Sometimes he plays sad music, and sometimes
cheerful music. It depends on his mood.
10 The clients who visit Holmes are: 1. Mr Lestrade, who
comes regularly, and looks like a rat; 2. a fashionably
dressed young girl; 3. an untidy man with grey hair; 4.
an elderly drunk woman; 5. a white-haired gentleman;
6. a railway porter in his uniform.
11 Watson discovers Holmes’ ‘trade’ when he reads and
criticises an article, without knowing Holmes is the
author. Holmes defends his article and explains that
he is a ‘consulting detective’.
THE LAURISTON GARDENS MYSTERY
12 The messenger’s tattooed hand, his whiskers, the way
he walks, and the way he uses a cane show Holmes
that he is a sailor, and that his background is military,
of the officer rank.
13 The police are ‘at a loss’ about how the man died,
and how and why he was in the empty house.
14 Holmes has a very poor opinion of Gregson and
Lestrade, although he says they are the best of a
bad lot.
15 He knows that they will not acknowledge his help in
solving the mystery, so his only consolation will be to
laugh at their incompetence.
16 When they arrive Holmes approaches the building on
foot and spends a long time examining the location
and surroundings. This surprises Watson, who expects
him to go into the house immediately.
17 The room is large and square, with no furniture, and is
very dirty. The wallpaper is torn and in bad condition,
and there is an ornate fireplace with the remains of a
candle. The window is dirty, so the light is not good.
The body is lying on the floor.
18 The police have examined the body, looking for the
cause of death, and have emptied the man’s pockets
looking for identification. They have discovered he was
Enoch J. Drebber, from Cleveland, and was about to
1
PART 2 – The country of the saints
ON THE GREAT ALKALI PLAINS
36 The Alkali Plains is described as a desolate place,
completely without water or vegetation.
37 The solitary traveller is described as middle-aged or
older, with long brown hair and beard, weatherbeaten and very, very thin. He is dying of hunger.
38 The rest of his group are all dead, apart from the small
child he is carrying.
39 The caravan is a very large group – nearly 10,000,
travelling with animals, in wagons and on foot. They
are moving west, looking for a new place to live.
40 They can join the caravan only if they join the Mormon
religion.
THE FLOWER OF UTAH
41 Ferrier gains the esteem of his companions because
he is a good hunter, practical and hardworking. As a
result of this his farm is very successful, he becomes
rich and well-known throughout the Mormon
community.
42 He offends his co-religionists because he does not
marry.
43 Lucy Ferrier is rescued from being thrown off her horse
by a stranger, Jefferson Hope. Hope introduces himself
and his visits to the Ferrier farm lead to her falling in
love with him.
JOHN FERRIER TALKS WITH THE PROPHET
44 John Ferrier had never wanted Lucy to marry a
Mormon. He considered their practice of taking many
wives to be a disgrace.
45 He had never said anything about this because going
against the religion would be severely punished.
46 The Avenging Angels is a secret society which carries
out violent and bloody deeds in the name of religion.
Because membership is secret, everyone is afraid to
confide in anyone.
47 Brigham Young visits Ferrier to warn him of the
dangers of going against the Mormon faith. He criticises him for never having married, and refers to rumours
that Lucy is going to marry a non-Mormon. The ‘Sacred
Council of Four’ has decided that she must marry the
son of one of the Elders.
48 Ferrier and his daughter decide to leave Utah.
A FLIGHT FOR LIFE
49 The two young Mormons are arrogant and rather
threatening.
50 Ferrier’s defiance leads them to threaten him with
punishment from God.
51 They escape at night, with Jefferson Hope leading
them across the fields. They take money, food and
drink. The house is surrounded but Hope uses the
password to get past one of the Mormon guards.
They collect horses that Hope has left two miles away.
THE AVENGING ANGELS
52 The flight is very hard: the road is narrow and
dangerous, with many falling rocks. It is difficult to go
fast and it is cold at night.
53 Their food runs out so Hope leaves to go hunting.
A CONTINUATION OF THE REMINISCENCES OF JOHN
WATSON MD
57 Hope thinks he may never be tried because he knows
he is seriously ill, and expects to die soon.
58 He says this because his whole adult life has been
dedicated to getting revenge, or justice, against
Drebber and Stangerson.
59 After he failed to kill Drebber and Stangerson in
America, he followed them to Europe. In London he
worked as a cab driver so that he could follow them,
and was finally able to get Drebber alone one night
when he was drunk. He pretended he was taking
Drebber to his hotel but he took him to an empty
house where he revealed his true identity and his
mission, showing Lucy’s wedding ring. He held a knife
at Drebber’s throat and offered him a choice of pills,
one poisoned and the other not. Drebber took the
poisoned one and died. A few days later, Hope
entered Stangerson’s room through the window and
told him how Drebber had died. Stangerson fought
back, refusing to take the pill, so Hope stabbed him
through the heart, killing him.
THE CONCLUSION
60 The ‘higher judge’ is God, who will judge Hope now
he is dead.
61 Holmes had solved the case analytically, by ‘reasoning
backwards’.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
1 a) Sherlock Holmes: Holmes is described as very tall
and thin, with a thin curved nose, sharp penetrating
eyes and a determined chin. He is clean and
temperate in his habits, but obsessive about his work.
His hands are often stained with chemicals. He is
practical, systematic, and energetic. Although
sometimes he becomes depressed and silent, he is
able to laugh at himself, and at others. Watson
discovers that he is also vain – he likes to be
complimented!
b) John Watson: Watson seems a practical man. He is
well-educated and cultured, so Holmes’ lack of general
knowledge shocks him. Once his initial scepticism
passes, however, he admires Holmes’ powers of
thought and deduction. He is self-critical, calling
himself lazy, and perhaps rather frustrated by his poor
health and shaken nerves. Physically, we know he
is shorter than Holmes, fair-skinned, but tanned by
the sun, and has a military manner.
c) Gregson: We know very little about Inspector
Gregson, other than that his hair is very blond
(‘flaxen’), that he is tall, with a pale complexion,
and that he evidently has a high opinion of himself.
d) Lestrade: Physically, he contrasts with Gregson,
because he is small, and dark. He is not attractive,
and is described as ‘rat-faced’ (p. 13), and ferret-like
(p. 23) with an unhealthy skin. Like Gregson, he thinks
he will be able to solve the case, but his approach is
more practical and less thoughtful than Gregson’s.
e) Drebber: Enoch J. Drebber was unattractive even as
a young man, but drunkenness and a bad character
have made him brutish (‘ape-like’) and ugly in middle
age. He is described as middle-sized, with broad
shoulders, black curly hair and a short beard. He is
arrogant, obstinate, and thinks he can treat people
(especially women) as he wants.
f) Stangerson: As a boy Stangerson was obstinate and
presumptuous. These characteristics continue – he
takes the lead, even though he is less rich than
Drebber, and ends up as his secretary. He is alert to
danger and fights back when Hope comes to kill him.
We know little about his appearance other than that
he has ‘keen eyes’ (p. 63) and a ‘long, pale face’ (p. 78)
54 On return, he finds the horses, the man, and the girl
have all gone. Near the camp he finds a newly-dug
grave with a paper showing John Ferrier is buried
there.
55 Lucy has been taken away. She is forced to marry
young Drebber, but dies within a month.
56 ‘The one object to which Jefferson Hope had devoted
his life’ is revenge against Drebber and Stangerson. He
pursues this by trying to kill them in Utah, and then –
once he has earned enough money – following them
to Europe, still determined to kill them.
2
g) Brigham Young: He is the leader of the Mormons
although he is only in his 30s. He is described as
having a ‘massive head’ and a ‘resolute expression’
(p. 66). He is an excellent administrator and organiser.
His appearance remains stern and impressive, but
probably not attractive. He has sandy hair, lightcoloured eyelashes, and is rather fat. His character is
cold and
merciless.
h) John Ferrier: When we first see him he is thin with
hunger, with his long brown hair and beard starting to
turn white. It is clear that he is brave, strong and
determined. He is a good hunter and a good farmer,
practical and hardworking. He becomes rich from his
farming but he loves his daughter, and his freedom,
more than his wealth. Although he is a reserved man,
he is loving and loyal.
i) Lucy Ferrier: As a child, she is described as innocent
and pretty with golden hair. When she is older, her
beauty attracts a lot of attention, and her character is
frank, innocent, and fearless.
j) Jefferson Hope: He is very tall. As a young man, he is
‘savage looking’, strong, powerful, and dark from the
sun. His character is passionate and strong-willed and,
after Lucy is taken away and dies, he dedicates his
whole life to revenge. He pursues this with patience
and vindictiveness. Even after all his suffering, he is
very strong and the only external symptom of his
illness is his florid complexion.
2 (suggestions for answers:)
The place descriptions are not just factual: they are full
of atmosphere creating a sense of drama and
foreboding. For example, Lauriston Gardens is
described as ill-omened; the windows are melancholy,
and even the plants are sickly. The Alkali desert is not
only without water and vegetation, but described as
grim, gloomy, and dreary. We are shown the bones of
those who have died there as examples of its
inhospitality. The route that Hope and the Ferriers take
through the mountains is described giving emphasis to
the boulders that fall, paralleled to the organisation
whose iron grasp could …crush them.
Another characteristic of the descriptions is that they
are almost cinematic in technique, beginning in the
distance, and moving closer to the small details.
This is very clear in the description of the desert.
3 (suggestions for answers:)
As ‘A Study in Scarlet’ is the first of the Sherlock
Holmes stories, Conan Doyle has to establish their
characters, and explain how they came to be living
together. Later stories can build on this information,
and develop their relationship, sometimes with
humorous effect.
4 (suggestions for answers:)
Typical themes found in modern detective and murder
stories – a crime is investigated; methods of
investigation (clues are given); a false arrest/suspicion,
with an innocent person accused; the character and
unorthodox methods of the detective contrasted
with less successful detectives; psychological details:
the need to establish a motive; suspense and drama
as people are pursued; certainty that the mystery will
be solved and the criminal caught.
Differences? – story in two parts, with the connection
not immediately clear; Watson’s narrative voice;
relative lack of graphic violence and suspense.
We can see, however, that Conan Doyle’s stories have
had a lasting influence in the modern ‘thriller’.
3
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Hamlet
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT II
1 a. He speaks strangely because he wants to appear mad.
b. They are friends of his from the university in Wittenburg.
c. He is happy because the players will give entertainment.
d. The story of King Priam reminds him that he has not
taken revenge for his own father’s death.
e. He plans to have the players perform a scene similar
to his father’s murder and to watch Claudius’s reactions.
COMPREHENSION AND TEXT APPRECIATION EXERCISES
PAGE 78
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
Act I
a. Perhaps you know about the ghost, or that Hamlet
is the prince of Denmark, and that he has a famous
soliloquy beginning ‘To be or not to be –‘. Another
famous scene is with the grave-digger, and Yorick’s skull.
b. The Zefferelli version is exciting, filmed in a castle
in Scotland; the Branagh version is very long, but very
powerful.
PAGE 81
2 carrion – dead flesh
slander – accuse falsely and maliciously
doomsday – the Day of Judgement
maggot – fly larva
mirth – merriment, good humour
offal – internal organs
flinch – jump, be startled by something
cleave – cut open, split
3 (Model answers:)
The newspaper story about corruption appalled me.
Crows and other birds feed on carrion.
I shall sue that man for slander!
This will last until doomsday.
I think maggots are disgusting creatures.
His eyes filled with tears of mirth.
Offal has to be carefully cooked.
He flinched when the doctor touched his broken arm.
He used an axe to cleave the block in two.
4 a. mirthless b. cleaver c. doom d. appalling
e. slanderous f. maggoty
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT I
1 a. The ghost looks like King Hamlet, the dead king of
Denmark.
b. A cock crowed, and, because morning was
approaching, the ghost disappeared.
c. Fortinbras is the Prince of Norway, whose father,
the king, was killed by King Hamlet.
d. There are preparations for war because Fortinbras
wants to get his lands back.
e. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark, King Hamlet’s son.
f. The ghost wants Hamlet to follow him.
g. So that it can speak to him privately.
h. King Claudius was King Hamlet’s brother – and his
murderer.
2 a. True b. False c. True d. False e. True f. False
g. True h. False
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3 a. He is mourning his father’s death and is angry
and disgusted by his mother’s very rapid marriage
to Claudius, her husband’s brother.
b. ‘Oh that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!
