Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 5 – Upper Intermediate

Teacher’s Notes

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

Philippe Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera. During the war,
Summary

The Phantom of the Opera

work on the Opera stopped but Erik continued working alone,
building trap doors and secret passages. It is his genius, his
This famous classic about a man with a terribly deformed face who talents, and his personal tragedy that lead him to a life as the
falls in love with the beautiful French opera singer, Christine Daaé, phantom of the opera.
is told long after the events happen. A historian researches the
events surrounding the mysterious disappearance of Viscount
Chagny and Christine Daaé and this is his story. He learns from his
research that this man’s face was so monstrous that even his About the author
mother could not look at him when he was a child, and his hope of
ever finding love was an impossible dream. Much of what we learn Gaston Leroux, born in Paris in 1868, was trained in law, but chose
about this man, Erik, who almost everyone at the time believes is a career in writing. He wrote stories, plays, poems, novels and
a ghost, comes at the end of the story when all is revealed by the screenplays. His own extensive travels around the world and his
Persian who knew him better than anyone. The story begins when knowledge of the layout of the Paris Opera are cleverly interwoven
the ghost is seen in the Opera on the evening of the retirement into The Phantom of the Opera. He was intrigued by the design of
party for the managers. There is a death in the Opera that night as the opera house and thought it would be the perfect setting for a
well. The retiring managers inform the new managers that there is detective story. The story remains as popular today as it was when
a ghost who can bring disaster to the Opera if he does not get what he wrote it.
he wants. The new managers laugh and do not believe this story
until they make the mistake of going against the wishes of the
ghost. The ghost is in love with Christine Daaé and manages to
Background and themes
carry her away to his underground house on the lake below the
Opera. She believes he is the Angel of Music, who her father
This story is about the great misfortune which can come to
promised to send to her after he died. To her horror she discovers,
someone when they are different from everyone else, when that
when she sees him for the first time, that she is in the grips of a
person is not accepted for who they are. When people do not look
terrible monster. Count Chagny’s brother Raoul, the viscount, is
into the heart of the man but look at appearances only, they quickly
also in love with Christine but she cannot return his love for fear of
misjudge that person. This is what happens to Erik. In spite of his
what the monster will do if he finds them together. The monster and
enormous musical talent, his skillfulness as a magician,
the viscount are jealous of each other but the monster is far
ventriloquist, architect, and inventor, he cannot join the human race
cleverer and Raoul ends up in Erik’s torture room with the Persian
because of his terrible face. He wants nothing more than
who is trying to help him find Christine. When it seems that there is
acceptance, especially acceptance from a woman. He wants a wife
no hope and they will die in the torture room, the Persian reminds
and a normal life in a normal house like other people. He will never
Erik that he saved Erik’s life once. This saves the two men. When
have these things and he knows it. So he becomes revengeful and
Christine touches the monster’s hand, mixes her tears with his, and
tortures those who do not allow him to do as he wishes. He uses
allows the monster to kiss her, he has his first and last taste of
his genius to create a mysterious world where he can torture
human affection and love. He can now allow Christine to go with
people he dislikes. While this is a work of fiction, the character of
Raoul. We learn toward the end of the story that Erik was born with
Erik is sadly all too recognizable. We see in society today terrible
no nose and yellow eyes. In fairs all across Europe he learned
crimes committed by people who have lived as outsiders, who
magic. He sang beautifully, was the world’s first ventriloquist, and
have not had friends, who live in a world of their own. Vulnerable
could perform unbelievable tricks. When a Persian Princess heard
young people, like Christine Daaé and Raoul Chagny, can easily
about him, she instructed her chief of police, known as the Persian
become victims of such people. Because they are afraid, they do
in the story, to bring him to her palace in Mazenderan. The king
not go to the police. But it is also the story of the class system,
used Erik’s skills for political murders. Erik built a palace full of
whereby uneducated, poor people are used and discarded by their
trap doors and secret passages for the king. It was a work of
superiors, as in the case of the servant of Monsieur Moncharmin.
genius and the king ordered Erik’s death so that no one else could
It is a story of good and evil, love and hate, jealousy and greed.
have such a palace. The chief of police saved Erik from death and
And, in the end, good conquers evil.
Erik escaped. Finally, he went to Paris, where he worked for

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Penguin Readers Factsheets
Teacher’s Notes
Communicative activities
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
1 Find out how many of your students have seen the play or
the movie The Phantom of the Opera. Did they like it? Why?
Ask them to look at the cover of the book and read the blurb
on the back. They should work in pairs to write a list of
questions that they hope to find answers to when they read.
2 Ask students to read the Contents and to look up any new
words in their dictionaries. They can write these words in their
notebooks with the definitions and add any other new words
as they read the story.
3 Tell the students that the story is told by a man who wants to
know the true story of the phantom in the Paris Opera long
after the events happened. Some of the story comes to him
from books and letters, some from people he spoke to. Ask
them if they have ever read a book told in this way. What
advantages are there to writing in this way, do they think?
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION
Chapters 1–3
1 Put students into small groups and ask them to discuss what
the historian finds strange about these things in the story.
(a) the rope
(b) Christine Daaé’s divine voice
(c) the ghost at the supper table
2 Ask students to work in pairs and to discuss the effect these
people had on Christine’s early life:
(a) Monsieur Daaé (c) Madame Valérius
(b) Monsieur Valérius (d) Raoul Chagny
3 Put students into pairs and ask some pairs to role play the
scene when Raoul finds Christine in the sitting room at the
Setting Sun. Ask other pairs to role play their meeting in the
graveyard. Give them enough time to prepare and help them
with pronunciation and intonation. Then allow each pair to
perform for the rest of the class.
Chapters 4–6
1 Ask students to work in pairs and to write the letter Christine
wrote to Raoul after that night in Perros (page 28). Then ask
them to exchange letters and compare what they wrote. Let
the class decide which letter is the best.
2 Ask the students to work in small groups and to think about
the events in chapters 5 and 6. Ask them to discuss the
choices Christine makes and whether they think she has
done the right thing? Then have a whole class discussion.
3 Put students into pairs and ask them to role play the
conversation between Raoul and Christine from the point
where they come to the eighth floor and see the Persian to
when they look for the ring but cannot find it. After they perform
their role-plays, ask the students what they think Raoul and
Christine should do at this point in the story and why.
Chapters 7–9
1 Write these events on the board. Ask the students to discuss
in small groups how Philippe and Raoul feel when these
events happen.
(a) Raoul takes his gun and shoots the eyes.
(b) The newspaper reports the marriage of Viscount Chagny
and Christine Daaé.
(c) Christine disappears from the stage.
© Pearson Education Limited 2002
Level 5 – Upper Intermediate
2 Put students into groups of three. Ask them to prepare a role-
play of the conversation between Madame Giry and the
managers when they suspect her of stealing the 20,000
francs on pages 54–55. After they perform their role-plays,
ask the students what they think happened to the money.
3 Put the students into small groups and ask them to discuss
what Mifroid meant when he said, “This is, gentlemen, the art
of the police.” Do they think he is very clever? What does
Mifroid think of Raoul, the managers and the Angel of Music?
Chapters 10–12
1 Put the students into small groups and ask them to make a
list of all of Erik’s clever tricks and inventions that he uses for
his torture room. Where did he learn these things? Then ask
the groups to compare their lists. Ask the class which
invention they think was his most clever.
2 Elicit from the class the events from Erik’s life in chronological
order, and write them on the board. What do these events tell
us about the man? What adjectives would the students use to
The Phantom of the Opera
describe Erik? Make a list. Do they think he was evil?
3 Ask the students to look at the Contents page again and to
write new headings for each chapter. They may prefer to
work alone or in pairs. Then let them compare their headings
and discuss their choices.
4 Ask the students to look at the list of questions they had
before they read the book. Can they now answer these
questions? Have any been left unanswered? If so, what do
they think the answers probably are. Have a class discussion.
Glossary
Chapters 1–3 viscount (n) a man with a social
position below a count
allowance (n) money provided
regularly for a special purpose Chapters 4–6
angel (n) a messenger and servant of carriage (n) a vehicle with wheels that
God is pulled by a horse
ballet (n) a theatrical performance in chandelier (n) a large decoration made
which a story is told using artistic
of pieces of glass that holds lights
dancing and music (electric or flame) and which hangs
box (n) a very small room with an open from the ceiling
side which is in the theatre. People can mask (n) something that covers all or
sit in them to watch the performance part of the face to protect or hide it
box office (n) a place in the theatre toad (n) an animal like a large frog
where tickets are sold which has a brownish colour
cellar (n) an underground room, torture (v) to cause great pain or
usually without windows and used for suffering to someone to punish them or
storing goods make them give you information
count (n) a man who has a high social trap door (n) a small door that covers
position in Europe because of the an opening in a floor
family he comes from
divine (adj) having the qualities of God, Chapters 7–9
or coming from God monster (n) a strange, frightening
franc (n) the former unit of money in creature or someone who is extremely
France cruel and evil
genius (n) a person with great talent safety pin (n) a wire pin that is used to
memorandum (n) a note from one
hold two pieces of material together
person to another within the same Chapters 10–12
organization
grasshopper (n) an insect that jumps
opera (n) a musical play in which many with its long back legs and makes short
or all of the words are sung loud noises
phantom (n) a ghost scorpion (n) a tropical creature like a
skeleton (n) the complete set of bones large insect with a curving tail that has
in a human body a poisonous sting
skull (n) the bone of the head ventriloquist (n) a person who uses
superstitious (adj) believing that some his voice without moving his lips so that
objects or actions are lucky or unlucky the sound seems to come from
someone else
tremble (v) to shake uncontrollably,
usually with fear
triumph (n) a complete victory or
success
Published and distributed by Pearson Education
Factsheet written by Coleen Degnan-Veness
Factsheet series developed by Louise James
Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 5 – Upper Intermediate

