Little Women
Before Reading 4 Mr Laurence gave Beth a piano because he liked the
activities answers
Before reading activities (page 76)
ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING
1 Beth
2 Jo
3 Meg
4 Amy
5 Meg
6 Jo
7 Amy
8 Beth
ACTIVITY 2 BEFORE READING
Encourage students to speculate and to make
guesses, but do not tell them the answers. They will
find out that the ‘true’ answers are 1, 4, 5 and 8.
While Reading
ChApTers 1 To 3 whIlE READING
1 Where . . .? He was away at the war in the South.
2 How . . .? Their father had lost his money when the
girls were little.
3 What . . .? They decided that each of them would
buy a present for their mother, and they would not
buy presents for themselves.
4 How . . .? They gave them their breakfast as a
Christmas present.
5 What . . .? The paper and wood castle fell down just
as Roderigo and Zara were escaping from it, and the
visitors screamed with laughter.
6 What . . .? He sent flowers for the actors, and ice-
cream, cake, fruit and French chocolate for the girls
and their visitors to have for supper after the play.
He did this because he was pleased with what the
girls had done for the Hummel family.
7 What . . .? Meg’s hair was burnt, and she hurt her
ankle. Jo dropped coffee on her dress.
8 How . . .? Meg couldn’t walk home because of her
ankle, and Laurie took her, Jo, and Hannah home in
his grandfather’s carriage.
ChApTers 4 To 6 whIlE READING
© Oxford University Press
1 Meg and Jo had jobs because they wanted to earn
money for the family.
2 Jo visited Laurie because he had been ill and needed
cheering up.
3 Mr Laurence was pleased by Laurie’s friendship with
the Marches, and thought he could catch up with his
studies later.
oxford bookworms library staGe 4
Stage 4
slippers that she made him.
5 Amy was so angry with Jo that she burnt Jo’s
notebook of stories.
6 Although Amy begged for forgiveness, Jo wouldn’t
forgive her.
7 Laurie warned Jo about the thin ice, but Amy didn’t
hear.
ChApTers 7 To 8 whIlE READING
1 Annie and Sallie (and perhaps Belle and Clara), to
Meg, about the letter and flowers that arrived for
Meg before the party, and which they thought came
from Meg’s ‘young man’.
2 One of Mrs Moffat’s friends, to Mrs Moffat, about
the chance of one of the March girls marrying
Laurie.
3 Laurie, to Meg, about the way the Moffat girls have
dressed her up for the party.
4 Meg, to Laurie, about the way she looked and
behaved at the party.
5 Meg, to her sisters, reporting that their mother was
staying in her room to have a rest that day, and so
the girls had to look after themselves.
6 Mrs March, to her daughters, about their week of
all play and no work.
7 Meg, to Mr Brooke, Laurie’s tutor, about what could
happen if he went off to fight in the war.
Before reAdIng ChApTer 9
Encourage speculation and discussion, but do not
tell students the answers. They will find out as they
read that:
Mr Brooke falls in love with Meg. Soon after, Laurie
finds out and tells the secret to Jo, who is not very
happy about it.
ChApTers 9 To 12 whIlE READING
1 Jo’s secret was that she had left two stories with a
newspaper man, but she didn’t know yet if they were
going to be printed. Laurie’s secret was that he knew
where Meg’s lost glove was. Mr Brooke had it, so
Laurie knew that he was in love with Meg.
2 They were all happy and proud.
3 Laurie sent a telegram to the hospital and took a
note to Aunt March, who lent Mrs March the money
for the journey. Amy and Meg helped their mother
get ready, and Beth went to ask Mr Laurence for
some wine. Mr Laurence sent Mr Brooke to travel
with Mrs March, and Jo had her hair cut off to get
some money for her mother.
4 She caught scarlet fever from Mrs Hummel’s baby,
who died of the disease.
42 little women
5 Because she had not had the disease, and she could
catch it from Beth.
6 Because Hannah said that the news would only
worry Mrs March, who couldn’t leave her husband,
and also that Beth’s illness would not last long, and
Hannah knew what to do.
MRs MaRCh: I accept that you didn’t mean to. But it’s
not really me you should apologize to, is it, Laurie?
LauRie: I’ll go and find Meg now and ask her to
forgive me.
MRs MaRCh: Good. I’ll call her in presently, but first,
will you promise me never to talk about this to

7 Meg realized that she was rich in the important
things – love, peace, and good health. Jo realized
how unselfish Beth always was. Amy realized that
people loved Beth because she wasn’t selfish, and
decided to try and be more like her.
8 She thought that John was an excellent young man,
but that Meg was too young to marry yet.
Before reAdIng ChApTer 13
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 numbers
2 and 4.
ChApTers 13 And 14 whIlE READING
1 Meg thought that John Brooke had written the two
letters, but in fact Laurie wrote them.
2 Mrs March made Laurie promise not to tell anyone
what he had done, but then Mr Laurence tried to
shake the truth out of Laurie.
3 Mr Laurence and Laurie had a big argument about
this, but Jo came and made peace between them, by
persuading Mr Laurence to apologize to Laurie.
4 John Brooke brought Mr March home on Christmas
Day.
5 John Brooke, Laurie and Mr Laurence joined the
March family for Christmas dinner.
6 When Aunt March told Meg not to marry John
Brooke, Meg realized that she did in fact love him.
7 Beth and Amy were delighted about their sister and
John Brooke, but Jo felt sad and Laurie tried to
cheer her up.
activities answers
anyone?
LauRie: Yes. I’ll never say anything, Mrs March, I
promise.
ACTIVITY 2 AFTER READING
Possible answers:
Dear Father
We were all very happy to hear that you are getting
better. We have had a very difficult time here, because
Beth has been very ill with scarlet fever. I wanted
to write to Mother about it, but Hannah said that
Mother would only worry, and in any case Hannah
knew what to do. Amy went to stay with Aunt March
and Jo nursed Beth night and day. Yesterday the
doctor told us that we should send for Mother, and
we all felt terribly worried. But just before Mother
arrived, the fever went away and Beth started to
breathe more easily. Now we are all very tired, of
course, but we are so happy that Beth is going to get
better and that Mother is back home. We all send you
our love, and hope that you will be able to come home
soon, too.
Your loving Meg
P.S. Mother has asked me to add that she sends her
love to John.
ACTIVITY 3 AFTER READING
• Words across: uncomfortable, mean, lazy, helpful,
polite, rough, cross, warm-hearted
• Words down: happy, proud, calm, cruel, wild, shy,
lonely, selfish, shocked, annoyed, grateful, brave,
hurt, miserable, sad, wicked