Or that the Everlasting had not forbidden us
To take our own lives.’
c. He thinks his father and Claudius are completely
different: he is ‘no more like my father Than I to
Hercules’
d. He believes women are frail and inconstant.
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Vertical word: Hamlet
PAGE 82
5 LORD POLONIUS Oh, pardon me, but how is my good
Lord Hamlet?
HAMLET Well, thank you.
LORD POLONIUS Do you know who I am, my lord?
HAMLET Perfectly well: you are a fishmonger.
LORD POLONIUS No, I’m not, my lord.
HAMLET Then I wish you were such an honest man.
LORD POLONIUS Honest, my lord!
HAMLET Yes, sir. To be honest, in this modern world,
is to be one in ten thousand.
LORD POLONIUS That’s quite true, my lord.
HAMLET Because if the sun breeds maggots in a dead
dog, which is good dead flesh for that – Do you have
a daughter?
LORD POLONIUS Yes, I do, my lord.
HAMLET Don’t let her walk in the sun. Conception is
a blessing, but not in the way she may get pregnant.
Be careful, my friend.
LORD POLONIUS (aside) What do you think of that? He still
speaks only about my daughter, but at first he didn’t
know me; he said I was a fishmonger: he’s gone, far
gone, and indeed when I was young I also suffered
terribly for love; very like this. I’ll talk to him some more.
What are you reading, my lord?
HAMLET Words, words, words.
LORD POLONIUS What is it about? The argument?
HAMLET Between who?
LORD POLONIUS I mean what are you reading about?
HAMLET It’s all lies because the stupid writer says that
old men have grey beards, and their faces are wrinkled,
with their eyes secreting yellow gum and that they
have a lack of intelligence, as well as weak thighs:
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PAGE 80
5 a. lodge b. shroud c. entreated d. thrifty e. fie
f. oath g. summoned h. kin i. mourning
PRE-READING QUESTION
a. Perhaps by getting Claudius to confess his crime.
If he kills him he will be killed himself.
b. He might have doubts about the ghost’s story.
4
all of which, although I absolutely believe it, I do not
think it is honest to put in writing like this, because you,
sir, would be the same age as me – if you could go
backwards like a crab.
LORD POLONIUS (aside) Even if this is madness, it makes a
lot of sense. Would you like to walk out of the air, my lord?
HAMLET Into my grave?
LORD POLONIUS True – that is out of the air. (aside) How
meaningful his replies sometimes are! Madness often
hits on greater appropriateness than reason and sanity
do! I will leave him, and arrange a meeting between
him and my daughter. – I humbly take my leave of you,
my lord.
HAMLET You couldn’t take anything from me that I would
be happier to lose – except my life, except my life.
LORD POLONIUS Goodbye, my lord.
HAMLET These boring old idiots!
6 a. He is not a brave, noble hero like the character in
the play.
b. The player weeps because he is acting a role.
c. Some of the strong language he uses is: slave; bloody,
bawdy villain; Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous,
kindless villain!
d. Then he reproaches himself for using bad language
instead of taking vengeance.
e. He says: ‘The spirit I have seen may be the devil’
4 Rosencrantz told Claudius that Hamlet confessed that
he felt mad, but would not tell them why. Guildenstern
added that he wasn’t willing to be questioned either.
Gertrude asked if Hamlet had welcomed them, and
Rosencrantz said that he had been very gentlemanly.
She asked if they had encouraged him to pursue some
entertainment and Rosencrantz explained that they had
passed some players on their way there and when they
told Hamlet this, he had been overjoyed. He believed
they had already had the order to play before him that
evening. Lord Polonius interrupted to say this was true
and that Hamlet had beseeched him to invite the King
and Queen to see the play. King Claudius said he was
very glad to hear that.
PAGE 85
5 b. She asked me to pass the water.
c. She begged me to help her.
d. She ordered me to sit at the back of the room.
e. She entreated me not to tell Frank.
f. She asked me to wait there a moment.
g. She told me to stop talking nonsense.
h. She beseeched me not to leave her there.
i. She asked me what time the next bus was due.
PAGE 86
6 question
PAGE 83
nobler
slings
outrageous
arms
troubles
opposing
sleep
thousand
flesh
wish’d
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
a. It is obviously about a murder – the murder of a king,
perhaps.
b. A play about a murder will remind him of his own
guilt.
c. He loves her, but he cannot think about love and
about murder and revenge at the same time.
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT III
1 a. He thinks love of Ophelia has caused him to go mad.
b. Gertrude would be happy for Hamlet to marry Ophelia.
c. He tells her to ‘get to a nunnery’ because he does not
want to marry her, or to see her again.
d. He treats her well, giving her presents, and speaking
to her like a lover.
e. When he rejects her she is full of sadness that he has
gone mad.
f. Queen Gertrude thinks the queen in the play is being
excessive when she promises that she will never
remarry after her husband’s death. Gertrude of course
remarried very quickly.
g. He is upset, and gets up and leaves the room.
h. No – he is much more honest and speaks clearly
when he speaks to Horatio.
i. If he were killed while he was praying, Claudius would
go straight to heaven.
j. It’s not clear – possibly Claudius, or some other
enemy, but he does not care who he has killed.
k. Yes, she seems definitely to believe him.
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7 a. He is considering whether it is better to be alive or
dead.
b. When you are alive, you have to bear all kinds of
misfortunes.
c. You can oppose this suffering by dying.
d. But he is afraid of the dreams and suffering that
might come when you are dead.
e. He uses words like: calamity, whips, scorns, wrong,
pangs …
f. He compares death to sleep.
PAGE 87
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
a. Claudius will need to punish Hamlet – he could
sentence him to death, or exile him.
b. Laertes will want to revenge his father’s death.
Ophelia will be left alone, and very sad.
PAGE 84
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT IV
2 a. mischief b. pox c. bellow d. grant e. prank
1 a. Claudius decides Hamlet must be sent away to
f. repentance g. slain h. rotten i. chide j. weed
k. cunning l. guts
3 (Model answers:)
My little brother is always up to mischief.
Nowadays we know the ‘pox’ as ‘syphilis’.
He bellowed with pain.
We were granted this land in perpetuity.
That was a very silly prank to play.
He was full of repentance for his wicked past.
This memorial is dedicated to soldiers slain in the war.
One rotten apple will spoil the whole box.
She chided him for not telling the truth.
The garden is such a mess: it’s full of weeds.
The fox is considered a very cunning animal.
I have a feeling in my guts that this will not work.
England immediately.
b. Hamlet calls Rosencrantz a sponge because he soaks
up rewards and favours.
c. He says Polonius is ‘at supper’ because worms are
eating him.
d. ‘The other place’ where they could seek for Polonius
is hell.
e. Claudius believes grief for Polonius’s death has sent
Ophelia mad.
f. He promises Laertes than they will investigate and
revenge Pononius’s death and that if he, Claudius, is
found to be responsible, Laertes can have his throne.
5
g. Claudius makes sure that Laertes will kill Hamlet by
poisoning his sword, and, if this fails, by making sure
there is a poisoned cup that Hamlet will drink from.
h. Ophelia dies by drowning.
2 1. dead 2. lean 3. fever 4. rebuke 5. turf
6. unwholesome 7. judgment 8. withered 9. flaxen
10. shuffling
PAGE 92
3 a. grinning b. treason c. fit d. decked e. dallying
f. treachery g. churlish h. rants
4 (Model answers:)
b. treason (noun) – treachery, betrayal
treasonable (adjective) – treacherous
c. fit (noun) – attack, seizure
fitful (adjective) – irregular
d. to deck (verb) – to decorate
decked (adjective) decorated
e. to dally (verb) – to move or act slowly
dalliance (noun) – slowness
f. treachery (noun) – betrayal, treason
treacherous (adjective) – likely to betray; dangerous
g. churl (noun) – peasant; rude person
churlish (adjective) – rude, bad-tempered
h. to rant (verb) – to talk loudly and angrily
ranting (adejctive) – loud, incoherent
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PAGE 93
5 a. false b. false c. true d. true e. true
6 (Model answers:)
b. What would you do if you had a cold drink in front
of you?
c. What would you do if you felt ill?
d. What would you do if you had plenty of money and
a few free days?
e. What would you do if you heard an intruder in your
house at night?
f. What would you do if the ice cream was melting?
‘Second’ – hypothetical – conditional is being used
here.
3 (Model answers:)
He has been dead for many years.
I prefer lean meat to fat.
She has a cold and a very high fever.
He received a strong rebuke for his careless work.
We laid turf to create beautiful green lawn.
The unwholesome climate affected his health badly.
Her judgment was badly affected by drugs.
Lack of rain left the plants dry and withered.
I had lovely flaxen curly hair as a child.
The children came shuffling unwillingly into class.
PAGE 94
Hamlet • The work as a whole
PAGE 89
THE WRITER AND HIS WORK
4 a. false b. true c. false d. true e. false f. false g. true
a. Suggestion: First write a short summary of the play
in your own words. Which of the themes occur in your
version? Which themes do you find the most important?
Relate them to incidents in the play: for example,
corruption – who do you think is corrupt? Revenge –
who takes revenge, and what for? Deception – who
deceives who? Appearance and reality – what
incidents in the play show this?
Are there other themes that do not occur in this list?
Also look at the language, for example, in Hamlet’s
famous soliloquies – how does this reflect the themes
mentioned? Now organise your answer into paragraphs:
you could have one about corruption, one about
revenge, and perhaps combine deception and
appearance and reality in a third paragraph. In your
conclusion you can mention other themes you have
found.
(Model answer:)
Yes. Claudius is corrupted by the desire for power
and by lust for his brother's wife. The ghost of Hamlet's
father demands he take revenge for his murder. King
Claudius deceives Hamlet by telling him to go away for
his own safety, when in fact he is planning to kill him.
At first Hamlet appears to be slightly mad because he is
acting strangely, but it is because he is trying to find out
the truth.
b. (Model answer:)
ACT II, Scene Two (a room in the castle): Two large
wooden chairs with cushions, to represent the thrones.
ACT V, Scene One (a churchyard): Several standing
crosses and large stones to represent grave markers; a
brown rug to represent the grave which is being dug;
spades for the gravediggers and a wax or plaster of paris
skull for Hamlet's soliloquy.
5 came / grew / climbed / broke / fell / spread / carried /
went / sang / was not / became / pulled
PAGE 90
6 b. made / have not made
c.
d.
e.
f.
stayed / tried / was not / have had
could not believe / saw / looked / have not seen
told / was / have tried
have never read / had to / used / did not get
PAGE 91
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
(Model answers:)
a. He will be very upset.
b. Laertes is probably a better soldier, so may win.
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT V
1 a. The grave is for Ophelia.
b. Yorick was a court jester.
c. The priest says this because it is not clear whether
her death was suicide or not.
d. Hamlet fights with Laertes because Laertes
attacks him.
e. Yes, Hamlet did love Ophelia.
f. He thinks he will win the duel because he has been
practising continuously.
g. Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup first.
h. Laertes is poisoned with his own rapier.
i. Hamlet stops Horatio from drinking the poison so
that he will live and tell Hamlet’s story.
2 a. – smiling stupidly or without humour
b. – bad-mannered
c. – cover with flowers, decorate
d. – shout with anger
e. – convulsion, attack of anger
f. – waste time
g. – disloyalty, betrayal
h. – betrayal of the king or state
6
c. (Model answer:)
The Shakespearean stage did not use scenery. For
each change of scene, appropriate props were carried
onto the stage. For ACT III, Scene Four, a couch would
indicate the scene takes place in the Queen's closet.
The actor playing Polonius could cover himself with
a cloth or blanket and stand to one side of the stage
to indicate he is hiding behind a tapestry.
The play
PAGE 95
ESSAY QUESTIONS
(Model essay:)
b. There are many examples in the play. Here are two:
ACT I, Scene one: King Claudius speaks of Hamlet's
father as his "dear brother", when in fact he had
murdered him. Later in the same scene, Hamlet
attributes his downcast appearance first to having
been exposed to too much sun, and later to the grief
he feels after his father's death. He is really only
suppressing his rage at the way his uncle has enticed
his mother into marriage so soon after becoming a
widow.
ACT II, Scene two: Hamlet gives the impression of
being mad by giving nonseniscal answers to Polonius'
questions. Polonius suspects he is madly in love with
Ophelia. But Hamlet's strange behaviour is the result
of his uncertainty about the ghost's accusations and
his own indecision as to whether to venge his father's
death.
c. Both Gertrude and Ophelia are ladies of the Court
and therefore involved with powerful men. But
Gertrude succumbed to the seduction of Claudius and
betrayed her husband's memory by marrying his
brother almost immediately after King Hamlet's death.
