The

GardeninParty
Prague
and Other Stories
Christmas
ACTIVITIES ANSWERS

Before Reading

4 Open answer. (Perhaps because children are cruel,

or perhaps they were just copying their parents
behaviour.)
5 Open answer. (Perhaps because she felt sorry for
them, or perhaps because she had a kind heart and
wanted to share her delight in the dolls house with
them.)

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 90)

ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

STAGE
STAGE 5
1

The Little Governess

The Dolls House
The Garden Party
Her First Ball
The Woman at the Store
The Ladys Maid
Pictures

THE GARDEN PARTY: UP TO THE END OF PAGE 24

WHILE READING

Encourage students to speculate and to make

guesses, but do not tell them the answer (which
is number 4.) Ask them to say what they would
do themselves, and what they think the Sheridans
ought to do.

ACTIVITY 2 BEFORE READING

Encourage discussion and speculation, but do not

tell students if their guesses are right or wrong. The
things which are found in the stories are:
a fatal accident, a murder, money worries, happy
endings, a dangerous journey, family disagreements, an
undiscovered crime

PICTURES WHILE READING

1 The landlady, Mrs Pine, to Miss Moss, about the

excuses Miss Moss kept giving for not paying her
rent.
2 Miss Moss to Mrs Pine, about her letter, which Mrs
Pine had pulled out of Miss Mosss hand to see if it
really contained an offer of work.
3 Miss Moss to herself, about the few small coins in
her bag, which were just enough to buy her a cup of
tea.
4 Mr Bithem to Miss Moss, about the kind of
actresses he could offer work to, which did not
include Miss Moss.
5 Miss Moss to herself, trying to persuade herself that
it would be all right to go in to the Caf de Madrid.
6 The large gentleman to Miss Moss, when he offered
her a drink after joining her at her table in the Caf
de Madrid.

ACTIVITY 3 BEFORE READING

Encourage students to speculate and to make

guesses, but do not tell them the answers. They will
find out as they read that the answers are:
1 Yes and no; she enjoys some of it, but is also upset
by someone she meets.
2 No.
3 Yes.
4 No, although a way of getting money is found.
5 Yes.
6 No.

While Reading

THE LITTLE GOVERNESS WHILE READING

3+8 5+10+4+1 7+9 2+6

The little governess did not know the ways of the
world, and her first journey abroad ended in disaster.
When an old man got into her carriage on the train, he
was polite to her and kind in a grandfatherly way, so
she was soon talking to him happily, and accepted his
offer to show her round Munich for the day. However,
the old man was not as pleasant as he seemed, which
she finally realized when he demanded a kiss. She
made her escape and hurried back to the hotel, but
found she had missed her meeting with her new
employer.

FEUILLE DALBUM WHILE READING

Oxford University Press

1 Ian French was an artist (a painter), who lived in a

clean, tidy studio.
2 He was shy and silent (very quiet), but women found
him very interesting.
3 He fell in love with a girl when he saw her on her
balcony.
4 When he first spoke to her, he gave her an egg.
THE DOLLS HOUSE WHILE READING

1 The little lamp, because it looked real.

2 Because the Burnell children were not allowed
to speak to them, and others followed where the
Burnells led.
3 They were poor, their mother did peoples washing,
their father was said to be in prison, and they wore
strange clothes made from old bits and pieces.

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After Reading

HER FIRST BALL WHILE READING

1 Because she lived in a lonely house in the country,

where there were no near neighbours.
2 They talked about the condition of the dancing
floor, and asked her if she had been to other recent
balls.
3 For thirty years.
4 He told Leila that she wouldnt be able to go on
dancing as long as he had, but would soon be up on
the stage, with fat arms, sitting with the other old
ladies.
5 Another young man came to dance with her, and she
forgot what the fat man had said.

ACTIVITY 1 AFTER READING

THE WOMAN AT THE STORE WHILE READING

1 F The woman at the store had changed a lot in

four years.
2 T
3 F The woman said that her husband had gone
shearing.
4 T
5 F The kid drew a picture of her mother shooting
and burying a man.
MILLIE WHILE READING

5+3 8+6+1 10+7 2+9+4

When Millie found Harrison behind the wood pile,
she saw that he was just a young and terrified boy.
She knew that he had killed a man, but her heart
was so full of pity for him that she wanted to help
him escape. However, when he took Sids horse in the
night and rode away, the men sleeping in the house
were woken by a barking dog. As Millie watched them
rushing after Harrison, all her feelings of pity for
the boy disappeared, and she screamed at the men to
shoot him down.