Student’s activities

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux

ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK ■ ( f ) The new managers are told there is a ghost and that

The Phantom of the Opera

1 Read the Introduction and answer these questions.
(a) What has the opera ghost done to make the managers
decide to leave their jobs?
(b) Who is telling the story?
(c) Why did the man telling the story go to the National
School of Music?
(d) Why did he speak to the Persian?
(e) What was the Paris Opera built over?
( f ) Why did Leroux know so much about the Opera
building?
(g) How many floors are underground?
2 Put these events from Leroux’s life in the correct order.
■ (a) In Morocco, he learned about France and
Germany’s struggle for power there.
■ (b) He formed his own production company.
■ (c) He studied law and received a law degree.
disaster strikes when the ghost does not get what he
wants.
■ (g) The managers receive an inspector’s report about a
problem in Box Five.
■ (h) The man with the Face of Death tells the guests that
Buquet was found hanging.
■ ( i ) Madame Giry tries to explain to the new managers
that the opera ghost spoke to the people who were
sitting in his box.
■ ( j ) Monsieur Poligny shows the new managers the
memorandum book with the strange handwriting in
red ink.
3 Are these sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.
(a) As children, Christine Daaé and Raoul played together in
the graveyard at Perros-Guirec.
(b) Christine’s father was a poor farmer, a widower and a

Photocopiable
talented violinist.
■ (d) He wrote his first successful novel which introduced (c) Monsieur Valérius took Christine to Perros-Guirec, where
the detective Rouletabille. she met Raoul for the first time.
■ (e) His father died, leaving him a large amount of (d) Christine’s father told her that the Angel of Music brings
money. great talent to those he visits.
ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK (e) When Monsieur Valérius died, Christine lost her voice,
her soul, and her genius.
Chapters 1–3
Chapters 4–6
1 Which character in the first chapter…
1 What happened when
(a) is in charge of moving scenery?
(b) is the singing master? (a) Madame Giry told the managers that she had received a
(c) has a private box in the Opera? letter from the ghost?
(d) is in charge of Box Five? (b) Carlotta received a letter threatening her if she appeared
(e) is found hanging in the third cellar? on stage that night?
(f) is the scenery manager? (c) Carlotta sang her only two lines for the second act?
(g) gives a surprisingly talented performance and then (d) the managers returned to Box Five for the third act?
faints? (e) the managers returned and found the opera glasses and
(h) is sick and cannot perform? remembered Madame Giry’s words?
( i ) has just returned from a trip around the world and is (f) Christine saw Viscount Chagny as she began to sing?
going to the North Pole? (g) Carlotta sang in the third act?
( j ) tells Christine, “The angels in heaven cried tonight”? (h) the ghost says to the managers,”She is singing tonight to
bring the chandelier down!”
2 Put the sentences into the correct order.
2 After the chandelier fell, what happened to
■ (a) The retiring managers and the new managers leave
the guests and go to the office. (a) Carlotta?
■ (b) The managers tell the inspector they no longer want (b) Christine Daaé?
Madame Giry working for them. (c) Madame Giry?
■ (c) Jammes sees the Opera ghost for the second time
and screams loudly.
■ (d) Monsieur Richard receives a letter from the opera
ghost asking him not to sell Box Five.
■ (e) The managers go to Box Five to inspect it.