On the other hand, Ophelia was driven to madness
precisely because her love for Hamlet was faithful.
Both women are viewed more as objects of passion
than as intelligent people worthy of respect.
d. In ACT II, Scene two, Hamlet pretends to mistake
Polonius for a fishmonger. Polonius interprets this
as madness, but in fact, Hamlet uses this image of
simplicity to contrast with the deceit he has
encountered in his uncle. In ACT III, Scene one, Hamlet
repeatedly exhorts Ophelia to "get to a nunnery", but far
from madness, his words are a lament because of his
mother's "incestuous" marriage to his uncle. Hamlet is
not mad. Rather he is obsessed with the discovery of
treachery and the question of revenge.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Suggestions for writing: Read the question carefully.
What does it ask you? Write some notes giving your
immediate answer. If your answer is both yes and no,
put your arguments under those headings. Look through
the text for examples to support your arguments.
Organise your essay into paragraphs with an introduction,
two or more argumentative paragraphs, and a
conclusion.
a. The main question is: Is Hamlet a coward? Secondly:
compare him to Laertes and Fortinbras.
Possible structure:
Introduction: Your opinion? Overview of Hamlet’s role.
1. Arguments that Hamlet is a coward.
2. Arguments that he is not.
3. Comparison with Laertes and Fortinbras.
(Model essay:)
Hamlet is different from many tragic heroes because he
is not a man of action. At the beginning of the play, his
father is dead and he is depressed and angry. After his
father’s ghost speaks to him, he spends most of the
play planning his revenge, and debating whether he
should act or not. Does this mean that he is a coward?
Hamlet believes himself to be a coward. He compares
himself with Priam’s son (who revenges his father’s
murder) in the play, saying (Act II, scene ii):
‘Yet I,
A dull and cowardly rascal, mope
And can say nothing; … Am I a coward?
… I am pigeon-liver’d and lack gall …’
In the famous soliloquy beginning ‘To be, or not to be’
(Act III, scene I), he explains that he is not ready to kill
and then be tormented for his sins in hell. He may also
compare himself with Fortinbras, the prince of Sweden
(who begins a war to revenge his own father’s death),
and, later, with Laertes (who wishes to have revenge
for Hamlet’s accidental killing of Polonius).
But Hamlet is very conscious of the moral dilemma of
killing. He also wonders whether killing is an effective
revenge. For example, when he has the opportunity to
kill Claudius at prayer, he decides not to act:
‘A villain kills my father; and for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.
O, this is legal payment, not revenge.’
(Act III, Scene ii)
He worries that the ghost may be an instrument of the
devil, sent to tempt him. He is also disgusted by the
society he lives in, and feels outside it. Anger and
disgust make him more active, for example when he
attacks Laertes at Ophelia’s grave (Act V, Scene i). When
he is forced to act, in a duel with Laertes, he shows he
is a brave and capable fighter, but this is not his natural
way.
In contrast to natural fighters like Fortinbras or Laertes,
Hamlet thinks about the consequences of his actions,
and whether they are morally justified. He is a scholar
and a philosopher in a war-like society. This does not
make him a coward.
7
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Pride and Prejudice
d. Bingley’s sisters don’t really like Jane. e. Caroline
Bingley likes Darcy. f. Bingley likes Jane. g. Jane likes
Bingley. h. Darcy likes Elizabeth. i. Bingley and his
sisters like Darcy. j. Yes, Jane and Bingley like each
other. k. No, Elizabeth and Caroline Bingley do not like
each other. l. Yes, Bingley and Darcy like each other.
COMPREHENSION AND TEXT APPRECIATION EXERCISES
PAGE 75
Chapters 1-5
PAGE 80
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
7 a. had been trying b. had been raining
(Model answers:)
a. Prejudice can be about social class, or gender, or
because we have heard gossip about someone. Perhaps
the characters in the novel are proud of their social
positions or prejudiced against each other.
b. These two characteristics would be obstacles to falling
in love.
c. had not stopped d. had finished
e. had been writing f. had written g. had met
h. had not flown i. had not eaten j. had been eating
PAGE 81
Chapters 6-10
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS 1-5
a. No, because they are much richer, and would like
Bingley to marry a rich woman.
b. They might start to like each other more.
1 a. Mr Bennet seems unconventional and intelligent.
He is sarcastic and humorous, and especially fond of
his daughter Elizabeth. b. Mrs Bennet is less intelligent
than her husband, superficial and changeable. c. They
appear to tolerate each other, although they are very
different. d. Mrs Bennet’s main aim in life is to find
husbands for her daughters. e. Jane finds Mr Bingley’s
sisters charming. Elizabeth thinks they are ill-mannered
and snobbish, and she notices their lack of concern for
Jane when she is ill. f. Mrs Bennet wants Jane to go on
horseback because if the weather is bad, she will have
to stay there and spend more time with the Bingley
family. g. The Bingleys are surprised to see Elizabeth
so early, because she has come three miles on foot,
and has got very muddy on her walk. h. The Bingley
sisters comment on Elizabeth’s untidy appearance,
saying that she looked ‘wild’ when she arrived. i. Mr
Darcy finds Elizabeth unconventional and thinks she
has beautiful eyes. j. When she visits, Mrs Bennet
praises Jane’s beauty by comparing it with Charlotte
Lucas’ plainness. Charlotte is a close friend of Elizabeth’s.
k. The separation is agreeable to Mr Darcy and to
Bingley’s sisters. It is disagreeable to Mr Bingley.
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS 6-10
1 a. Mr Collins is a distant cousin of the Bennets.
b. He is the heir to Mr Bennet’s property and so will
inherit Longbourn. c. He comes to Longbourn to
make his peace with the family. d. Mrs Bennet is
pleased because she thinks she has successfully
married off two of her daughters. e. Lydia and Kitty
are less serious than their elder sisters. f. Mr Wickham
is an army officer. g. Mr Darcy’s father was his
godfather. h. He says that he dislikes Darcy because
Darcy prevented him from getting a living he had been
promised. i. Lady Catherine is Mr Collins’ patroness
and Mr Darcy’s aunt. j. Miss de Bourgh may be going
to marry Darcy. k. Mr Collins asks Elizabeth to marry
him. l. Caroline Bingley hopes that Georgiana Darcy
will marry her brother. m. Elizabeth is surprised that
Charlotte has accepted Mr Collins’s proposal of
marriage.
PAGE 82
2 a. – achievement, successful completion of something.
PAGE 76
b. – to leave in a will. c. – breaking, especially of a
contract or other formal agreement.
d. – a short look. e. – suffering, difficult experience.
f. – (here) legally settled on a person.
g. – to politely say ‘no’; go down or diminish
h. – mixed. i. – to hold someone affectionately in
your arms. j. – a very humble or serious request.
k. – place where things are stored.
2 a. False b. True c. False d. False e. True f. False
g. True h. True i. False
3
5
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PAGE 77
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4 a. supercilious b. solace c. footman d. uneasy
e. neighbourhood f. compose g. let h. weary
i. trifling j. scarce
PAGE 78
5 a. supercilious b. composed c. not at ease
d. scarce e. trifle f. let g. allow h. neighbour
PAGE 79
6 a. Mr Bingley likes Jane. b. Jane likes Mr Bingley and
his sisters. c. Bingley’s sisters dislike Elizabeth.
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f. Elizabeth’s main reason for not wanting to marry Darcy
is that he has ruined Jane’s possibility of happiness.
g. Darcy’s worst fault, in Elizabeth’s opinion, is his
pride.
h. Darcy explains that he thought Jane was indifferent
to Bingley. He was also shocked by the way members
of the Bennet family were talking about the marriage
as if certain. He justifies his treatment of Wickham by
explaining how Wickham first gave up his claim to the
church, asking for money to study law instead, and
then, after he had spent all the money, wanted to be
ordained. After all this, he tried to elope with 15-yearold Georgiana Darcy.
i. Elizabeth is ashamed of her prejudice.
j. Elizabeth wants Jane’s advice on whether she should
tell the family about Wickham’s true character.
k. Elizabeth believes that Lydia’s behaviour in Brighton
will reflect on the whole family, and ruin their reputation.
l. She finds Pemberley very elegant, and showing very
good taste.
m. She is ashamed because it might look as if she was
trying to meet Darcy.
n. His behaviour is surprising because he is polite and
friendly, wants to meet her friends, and also wishes to
introduce her to his sister.
PAGE 83
4 My dear,
You cannot imagine what has happened! I have already
told you about our impossible cousin, Mr Collins, who
has come to visit us. He is the silliest and most
pompous man imaginable, and talks continuously
about his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He
said he wanted to visit us to restore good relations
with our family, but it seems he has another motive!
Lady Catherine, apparently, has told him he should
marry. He also thinks (I do not disagree!) that it is
appropriate for a clergyman to be married, so he is
looking for a wife. At first he was interested in dear
Jane, but now he has understood that she has
given her heart to someone else, he has quickly
changed his plan.
This morning, in a very pompous way, he asked my
mother if he ‘could solicit a private audience’ with me.
I was surprised and embarrassed but Mama was
delighted, and would not stay to hear his proposal.
He explained his reasons for wanting to marry and that
he had chosen me to be ‘the companion of his future
life’. When I interrupted to say that I could not accept,
he answered that he knew it was usual for young
ladies to refuse even when they wanted to accept.
In short, he would not believe that I did not want to
marry him!
I promised him that I was serious and left as quickly as
possible. Fortunately, although Mama thinks I should
accept, Papa understands my feelings and agrees with
them.
It is not every day that one receives a proposal of
marriage, I suppose, but I wish it had not been such
an unwelcome one! Write and tell me all your news,
Your loving friend,
Elizabeth Bennet
5 c. He had no objection to my using his car.
d. Harry’s wife says she is tired of living in the city.
e. He wasn’t very interested in my applying for the job.
f. After warming up we went on to do more difficult
exercises.
g. Before taking off we were told to fasten our seat
belts.
h. She was very enthusiastic about Frank’s participating
in the project.
i. She suffered for years without complaining.
j. He didn’t agree with my way of thinking.
PAGE 86
2
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3 a. endeavour – I will endeavour to finish these
exercises today.
b. prey – I am sometimes prey to doubt and
depression.
c. lawn – We had a picnic sitting on the lawn.
d. parsonage – The parsonage, where the vicar lives,
is next to the church.
e. elope – If your parents will not let us marry, we will
have to elope.
f. abruptly – Months after agreeing, he abruptly
changed his mind.
g. take in – The story was so complicated I could not
take in all the detail.
h. subside – I took an aspirin and the pain began to
subside.
i. propriety – Her strong sense of propriety was
offended by his behaviour.
j. disdain – I do not deserve to be treated with such
disdain!
k. likeness – All the children share a strong family
likeness.
l. legacy – My grandmother left me a small legacy
when she died.
m. bear – She can't bear her noisy neighbours.
PAGE 84
6 (Model answer:)
He is a very foolish, self-satisfied man. He thinks rank
and wealth are the most important things, and seems
to have no normal human emotions. His vanity is not
affected by Elizabeth’s refusal to marry him.
Chapters 11-15
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
(POSSIBLE ANSWERS!)
a. He is very charming and attractive, but desperate for
money.
b. It doesn’t seem likely.
PAGE 85
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS 11-15
1 a. Mr Collins feels triumphant that Lady Catherine
de Bourgh has invited them all to dine at Rosings
(her house).
b. Elizabeth is not very impressed by Rosings.
c. Mr Darcy is ashamed of his aunt’s desire to be
involved in every conversation.
d. No, Darcy shows no interest at all in Miss de
Bourgh.
e. Colonel Fitzwilliam reveals that Darcy is pleased
to have saved Bingley from an imprudent marriage.
