TEST YOUR ENGLISH

NAME _________________________________No _____ CLASS ______

EVALUATION ____________ TEACHER __________ PARENT __________

Read the following text attentively.

As soon as Mr Sandeford had gone, Holmes started to do strange things.

Lestrade and I watched carefully. First he took a clean white cloth from the
cupboard and laid it on the table.
Next he carefully put the bust on the cloth. He took his stick and hit the bust
hard. It broke into small pieces. Holmes shouted loudly and picked up a small
black thing from the cloth. Lestrade and I were silent.

“This is the Black Pearl of the Borgias!” said Holmes.

We were both very surprised. “Well done, Holmes!” I cried. “How did you
know it was there?”
“It’s impossible,” said Lestrade quietly.
Holmes explained. He told us that this, the most well-known pearl in the
world, had been stolen from the hotel room of the Princess of Colonna on 22 nd
May the year before. “I’m sure you remember that, Mr Lestrade,” said Holmes.
“Yes, I do,” replied Lestrade.
“Well,” Holmes continued, “you may also remember that the hotel where
she was staying was near to the part of London where Gelder and Company
have their shop. The police thought that the pearl might have been taken by an
Italian girl who worked at the hotel. Her name was Lucretia Venucci and I think
that the man who was killed two nights ago was her brother Pietro. I looked at
my old newspapers and discovered that Beppo was taken to prison only two
days after the pearl was stolen. This was the same time that the busts were
being made. I think that Pietro Venucci and Beppo worked together to steal the
pearl. Perhaps Venucci stole it, then Beppo stole it from him; it doesn’t matter.
The important thing is that Beppo had the pearl with him when the police
tried to catch him after the street fight he had with another Italian. He ran to

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Gelder’s and wanted to hide the pearl – but where? He didn’t have much time
and he saw the soft plaster busts of Napoleon which had just been made and
were not yet dry. He pushed the pearl into one of them and covered the hole.
He could do this quickly and easily because he had made many busts like it in
the past. It was the perfect place to hide the pearl. Because of the fight, Beppo
was sent to prison for one year. During that time the six busts were sold but,
luckily for Beppo, he had a friend who worked at Gelder’s. I think this friend
was able to tell him who bought the busts. There were only six busts, five in
London and one in Reading. Beppo started looking for the one with the pearl in
it. Of course it was best for him to begin in London. Venucci knew that Beppo
knew where the pearl was. When Beppo came out of prison, Venucci tried to
find him. At last he followed Beppo to Mr Harker’s house in Kensington. They
fought and Beppo killed Venucci.”
“If Venucci knew Beppo well, why did he carry his photograph?” asked
Lestrade.
“To ask other people if they had seen Beppo, when he was trying to find
him,” replied Holmes. “Of course I couldn’t be sure that the pearl had not been
in Mr Harker’s bust but I warned Josiah Brown and his family. We were lucky;
the pearl was not in Mr Harker’s bust. Beppo went to Mr Brown’s house and we
caught him. I knew then that the pearl must be in Mr Sandeford’s bust. What
Mr Harker wrote in the newspaper helped us. He made Beppo think that the
police had the wrong idea. He thought that they were looking for a madman
who hated napoleon; he didn’t know that I had discovered the true secret of the
busts. Now we have the pearl and the man who killed Venucci.”
“Mr Holmes,” said Lestrade, “I have seen you work on many cases in the
past, but this is one of the best. My friends at Scotland Yard will, I am sure, be
very interested in the case and the way you have worked on it. Can you come
and meet them tomorrow? If you can, I am sure they will be very pleased to talk
to you.”
“I shall be happy to come,” said Holmes. “Thank you.”
“It is I that must thank you,” said Lestrade. “I didn’t understand this case
completely. Without your help I am sure I would never have found the pearl.”
Holmes smiled for a moment. I think he didn’t quite know what to say. Then
suddenly his face changed.
“Well, Watson,” he said, “we have work to do. This is not our only case!
Goodbye, Lestrade. If you have any more little cases for me I shall be happy to
help you with them, if I can.”

SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”

Longman (adapted and abridged)

2
A. According to the text, say if the following statements are TRUE or
FALSE. Quote from the text to support all your answers.

1. Holmes acted strangely as soon as Mr. Sandeford had arrived.

2. Lestrade couldn’t believe Holmes had found the black pearl.

5x 2%= 10%
3. The pearl had been stolen the previous year.

4. Beppo escaped from the police and didn’t have time to hide the pearl.

5. Beppo was sent to prison because of the theft.

B. Answer the following questions about the text, writing complete

sentences.

1. What did Holmes do after Mr. Sandeford had left?

2. How did Lestrade react to Holmes finding?

5x 3%= 15%
3. Where did Beppo hide the pearl?

4. How long did he stay in prison?

5. If Venucci knew Beppo well, why did he carry his photograph?

C. Ask the questions.

1. It had been stolen from the hotel room of the Princess of Colonna.

2. Yes, Beppo was taken to prison two days after the theft.
3x 3%= 9%
3. One of his friends told him the names of the people who bought the
busts.

D. Find synonyms for these words/expressions in the fourth, fifth and

sixth paragraphs.
1. astonished
2. shouted 4x 1,5%= 6%

3. in a low voice
4. famous
Total 40%

II

3
 A. Rewrite the sentences as indicated. Use the reported speech.

1. “This is the Black Pearl of the Borgias!”