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Penguin Readers Factsheets

Level 5 – Upper Intermediate

Student’s activities

3 Who speaks, writes or sings these words and to who? ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
(a) “But you know as well as I do that Christine couldn’t 1 Imagine you were at the Opera on the night the chandelier
marry, even if she wanted to!” fell. Write a letter to a friend telling about the strange events
(b) “The genius gives her lessons? Where?” that happened in act 3 of Faust that night.
(c) “Go to the masked party at the Opera on the night after
2 There is a musical of The Phantom of the Opera. Imagine
tomorrow.”
that you have just read in the newspaper that you can win
(d) “Dear, it is a tragedy!”
tickets to see it. All you have to do to win is write in 300-400
(e) “Our lives are joined forever and a day!”
words “Was the phantom really in love with Christine or did
( f ) “Who is this Erik?”
he love only her voice?”
Chapters 7–9
1 Who is described in these sentences?
Viscount Chagny the Persian Monsieur Richard Erik
Monsieur Moncharmin Raoul Christine Daaé Philippe

The Phantom of the Opera

(a) He is always in the Opera.
(b) His eyes only show in the dark
(c) He took out his gun and aimed at the two eyes.
(d) The report in the Epoque said he intended to prevent the
marriage.
(e) When the lights came back on, she was no longer there!
(f) He continued shouting for a safety pin until a boy brought
him one.
(g) He put his hands together and lowered his head, and left
slowly, walking backwards!
(h) The face was so white, so full of pain, that they were
seized with pity.
2 Write the missing word in each sentence.
horror torture gun cellar mirror
(a) The Persian told Raoul to hold the __________ in front

Photocopiable
of his face at all times.
(b) The Persian and Raoul left Christine’s dressing room
through the __________.
(c) The Persian took Raoul down to the third __________.
(d) It was the Punjab rope. He threw it down in __________.
(e) We have dropped into the __________ room!
Chapters 10–12
1 Answer these questions.
(a) Where did the Persian meet Erik?
(b) What was the Persian’s job?
(c) Where did Erik learn to throw a rope and kill men with it?
(d) Who did Erik work for after he returned to France?
(e) What did Erik do during the war?
(f) What could Erik do with his voice that no one before him
could do?
(g) Erik was the first person in the world to build something?
What?
(h) What did Erik plan to do if Christine refused to marry
him?

© Pearson Education Limited 2002 Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Coleen Degnan-Veness
Factsheet series developed by Louise James

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera
Gaston Leroux
About the author
Gaston Leroux, born in Paris in 1868, was trained in
law, but chose a career in writing. He wrote stories, plays,
poems, novels and screenplays. His own extensive travels
around the world and his knowledge of the layout of the
Paris Opera are cleverly interwoven into The Phantom of
the Opera. He was intrigued by the design of the opera
house and thought it would be the perfect setting for a
detective story. The story remains as popular today as it
was when he wrote it.
Summary
This famous classic about a man with a terribly deformed
face who falls in love with the beautiful French opera
singer, Christine Daaé, is told after the events happen. A
historian researches the events surrounding the mysterious
disappearance of Viscount Chagny and Christine Daaé
and this is his story. He learns from research that the man’s
face was so monstrous that even his mother could not look
at him when he was a child, and his hope of ever finding
love was an impossible dream. Much of what we learn
about this man, Erik, who almost everyone at the time
believes is a ghost, comes at the end of the story when
all is revealed by the Persian who knew him better than
anyone.
The story begins when the ghost is seen in the Opera
on the evening of the retirement party for the managers.
There is also a death in the Opera that night. The retiring
managers inform the new managers that there is a ghost
who can bring disaster to the Opera if he does not get
what he wants. The new managers laugh and do not
believe this story until they make the mistake of going
against the wishes of the ghost. The ghost is in love with
Christine Daaé and manages to carry her away to his
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
underground house on the lake below the Opera. She
believes he is the Angel of Music, who her father promised
to send after he died. To her horror she discovers, when
she sees him for the first time that she is in the grip of
a terrible monster. Count Chagny’s brother Raoul, the
viscount, is also in love with Christine but she cannot
return his love for fear of what the monster will do if he
finds them together. The monster and the viscount are
jealous of each other, but the monster is far cleverer and
Raoul ends up in Erik’s torture room with the Persian
who is helping him find Christine. When it seems that
there is no hope and that they will die in the torture
room, the Persian reminds Erik that he once saved Erik’s
life. This saves the two men. When Christine touches the
monster’s hand, mixes her tears with his, and allows the
monster to kiss her, he has his first and last taste of human
affection and love. How can he now allow Christine to
go away with Raoul? We learn towards the end of the
story that Erik was born with no nose and yellow eyes.
In fairs all across Europe, he learned magic. He sang
beautifully, was the world’s first ventriloquist, and could
perform unbelievable tricks. When a Persian Princess
heard about him, she instructed her chief of police, known
as the Persian in the story, to bring him to her palace
in Mazenderan. The king used Erik’s skills for political
murders. Erik built a palace full of trap doors and secret
passages for the king. It was a work of genius and the king
ordered Erik’s death so that no one else could have such a
palace. The chief of police saved Erik from death and he
escaped. Finally, he went to Paris, where he worked for
Philippe Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera. During
the war, work on the Opera stopped, but Erik continued
working alone, building trap doors and secret passages. It
is his genius, his talents, and his personal tragedy that led
him to a life as the Phantom of the Opera.
Chapters 1 and 2: The managers of the Paris Opera
House are retiring and have a party. That day, some of the
workers see the “Opera ghost” and are very scared. That
night, Joseph Buquet is found hanging in the cellars of the
opera house. Viscount Raoul Chagny has met Christine
Daaé, one of the singers, before and is in love with her. He
hears her talking to someone in her dressing room. When
he tries to find out who she is talking to, there is no-one
there. During the retirement ceremony, the ghost re-
appears and then writes letters to the managers giving his
orders. However, the new managers do not believe there is
a ghost and think the old managers are playing a joke on
them.
The Phantom of the Opera - Teacher’s notes   of 5