9
c. When she sees Bingley she thinks he seems very
interested in knowing about Jane.
d. Jane’s letter brings the bad news that their sister
Lydia has run off with Wickham, who, it seems, may
not intend to marry her.
e. Elizabeth is angry with herself for not telling her
family what she had learnt about Wickham’s character.
f. Her uncle Gardiner promises to help in any way he
can, and both prepare to leave Derbyshire immediately.
g. Aunt Philips is less helpful than aunt Gardiner: she
tells Mrs Bennet more and more worrying stories
about Wickham’s behaviour.
h. Mr Gardiner manages to negotiate a marriage
between Wickham and Lydia on the following terms:
Lydia will receive one hundred pounds per annum,
from her father, and her share of five thousand pounds
when her father dies.
i. Mr Bennet does not believe that this will be enough
money to persuade Wickham to marry Lydia.
j. When they come home Mr Bennet is angry that the
couple are not at all embarrassed about their
behaviour and the scandal they have caused.
k. Elizabeth discovers that Mr Darcy not only looked for
and located Wickham in London, but also paid off all
his gambling debts on condition that he married Lydia.
l. Mrs Bennet keeps winking at her daughter because
she wants Jane and Bingley to be left alone.
PAGE 87
4 a. I have been running for 30 minutes … I have run
five kilometres so far …
b. I have been baking all morning. I have baked two
cakes …
c. My eyes are tired because I have been writing for
a long time. I have written four letters. I still haven’t
written to my auntie …
d. Have you read the new best seller …?’ ‘No, I
haven’t. In fact I haven’t had much time for reading
recently.’
e. ‘… Have you been waiting long?’
f. ‘Have you bought Jack a birthday present yet?’ ‘No
I haven’t. Actually I have been wondering what to buy
him …’
g. ‘ … It has been getting colder and colder in the last
few days.’
h. … He has been standing there for ages.
PAGE 88
5 a. Lady Catherine de Bourgh: What are you telling Miss
Bennet?
b. Elizabeth: Will you certainly leave Kent on Saturday?
c. Mr Darcy: Is this all the reply I have the honour of
receiving?
d. Mr Darcy: Will you do me the honour of reading
this?
e. Lydia: Have you seen any pleasant men?
f. Elizabeth: Do you think we should tell the rest of our
family and friends about Wickham’s true character?
g. Elizabeth: Can this be Mr Darcy?
h. Mr Darcy: Will you allow me to introduce my sister
to your acquaintance during your stay at Lambton?
PAGE 90
2 a. simper b. deliberately c. rant d. decease
e. ventured f. detain g. outstrip h. earnest
i. bribe j. complying
PAGE 91
3 a. She is such a simpering idiot!
PAGE 89
b. I think it was deliberate, not an accident.
c. He was ranting and raving in a ridiculous way.
d. The deceased’s last will was read to his family.
e. May I venture an opinion?
f. He will be detained until he is no longer a danger
to society.
g. Demand will outstrip supply if we not increase
production.
h. It seems he is in earnest about this crazy plan.
i. The council employee was bribed by contractors.
j. You must comply with all the terms of the contract.
6 (Model answer:)
Now that we have Darcy’s side of the story we do not
only have Elizabeth’s prejudiced opinion, which has
been influenced by Wickham’s story.
It is clear that his intervention to prevent Bingley
marrying Jane Bennet was made with good motivation,
to prevent his friend making a mistake. Although he
misunderstood Jane’s emotions, it seems Darcy is
usually a good judge of character. Elizabeth would
probably agree with his criticisms of her mother and
her sisters, and he realised many years ago that
Wickham was unprincipled and immoral.
The letter shows that his behaviour to Wickham was
very fair, but that Wickham is immoral and only
interested in money. He tried to take advantage of
Mr Darcy’s generosity, and, when this failed, he even
tried to corrupt Georgiana in order to get her fortune.
Darcy’s behaviour in not telling the whole world about
this shows that he is a gentleman.
Given his position, and what he has experienced, it is
not surprising that Darcy is suspicious of people’s
motives, and tries to protect his friend from a marriage
with someone who may be prompted more by
interest in his money than by love and affection.
PAGE 92
4 (example)
My dear aunt Gardiner,
I am writing to thank you and my uncle for all your
help with the unfortunate affair of my sister’s
elopement.
Lydia and Mr Wickham have been visiting us, and
seem very happy. They are certainly not embarrassed
by any of the problems they have caused. Lydia wanted
to tell everyone about the details of her marriage.
She even said that Mr Darcy helped to arrange it.
I know Mr Darcy is a very kind and courteous
gentleman, but I did not ask for the details of how he
arranged their marriage. I am just very grateful to you,
my uncle and Mr Darcy for helping to protect the
family’s reputation.
Your loving niece,
Elizabeth Bennet.
Chapters 16-20
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
(Model answers:)
d. Darcy’s letter has definitely changed Elizabeth’s
attitude. She may feel she has been unfair to him.
d. Caroline Bingley would be sorry – she would like
to marry Darcy herself. Possibly Lady Catherine would
like him to marry her daughter.
5 was / got / visited / talked / missed / delighted /
bought / were / spent / improved / remained /
changed / remained / sank / could / did
All the verbs are in the simple past.
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS 16-20
1 a. Darcy brings his sister Georgiana to see Elizabeth.
b. Elizabeth is surprised that he does this so soon,
especially as it makes her aunt and uncle think he is
interested in her.
10
However, Elizabeth is not a rebel. She is very concerned
not to offend the values of her society, and is upset
when her mother’s and sisters’ behaviour cause scandal
and affect the whole family’s reputation. In this way
her opinions are similar to Mr Darcy’s. She is also
upset and embarrassed when Darcy finds her visiting
his house. She worries that he will think she is looking
for him.
Finally, Elizabeth’s tendency to judge others can
sometimes be dangerous. It is fortunate that people
like Charlotte Lucas and Mr Darcy can show her that
she has been unfair. She learns that she was wrong to
be prejudiced against Darcy, and that she had no right
to criticise Charlotte for marrying Mr Collins. She learns
to be more charitable, and helps Lydia and Wickham
whenever she can. Jane Austen probably respects
Elizabeth’s nonconformism and her attempt to think
for herself.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE • THE WORK AS A WHOLE
ESSAY QUESTIONS
SUGGESTED APPROACH: Read the question carefully and
make sure you understand it. Quickly note down your
first reactions. If the question asks for an opinion, you
may wish to answer for and against. Divide your
arguments into for/against. Look through the text to
find examples to support your opinions. Give your
essay an introduction and a brief conclusion.
THE WRITER AND HER HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.
Refer to the Preface, page 2.
ESSAY 1)
EXAMPLE OF NOTES:
INTRODUCTION: Restate the question and give general
personal opinion.
PARAGRAPH 1: arguments against the statement (For
example, 18th century context, women’s role and
limited rights, small sector of society portrayed, great
importance of correct behaviour ...) Examples taken
from text.
PARAGRAPH 2: arguments in favour. (For example,
importance of sincerity, of morality, and of considering
others’ feelings, need to avoid prejudice, not believe
everything we hear, and to be ready to reconsider
opinions, …)
Examples taken from text. For example, Wickham’s behaviour, Elizabeth’s prejudice.
CONCLUSION: overall opinion, perhaps contrasting
changed moral standards and legal position of women
from 18th to 21st century.
THE STORY
ESSAY 1)
EXAMPLE OF NOTES:
INTRODUCTION: Restate the question (that Elizabeth is
nonconformist) and give general personal opinion.
PARAGRAPH 1: Examples of Elizabeth’s nonconformist
behaviour taken from text. (For example, leaving home
immediately and walking to visit Jane; higher opinion
of goodness and sincerity than of rank and wealth;
refusal to marry ‘at any cost’; rejection of her mother’s
and younger sisters’ values …)
PARAGRAPH 2: Examples taken from text that show her
to be very influenced by her society. (For example,
worries what people will think about sisters’ behaviour,
embarrassed to be found by Darcy at Pemberley, not
naturally rebellious)
CONCLUSION: Elizabeth is independent minded, but
sometimes too ready to judge others: For example,
judges Charlotte for accepting Mr Collins, is prejudiced
against Darcy, but is able to accept her mistakes and
correct them. Jane Austen respects Elizabeth’s
nonconformism.
MODEL ESSAY:
Elizabeth Bennet has a strong personality, and is her
father’s favourite child. She is independent-minded,
but her values are those of her society.
From the beginning of the novel, Elizabeth’s actions
show that she is not afraid to think for herself and to
appear different. She is critical of her mother’s plan to
put Jane inside the Bingley family, but when she hears
her sister is ill her immediate reaction is to walk across
the fields, getting very muddy in the process, and visit
her. She is not impressed by wealthy snobbish people
like Bingley’s sisters and Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
She thinks good manners and concern for others are
more important than money and rank. Furthermore,
despite the social and family pressure to get married,
she is not at all interested in marrying someone who
she does not respect or like.
11
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LEVEL: ADVANCED
Rapa Nui
5 a. The buildings were destroyed during the invasion.
b. The painting was stolen from the museum.
c. He was killed in a road accident.
d. The small island airport will be enlarged.
e. A new hospital is being built for the island.
f. The road was being repaired when I tried to drive
through the city centre.
g. She has been informed of the situation.
h. You will be taken to your hotel when you arrive at
the airport.
i. You will be taken on a guided tour of the island.
COMPREHENSION AND TEXT APPRECIATION EXERCISES
PAGE 72
Chapters I-X
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. It is a very isolated place in the Pacific Ocean, governed
by Chile. It is famous for its mysterious stone sculptures.
2. I think it was probably for religious purposes – perhaps
a god to be worshipped.
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS I-X
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1 a. He knows if people think he is ‘odious’, they won’t
Chapters XI-XX
think about his motives and won’t suspect him.
b. Carter is a big businessman from Florida.
c. Carter thinks Mayor Pro Tem is cunning, but that he
is predictable because he is selfish.
d. The ‘Bird-man’ was a young man who swam out to
a small island in the ocean, floating on a raft, and was
the first to bring back a bird’s egg.
e. The skin on Pro Tem’s arms was covered with
small scars.
f. The statues were made with Stone Age tools.
g. He wants Carter to understand that he knows how
tourism will affect the island.
h. The developers want to expand the island’s infrastructure, including the communications and security.
i. The local people trust the mayor: they are indifferent
to the changes that are happening and do not let the
development affect them.
2 a. laconically b. pursed c. grimly d. bleak e. settlers
f. thrive g. quarry h. sheltered i. endeavour j. trust
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1. We know that Pro Tem knows what is happening,
and knows what people think of him. He cultivates
the image of a simple man, but he is not a fool.
2. I think they are planning luxury holidays in an exotic
location – comfortable, but with a suggestion
of adventure.
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS XI-XX
1 a. Pro Tem emphasises to Mr Irving that he is as
important as Mr Carter and should be treated with
the same respect.
b. A Sau Sau is a long night of celebrating, eating
and drinking, taking place in the house of a local
family on Rapa Nui.
c. Pro Tem lets the Greens explain their point of view,
shows that he agrees with them, and then explains
that the alternatives to tourism would be worse for
the island and its people.
d. The local people feel the mayor is not part of
the island and has strange desires.
e. Two people are killed when a lighting column falls
on them.
f. Pro Tem reacts very calmly to the news.
g. Carter is worried because these were influential
people. Their deaths will bring bad publicity,
and the risk of litigation. Both these things will worry
the financial backers who are about to arrive.
h. Pro Tem explains that no-one was hurt. He says that
two sheep were killed, and that the emergency teams
worked well.
2 a. buffer b. soothe c. supersede d. slack e. squall
f. dodge g. hurtled h. flesh i. screech
3 a. lived b. have lived c. was / was / got / was
d. have studied e. went / haven’t decided
f. have read / tried / was
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3 (Model answers:)
PAGE 78
a. ‘That’s too bad’, she replied laconically.
b. Her lips were pursed in disapproval.
c. They looked grim when they heard the news.
d. The future looks bleak, I’m afraid.
e. Many Americans are the descendants of European
settlers.
f. Some animals do not thrive in captivity.
g. We used to play in the old chalk quarry.
h. We found a sheltered spot for our picnic.
i. His endeavours were well rewarded.
j. You can’t trust what the papers say!
Now complete this sentence:
… present perfect …. past participle …
4 ‘the wind whipped’ ‘the stinging rain flew … tearing
at their clothes’
The final image of blood, fire, and burning flesh is
sinister, frightening and dramatic.