Students can complete this how they like. Possible

answers would be:
IAN: Excuse me, Mademoiselle, you dropped this.
GIRL: Thats not mine. I havent dropped any eggs!
IAN: Well, perhaps I made a mistake. But Id like you
to have this egg, anyway.
GIRL: Well, thank you. Thats very kind of you. But
who are you?
IAN: My names Ian French. I live in a studio in the
building across the road from you.
GIRL: Oh yes, the tall building. So youre an artist, are
you? What kind of pictures do you paint?
IAN: Oh, all kinds of things flowers, eggs, people . . .
Id like to do a painting of you.
GIRL: Youd like to paint me? Oh no, I dont think so . . .
IAN: Perhaps if I came and asked your mothers
permission . . .?
GIRL: Shes not my mother, shes my grandmother.
IAN: Oh, Im sorry. But may I visit you and your
grandmother?
GIRL: Visit us? Oh, I dont know. We dont have many
visitors, but . . . well, yes, all right.
IAN: Thats wonderful. When may I come?
GIRL: Come tomorrow if you like. Yes, come for coffee
at ten.

1 Because Ellen always made a cup of tea for her

lady at this time of night, and there was a cup left
from that.
2 Because Ellen had cut off all her hair.
3 Because she never really had a childhood; she began
working for her lady when she was only thirteen,
and before that she was helping her aunt with her
dressmaking work.
4 Because she felt she couldnt leave her lady, who was
unable to do anything for herself and was too selfish
to encourage Ellen to leave her employment and
have her own life.
5 Because she didnt know what she would do if her
lady died as there was nobody else in her life.

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Oxford University Press

ACTIVITY 2 AFTER READING

THE LADYS MAID WHILE READING

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 5

2

ACTIVITIES ANSWERS

1 The fat man, in Her First Ball, just before he writes

his name in Leilas dance programme.
2 Mrs Sheridan, in The Garden Party, when Laura has
just come to tell her of the mans death and that she
thinks they should cancel the party.
3 The girl, in Feuille dAlbum, just before Ian French
speaks to her outside the door of her apartment.
4 The child, in The Woman at the Store, when she is
left to sleep in the store with the two travellers.
5 Mrs Pine, the landlady in Pictures, after she has seen
Miss Mosss letter and realized that Miss Moss is
not telling her the truth.
6 My Lady, in The Ladys Maid, while Ellen is still
planning to get married to Harry, and before she
decides to stay with her employer.
7 The old grandfather, in The Little Governess, after
he has spent the day showing the little governess
round Munich, and is about to invite her to his
home.
8 Aunt Beryl, in The Dolls House, when she sees that
Kezia has asked the little Kelveys into their garden to
see the dolls house.
9 Harrison, in Millie, when Millie has gone into the
house to get him some food and before she has
realized who he is.

2 Miss Moss had worked for many years as a singer

and actress, but she was getting old and fat now,
and there was no work for women like her. She lived
alone, and had no friends or family that she could
ask for help. She was a friendly person and tried
hard to be brave, but she was not lucky.
3 Leila was a young, pretty girl. She had a very
protected life, with parents and relations to look after
her, and did not have to earn her own living. She was
shy and rather innocent, but could easily be upset.
Five years later
Encourage students to think of their own ideas.
Possible answers would be:
1 Almost certainly shell still be working as a ladys
maid. If her employer has died, she might be
working as a maid for another woman.
2 Miss Moss might be dead, or she might have become
a regular customer at the Caf de Madrid. Or she
might have found a rich friend!
3 Leila might be married with a baby, or in love with
an unsuitable man and breaking her heart because
she cant marry him.

ACTIVITY 3 AFTER READING

ACTIVITIES ANSWERS

Acceptable answers to this cloze passage are any

words that have an appropriate meaning and fit
the grammar of the sentence. Students might like
to check each others work and discuss alternative
answers. Some alternatives are given below.
We had no money as kids, but (and) what was much
worse, we had no friends. The other girls at school
were not even allowed to talk to us. There was one
girl, Kezia Burnell, who tried to be nice to us. The
Burnells had this great big dolls house in their
garden the other girls couldnt stop talking about it.
Anyway, Kezia invited (asked) us in to see it, but we
were only in the garden for a (one) minute before that
old cat, Kezias aunt, came and threw us out! It made
our Else so happy, though. She hardly ever spoke when
she was a kid (child), just followed me around, holding
my skirt. But I always knew when she wanted (liked)
something, and she really wanted to see that dolls
house, with its nice little lamp, just like a real one! She
never forgot it, poor Else!
ACTIVITY 4 AFTER READING