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera
Chapters 3 and 4: Viscount Chagny follows Christine
back to her home town in Brittany. They knew each other
as children and still have a somewhat childish relationship.
She tells him that the “Angel of Music”, sent to her by
her father after his death, helps her sing more beautifully.
However, Raoul doesn’t believe her. Raoul has a strange
experience in the graveyard when Christine goes to visit
her father’s grave. He sees a shadow which seems to have a
face of death. After this, the Opera ghost starts threatening
to curse the opera if his conditions are not met. The
managers don’t obey him, so a chandelier falls on one of
the manager’s servants and kills her during a performance.
The performance of Faust seems indeed to be cursed.
Chapters 5 and 6: Christine asks Raoul Chagny to meet
her at the masked party at the opera house. He has to
wear white and is sworn to secrecy. After talking together
at the party, Raoul hides in her room and hears Erik, the
Angel of Music, singing. He also sees the face of death
again. Christine reveals to him that she is under the power
of Erik. He loves her and wants to marry her. She has
torn the mask from his face and has seen his monstrous
ugliness. Although he has taught her to sing and she has
compassion for him because of his misfortune, he terrifies
her. While Christine is telling Raoul this and they are
walking around the hidden parts of the opera house, they
are followed by a shadow.
Chapters 7 and 8: Christine and Raoul have decided to
run away together. They decide to go after Christine’s next
performance although Raoul wants her to leave straight
away. Strangely, their engagement is announced in the
paper the next day. During Christine’s performance, the
stage turns dark and she disappears. The police are called
and the managers and Raoul interviewed. No-one knows
what has happened to her. The Opera ghost demands his
next payment. However, the managers cannot decide who
took the last payment, whether the ghost received the
payment or whether someone else, perhaps one of them,
took it. They decide to try to trick the ghost or the thief.
Chapters 9 and 10: The Persian, who works at the Opera,
helps Raoul try to find Christine and tells him what he
knows about Erik, who is, in fact, the Opera ghost. The
Persian knows him from the past and says he is a monster.
They realize the ghost must be holding Christine prisoner.
They explore the opera house and hear Christine, who
is trapped in the room next to Erik’s torture room at the
bottom level of the opera house.
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Chapters 11 and 12: Erik, it seems, has put explosives
under the Opera and will blow everyone up if Christine
does not marry him. Erik traps Raoul and the Persian in
the torture room where he plays tricks on them to torture
their minds, and causes intensely hot conditions then
threatens to flood the room. They are saved by Christine.
She agrees to marry Erik and the Persian also reminds
Erik that he saved his life years before, so Erik stops the
torture. Afterwards, the Persian finds out that Raoul’s
brother is dead, probably killed by Erik. As Christine has
let Erik kiss her, Erik frees her. Erik is dying and Raoul
and Christine run away together. The Persian tells his
story and what he knows about the terrible monster Erik.
It turns out that Erik was born with a monstrous face and
was displayed in a circus as “the living dead”. He was a
magician and was taken to Persia where, he was employed
by the royal family to build a palace full of secret passages
and trap doors where the king could use his trickery to
perform political murders. The king ordered his death
so that the secrets of the palace could never be copied.
The Persian, however, saved him. After his death, Erik’s
skeleton is taken to the National School of Music.
Background and themes
Judging by appearances: This story is about the great
misfortune which can come to someone when they are
different from everyone else, and when that person is
not accepted for who they are. When people do not look
into the heart of the man but look at appearances only,
they quickly misjudge that person. This is what happens
to Erik, in spite of his enormous musical talent, his
skillfulness as a magician, ventriloquist, architect, and
inventor; he cannot join the human race because of his
terrible face. He wants nothing more than acceptance,
especially acceptance from a woman. He wants a wife and
a normal life in a normal house like other people. He will
never have these things and he knows it. So he becomes
revengeful and he tortures those who do not allow him to
do as he wishes. He uses his genius to create a mysterious
world where he can torture people he dislikes. While
this is a work of fiction, the character of Erik is, sadly,
too recognizable. We see in society today terrible crimes
committed by people who have lived as outsiders, who
have not had friends, who live in a world of their own.
Vulnerable young people, like Christine Daaé and Raoul
Chagny, can easily become victims of such people.
The Phantom of the Opera - Teacher’s notes  of 5

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera
The class system: The Phantom of the Opera is also the
story of the class system, whereby uneducated and poor
people are used and discarded by their superiors, as in the
case of the servant of Monsieur Moncharmin.
The triumph of good over evil: The Phantom of the
Opera is ultimately a story of good and evil, love and hate,
jealousy and greed. And, in the end, good conquers evil.
Discussion activities
Before reading
1 Discuss: In small groups, have students discuss the
title of the book and look at the front cover. Do you
know what the word “phantom” means? What other
words could you use instead of this? What does this word
suggest the book is about? Predict what the story is about
and write down your ideas.
2 Research: Have students look up The Phantom of the
Opera on the Internet or in books/magazines and see
what pictures they can find. What do these pictures
or photographs suggest about the story? What do the
characters look like? Do you think you will enjoy this
story? Write down as many adjectives as you can think
of to describe the pictures you find.
Chapter 1
Before reading
3 Predict: Have students predict what this chapter is
about. What do you think happens in this chapter? The
title is a question. What does this tell you about the ghost?
After reading
4 Discuss: Have the students discuss the following
questions. What happened in this chapter? What strange
events occurred? Do you think the ghost killed Joseph,
or do you think he killed himself ? Who was Christine
talking to? How do you think you would react if you
saw a ghost? Give reasons for your answers.
5 Artwork: Have the students look over the
descriptions of the ghost in Chapter 1 and draw a
picture of the ghost.
6 Pair work: Have the students work together and
write answers to the following questions. What does
the ghost request? What would you do if you were the
manager? Would you obey the ghost, or do what you
wanted to do?
7 Role play: Have the students work in groups of four.
Old Managers: Two of the students are the old
managers and tell the new managers all about the
ghost and what has happened in the past. The old
managers have to warn the new managers about what
might happen if they do not obey the ghost. New
Managers: Two of the students are the new managers
and laugh at the suggestions of the old managers.
They do not believe them and think the old managers
either want to keep control or are playing a joke on
them.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Chapter 2
After reading
8 Write: Have students answer the following questions.
Who are Monsieur Armand Moncharmin and Monsieur
Firmin Richard? Where is the Opera? Who writes his
memories? What does Monsieur Richard do?
9 Discuss: Have the students discuss in small groups
everything that has happened in Chapter 2. What
happens in Chapter 2? What do the old managers advise
the new managers to do? Who do you think wrote the
letters, the ghost or the old managers?
Chapter 3
Before reading
10 Predict: Have students predict who the Angel of
Music is. Is the Angel of Music human or a ghost? Do
you think the Opera ghost has anything to do with this?
After reading
11 Discuss: Have the students discuss their predictions
about the Angel of Music. What was the Angel of
Music? Were your predictions correct? If not, what did
you think the Angel of Music would be?
12 Role play: Student A: You are Raoul. You have
followed Christine to the graveyard, and then you
were found on the church steps. Explain to the police
what happened to you, what you saw and what you
felt.
Student B: You are a policeman and you need to know
what happened at the graveyard and why Raoul was
found on the steps of the church. Interview him
about what happened. You do not really believe Raoul
and you do not believe in ghosts. You think there
must be another explanation.
13 Artwork: Have students do a painting, collage, or
computer-generated image of the Angel of Music.
Have the students think about how they could show
that this angel is associated with music. Students
could choose to use a genre of music that they like to
illustrate their image.
Chapter 4
Before reading
14 Discuss: Have the students discuss the title of this
chapter. What is a curse? Do you believe curses really
exist and can work, or is this sort of thing nonsense?
Do you know any stories of famous curses? What do you
think this curse might mean in the book? Who or what is
cursed?
15 Write: Have the students answer the following
questions.
a What conditions does the ghost expect the managers to
meet?
b What does the ghost threaten to do if his conditions
are not met?
c Who does Carlotta think is threatening her?
d If you were one of the managers, what would you do?
The Phantom of the Opera - Teacher’s notes   of 5