PAGE 79
5 a. (example given) b. have already begun / said /
were c. has been / was / forced / failed / died
d. has announced / was
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PAGE 80
4 a. (example given)
6 a. will be going – fixed/highly probable
b. She didn’t use to smoke when she was young.
c. I used to do a lot of sport, but now I don’t.
d. She didn’t use to be very thin in the past.
e. There didn’t use to be a lot of traffic in the town.
f. There used to be a lot of trees in the town.
g. He didn’t use to be so moody in the past.
h. She used to be more cheerful when she was a girl.
i. They didn’t use to live in the city when they were
first married.
b. will be taking up – highly probable
c. will be watching – action in progress at a particular
moment
d. will be flying – action in progress at a particular
moment
e. will be working – action in progress at a particular
moment
f. will probably be staying – highly probable
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PAGE 85
Chapters XXI-XXX
Chapters XXXI-XLI
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. They may have eaten fish – or perhaps they were
cannibals.
2. I think he wants to make Carter nervous about
the island and its inhabitants.
a. I think he is interested in developing the island, but not
for tourism.
b. Perhaps he just wants to develop the island’s
infrastructure.
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS XXI-XXX
AFTER YOU'VE READ CHAPTERS XXXI-XLI
1 a. According to Pro Tem, they ate their own dead.
1 a. He thinks the world has changed, and that
Christianity cannot resist the Old Forces any more.
b. Some of the men are looking for available women –
prostitutes, presumably.
c. Carter is a good speaker.
d. All the tourists are handed an alarm and tracking
device.
e. He tells the visitors to strike the rock face at the
quarry with a small stone and leave a mark.
f. He will show them a place no outsider has ever
seen.
g. The 15 men are naked and their bodies are covered
with scars.
h. They lead the tourists to the crater of Rana Koi.
i. The stone workers ate the fish that were trapped in
the crater and preserved in salt.
j. The scars are from swimming over the volcanic
rocks to unblock the entrance to the cavern.
k. When the men started to sing the cavern vibrated
and the rocks started to crack.
l. He had taken them to the cave to kill them.
m. He realised that Carter never intended tourism to
work on Rapa Nui.
b. Carter is horrified and disgusted by this idea.
c. The bodies of the two dead conservationists are in
the sea.
d. Walgrave is the head of the promotional department
for tourism on Easter Island.
e. She tries to associate Easter Island with sexual
delights.
f. Including celebrities will generate publicity.
g. They will get more publicity by forbidding
academics from attending.
h. It is not quite clear why he was chosen, but it may
be because of his talent for impersonation.
By impersonating the previous mayor he seems
exactly like him.
i. It is not a real debate because both sides have been
paid by the Easter Island company.
j. The walls are of volcanic glass, with images of ‘birdmen’. The floor is made of white grains, and drops into
a deep pit.
k. The insurance company insists that they are
distributed in order to distribute the risk.
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2 a. mass produced b. with no obstacle c. evidence
2 a. parishioner b. stout c. thrust d. waive e. host
d. belief e. come into mind f. deadened, with no
feeling g. pitiless behaviour, acting without moral
considerations m h. completely i. lower back and
sides j. disabled person (unpleasant term) k. give
undeserved praise l. move gradually like liquid
m. people who live on the streets and ask for money
n. personally train o. move on the hands and knees
like a baby p. shelf
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3 thrust / swarmed / flinched / stout / struggling /
host / samples / poisoned / achievement
4 a. (answer given) b. reading c. swimming
d. to have a chat e. reading f. to read g. to answer
h. answering i. talking j. making k. to think
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3 a. care b. pager c. come d. tall e. deep f. yeast
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g. peg h. coins i. health
4 a. False b. True c. False d. False e. False f. True
g. False h. True
5 a. look like b. are just like c. like / don’t like / are like
d. looks more like e. is like / like f. isn’t like / likes
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6 (Examples)
5 a. I must have lost it.
Struggled … half-blinded by the salt … forced himself
… lungs screaming for air … stomach churning …
7 (Example answer:)
I struggled against the force of the waves, half-blinded
by the salt in my eyes. I sank below the surface, my
lungs screaming for air …
b. You might/could have dropped it.
c. It must have snowed …
d. He must/might have been delayed …
e. … he might have slept late …
f. That can’t have been Mary …
g. You must have heard of the Macdonald case.
h. She must have been …
i. … you might have been too young … you can’t
have been more than ten …
13
RAPA NUI · THE WORK AS A WHOLE
PAGE 90
1 Advantages: Rapa Nui is a beautiful place, away from
the pollution and pressures of modern life. The
islanders’ life is very quiet. They follow traditional
values and are not interested in money.
Disadvantages: The islanders’ life is hard and unvaried,
they are poor and their diet is unvaried. They have few
work opportunities, are very isolated, and have little
access to education or health care.
2 For: Tourism will bring prosperity.
Tourism will bring development.
There will be better communications, more
facilities, and more opportunities.
There will be jobs for the islanders.
Against: This is a very small community.
Their traditions will be destroyed.
Seeing rich tourists will make them dissatisfied
with their lives.
The island and its statues will be damaged.
There will be noise and pollution.
PAGE 91
3 The rescue workers entered through a long tunnel and
then an entrance through the rock. Inside the cavern,
the floor, which was a ledge over a deep pit full of salt,
was covered with fallen rocks. Bodies of tourists and
islanders lay under the rocks. Others must have fallen
off the ledge, and had disappeared into the salt
crystals.
4 Tourism brings both advantages and disadvantages.
It makes it possible to visit beautiful places, but it can
also destroy those places. I would love to visit a place
like Easter Island before it gets developed for mass
tourism, but I don’t think I would like to live there!
5 Like Carter, we are told some false sinister stories
about cannibalism and ‘birdmen’. We also read about
the mysteries of Rapa Nui and its bleak landscape. We
know that the priest is worried, and that Pro Tem himself worries about the destruction of lives. This creates
an ominous sense of evil and danger. Like Pro Tem,
we don’t want mass tourism to arrive, but we don’t
know how it will be stopped.
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6 The author has a low opinion of big business people.
He thinks they are cynical, dishonest, and only
interested in money. Walgrave, for example, gets
sexually excited by the idea of saving money. Carter is
only upset by the deaths of two ‘Greens’ because this
may cause the financial backers to withdraw.
14
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Romeo and Juliet
Act II
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. He will wait outside her house, hoping to see her.
2. Probably – she is not a very responsible person.
COMPREHENSION AND TEXT APPRECIATION EXERCISES
PAGE 81
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT II
Act I
1 a. Juliet is talking about Romeo, so she is embarrassed
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
when he hears her.
b. Their families are enemies, so they want to change
their names.
c. Friar Lawrence knows that Romeo was in love with
Rosaline, so this a big, and very quick, change.
d. The Nurse acts as a messenger.
e. The message is to meet him the next afternoon so
that they can get married.
f. Friar Lawrence marries them in his cell.
1. The Zefferelli film is very beautiful, and romantic. The
more recent Baz Luhmann film is more modern and
popular in style. The musical film West Side Story is also
based on Romeo and Juliet.
2. Modern audiences probably see it as a romantic tale of
doomed love, and do not have the expectations that
Shakespeare’s audience had, for example, about
obedience to parents, the immorality of the young
people’s, the Nurse’s, and the Friar’s actions …
PAGE 86
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT I
2
f
1 a. We learn that these two important families from
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violent fights between them.
b. Tybalt is obviously brave, but aggressive. He hates
the Montague family and loves fighting.
c. Romeo is sad because he is in love, but his love is
not returned.
d. Paris asks to marry Capulet’s daughter.
e. The servant cannot read the message he is carrying,
so he asks Romeo to read it.
f. Lady Capulet tells Juliet that Paris is there and wants
to marry her.
g. Tybalt wants to fight Romeo. Capulet says Romeo is
a guest in his house, is quiet, and is behaving well.
Tybalt has no right to attack him.
h. The moment Romeo sees Juliet he falls in love with
her.
2 a. True b. False c. False d. True e. False f. True
g. True h. True
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3 b. What do you want?/What do you wish?
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c. It is what I want …
d. …or, if you do not want to do that …
e. If only you can love me …
f. … if you prefer …
4 a. The following words refer to light: light … breaks,
the sun (x2), the (pale) moon …pale, stars … twinkle,
brightness, daylight, lamp, (her eyes) stream so bright.
b. Romeo seems to idealise her: his language is poetic
but he does not see her as a normal person.
c. The moon (the goddess Diana) is envious because
one of her subjects is more beautiful than she is.
d. He wants to be a glove because Juliet’s gloved hand
is touching her cheek. A glove can touch her cheek, as
he would like to.
5 1. a. 2. b. 3. a. 4. b.
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6 a. I wish I could speak English better.
b. If only I could have a long holiday this year.
c. I wish you could come. / I wish you were able to
come.
d. If only the weather weren’t so bad.
e. If only she hadn’t lost the job.
f. Do you wish he hadn’t gone?
g. I wish we didn’t have to leave so early.
Act III
a. grudge b. misadventure c. frown d. cowardly
e. crutch f. brawl g. thrice h. adversary i. grove
j. vexed k. groan l. earthquake m. beseech
n. rapier
PAGE 83
4 a. earthquake b. misadventure c. groaned
d. frowned e. grudge f. coward g. brawl h. crutches
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
PAGE 84
a. They will probably be very angry.
b. Tybalt, who hates all the Montagues, will be especially
angry.
5 a. ii) b. v) c. iv) d. vii) e. vi) f. iii) g. i)
6 Sentences a, b, c, e, f are first conditional. D is second
conditional. G is mixed second and third – the ‘if’
clause is past and the result clause is present.
15
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PAGE 91
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT III
4 a. What if … the mixture does not work and she has
1 a. Your own opinion – but notice that Benvolio avoids
to marry Paris? What if …the friar has given her poison
and she dies? What if … she wakes before Romeo
arrives and dies or goes mad in the tomb?
b. A fearful thing … foul air, horrible thought of death
… terror, … bones, bloody Tybalt … lies festering,
night spirits … loathsome smells and shrieks …
hideous fears … rotting Tybalt …
c. She might kill herself using a dead person’s bone as
a club to dash out her own brains.
d. It makes us think of the horrors of death, and of
being in a tomb. It also shows us the possible risks of
the Friar’s plan, and the possibility of bad luck.
5 b. and c. In b. we can substitute ii and in c. we can
substitute i.
a fight, and tells Romeo to run away after Tybalt is
killed, while Mercutio cannot resist Tybalt’s insults,
even though Romeo tells him not to fight.
b. Now that Romeo is married to Juliet, Tybalt is
his cousin as well, but of course Tybalt does not
know this.
c. Tybalt and Mercutio are fighting. Romeo puts himself
in the middle to try and stop the fight, so Mercutio
does not see when Tybalt lunges at him.
d. Tybalt dies when Romeo fights him.
e. Lady Capulet says that twenty Montagues fought
against Tybalt and killed him.
f. Romeo is punished by being sent into exile.
g. Juliet swears she will remain a virgin if she cannot
be with Romeo.
h. Friar Lawrence is impatient because he thinks
Romeo is ungrateful for a merciful sentence. He could
have been sentenced to death!
i. Capulet and his wife see how upset Juliet is, and
decide that marriage would stop her crying for Tybalt.
j. Capulet is very angry when Juliet says she doesn’t
want to get married, and he threatens to disown her.
k. Juliet turns to the Nurse for comfort and advice.
2 a. lunge – thrust, stab with a sword
b. grove – a group of trees
c. woe – great trouble
d. gallant – brave, courageous
e. agile – quick, flexible
f. coffin – box in which a dead body is buried
g. dismal – dark and depressing
h. predicament – difficult situation
i. childhood – infancy
j. scold – chide, reprove, tell off
k. starve – die of hunger
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6 a. She must marry Paris, although she does not
want to.
b. Juliet decides to go ahead with the plan despite
her fears.
c. The friar might want to kill her, although he is a holy
man.
d. My father never complained in spite of his illness.
e. Even though she had many lessons, she never learnt
to swim well.
f. She went for a walk despite the cold.
Act V
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
a. I think she will wake up – but too late.
b. With both lovers’ deaths.
PAGE 93
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT V
1 a. The apothecary agrees to sell poison because
Romeo offers him lots of money.
b. Friar Lawrence gave the letter to Friar John, who
visits a house where there was a suspected case of
plague and so is not allowed to leave the house.
c. Paris goes to Juliet’s grave to leave flowers.
d. Romeo kills him.
e. Friar Lawrence tells Juliet he will take her to a convent.
f. She dies because she stabs herself.
g. The Prince sees the deaths as the result of the
hatred between the two families.
h. Montague offers to put up a gold statue of Juliet.
