Answer keys LEVEL PENGUIN READERS Teacher Support Programme British and American Stories Book key Discussion activities key a They are about ordinary people living everyday lives They catch the reader’s attention from the start b They are all well-known They are all dead a accountant, assessor, barber, bearer, consul, steward b duck, oyster, worm c bog, clay d anxiety, determined, feverishly, relief, tremble e boats and ships a churchyard b gravestones c midday d umbrella e drunk f tea a 3 b 7 c 1 d 5 e 6 f 2 g 5– 6 Open answers a drink b lost c unusual d afraid e marry f telegram g following Saigon 2 Manila 4 Cheng-Tu 8 Shanghai / Yokohama 6 Bangkok 1 Hong Kong 9–10 Open answers 11 a 7 b 3 c 3 d 7 e 7 f 12 a 4 b 7 c 1 d 3 e 8 f 2 g 5 h 13–14 Open answers 15 a 3 b 5 c 4 d 9 e 6 f 8 g 2 h 7 i 16–17 Open answers 18 a typewriter b a restaurant c agreement d meals e farmer f flowers g dandelions 19 a W b S c W d W 20–21 Open answers 22 a Mrs Sappleton b his sister c Mr Nuttel d the girl (Vera) e Mr Sappleton f Ronnie (Mrs Sappleton’s brother) 23 a birds b his illnesses c a gun d shock and fear e a strange man f dogs/the dog 24 –25 Open answers 26 a No b Yes c Yes d No e No f No g No h No 27–28 Open answers 29 a S b S c D d D e C f S g C h C i D 30–31 Open answers 32 a confident > frightened b accountant > manager c public > private d robber > detective e cupboard > safe f clerk > accountant g letter > cheque h singing > laughter i pocket > sock 33–43 Open answers Open answers; Silas is a gravedigger Open answers Open answers; he probably thinks that a woman is attractive and feminine in attitude and a female is not –8 Open answers (Movements east and west are ignored) Rangoon to Bangkok: south; Bangkok to Saigon, south; Saigon to Hong Kong, north; Hong Kong to Manila, south; Manila to Shanghai, north; Shanghai to Yokohama, north; Yokohama to Shanghai, South; Shanghai to Cheng-Tu, south 10–20 Open answers 21 Possible answer: The expression refers to the desire of people to feel socially and economically as good as or better than their neighbours or acquaintances Keeping up with the Joneses originates in an American cartoon by Arthur R Momand The equivalent expression in British English is ‘keeping up appearances’ Paul’s mother is probably both trying to keep up appearances and fighting against her personal frustration 22–24 Open answers 25 The Derby is a horse-racing event held at Epson Downs, in Surrey, England every June since 1780 It got its name from the 12th Earl of Derby 26 He means that luck is random, and you can count on what you have but never be sure of what you will have 27–29 Open answers 30 The author advices the reader never to start a story with a sentence like ‘It was a day in March’ and not to go back in time as he does on page 37 because it is bad art and destroys interest 31–35 Open answers 36 Seven: the man, his sister; the sister’s acquaintance; the acquaintance’s niece; the acquaintance’s husband; the acquaintance’s two brothers 37–38 Open answers 39 A wetland area with a spongy substrate composed of moss and peat In a bog, moss grows in mats that may support plants and even trees Flora: cranberries, blueberries orchids and insect-eating plants can be seen in bogs Fauna: Turtles, frogs, insects, birds, hares, beavers They are dangerous because the presence of vegetation may make them look as solid ground 40– 44 Open answers c Pearson Education Limited 2008 British and American Stories - Answer keys of Answer keys PENGUIN READERS Teacher Support Programme LEVEL British and American Stories 45 a: The narrator thinks that children learn from what they see He feels sure that if Willie was asked about his dollars by an assessor, he would lie b: He thinks they are immoral; as he tells lies himself, he loses his self-respect 46–48 Open answers 49 These sentences are true: Brisbane is a sailor Robert knows the Captain, so he is not the Captain The doctor invites Brisbane, the sailor, to his cabin Robert doesn’t, so he isn’t the doctor Therefore Robert is the steward 50–54 Open answers 55 Open answers; phobia: an anxiety disorder that makes a person feel an irrational fear of everyday simple things or situations 56–57 Open answer 58 Pinkerton Detective Agency was founded in 1850 by Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish immigrant who practically by chance discovered a counterfeit band, and his brother Robert, whose business was originally to provide security guards for trains In 1861, working on the security of trains, they uncovered a plot to kill Lincoln During and after the Civil War they worked as a ‘secret service’ Activity worksheets key a It wouldn’t harm a fly b The amount of alcohol in it c You’re just a chicken d Uncle Silas had drunk more beer than there is water in the Thames a 3 b 7 c 3 d 7 e 3 f 7 g 3 h a 15, years until they got married + years they have been married b Yes; he expected her to have understood if she arrived in Saigon and did not find him c No, Mabel said he was afraid he was fat d No, Mabel said he was afraid he was bald e No, it depended on how much he had changed f Yes, he saw she was between him and the door a 2 b 4 c 5 d 1 e a it has a warm and cold, happy and sad silence b he was so glad that he was sad c it sounded very new and at the same time very natural and old c Pearson Education Limited 2008 d Uncle Misak’s love for it because it’s part of God’s world suggests the idea of love for the beauty of nature and life; then, when the tiger closes its jaws on Uncle Misak’s head, the narrator speaks of the ugliness of living things on the earth a The people near Uncle Misak; ‘everybody’ b Uncle Misak c Uncle Misak’s loneliness and poverty; people’s indifference d The tiger killed Uncle Misak e Having a bad haircut a His mother is telling him that his father is not lucky b He is trying to find where luck is c he is asking the horse to take him where luck is d he sees a horse race for the first time e Daffodil wins the race f he decides to give his mother all the money; he would like her to know that he is lucky g he desperately wants to know about the Derby h he was growing more and more anxious about ‘knowing’, i.e about being lucky i when he was desperately riding his rocking horse j he has become ill a the amount of money that Paul keeps safe and the amount of money that he made with his Uncle’s bet on Daffodil b the amount Paul has made by the time he speaks with his uncle, and which Basset keeps for him c the amount Paul put on Lively Spark in the Legar; the amount he put on Malabar in the Derby d the amount Paul made in the Legar e the amount Paul gives his mother for her birthday f the amount Paul made in the Derby g the amount Paul had made when he died a dan + de + lion = dandelion: the flowers that Walter put on Sarah’s hair b sunny + brook = Sunnybrook: the name of the farm where Sarah met Walter c man + hat + tan = Manhattan: the area of New York where Sarah lived 10 a summer > spring b spring > summer c summer > winter d winter > summer British and American Stories - Answer keys of Answer keys PENGUIN READERS Teacher Support Programme LEVEL British and American Stories 11 a P e A C K R E f b S C O A T O c R E T S T F U L R d C O N F R I D E N T W S 12 a unsteadily b exactly c busily d cheerfully e slightly f noiselessly 13 a state, national and city taxes b loses by flood, fire, and so on; losses on sales of property; animals sold; payments for rent of home; repairs and improvements; salary already taxed c the 1,000 free of income tax d The house were the rich man that helped the narrator lived e The lies that that the narrator told the assessor 14 a 214,000 – 1,000 (free of tax) = 213,000 213,000 × 5% = 10,650 b 250 × 5% = 12.50 c Pearson Education Limited 2008 15 In my profession we don’t believe in unnatural events; everything must have an explanation The doctor says this 16 a account b banks c salary/money d manager e accountant f clerk g cheque h notes Progress test key a boards b grave c churchyard d gravedigger e holy ground f graveside g earth a 4; like a lost dog b 3; as pale as death c 2; as easy to follow and find d 1; as easy to catch a Armenian b Arab c Turkish d American a must b need c ought to d dare e should a rollers b typing c keys d copy-typing e unreadable f handwriting a out b about c round d about e onto f through g off h back a T b T c F d T e T a steward b dampness c screw d hooked a account b alone c safe d fifty-six e fifty dollar British and American Stories - Answer keys of