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera
16 Write: Have students do the following piece of
writing. You work for a local newspaper and you have
heard about the death of a woman killed by a falling
chandelier. Write an article about it. You can include
what you have heard about the Opera ghost if you want
to.
17 Role play: Student A: You are one of the new
managers of the opera house. You are discussing
what to do after the chandelier death with the other
manager. You think it was a freak accident and that
you need to check all the safety features of the Opera.
You do not think it was anything to do with the ghost
and you are worried about what the press might write
about the tragedy. You think the death is very bad for
business.
Student B: You are also one of the managers. You are
very upset about the chandelier death and you think
this has happened because you did not obey the
requests of the Opera ghost. You must try and
persuade the other manager to do what the ghost
wants. You think the Opera may be cursed.
After reading
18 Discuss: Have students discuss the letter at the end
of Chapter 4. What do you think will happen at the
masked party? Why must Raoul keep this meeting secret?
Why does he need to wear a white mask and coat?
19 Research: Have the students research the story of
Faust on the Internet or in books. Who wrote the story
of Faust? What is it about? Then, have the students
discuss in pairs whether they think there is any
connection between the story of Faust and what has
happened so far in The Phantom of the Opera.
20 Write: Have the students work in pairs and imagine
they have visited the graveyard with Raoul and have
seen the face of death. Ask them to write down as
many adjectives as they can think of to describe the
face, for example, frightening. Then, ask them to
think of as many adjectives as they can to describe
how they and Raoul felt when they saw the face: for
example, frightened.
Chapter 5
After reading
21 Discuss: Have students discuss their predictions
about the masked party. Were your predictions correct?
What happened at the masked party? Who is Erik?
22 Artwork: Have students imagine that they are going
to a masked party. Ask them to design a mask. They
must include a clue or clues in their design that says
something about their character. Afterwards put the
masks on display or have the students wear them. Ask
students to guess whose mask belongs to whom.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Chapter 6
Before reading
23 Write: Have students write down what tragedy they
think occurs in this chapter. Is the tragedy caused by
the Opera ghost?
After reading
24 Discuss: Have the students discuss everything they
know about the Opera ghost. Who is the Opera ghost?
Who is the Angel of Music and the voice? Are these things
separate or part of the same thing? Do you think the
Opera ghost was once a man?
25 Write: Have the students write a letter from Raoul
to Christine. Ask them to remember that Raoul is
in love with Christine. Imagine you are Raoul, tell
Christine in your letter how you feel about her. Write
about her beauty, her beautiful singing voice, her
performances and her character. Tell her what you
want to happen in the future.
26 Role play: Put students into pairs and ask them to
role play the conversation between Raoul and
Christine from the point where they come to the
eighth floor and see the Persian to when they look for
the ring but cannot find it. After they have performed
their role plays, ask the students what they think
Raoul and Christine should do at this point in the
story and why.
Chapter 7
Before reading
27 Predict: Have the students discuss who they think
disappears in this chapter? Who disappears? How do
they disappear? Who is responsible for the disappearance?
After reading
28 Discuss: Ask the students if they were right about
their predictions. Who, in fact, disappeared? How did
Christine disappear? Did the ghost take her or did she
run away? Was it a trick? What do you think?
29 Role play: Student A: You are the police detective
investigating the disappearance of Christine. Interview
the suspects and ask them lots of questions.
Student B: You are Raoul. You are very distressed at
the disappearance of Christine as you were going to
run away together. Tell the detective about the ghost
and what you think happened to her.
Student C: You are one of the managers. You do not
really know what happened to Christine. You think
the ghost might be involved, but you don’t want the
detective to think you are mad.
30 Write: Ask students to imagine they are Christine.
Ask them to write a letter from Christine to Raoul,
telling him what has happened to her. Ask students to
think about how Christine must be feeling. What do
you think has happened to Christine? Has she run away
or has she been captured by the ghost? How is she feeling?
Is she feeling brave or frightened? Is she angry or has she
given up? Remember, she may never see Raoul again, so
she needs to say how she really feels.
The Phantom of the Opera - Teacher’s notes   of 5

Teacher’s notes LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera
Chapter 8
After reading
31 Discuss: Have the students discuss in pairs who they
think took the money. Did the Opera ghost get his
payment or did one of the managers steal it? What about
Madame Giry? Did she have anything to do with the
disappearance of the money?
32 Role play: Put the students into groups of three. One
student is Madame Giry and the other two students
are the managers. The managers think Madame Giry
has stolen the 20,000 francs and they question her
closely. Madame Giry says she is innocent and is upset
and annoyed that the managers suspect her. Have the
conversation.
Chapter 9
After reading
33 Discuss: Have students discuss this chapter. Who are
the “dead bodies”? Are they really dead? What do you
think the torture room is? Who does it belong to and who
has been tortured? By who?
Chapter 10
After reading
34 Pair work: Have students work in pairs and try and
remember as many things as they can about Erik from
this chapter. Ask them to write down what they can
remember in note form.
35 Discuss: Put students into groups and have them
discuss the following questions. Should you judge
people by their appearance? What dangers are there in
doing this? Why did Erik become the monster he was?
Was he like this because of how he had been treated
as a child and later in life? If Erik had had other
opportunities, do you think he would still have become
a murderer? How are people treated in your society if
they are different from others? How are disabled people
treated in your society? Are there any ways you could
improve how these people are treated?
Chapter 11
After reading
36 Write: Ask students to imagine they had been in the
torture room too. Ask them to write an article for the
local newspaper about their frightening experience
and how they managed to escape.
37 Discuss: Put students in pairs and ask them to discuss
the character of Christine Daaé. Why did Christine
behave the way she did? Why didn’t she try to escape
from Erik? Why did she agree to marry him? Was she
scared or did she have any feelings for him? Was she weak
in your opinion? What would you have done in her
position?
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
38 Write: Ask the students to imagine that the Opera
ghost has caused another tragedy at the Opera. Ask
them to write an article about it for the local paper.
Remind them to include references to what has
happened before. Another tragedy has occurred at the
Opera. What is it? Is it another murder? Is it an
accident? Who was involved? Did anyone see what
happened? Who caused it? Was it the work of the Opera
ghost or just a coincidence? Is the Opera cursed? Has the
ghost made any threats recently? Has the Opera ghost
been looked after or is he angry about something?
39 Write: Ask the students to imagine they are Erik and
they are dying. Erik is looking back over his life and
trying to decide whether what he did was good or
bad. Erik wants to write his life story starting with his
childhood. Imagine you are Erik and you are writing
your life story. Do you feel happy or sad about the life
you have lived? Do you regret the murders you have
committed? Would you have treated people differently
if you hadn’t been ugly? What would you have done
differently? Start with your childhood and write about
your life. Remember to include how you felt and how
people treated you.
40 Role play: Student A: You are Raoul. You don’t
understand why Erik has been so horrible to you and
why he has nearly killed you. You are trying to
understand this. Ask the Persian what he thinks and
what he knows about Erik’s life.
Student B: You are the Persian. You need to answer
Raoul’s questions as fully as you can. You know Erik
is an evil man, but you also know his background.
Explain to Raoul how Erik has become the evil
monster he is.
Chapter 12
Before reading
41 Discuss: Put students in small groups and ask them
to discuss who, or what, they think Erik really is. Is
he a ghost or a man? Do you like him, hate him, or feel
sorry for him? Do you think he should force Christine to
marry him?
After reading
42 Discuss: Ask students if they have changed their
opinion of Erik having read this chapter. Who do you
think Erik is now? Is he a man or a ghost? Were you
correct or have you changed your mind about Erik?
Vocabulary activities
For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
www.penguinreaders.com.
The Phantom of the Opera - Teacher’s notes  of 5