Holmes said …
2. “How did you know it was there?”
Watson asked … 4x 2%= 8%
3.“It’s impossible.”
Lestrade said …
4. “Why did he carry his photograph?”
Lestrade wanted to know…

B. Join the sentences using a relative pronoun.

1. Beppo was taken to prison. He was Italian.

Beppo,…
3x 3%= 9%
2. Venucci had stolen the pearl. His sister worked in the hotel.
Venucci, …

3. The busts were cheap. They were made of plaster.

The busts, …

C. Rewrite the following sentences as indicated.

1. Sherlock Holmes is a good listener. That’s why Lestrade visits him.
If …
2. Lestrade admires Holmes because he solves many cases.
4x 2%= 8%
If Holmes …
3. If you don’t study, I won’t give you the book “The Six Napoleons.
Unless …
4. We won’t go to the cinema if you don’t buy the tickets.
Unless …

D. Put the following sentences in the passive voice.

1. Holmes took a clean white cloth from the cupboard.

2. Beppo killed Venucci two days ago. 5x 2%= 10%
3. Beppo pushed the pearl into one of the busts.
4. Different people had bought the six busts.
5. Holmes has found the Black Pearl of the Borgias.
Total 35%

III
Choose one of the following topics and write about 100 words on it.

4 25%
Topic one: Summarize the chapter you’ve just read.

Topic two: Sherlock Holmes was a private detective. Have you ever thought
about your future career? What would you like to do?

Total 100%

5
KEY:
I

A. According to the text, say if the following statements are TRUE or

FALSE. Quote from the text to support all your answers.

1. Holmes acted strangely as soon as Mr. Sandeford had arrived. FALSE

“As soon as Mr Sandeford had gone, Holmes started to do strange
things.”
2. Lestrade couldn’t believe Holmes had found the black pearl. TRUE
“It’s impossible,” said Lestrade quietly.
3. The pearl had been stolen the previous year. TRUE
“He told us that this, the most well-known pearl in the world, had been 5x 2%= 10%
stolen from the hotel room of the Princess of Colonna on 22nd May
the year before.”
4. Beppo escaped from the police and didn’t have time to hide the pearl. FALSE
“He pushed the pearl into one of them and covered the hole.”
5. Beppo was sent to prison because of the theft. FALSE
“Because of the fight, Beppo was sent to prison for one year.”

B. Answer the following questions about the text, writing complete

sentences.

6. What did Holmes do after Mr. Sandeford had left?

He took a cloth from the cupboard, put the bust on it and broke it into
pieces with his stick.

7. How did Lestrade react to Holmes finding?

5x 3%= 15%
Lestrade was so surprised that he couldn’t believe his eyes.

6
8. Where did Beppo hide the pearl?

He hid the pearl in one of the plaster Napoleon busts which weren’t
dry.
9. How long did he stay in prison?

He stayed in prison for one year.

10. If Venucci knew Beppo well, why did he carry his photograph?

He carried Beppo’s photograph to ask people if they had seen him.

C. Ask the questions.

1. It had been stolen from the hotel room of the Princess of Colonna.

Where had the pearl been stolen from?

3x 3%= 9%
2. Yes, Beppo was taken to prison two days after the theft.

Was Beppo taken to prison two days after the theft?

3. One of his friends told him the names of the people who had bought the
busts.
Who told him the names of the people who had bought the busts?

D. Find synonyms for these words/expressions in the fourth, fifth and

sixth paragraphs.

1. astonished - surprised
2. shouted - cried 4x 1,5%= 6%

3. in a low voice - quietly

4. famous - well-known

Total 40%

7
 II
A. Rewrite the sentences as indicated. Use the reported speech.

1. “This is the Black Pearl of the Borgias!”

Holmes said that that was the Black Pearl of the Borgias.
2. “How did you know it was there?”
Watson asked how he had known it had been there. 4x 2%= 8%
3.“It’s impossible.”
Lestrade said that it was impossible.
4. “Why did he carry his photograph?”
Lestrade wanted to know why he had carried his photograph.

B. Join the sentences using a relative pronoun.

1. Beppo was taken to prison. He was Italian.

Beppo, who was Italian, was taken to prison.
2. Venucci had stolen the pearl. His sister worked in the hotel. 3x 3%= 9%
Venucci, whose sister worked in the hotel, had stolen the pearl.
3. The Napoleon busts were cheap. They were made of plaster.
The Napoleon busts, which were made of plaster, were cheap.

C. Rewrite the following sentences as indicated.

1. Sherlock Holmes is a good listener. That’s why Lestrade visits him.

If Holmes wasn’t a good listener, Lestrade wouldn’t visit him.
2. Lestrade admires Holmes because he solves many cases.
If Holmes didn’t solve many cases, Lestrade wouldn’t admire him. 4x 2%= 8%
3. If you don’t study, I won’t give you the book “The Six Napoleons.
Unless you study, I won’t give you the book “The Six Napoleons.
4. We won’t go to the cinema if you don’t buy the tickets.
Unless you buy the tickets, we won’t go to the cinema.

8
 D. Put the following sentences in the passive voice.

6. Holmes took a clean white cloth from the cupboard.

A clean white cloth was taken from the cupboard by Holmes.
7. Beppo killed Venucci two days ago.
Venucci was killed by Beppo two days ago.
5x 2%= 10%
8. Beppo pushed the pearl into one of the busts.
The pearl was pushed into one of the busts by Beppo.
9. Different people had bought the six busts.
The six busts had been bought by different people.
10. Holmes has found the Black Pearl of the Borgias.
The Black Pearl of the Borgias has been found by Holmes.
Total 35%

III
Choose one of the following topics and write about 100 words on it.

Topic one: Summarize the chapter you’ve just read.

25%
Topic two: Sherlock Holmes was a private detective. Have you ever thought
about your future career? What would you like to do?

Total 100%