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3 a. grove(s) b. agility c. coffin d. dismal e. lunged
f. woe g. gallant h. childhood
4 a. Has he gone without a scratch?
b. Why the devil did you come between us?
c. Which way did Mercutio’s murderer run?
d. Where are those vile men that began this fray?
e. Why are you wringing your hands?
f. Did Romeo’s hand shed Tybalt’s blood?
PAGE 90
PAGE 94
Act IV
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
k
2
B
h
b T A T T E R E
G
H
c G O R G
W
A
S H E A T H
R
R
j
e
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M O U L
Y
I
i
M
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f C O R D
O
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g S P R I N K L
E
E
L
F
a
a. She could tell her family about her marriage to Romeo,
and hope they will forgive her.
b. Any plan can go wrong, perhaps even leading to death.
AFTER YOU'VE READ ACT IV
1 a. Friar Lawrence tells Juliet to drink a liquid. It will
d
make her sleep as if dead for 42 hours.
b. Juliet’s parents are happy because they think she is
preparing for her wedding.
c. Juliet expresses fears that the mixture will not work,
or will be poisonous, or that she will wake up too
soon, before Romeo arrives, and be alone in the tomb.
d. The Nurse thinks she is asleep.
e. Friar Lawrence thinks they should be merry because
Juliet has gone to heaven.
2 a. true b. false c. false d. false e. false f. true.
3 Fight: brawl, fray, riot / Kill: slay / Promise: swear, vow /
Goodbye: farewell, adieu / Sorrow: woe, grief /
Reprove: tell off, scold, chide / Enemy: foe /
Hateful: detestable, loathsome, vile
m
L I
D
S S
K
U
E D
L
L
D Y
l
I A L
I
E
M
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S
PAGE 95
3 a. lay b. lie c. lay d. lay e. lain f. lain g. lies
16
LEVEL: ADVANCED
The £1,000,000 Bank Note
and other Stories
32 The bank note is cashed in and cancelled. The couple
are given it as a wedding present.
33 He hangs it in a frame to remind him of how he came
to live in London and marry Portia.
THE UNDERTAKER’S CHAT
1 The corpse was ‘a brick’ because he was so easy-going
and helpful.
2 He would prefer a quick, simple funeral, so that he
does not have to wait around.
3 It’s not clear, at first, what he died of, but we learn
later that he died while practising for his funeral.
4 He prepares detailed lists of instructions, and
supervises the preparations.
5 He doesn’t like praise, or any exotic, formal language.
THE £1,000,000 BANK NOTE
1 He is a clerk in a mining broker’s.
2 He gets lost at sea while sailing and is rescued by a
ship going to London.
3 He arrived in London with only one dollar, which he
spent on the first day.
4 He is embarrassed to be seen picking it up.
5 This means that he almost could not resist eating the
breakfast remains, because he was so hungry.
6 The two brothers disagree over the probable effect
6 He dies while singing the song he has chosen for his
on a poor man of having a £1,000,000 bank note. The
narrator is not surprised they decide to settle it with a
bet – this is the normal English way of doing things.
7 They choose him because he looks both poor and
honest and is a stranger.
8 He feels he has been the victim of a practical joke.
funeral service.
7 It seems the family will insist on a traditional funeral,
but the undertaker thinks the corpse’s wishes should
be respected.
8 The moral is that, in any profession, one can be
cheerful.
THE DANGER OF LYING IN BED
1 He is afraid that he will die in bed.
9 He goes to a restaurant to eat a meal.
10 He is so shocked he nearly faints.
11 The landlord is terrified – he cannot even touch the
2 He regards the ‘accident tickets’ as a lottery ticket:
note!
12 He thinks they have made a mistake.
he will win money if he is in an accident.
3 He calculates that, out of every million deaths,
13 The letter says the note is a loan, and he can return it
987,631 occur in bed.
in 30 days.
14 He decides that he has nothing to lose, and will
certainly benefit in the end.
15 At first he is treated with condescension and sarcasm.
The shop assistants change their minds when they see
the bank note.
16 They decide he is an eccentric millionaire.
4 The moral is that the railways are very safe.
LIONIZING MURDERERS
1 The fortune-teller is dirty, wearing dirty clothes, and
smells bad.
2 If she heaves another sigh, he will be able to follow
the smell.
3 She reveals that he started as a small criminal, but his
crimes have become more serious.
4 While in prison he will repent his crimes and be
lionized, attracting many followers.
5 Pike, a murderer, was glorified and rewarded for his
crimes in New Hampshire.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH AN INTERVIEWER
1 He does not understand what an interview is.
17 He probably continues going there because he feels
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26
27
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30
at home. He brings publicity to the restaurant and
attracts more customers.
The cartoon shows that he is now famous throughout
England.
He can’t keep pretending to be a tramp because he is
recognised wherever he goes.
It is his duty, as an American citizen, to visit the
minister.
He discovers that his father and the minister’s father
used to be friends.
He is optimistic because at the end of the month he
will have a job, with a salary.
This is an ironic comment, because obviously his
lifestyle is only ‘cautious and economical’ by the
standards of very rich people.
He meets Portia Langham, who he falls in love with,
and he meets Lloyd Hastings.
Hastings is in London on business and he has not
been successful. The protagonist used to work for him,
helping him to prepare the business venture.
They don’t have dinner because they cannot decide on
the correct order of precedence for sitting at dinner.
This is a normal occurrence, because the English are
obsessed with precedence.
He enjoys the cribbage game because he plays with
Portia.
He decides to help Hastings by using his name, and
recommending him. This makes the venture very
successful, and he earns £1,000,000.
Portia goes with him, as she promised, to help him
negotiate his salary.
Portia kisses him because he is her step-father.
2 The young man thinks some interviews need to be
done using force and threats.
3 The protagonist says he is 19.
4 It was strange that Aaron Burr, the dead man, spoke
to him at his funeral.
5 He should be 180 years old.
6 The mystery is who died: William or his twin brother.
7 Aaron Burr was a ‘remarkable man’ because, at his
funeral, he wanted to look at the scenery, so he got up
and rode with the driver of the hearse.
ABOUT BARBERS
1 He thinks barbers, their ways, and their shops never
change.
2 He hopes that it will be his turn when the better
barber is free.
3 ‘No. 1’ finishes second because he stops to comb his
customer’s eyebrows.
4 He leaves the shop so that he will not be shaved by
‘No. 2’.
5 While waiting he looks around. He describes the shop
as dirty, with everything there being old and in poor
condition.
6 He tells the barber that he was the person who had
cut his hair last time.
31 He takes the ‘situation’ of son-in-law.
17
7 After lathering half the protagonist’s face, the barber
goes outside to watch a dogfight.
8 The barber shaves him very slowly and painfully, and
cuts him.
9 He doesn’t like a close shave, as it gives him pimples.
10 His ‘pet tender spot’ is the side of his chin.
11 After finishing the shave, the barber splashes on bay
rum, especially in the cut.
12 The barber spends a long time combing his hair and
his eyebrows, and then telling him about his pet dog:
it is now past midday.
13 He is revenged by attending the barber’s funeral.
18
LEVEL: ADVANCED
25 Tales of ghosts had survived because the area was
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
PAGE 76
26
COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
Choose the best answer.
1) c 2) b 3) a 4) c 5) d 6) b 7) d 8) d
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PAGE 77
Answer the following questions.
1 Sleepy Hollow is a very quiet and isolated place. The
people are drowsy and traditions are fixed. One result
of this is that people are superstitious, and there is a
strong belief in local legends.
2 The headless horseman is the ghost of someone who
was killed in the revolutionary wars, who is buried in
the local churchyard.
3 These valleys are separate and so are not disturbed by
the currents and movements of the rest of the country.
4 Crane managed to live by staying with the families of
his students.
5 He was appreciated because he was more ‘gentlemanlike’ than the peasants they usually lived with.
6 Yes, he believed in the supernatural.
29
30
31
32
33 People searched for Crane, following his tracks to the
stream, and searching in the stream for his body.
34 The horse’s saddle was found, and a big broken
pumpkin.
35 The farmer heard that Crane had studied law and
become a politician and, later, a judge.
36 Bones probably laughed because he had been the
‘headless horseman’ who frightened Crane so much.
7 The memories of the stories he read combined with
37 Popular belief was that Crane had been taken away
the sounds and sights of the wild countryside made
him imagine many things.
8 Sometimes he counteracted his fear by singing
psalms.
9 A woman caused Crane the most confusion.
by ghosts.
PAGE 79
Choose the correct answer.
1) b 2) d 3) b 4) c 5) a 6) d 7) a 8) d 9) c 10) d
10 Katrina Van Tassel was beautiful and healthy-looking.
11 When Crane looked at the farm animals, he imagined
them transformed into delicious meals.
12 His main rival was Brom Bones, a big, strong young
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long-established, with little movement of populations.
It was also close to Sleepy Hollow, where people said
they had seen and heard strange things.
At the end of the party, Katrina only spoke to Crane
for a very short time, and he left looking upset.
The enormous tree was well-known for its association
with the capture of Major André.
As he approached the area where André had been
killed Crane felt very nervous.
In the shadow of the grove he saw a huge, black, misshapen figure on horseback.
The figure was very large, wrapped in a big cloak,
and had no head.
When Crane realised this he started to beat and kick
his horse to make it go faster.
The horseman threw his ‘head’ at Crane.
man who was an excellent horseman, sportsman,
and liked fighting.
Brom was regarded by his neighbours with fear,
respect and affection.
Other admirers retired because they were afraid of
Brom.
Crane did not despair of winning Katrina because he
was flexible and had great perseverance.
Van Tassel was a very indulgent father who loved his
daughter.
Crane courted Katrina in his role of singing master,
talking with her under the tree, and walking with her
in the evening.
He probably used his talent for music, which Brom did
not have, and he avoided any confrontation with
Brom, which he would certainly lose.
Brom tried to discourage him by playing practical jokes,
including breaking into the school and disordering
everything. He also ridiculed him in front of Katrina.
Tassel’s invitation meant that lessons finished an hour
early that day.
Crane’s appearance was very strange: both his clothes
and the horse were old, and his way of sitting on the
horse was very inelegant.
The beautiful scenery of the countryside made him
think of food prepared by Katrina.
The main attraction for Crane was the food that had
been prepared.
Because the War of Independence was not recent,
stories had changed, and people could exaggerate
their own courage.
19
LEVEL: ADVANCED
The Pit and the Pendulum
15 The narrator does not draw back because he knows
the old man cannot see anything.
16 The room is ‘as black as pitch’ because the shutters
are closed.
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1 He has been tied up, and presumably tortured, before
being tried and sentenced.
2 In his dreams he experienced visions, but it is difficult
to remember factual details such as being carried
down and down to his prison.
3 He wakes up in complete darkness.
17 The sound of an intruder makes the old man cry out.
18 When the old man cries out, the narrator keeps still.
19 We know the old man does not lie down again,
because the narrator is listening for the sound, which
never comes.
20 The old man groans with terror.
4 He tries to discover where he is by walking around,
5
6
7
8
21 He knows the sound of a groan of terror because he
feeling the walls. It is difficult because of the
darkness.
He discovers the ‘pit’ when he falls over, and finds part
of his face is hanging over an empty space.
The Inquisition has reserved a death by falling into a
deep well. He is a ‘fitting subject’ because he does not
want to die.
He finds that the prison is much smaller than he
imagines – a circuit of about 25 metres – square in
shape, and formed of metal walls.
He awakes and finds he is lying down, tied to a board.
has frequently made it himself.
22 At hearing the groan he feels sympathy: he can
identify with this terror.
23 He can imagine the old man’s fear.
24 The old man could feel that his murderer’s head was
in the room because he knew intuitively that someone
was there.
25 After some time, he opens the lantern slightly and
shines a light onto the old man.
26 In the light he sees the old man’s Evil Eye.
9 The ‘pendulum’ is a mechanism with a sharp blade,
27 This makes him furious.
suspended from the ceiling, of the prison cell,
swinging backwards and forwards, and slowly moving
closer.
10 They have changed his manner of death because he
did not fall in the pit.
11 It is a terrible torture because it is slow but inevitable.
28 He can hear the old man's heart beating.
29 This sound increases his fury.
30 He suffers ‘uncontrollable terror’ because he is so
nervous.
31 He thinks his heart must burst because it is beating
harder and harder.
12 Long suffering has reduced his mental powers to
32 The new anxiety is that the sound will be heard by
those of an imbecile.
neighbours.