Activity worksheets  LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera Photocopiable
Chapters 1–3
1 Which character in the first chapter …?
a is in charge of moving scenery?
………………………………………………
b is the singing master?
………………………………………………
c has a private box in the Opera?
………………………………………………
d is in charge of Box Five?
………………………………………………
e is found hanging in the third cellar?
………………………………………………
f is the scenery manager?
………………………………………………
2 Answer the following questions.
a What are the names of the old managers of
the Opera?
………………………………………………
b What do the old managers warn the new
managers about?
………………………………………………
c Do the new managers believe the old? What
do the new managers do?
………………………………………………
d What requests does the ghost make?
………………………………………………
3 Write true (T) or false (F) next to each
sentence.
a La Sorelli is a manager of the Opera. c
b Joseph Buquet is a serious type of man. c
c The dancers at the opera are ballet
dancers. c
d Gabriel is the stage manager. c
e Joseph Buquet is found hanging in the
opera. c
4 Underline the correct word.
a Monsieur Moncharmin has written down his
complaints / memories.
b Monsieur Mercier is the singing teacher /
scenery manager.
c The opera showing is Midsummer Night’s
Dream / Faust.
d Philippe and Raoul Chagny are brothers /
cousins.
e The opera house is in Berlin / Paris.
5 Answer the following questions.
a Write down two things the old managers
advise the new managers to do.
………………………………………………
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PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
b What will happen if the new managers do not
do these things?
………………………………………………
6 Put these sentences into the correct order.
Write (1–10) next to (a–j).
a c The retiring managers and the new
managers leave the guests and go to the
office.
b c The managers tell the inspector they no
longer want Madame Giry working for
them.
c c Jammes sees the Opera ghost for the
second time and screams loudly.
d c Monsieur Richard receives a letter from
the Opera ghost asking him not to sell
Box Five.
e c The managers go to Box Five to inspect it.
f c The managers are told there is a ghost and
that disaster strikes when the ghost does
not get what he wants.
g c The managers receive an inspector’s report
about a problem in Box Five.
h c The man with the face of Death tells the
guests that Buquet was found hanging.
i c Madame Giry tries to explain to the new
managers that the Opera ghost spoke to
people who were sitting in his box.
j c Monsieur Poligny shows the new
managers the memorandum book with
the strange handwriting in red ink.
7 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
Correct the false ones.
a As children, Christine Daaé and Raoul played
together in the graveyard at Perros-Guirec.
………………………………………………
b Christine’s father was a poor farmer, a
widower and a talented violinist.
………………………………………………
c Monsieur Valérius took Christine to Perros-
Guirec, where she met Raoul for the first
time.
………………………………………………
d Christine’s father told her that the Angel of
Music brings great talent to those he visits.
………………………………………………
e When Monsieur Valérius died, Christine lost
her voice, her soul, and her genius.
………………………………………………
The Phantom of the Opera - Activity worksheets   of 2

Activity worksheets  LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera Photocopiable
Chapters 4 – 6
8 Write the letter Christine wrote to Raoul after
the night in Perros (page 28). When you have
finished, compare your letter with another
student’s. Are your letters similar? How are
they different? Which one do you think is
better?
9 What happened when …?
a Madame Giry told the managers that she had
received a letter from the ghost?
………………………………………………
b Carlotta received a letter threatening her if she
appeared on stage that night?
………………………………………………
c Carlotta sang her only two lines in the second
act?
………………………………………………
d the managers returned to Box Five for the
third act?
………………………………………………
e the managers returned and found the opera
glasses and remembered Madame Giry’s
words?
………………………………………………
10 Answer the following questions.
After the chandelier fell, what happened to
a Carlotta? …………………………………….
b Christine Daaé? ……………………………..
c Madame Giry? ………………………………
11 Who speaks, writes or sings these words and
to whom?
a “But you know as well as I do that Christine
couldn’t marry, even if she wanted to.”
………………………………………………
b “The genius gives her lessons? Where?”
………………………………………………
c “Go to the masked party at the Opera on the
night after tomorrow.”
………………………………………………
d “Dear, it is a tragedy!”
………………………………………………
e “Our lives are joined forever and a day!”
………………………………………………
f “Who is this Erik?”
………………………………………………
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PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
12 Choose the correct word.
talent  beautifully  enthusiastic  doubt
performance
Count Chagny was right. No (a) ………… had
ever equaled this one. Christine Daaé had shown
her true (b) ………… for the first time to the
surprised and (c) ………… audience. There
were many famous pieces (d) ………… sung by
the singers of the day, but Christine Daaé had
been, without (e) …………, the best.
Chapters 7–9
13 Who is described in these sentences?
Choose from the following:
Viscount Chagny  the Persian
Monsieur Richard  Erik
Monsieur Moncharmin  Raoul
Christine Daaé  Philippe
a He is always in the Opera. …………………
b His eyes only show in the dark.
…………………
c He took out his gun and aimed at the two
eyes. …………………
d The report in the Epoque said he intended to
prevent the marriage. …………………
e When the lights came back on, she was no
longer there! …………………
f He continued shouting for a safety pin until a
boy brought him one. …………………
g He put his hands together and lowered his
head, and left slowly, walking backwards.
…………………
h The face was so white, so full of pain, that
they were seized with pity. …………………
Chapters 10–12
14 With another student discuss Erik’s behavior.
Do you think Erik’s ugliness is an excuse for
his behavior? Is his behavior his fault or
society’s fault? One student should prepare
arguments agreeing that Erik is responsible
for his own behavior. The other student
should prepare arguments showing that Erik’s
behavior is the result of the way he has been
treated. Have the discussion.
15 Imagine you are the Persian and you have
known Erik for a long time. Write about who
Erik is and what has happened in his life. Also
write why you think he has become so evil.
The Phantom of the Opera - Activity worksheets  of 2

Progress test LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera Photocopiable
Chapters 1–3
1 Answer the following questions.
a What are the names of the new managers of the
Opera?
……………………………………………………
b In which city is the Opera situated?
……………………………………………………
c Who is Christine Daaé?
……………………………………………………
d What happens to Joseph Buquet?
……………………………………………………
e What is the surname of Philippe and Raoul?
……………………………………………………
f What demands does the ghost make?
……………………………………………………
2 Underline the correct answer.
a Christine Daaé and Raoul Chagny knew each other
from the Opera / childhood.
b Christine goes to visit her father’s home / grave.
c Christine’s father is from Germany / Scandinavia.
d Perros-Guirec is in Paris / Brittany.
3 Put the correct word in the sentence.
social  performance  tongue  retirement
artistic  retiring  whispers
During this time, the (a) ………… ceremony was
taking place. The most important people in the
(b) ………… and (c) ………… world of Paris
had met in the entrance hall of the Opera after the d Erik wears a mask to hide his face. c
(d) ………… . Sorelli waited for the arrival of the e Erik was in the war in Persia. c
(e) ………… managers with a prepared speech on
the tip of her (f ) ………… . Behind her, the corps de
ballet, young and old, discussed the events of the day in
(g) ………… .
Chapters 4 – 6
4 Match the sentences (a–e) with the numbers (1–5).
a At midnight …..
b If you love me …..
c Raoul saw a red foot followed by another …..
d Raoul answered “Maybe” with so much desperate
love …..
e He kissed her hands and went away, …..
1) then the whole red coat of Red Death met his
eyes.
2) cursing Erik and promising himself to be
patient.
3) be in the little room behind the stairs.
4) that Christine could not hold back the tears.
5) do not let yourself be recognized.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
5 Write true (T) or false (F) next to each sentence.
a The ghost wants Madame Giry to get her job
back. c
b The ghost wants Carlotta to sing in the opera. c
c The ghost threatens to “curse” Faust if his
conditions are not met. c
d At the end of Act II of Faust, the managers
see the ghost in Box Five. c
e Carlotta sings beautifully during the
performance. c
Chapters 7–9
6 Answer the following questions.
a What will happen to Christine if she takes off the
ring given to her by Erik?
……………………………………………………
b Why does Raoul shoot the cat?
……………………………………………………
c Who is Monsieur Faure?
……………………………………………………
d What is Monsieur Faure investigating?
……………………………………………………
e Who lives in the Rue Rivoli?
……………………………………………………
7 Tick (3) the sentences which are true.
a Erik tried to drown the Persian. c
b The Persian knew Erik from the past. c
c Erik used to live in London. c
Chapters 10–12
8 Match the following words with their meanings.
a c to be confused
b c a tragedy
c c an emotion
d c to be jealous
e c a curse
f c a ventriloquist
g c mysterious
h c a genius
1) Something very sad like an accident.
2) A person who can do tricks with his voice.
3) To want something that someone else has.
4) Not to be clear in one’s thinking.
5) Someone who is extremely talented.
6) A feeling.
7) Something strange.
8) A spell that brings bad luck.
The Phantom of the Opera - Progress test   of 1