Suggested answers:
1 Lauras sister Jose says this. She is a sensible,
practical girl, who does not question her place
in society, or that of others, but she is not very
thoughtful or sensitive.
2 Lauras brother, Laurie. Although Laura feels quite
close to him, he doesnt really understand her. He
treats her kindly, but sees it as natural that she, as
his sister, will do things like iron his coat.
3 Lauras mother, Mrs Sheridan. She likes to think
of herself as thoughtful and kind, but really is
unsympathetic and snobbish. She thinks the poor
people in the cottages are far beneath her socially,
and so not worth worrying about.
4 Laura says this. She is sensitive and imaginative, and
concerned about other peoples feelings, whatever
their social class.
5 Lauras father, Mr Sheridan. He seems quite
concerned about the death perhaps because he is
a husband and father himself, and knows what it
means to have a family to support.

ACTIVITY 6 AFTER READING

Open answers. Everyone will continue the story in

a different way. Some ideas to suggest to students:
1 Frau Arnholdt angrily sends the little governess away
/ gives her a second chance.
2 The manager lends her the train fare back to
England / finds her another job / tells her he cant
help her.
3 She is lucky and meets someone kind who helps her /
She finds the courage to take care of herself.
ACTIVITY 7 AFTER READING

3 JIM: Jo! Good to see you safe and well!

8 JO: Ive been well looked after! Shes a good woman,
Jim knows how to take care of a man!
5 JIM: Oh, is that so? Listen, Jo, Ive got something to
tell you about that woman.
10 JO: What about her? Why are you looking at me
like that?
1 JIM: Shes a killer, Jo! That husband of hers hes
not away shearing, hes dead and buried. And she
shot him!
6 JO: Shot him? Youre crazy! Where did you get that
idea?
9 JIM: The kid told us well, not in words, she drew
a picture.
2 JO: That kids sick in the head! Any fool could see
that!
7 JIM: She may be sick, Jo, but she saw what her Ma
did, Im sure of it. And that woman shot and
buried her husband!
4 JO: Shut it, mate! Her old mans gone shearing, and
she gets a bit lonely end of story! Come on,
lets get moving . . .

Oxford University Press

ACTIVITY 5 AFTER READING

Suggested answers:
1 The ladys maid was an unloved child, because her
mother died and her grandfather was unkind to her.
She began work when she was only thirteen years old,
and although she could have married, she chose not
to, because her selfish employer depended on her so
much. She was cheerful and unselfish, but was anxious
about the future if and when her employer died.

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 5

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ACTIVITY 10 AFTER READING

Students can complete this text how they like.

Encourage discussion of Millies changeable
feelings. Was she still excited by the violence and
glad of the boys death, or had her sympathy for
the boy returned? Some suggested answers are
given below, with two possibilities for Millies last
sentence.

Encourage discussion of which titles are appropriate

for which stories. Suggested answers are these, but
students might want to argue for other possibilities:
Feuille dAlbum
Springtime in the Heart
The Dolls House
The Little Lamp
A Kind Heart
The Garden Party
A Shocking Death
The Comfort of Lilies
A Kind Heart
Pictures
A Woman in Trouble
Talking to Strangers
The Little Governess
A Woman in Trouble
Talking to Strangers
Her First Ball
The Dancing Partner
The Woman at the Store
A Shocking Death
Gone Shearing
Millie
A Shocking Death
A Kind Heart
Talking to Strangers
The Ladys Maid
A Life of Service
A Kind Heart

KILLER OF MR WILLIAMSON CAUGHT AND SHOT

Harrison, the young Englishman who is believed to

have shot Mr Williamson at his farm two days ago,
disappeared after the shooting. However, last night he
stole a horse from the paddock at Sid Evans farm and
tried to escape. Sid Evans and his men were woken by
the barking of Willie Coxs dog, saw Harrison riding
away, and rode after him as fast as they could. They
shouted at Harrison to stop, but Harrison just kept
on riding so Sid Evans had no choice but to shoot
him down. Mrs Millie Evans, wife of Sid Evans, told
us, What happened to Mr Williamson was a terrible
thing. Im proud of Sid for shooting his killer down.
That young devil deserved to die for what he did to
Mr Williamson.
Or:
What happened to Mr Williamson was a terrible
thing. I dont feel sorry for his killer, but they
shouldnt have shot this Harrison fellow. He was just a
kid, and maybe he wasnt the murderer anyway.
ACTIVITY 9 AFTER READING

Open answers. Encourage students to discuss the

rights and wrongs of all these actions and give their
own opinions.

ACTIVITIES ANSWERS

ACTIVITY 8 AFTER READING

ACTIVITY 11 AFTER READING

Oxford University Press

Open answers.

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