13 The emotion left, even to the condemned, is hope.
33 He kills the old man by pulling the heavy bed
14 His first ‘thought’ is that the pendulum will cut him
over him.
free when it reaches his body. This thought is
frustrated when he realises he is not bound at the
point of contact.
15 He frees himself by getting the rats to chew through
his bonds and free him.
16 The final manner of death reserved for him is the fire
that heats the sides and ceiling of his cell, driving him
closer to the pit.
17 He is saved by the arrival of the French army, who will
drive out the Inquisition.
THE TELL-TALE HEART
1 The ‘disease’ has made his senses more acute.
34 The muffled beat of a heart does not worry him
because it won’t be heard by the neighbours.
35 He dismembers the corpse.
36 He hides the pieces under the floorboards.
37 He describes his actions as clever.
38 He uses a tub to avoid any blood falling on the floor.
39 The police officers come because a neighbour
reported a shriek.
40 When the police arrive the narrator feels no fear.
41 He explains that the shriek was his own, caused by
a bad dream.
2 His sense of hearing is particularly acute.
42 He says the old man has gone to the country.
3 He hears things in hell.
43 This means that he is so sure of himself that he goes
4 The idea of killing the old man began to obsess him.
over the top to show how relaxed he is.
5 There is no real reason for this obsession. He is fond
44 While talking to the police, he sits just above where
of him, but finds one of the old man’s eyes makes his
‘blood run cold’. Later he explains it is the Evil Eye.
6 He says it reminds him of a vulture’s eye.
45 The police are completely satisfied. They feel relaxed,
the dismembered corpse is.
and stay and chat.
46 While talking, the narrator begins to feel unwell.
7 He says he is not mad because he remains capable of
8
9
10
11
12
47 To try and get rid of this feeling, he talks more.
foresight and dissimulation. He plans his actions very
carefully.
He behaves very kindly to the old man for the week
before killing him.
Every night he opens the old man’s bedroom door
very slowly and shines a lantern onto his strange eye.
He cannot kill him on those nights because the Eye is
closed.
Every morning he greets him cheerfully and asks him
whether he has slept well.
On the eighth night, the old man wakes up.
48 He begins to hear a heart beating.
49 The noise leaves him unable to breathe easily.
50 The sound gets louder.
51 No one else seems to hear the sound. They continue
talking.
52 He decides they are teasing him.
53 He cannot stand it any more, and admits to the
murder.
54 I think the sound only existed in his imagination,
13 The narrator feels a sense of triumph because the Eye
either because of the ‘disease’ or because of his
overwhelming feelings of guilt.
is open.
14 The sound of the door opening wakes the old man.
20
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE
1 The narrator has little to say about his family and
country because bad treatment had driven him away
many years before.
2 He has been accused of having no imagination.
33 His impression is that the man is extremely old and
sick, possibly mad.
34 The new feeling is one he cannot analyse, but he
35
3 He feels it is necessary to emphasise his lack of
4
5
6
7
8
9
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11
imagination because he is about to tell such an
incredible story.
He goes on the voyage as a passenger because he
feels restless.
Up to a certain moment the voyage is merely
monotonous.
One evening he notices a strange cloud. It is ‘singular’
because of its colour, and also because it is the only
cloud they have seen.
Another thing that attracts his notice is the colour of
the moon.
The temperature of the air rises, and he observes
a spiral exhalation.
The air is very still – there is no wind at all, with
the result that not even a candle flame, or a hair,
will move.
The captain is not worried. He has the sails furled,
and the anchor lifted.
The narrator does not sleep because he is worried.
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12 At midnight there is a loud noise and a violent storm
suddenly blows up.
13 The ship does not sink because the force of the wind
blows it upright again.
14 He sees that they are in the middle of a tempest,
surrounded by mountainous waves.
15 They are the only survivors because they are the only
ones not drowned in a cabin or washed overboard.
They were on deck but not sleeping. But their escape
seems a miracle: the writer himself is trapped
between equipment on the deck.
16 The ship is badly damaged, but the pumps are still
working, and the load has not moved much.
17 They are driven by the storm for five days.
18 On the fifth day the sun is low on the horizon, and
shines almost without light.
19 The sixth day never arrives because the darkness is
continuous. The Swede dies that day, so there will
never be a sixth day for him.
20 The total darkness means they cannot see more than
twenty paces.
21 There is no sign of surf or foam because the darkness
is so intense.
22 They are surrounded by horror and blackness.
23 This gives an effect of wonder and terror.
24 To avoid being swept overboard they tie themselves to
the remains of the mast.
25 They are surprised at not finding ice even though they
are so far south.
26 They ride up and down huge waves, like precipices.
27 His blood freezes when he sees a gigantic ship,
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weighing about 4000 tons, about to fall on top of
them.
The ship is bigger than any ever seen, black, with a
row of cannons.
It seems incredible that the ship resists the storm, with
its sails still up, riding up and down the waves.
When the ship crashes into them the force throws the
writer onto it.
He conceals himself from the crew because they seem
so strange.
He hides below deck with the cargo.
21
feels that past, or even future, experience cannot teach
him anything.
He is experiencing something so novel that it has
changed his soul.
It is useless to conceal himself because the people on
the ship cannot see him.
He will put the manuscript in a bottle and throw it into
the sea.
He notices that a chance paint mark produces the
word ‘DISCOVERY’ – is it possible that this is just
chance?
His impression is that the ship is a mixture of many
kinds of ship.
The wood is familiar because it resembles Spanish
oak, but it is porous, as if it has been distended.
His impression is that they are very old, weak with age,
and pay him no attention. The captain, in particular,
fills him with reverence.
The ship escapes the stormy sea because it is carried
by an undercurrent.
He is reconciled to ‘the most hideous aspect of death’
by his wish to experience the unknown.
The ship finally goes down in a whirlpool among the
ice at the South Pole.
LEVEL: ADVANCED
The Scarlet Letter
9 It appears on Hester’s breast, embroidered in rich
colours, which are reflected in the armour at the
Governor’s house. It appears in the sky one night.
Pearl creates an ‘A’ out of green plants. Finally, it
appears on Dimmesdale’s breast.
10 Dimmesdale is revered as a scholar and holy man. He
is a leader in the community. As the story progresses,
however, he becomes sick and weak, and is tormented
with feelings of guilt. His strength returns when he is
reunited with Hester, but, after confessing his sin to
the town, he falls down dead.
11 Although she appears penitent, living apart from her
neighbours and dedicating herself to good works,
Hester is still in love with Dimmesdale, and wants to
be with him.
COMPREHENSION CHECK
PAGE 57
1 a. True b. False c. False d. True e. False f. True
g. False h. True i. False j. False k. False l. True
PAGE 58
2 b. Hester chooses to live in the town because
‘a chain’ bound her to the place. Later it becomes
clear that this is her love for Dimmesdale.
c. Pearl is not a normal, simple child: she is very
perverse, and has no respect for authority and rules.
She knows she is an outcast, and does not speak
to others.
e. Chillingworth wants to be close to Dimmesdale to
torture him and make him suffer.
g. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale decide themselves
to move into the same house. Hester is probably
opposed to this.
i. As Dimmesdale becomes sick his popularity
increases. His suffering makes people think he is a saint.
j. The minister does not promise Pearl that he will
stand with her and her mother on the scaffold the
next day. He only says they will stand together at
judgment day.
k. The meaning of the letter ‘A’ on Hester’s breast
changes, but not to mean ‘Angel’. The people think it
means ‘Able’, because of her strength.
PAGE 62
12 The Puritans dressed plainly, wearing grey, sad colours.
The novel portrays them as intolerant and judgmental,
especially the women, who suggest worse
punishments for Hester than the one she is given.
They are suspicious and fearful of outsiders like
Chillingworth, and Mistress Hibbens, but they give
great respect to people whose behaviour is saintly.
PAGE 59
3 Noun
Adjective
dangerous
magic
mountainous
fame
ceremonious
commerce
phenomenon
regional
occupational
religious
beauty
brilliance
interest
incomprehensible
monstrous
sentiment
affection
pain
dramatic
PAGE 60
4 a. for b. through c. in d. after e. in f. for g. After
h. through
5 At first she was an outcast, but, through her work with
the poor and sick, Hester wins their respect. Her badge
of sin becomes associated with her good deeds.
6 Pearl is wild and unconventional. She plays alone,
and rejects both authority and affection. She changes
when Dimmesdale publicly says she is his child, and
she then accepts his kiss.
PAGE 61
7 (various answers) You can consider which character is
most important in the plot, or which is described best.
8 Wearing her ‘scarlet letter’, she covers her hair and
loses her attractiveness. Talking with Dimmesdale in
the woods, she takes off the letter and her cap and
her beauty returns.
22
AFTER YOU'VE READ PAGE 23 CHAPTER VI - END OF SUMMARY
LEVEL: ADVANCED
The Woman in White
PAGE 31
1 a. The anonymous letter warns that Miss Fairlie will be
COMPREHENSION AND TEXT APPRECIATION EXERCISES
miserable if she marries Sir Percival Glyde.
b. Mr Gilmore is coming to Limmeridge to arrange
Miss Fairlie’s marriage settlement.
c. The woman in white wrote the letter.
d. Anne is cleaning Mrs Fairlie’s gravestone.
e. When Walter mentions Sir Percival Glyde, Anne
screams, and her face is full of hatred and fear.
f. Sir Percival explains that he has paid for Anne’s
treatment in a private asylum for many years.
2 a. – criminal or bad action
b. – evening, when the light fades
c. – cemetery
d. – deep sorrow
e. – testament
f. – no longer on good terms
g. – without children
h. – unable to speak (through shock)
i. – without stopping
j. – without success
3 churchyard, childless, will, misery, estranged, villainy
PAGE 27
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. Suspense, uncertainty, a sense of danger.
2. It may be a uniform.
AFTER YOU'VE READ PAGES 3-22 (END OF CHAPTER V)
1 a. Professor Pesca is attached to him because Walter
once saved him from drowning.
b. He brings Walter news of an attractive job offer.
c. He is startled because she touches him on the back
when he thought he was alone.
d. He helps her by finding her a cab.
e. After she has gone he learns that she has escaped
from an asylum.
f. Mr Fairlie is Marian Halcome’s step-father’s brother.
(She calls him her uncle).
g. Walter’s first impression of Mr Fairlie is that he is
affected and selfish.
h. His first impression of Laura Fairlie is that she is
beautiful and charming but reminds him strangely of
someone else.
i. Marian thinks the woman in white might be Anne
Catherick, who her mother helped as a little girl.
j. He decides to leave because he has fallen in love
with Laura Fairlie, whose fiancé is coming to visit.
Marian asks him to leave for both their sakes.
2
PAGE 83
4 a. hopeless b. harmless c. merciful d. cheerless
e. thoughtless f. careless g. harmful h. thoughtful
i. hopeful j. helpless k. cheerful l. careful m. helpful
n. merciless
‘Harmful’ has a negative meaning.
‘Harmless’ has a positive meaning.
‘Hopeful’ and ‘hopeless’ and ‘helpful’ and ‘helpless’
are not opposites.
A synonym for ‘hopeful’ is ‘optimistic’.
A synonym for ‘hopeless’ is ‘useless’.
A synonym for ‘helpful’ is ‘useful’.
A synonym for ‘helpless’ is ‘defenceless’.
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PAGE 85
5 Walter went back to Limmeridge and told Marian
everything. Together they decided to look for Anne
Catherick the next day and question her further, but
she was not to be found. They discovered that she
and Mrs Clements had left the village.
Mr Gilmore, the family solicitor, arrived and they
appealed to him. He decided to send a copy of Anne’s
letter to Sir Percival’s solicitor and to show the original
to Sir Percival when he arrived. All attempts to trace
Anne proved fruitless.
Walter Hartwright left. When he took his leave of Laura,
it was obvious that it was as hard for her as it was for
him to say goodbye. Marian promised to write.
Sir Percival arrived. He was friendly and polite to
everyone and made a good impression on Mr Gilmore.
He saved any embarrassment by referring to the letter
himself. He explained that Mrs Catherick, Anne’s
mother, had been a servant of his and had served him
faithfully for many years. When it had become obvious
that her daughter’s mental faculties were in need of
medical attention, he had offered to pay for her to go
to a private asylum where she would be well-treated.
He had done this in acknowledgement of Mrs
Catherick’s years of faithful service. He insisted, much
to her embarrassment, that Marian write to Mrs
Catherick for confirmation of this. She did so, against
her will, and confirmation arrived.