Answer keys LEVEL 5
The Phantom of the Opera
Book key
1 Open answers
2 Possible answers:
It is said that there is a lake under the Paris Opera.
Also, there are hundreds of rooms, long passages,
seventeen floors (five of which are underground),
2,500 doors and many trap doors. This kind of
building gives a writer many opportunities for
mystery, strange sounds, and characters coming and
going in unusual ways.
3 Open answers (but f cellar: underground; chandelier:
in a large, fine room, for example a grand sitting
room; trap door: in a floor or ceiling, for example a
floor above a cellar)
4 a Monsieur/M. Debienne and Monsieur/M. Poligny
b La Sorelli
c the Opera ghost
d Joseph Buquet
e Madame Giry/Meg’s mother
f Monsieur/M. Moncharmin
g Christine Daaé
h Philippe George Marie/Count of Chagny
i Raoul
j Monsieur/M. Firmin Richard
k Mr. Daaé/Christine’s father
l Monsieur/M. Valérius
m the Angel of music
5 a The young ballet dancers rush into La Sorelli’s
dressing room because they think they have seen the
Opera ghost. This is important to the story because
the reader is given a description of the ghost and his
habits.
b The dead body of Joseph Buquet is found hanging
in the third cellar under the stage. This scares
everyone; they think the Opera ghost is responsible.
c After fainting at the end of her performance,
Christine is with a doctor in her dressing room.
Raoul tries to see her but has to wait outside the
room. When Christine is alone in her dressing room,
Raoul hears her talking to a man. He searches the
room after she leaves, but he finds no one. This
makes Raoul jealous and upset, and it makes the
reader believe in the existence of a phantom.
d At the wonderful party for the retiring managers,
everyone sees a man with a strange face and hollow
eyes sitting at the end of the table. Everyone
believes that this person, who does not speak or eat
or drink, is the Opera ghost. This gives the reader
more proof that the ghost is real, but nothing is
definite.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
e The inspector reports that there were people in Box
Five making a lot of noise and annoying others.
They were laughing loudly, were not in their right
mind, and made stupid remarks to the inspector.
This shows that the Opera ghost will make trouble
if anyone uses Box Five.
f Christine was with her father in Perros-Guirec. At
the beach Christine’s beautiful singing captured
Raoul’s imagination. When the girl’s scarf was
blown out to sea, Raoul rescued it. Christine
laughed and kissed the boy. This was when their
love began.
g Raoul follows Christine into the graveyard beside
the church at Perros-Guirec late at night. He sees
her praying at her father’s grave and he hears the
most perfect music, a piece that Christine’s father
used to play when he was alive. When Christine
leaves, skulls roll toward Raoul and he sees the
shadow of a man. Raoul follows the man and sees
the face of Death with a pair of burnt-out eyes. He
feels that he has seen the devil and he faints. This
is more proof that ghosts and phantoms are real in
this story.
6 a In this passage, the Opera ghost demands 20,000
francs per month. Monsieur Moncharmin and
Monsieur Richard laugh at this and treat it as a
joke.
b They laugh at this letter, too. They think that the
old managers are playing a trick on them and want
to keep Box Five for themselves. They send tickets
for Box Five to Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur
Poligny but intend to do this only once.
c They are annoyed by the letter from the two retired
managers because they think the joke is going on
too long.
d They are annoyed, amused, and then angry with
Madame Giry’s explanations. They think she is
mad and they fire her from her job. After this they
inspect Box Five for themselves.
7 Open answers
8 From the girls in the ballet company and Joseph
Buquet, we learn that O.G. (Opera ghost) is ugly,
wears fine clothes, walks quietly and slowly, is silent,
has the face of Death and a body like a skeleton, is
very thin, has eyes that are just two big, black holes,
and no nose. At the party for the retiring managers,
we learn that O.G. is ugly, pale, with two deep black
holes for eyes. He doesn’t eat or drink, but this time he
has some kind of nose, possibly a false one. Madame
Giry says that O.G. has a lovely man’s voice.
The Phantom of the Opera - Answer keys   of 4
 PENGUIN READERS
Answer keys LEVEL 5 Teacher Support Programme

