Tuesday 26th of July 2016

THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON

CHAPTER 1: SHIPWRECKED
Synopsis
The Robinson family sets sail for Australia. Very
soon, the ship is caught in a very fierce storm for six
days. The ship runs aground near an island. The
captain and crew flee the ship, abandoning the
family. The family makes a raft of planks and
barrels and leave the ship. They are washed ashore.
The next day, they return to the ship and bring back
some farm animals and supplies. While returning,
Ernest falls off the raft upon seeing a shark. He
miraculously holds on to a turtle that brings him in
to shore. One of the sheep that they bought from the
ship mysteriously disappears.
Exercise 1
Find the meanings for this words.
1. mascot- a favoured animal deemed to be lucky
2. nightmare- a frightening dream
3. cargo- freight, load of goods sent somewhere
4. growling- snarling, low guttural sound that an
angry dog makes

5. crew-
6. voyage-
7. pen-
8. abound-
9. barrel-
10. missionaries-
Answers
a) journey
b) snarling, low guttural sound that an angry dog
makes
c) a favoured animal deemed to be lucky
d) freight, load of goods sent somewhere
e) plentiful, in a abundance
f) keg, cask, a cylindrical container with bulging
exterior
g) emissaries
h) sailors, the staff in charge of various functions
on a journey in a vehicle
i) cage
j) a frightening dream
CHAPTER 2: BUILDING A NEW HOME
Synopsis
The Robinson family decide to build a home for
themselves. The set out looking for best location for
a house. They encounter a porcupine and some
foxes. By noon, they come across an enormous fig
tree. Mrs Robinson suggests that they build a tree-
house up in the fig tree. Fresh water and edible
fruits are available close-by. Toiling for many
months the house is finally complete. Mrs Robinson
feels that the rope ladder with which they ascend
into their new home is dangerous. The next day they
find tiger tracks and see some penguins. Escaping
up the rope ladder from a charging Cape Buffalo,
Mrs Robinson almost falls off. The next day, they
find that the tree trunk is hollow. Over several
weeks, Mr Robinson fashions an internal staircase
to safely ascend into their new home.
Exercise
State whether the following statements are True (T)
or False (F).
1. The second chapter is called ‘Building a New
House’. ( )
2. They found the fig tree early in the morning. ( )
3. Mrs. Robinson wears a short skirt and blouse. ( )
4. The cave buffalo is a very dangerous animal. ( )
5. Their new home is called Falconhurst. ( )
6. The animals were caged behind steel bars. ( )
7. Fresh water is useful for cooking, doing the
dishes and bathing. ( )
8. There were vegetable seeds in the ship. ( )
9. Mr and Mrs Robinson had only one daughter. ( )
10. They hunted with AK47 automatic rifles.( )
CHAPTER 3: A DEADLY MYSTERY
Synopsis
The Robinson family are getting used to their new
home. The whole atmosphere change when the rainy
season starts. The heavy rains and dark, gloomy
days and nights lead to much uneasiness, sleepless
nights and nightmares. To make matter worse, they
discover that a tiger lurks in the jungles. To their
horror, they find that the tiger killed without a clue
as to who or what has killed it. They are more
horrified to find a sheep missing and a donkey also
mysteriously killed like the tiger. They find solace in
prayer and celebrating Christmas. Their sense o
closeness as a family gives them the courage and
strength to go on.
Exercise
Use the following sentences and complete the flow
chart in the correct sequence of events in Chapter 3.