Mr Gilmore’s business at Limmeridge was/had been
to arrange Laura’s marriage settlement. Laura stood to
inherit twenty thousand pounds, from her father’s will,
on reaching the age of twenty-one. This money was
absolutely her own and she might leave it to whom
she wanted in her own will. Apart from this she had
Nouns: reluctance, reward, shawl, esquire, gown, spike
Adjectives: forlorn, overwhelmed, swarthy, wretched,
worthy, grave, lofty
Adverbs: utterly
PAGE 81
3 a. jumped b. came suddenly c. jumped d. jumped
e. jumped f. set off, began our journey g. began
4 a. Is he a foreigner or an Englishman? – Papa (of the
family), quoted by Professor Pesca.
b. Is that the road to London? – the woman in white
c. Do you know many men of rank and title in
London? – the woman in white.
d. Have you seen a woman pass this way? – the man
in the carriage.
e. Could you manage to speak quietly? – Mr Fairlie
PAGE 82
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. It may be about Sir Percival’s character or some
crime he has committed.
2. Not after reading the letter – also she is love with
Walter.
23
a life interest in ten thousand pounds which would go
to her aunt Eleanor, her father’s estranged sister,
should she die childless. She would also inherit
Limmeridge House on her uncle Fairlie’s death. If she
should die childless the house would go to a distant
cousin. Sir Percival’s solicitor wanted to arrange the
settlement so that Laura’s twenty thousand pounds
would go automatically to her husband, should she die
before him, without a penny going to Miss Halcome,
or any other friend or relative. Mr Gilmore was
outraged and appealed to Mr Fairlie to intervene.
Mr Fairlie selfishly refused, and the settlement was
drawn up according to Sir Percival’s wishes. Mr
Gilmore left the house, declaring that he would never
have allowed a daughter of his to be married under
such conditions.
6 a. In total, Laura will inherit thirty thousand pounds.
b. Twenty thousand pounds is absolutely her own.
c. She cannot leave ten thousand pounds of the total
to whoever she wants.
d. If Laura dies childless, her aunt Eleanor will inherit
ten thousand pounds.
e. If she dies childless, a distant cousin will inherit
Limmeridge House.
f. Sir Percival wants to change the settlement so that,
if she dies before him, Laura’s twenty thousand
pounds will automatically go to her husband.
PAGE 88
5 b. If she hadn’t got wet she wouldn’t have caught a cold.
c. If he’d looked where he was going he wouldn’t have
walked into the lamppost.
d. They could have gone on holiday if everywhere had
not been booked up.
e. He would have been killed if he had waited another
minute.
f. He would have got the job if he had not worn such
scruffy clothes to the interview.
g. She wouldn’t have been ill if she hadn’t eaten
so much.
h. The dinner wouldn’t have been awful if she had
used some salt.
‘Third’ (=past hypothetical) conditional is used.
PAGE 89
6 c. He had no objection to my arriving late.
d. After having coffee we went back to work.
e. She worked really hard without complaining.
f. I’m getting tired of living in this busy city.
g. He wasn’t very impressed by my completing the
job early.
h. Before taking off we were told to fasten our seat belts.
i. She was very keen on Mary’s participating in the project.
PAGE 90
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
PAGE 86
1. Perhaps something happened while they were away
in Italy.
2. He is very intelligent, and has a lot of force.
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. He wants to marry her because she is young,
beautiful, and rich.
2. There is a lot of mystery about Anne’s past, and her
relation with Mrs Fairlie. Sir Percival has not explained
everything.
AFTER YOU'VE READ PAGES 40-56 - END OF THE SUMMARY
1 a. His financial situation is desperate, and he is relying
on Laura’s money to get him out of difficulties.
b. She obeys him in everything.
c. She refuses because nobody has explained what she
is signing.
d. She finds that the letter is not properly sealed.
e. He said that Walter would be punished and Laura
could imagine the marks of a horse-whip on his back.
f. She meets Anne Catherick.
g. Anne says she is no longer afraid because she
knows she is dying.
h. He locks her in her room to force her to tell what
she knows.
i. She knows that the Count listened to their
conversation beside the lake and told Sir Percival what
he heard.
j. He intercepts her letters by sending his wife to the
inn to drug Fanny and read what Marian has written.
AFTER YOU'VE READ PAGES 31-40
1 a. Laura does not break off the engagement because
she promised her father she would marry Sir Percival.
b. Marian is worried about Walter’s state of mind
because a letter from him shows that he thinks he is
being watched by strange men in London. She fears
his hopeless love for Laura is sending him mad.
c. She finds him work as a draughtsman on an
expedition to South America.
d. Laura is happy when she hears about the plan to
tour Italy because she likes the idea of travelling.
e. Marian considers Sir Percival ‘extraordinarily
considerate and unselfish’ to think about Anne
Catherick just a few days before his wedding.
f. The marriage might mend the family feud between
Madame Fosco (aunt Eleanor), whose husband is a
friend of Sir Percival’s, and Laura’s father.
g. Laura has become very reserved, and does not talk
to Marian about her married life.
h. Sir Percival is much less civil than before, and takes
almost no notice of Laura and Marian.
i. We learn that aunt Eleanor has changed from being
a silly and talkative woman since she married Count
Fosco. She is now silent, cold, and always obedient to
her husband.
PAGE 91
h
2
PAGE 87
2 a. – frightening, disturbing b. – technical artist
c
c. – anger, frustration d. – hostile relationship
e. – ornamental pin f. – period of time
3 a. brooch b. alarming c. vexation d. feud
e. draughtsman f. epoch
4 a. – if I had married someone else.
b. – if he had heard her.
c. – if he had waited a minute longer.
d. – if she hadn’t stopped to answer the phone.
e. – he would have heard her.
f. – I wouldn’t have left him.
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PAGE 92
5 Sir
I am writing to answer your questions about my
relationship with Sir Percival Glyde, and the life of my
daughter Anne.
Sir Percival was a bastard: his parents had never been
married because his mother’s real husband, who
abandoned her, was still alive. Sir Percival gave me
gifts so that I would give him access to the church.
When I followed him there I forced him to tell me
what he was doing, and he explained that in order to
take possession of Blackwater Park and then borrow
money (for he was in great financial difficulties) he
needed a birth certificate and a certificate of his
parents’ marriage.
He gave me more gifts and I agreed to help him.
I even mixed the ink to get exactly the right colour.
Then my husband became suspicious. He found some
of the gifts Sir Percival had given me, and saw us
talking together privately. I asked Sir Percival to give his
word as a gentleman that we had never been lovers,
but he refused. It was better for him if a scandal hid
the real nature of his dealings! Instead of protecting
my reputation, he agreed to pay me a regular sum
of money to stay in the neighbourhood.
Of course, time passed and people forgot the scandal.
I asked Sir Percival for permission to take a trip up
North, but he came to see me and refused to let me
leave. After he had gone I was so angry that I said
I could ruin him if I wanted. My daughter Anne heard
this and, the next time Sir Percival came to visit, she
repeated what I had said.
Sir Percival was so angry, and in such a panic, that he
had her shut up in the mad house. That way his secret
was safe, because no one would ever believe her.
Now of course she is dead, and so is he!
3 I went to apologise to the Count and Countess for
Laura’s outburst, which Madame Fosco had heard
through the door. They both said not to mention it,
but I knew I must be more careful in future. I took two
letters to Fanny at the inn so that no-one in the house
would be able to intercept them.
I was sitting at the open window writing my diary and
I heard the Count and Sir Percival talking on the veranda.
I wanted to hear their conversation so, although it was
dangerous, I climbed out of my window and crawled
along the leaden roof until I was directly above them.
They were talking about their financial situation: both
are in very serious difficulties, and they are relying on
my poor sister’s money to solve their problems. The
Count even seemed to suggest murdering Laura to get
her money! But he also told Sir Percival that they must
beware of me. He said I was clever and courageous
and had already written to Mr Gilmore and Mr Fairlie.
This means that somehow he has found out about the
letters I took to Fanny at the inn.
Sir Percival was shocked, but at least he did not
consider murder. Then the Count asked him about
Anne Catherick, and Sir Percival said he must find her,
and that he would be a lost man if he did not. He did
not give any more details except to mention how
strikingly similar her appearance is to Laura’s. At this
point the Count became very excited and said he had
the answer to the problem, but he said nothing more.
I crawled back to my room, wet through because it
had started to rain not long after I went onto the roof.
I cannot sleep after hearing such terrible things, and
I feel ill: I think I have a fever, but want to write
everything down in my diary …
4 a. Count Fosco also writes in Marian’s diary.
b. This is significant because it shows he has read her
diary.
c. Laura falls ill herself when she hears about Marian’s
illness.
PAGE 94
(Read the preface, pages 2-3, and background pages
77-78. You can also look in encyclopedias or on the
Internet for information.)
Suggestions for writing:
1. Notice the descriptions of Marian and Laura. Do
they look alike? Are their characters similar? Who is
the better-looking? Is she a better person?
Notice the descriptions of Mr Fairlie and Count Fosco.
Does their appearance reflect their characters? What
do we know about Sir Percival’s appearance?
Write a paragraph about the two sisters, and a
paragraph about the villains. Introduce these
paragraphs with information about theories of
physiognomy, and relating these, if possible, to the
work of Dickens, Collins, or other writers. Conclude
with a paragraph making a general statement.
PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1. They realise that the two sisters protect and support
each other.
2. To substitute Laura for Anne, because they look so
similar.
AFTER YOU'VE READ PAGE 56 - THE END
1 a. Walter learns that Laura is dead.
b. The truth is Anne Catherick has died, but she and
Laura have been forced to exchange identities.
c. Marian was reunited with Laura at the asylum.
d. She was there because, at Foscos’ house in London,
she was drugged, dressed in Anne Catherick’s clothes
and sent to the asylum.
e. Anne’s body is buried in the churchyard, in the same
tomb as Mrs Fairlie.
f. Anne and Laura are half-sisters.
g. Sir Percival dies locked in a burning church.
h. He was trying to destroy the church register which
contains evidence of his birth.
i. Walter forces the Count to confess by telling him he
will betray his presense to the brotherhood the Count
is a member of.
j. Walter and Laura’s son is the heir of Limmeridge.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Use the information you found about Marian and
Laura to write a paragraph about each. Remember to
contrast their characters, giving examples of their
behaviour from the text. Conclude by giving your
opinion about who is the more modern.
For example, Introduction: 2 sisters: same mother,
different fathers, very different in appearance and
character. (Refer to Marian’s comments on this).
Marian Halcombe: dark, swarthy, ugly – rather
masculine; humorous, ironic, ‘odd’, intelligent,
self-reliant, brave, practical …
Laura Fairlie: beautiful, fair, feminine; charming,
talented in feminine activities, rather passive,
obedient …
Reaction of male characters to each? Closing opinion.
PAGE 93
3 a. illegally pay for service
b. talk vaguely
c. most arrogant, haughtiest
d. room in a church where the priest’s robes are kept
e. society
f. make a high noise like a dog in pain
4 a. bribe b. lofty c. whined d. brotherhood
e. vestry f. rambled on
25
(Model answer:)
The two main female characters in The Woman in
White are half-sisters: they have the same mother, but
different fathers. As Marian tells Walter, they are very
different in both appearance and character.
Marian is described by Walter as surprisingly ugly.
She is dark, swarthy, and even has a slight moustache.
Her facial characteristics are described as masculine,
but also as resolute and intelligent. In contrast, his
first impression of Laura, her sister, shows she is the
traditional Victorian heroine: she is fair, pretty, with
a light figure, and a soft thoughtful expression.
This contrast between their appearance is also found
in their characters. Marian is intelligent and amusing,
but her honest description of herself as ‘crabbed and
odd’ is very unusual in a heroine at this time. Her
personality is also seen as more ‘masculine’ than her
sister’s: she is a woman of action, climbing out on the
roof to listen to Fosco and Sir Percival, and standing up
to their plans to exploit Laura. Laura, on the other
hand, is more passive, following her father’s plans,
and obeying her husband.
The main contrast between the two women is
between the conventional romantic heroine, victim of
a wicked man, and a more modern woman who takes
a less passive role, and tries to protect her weaker
sister. It is striking that Walter, the drawing master, falls
in love with Laura, while the villainous Count Fosco is
more attracted by Marian’s intelligence and spirit.
26