The Phantom of the Opera

9 a angry h Christine hears the Phantom’s voice; the room
b confident changes and she is mysteriously outside the room;
c optimistic a stone-cold hand seizes her wrist and covers her
d nervous mouth when she tries to scream.
e confused i Christine recognizes the Phantom’s voice; he tells
f emotional her his name; she sees the face beneath the mask;
10 a white she hears him play his music.
b black 15 –17  Open answers
c graveyard 18 a  F  b  T  c  T  d  T  e  F  f  F  g  T
d near 19 a envelope
e lies to b stealing
f tragic c backward
g mirror d safety
h the same creature e empty
11 a cheerful 20 a  F  b  T  c  T  d  F  e  F  f  T
b anxious 21 a Raoul thinks the eyes belong to Erik, his rival, and
c excited he wants to kill him.
d amazed b Christine is singing with all her heart and soul, and
e insulted Raoul is afraid for her. He stands because he is in
f desperate love and he is worried for her safety.
12 In the first letter to the two new managers, O.G. c and d  The new managers do these unusual things in
lists his demands and threatens to put a curse on the order to discover what has happened to the 20,000
Opera. In the second and third letters, O.G. threatens francs they gave to Opera ghost.
Carlotta with great misfortune if she appears that e Christine does not disappear willingly. She is
night on the stage. carried off by Erik.
13 Opera ghost, Angel of Music, Erik f Erik gives him a drug to make him sleep.
14 a A box of candy, a pair of opera glasses, strangely 22 a This key allows Christine to reach Erik at the edge
cold air, the sound of breathing, his laughter, and of the lake.
his voice. b Erik has told Christine that she will suffer his
b Raoul recognizes his face as the face of Death from revenge if the ring isn’t on her finger at all times.
Perros-Guirec when he is wearing a mask and c This report of a promise of marriage between
dressed as the Red Death. Raoul and Christine angers Count Philippe
c Raoul sees the ghost’s foot and his coat and then Chagny. Because he is angry and intends to stop
looks into his eyes; Christine’s voice changes. the wedding, he is accused of causing Christine’s
d Raoul and Christine hear a faint singing coming disappearance.
from the walls; the voice is male and beautiful; an d This allows Erik to steal Christine from the stage.
icy wind sweeps over Raoul’s face. e The disappearing money, replaced by false notes,
e A voice whispers in Raoul’s ear about Christine, her confuses the managers and makes them believe in
ring, and her soul. Opera ghost.
f A hand closes a trap door suddenly. f The mirror is a door in the wall. It has been cleverly
g A shadow follows Raoul and Christine; they hear made to allow Erik to enter his hidden world.
the sound of someone in pain; a shadow approaches 23 Erik has Christine in the opera house or in the
them; the shadow listens while Christine tells Raoul house on the lake. Erik made the system that allows
Christine’s mirror to work as an entrance to his secret
her story; a voice says, “Horror! Horror! Horror!”;
world. Erik is known in Persia as “the trap door lover.”
the Phantom’s burning eyes stare down when
Erik built the walls, the doors, and the trap doors of
Christine and Raoul kiss.
the Opera. Erik’s secret world can be reached through
the cellars of the opera house. Erik is very skilful with
a Punjab rope. Erik has a torture room.
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 PENGUIN READERS
Answer keys LEVEL 5 Teacher Support Programme

The Phantom of the Opera

24 Open answers 3 Using “the ghost” and not “a ghost” suggests the ghost
25 a  4  b  6  c  8  d  2  e  3  f  1  g  7  h  5 has been seen before.
26 a HEAR 4 –5  Open answers
b HEAR 6 The ghost requests an allowance and Box Five for his
c SEE own use.
d SEE 7 Open answers
e FEEL 8 Monsieur Moncharmin and Monsieur Richard are
f HEAR the new managers. The Opera is in Paris. Monsieur
g HEAR Moncharmin has written his memories. Monsieur
h SEE Richard writes music.
i SEE 9 The old managers advise the new managers to obey
j FEEL the ghost to avoid trouble and to have the locks
k FEEL changed.
l FEEL 10 –13  Open answers
27 a  6  b  4  c  1  d  5  e  3  f  2 14 A curse is a magical spell that brings bad luck.
28 a Christine persuades Erik that she will be his living 15 a To keep his box for him and not to sell it, to give
wife. She sees him without his mask and doesn’t him an allowance and to allow Christine Daaé to
run away, she allows him to kiss her forehead, and sing.
she kisses his forehead. They cry together, and Erik b He threatens to curse the performance.
is emotional because their tears mix together. Her c Carlotta thinks that Christine is threatening her.
kiss is Erik’s first kiss, and after that he does what d Open answers
she asks him to do: he allows Raoul and the Persian 16 –18  Open answers
to live and later he allows Christine to go off with 19 Faust is a play by Goethe (German). Faust sells his soul
Raoul, her true love. But because of all the emotion to the devil to gain advantages in this life.
and his own heartbreak, Erik dies. 20 Suggested answers:
b He is a talented inventor. He sings beautifully and frightening (frightened), terrifying (terrified), scary
writes wonderful music. He is a skilful builder and (scared).
architect. He is great magician. He can throw a rope 21–33  Open answers
like a cowboy. He can torture and kill people in 34 Suggested answers:
many different ways. He is a great ventriloquist. Erik is a monster, a murderer, and a magician. He is
c While they were in Persia Erik helped the Persian, terribly ugly but sings beautifully and writes music.
and the Persian saved Erik from being killed by the He tried to drown the Persian, who knew him from
Persian king. the past and who had saved his life. He can use the
29 Possible answers: Punjab rope to kill and used to design buildings and
The author’s method of telling the story gives us (the build trap doors.
readers) the impression that we are working with the 35 –36  Open answers
story-teller to find out what is really happening. We 37 Suggested answer:
learn bits of information from different times and Christine wanted to sing beautifully and wanted the
places, and slowly we have to put it all together. This is Angel of Music to help her. However, she was weak
an exciting way to tell a story because we feel that we and could not escape Erik’s power.
are solving the mystery. 38 – 42  Open answers
30 –39  Open answers
Activity worksheets key
Discussion activities key 1 a Joseph Buquet
1 Suggested answer: b Gabriel
Phantom means ghost. It could be a ghost story. c the ghost
2 Suggested answer: d Madame Giry
Adjectives: frightening, terrifying, exciting, colorful. e Joseph Buquet
f Mercier
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 PENGUIN READERS
Answer keys LEVEL 5 Teacher Support Programme

The Phantom of the Opera

2 a Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur Poligny 13 a the Persian
b They tell them about the Opera ghost and the need b Erik
to obey him. c Raoul
c No, they do not believe them. They laugh. d Philippe
d An allowance and Box Five e Christine Daaé
3 a  F  b  T  c  T  d  F  e  T f Monsieur Moncharmin
4 a memories g Monsieur Richard
b scenery manager h Viscount Chagny
c Faust 14 –15  Open answers
d brothers
e Paris Progress test key
5 a They advise them to have new locks made and to 1 a Monsieur Armand Moncharmin and Monsieur
honor any request made by the ghost. Firmin Richard
b Disaster will strike the Opera. b Paris
6 The correct order is c A singer
1  c  2  h  3  f  4  a  5  j  6  d  7  g  8  i d He is found dead (hanged).
9  b  10  e e Chagny
7 a T f Box Five and an allowance
b T 2 a childhood
c F Her father took her. b grave
d T c Scandinavia
e F When her father died. d Brittany
8 Open answers 3 a retirement
9 a Monsieur Richard kicked her out of his office. b social (artistic)
b She asked all her supporters to attend that night’s c artistic (social)
performance. d performance
c The audience were enthusiastic. e retiring
d They found a box of candy. f tongue
e They felt some strange, cold air around them. g whispers
10 a Carlotta was unwell. 4 a  3  b  5  c  1  d  4  e  2
b Christine disappeared. 5 a T
c Madame Giry got her old job back. b F He wants Christine.
11 a Madame Valérius to Raoul c T
b Raoul to Madame Valérius d F They see signs that he’s been there.
c Christine to Raoul e F She has the voice of a toad.
d Christine to Raoul 6 a She will suffer his revenge.
e a man’s voice to Christine b He thinks he’s seen the eyes of the face of Death.
f Raoul to himself c The police detective
12 a performance d The disappearance of Christine
b talent e The Persian
c enthusiastic 7 a, b and d are true and should be ticked.
d beautifully 8 a  4  b  1  c  6  d  3  e  8  f  2  g  7  h  5
e doubt

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