After Reading U n c o M f o r t a b L e f
M e a n a L a z Y n g b M s
ACTIVITY 1 AFTER READING H e L p f U L p s n r r i a
Possible answers:
a v M W L q o s H o a a s d
MRs MaRCh: Now, Laurie, did you write these letters?
LauRie: Yes, I did, Mrs March. But it wasn’t serious p o L i t e n e o Y t v e W
– it was just a game. p p c L Y s e L c e e e r i
MRs MaRCh: Well, it’s a game that’s hurt Meg, and
Y r r d n H L f K d f H a c
made Jo angry. Who else knows about these letters?
Mr Brooke? r o U g H Y Y i e f U U b K
© Oxford University Press

LauRie: Mr Brooke knows nothing about them. Nor K U e c r o s s d o L r L e

does anybody else. r d L W a r M H e a r t e d
MRs MaRCh: That’s one good thing, I suppose. But
I’m very disappointed in you, Laurie. You’ve been
very unkind. • Words describing what people are like: mean, lazy,
LauRie: I’m sorry, Mrs March, really sorry. I didn’t helpful, polite, rough, warm-hearted, cruel, wild, shy,
mean to be unkind – please believe me. selfish, brave, wicked

oxford bookworms library stage 4 43 little women

 • Words describing how people feel: uncomfortable,
cross, happy, proud, calm, lonely, shocked,
annoyed, grateful, hurt, miserable, sad
Words underlined (and possibly some others)
might appear in either list. Encourage discussion
and ask students to produce examples to justify
activities answers
5 Amy burnt Jo’s notebook of stories as a way of
getting her revenge on Jo, because Jo had refused to
take her to the theatre with Meg and Laurie.
6 Jo sold her hair and gave the money to her mother
when Mrs March had to go to Washington suddenly
to see her sick husband in hospital. Jo wanted to do

an adjective’s inclusion in one or other of the lists. something to help her father and make him more
Other words from the story that might be added to comfortable, and was unselfish enough to lose her
the lists include: lovely long thick hair for her father’s sake.
• patient, hard-working, soft-hearted, terrible, sweet, 7 Amy was going to buy her mother a small bottle
good, poor, kind, serious, difficult, friendly, sensible, of perfume for Christmas and spend the rest of her
angry, unhappy, surprised, pleased, worried, afraid, money on herself, but she decided not to be selfish
disappointed, displeased, tired, awful, excited, and changed the small bottle for a big one.
frightened. 8 Meg was kind to John Brooke, who had no family
and few friends. She spoke to him kindly when they
ACTIVITY 4 AFTER READING
went on a picnic together.
1 Mrs March, thinking about Jo, after breakfast on
9 Laurie sent a telegram to ask Mrs March to come
the last day of the week of all play and no work.
home when Beth seemed close to dying. Laurie and
(Chapter 8)
his grandfather had decided that the girls needed
2 Mrs Hummel, thinking about Beth, on the day when
their mother, and that Mrs March should be told
her baby died of scarlet fever and Beth went home
that her daughter was so ill.
feeling ill. (Chapter 11)
10 Beth made a pair of slippers for Mr Laurence to
3 Aunt March, thinking about Meg, after surprising
thank him for letting her play his piano.
her and Mr Brooke together and warning Meg
against marrying a poor man like John Brooke. ACTIVITY 6 AFTER READING
(Chapter 14) Students may make whatever choices they like.
4 Mr Laurence, thinking about Beth, on one of the They may like to know what the author chose for
days when Beth went to his house to play the piano her characters in subsequent books. Briefly, what
and he was secretly listening to her from his study. happens is:
(Chapter 5) Meg marries John Brooke; Jo marries a Professor
5 Laurie, thinking about Amy, on the morning when Bhaer; Beth dies; Amy marries Laurie; Laurie proposes
he went to Aunt March’s house to give Amy the to Jo, who rejects him, and then he marries Amy.
good news about Beth getting better. (Chapter 12)
ACTIVITY 7 AFTER READING
6 Mr Laurence, thinking about Jo, after she managed
Open answers.
to make peace between him and Laurie when he
tried to shake the truth out of Laurie about the
trouble he was in. (Chapter 13)
ACTIVITY 5 AFTER READING
1 Beth looked after Mrs Hummel’s sick baby, and was
holding it in her arms when it died. Beth always
thought of others and tried to help them.
2 Laurie wrote two ‘love letters’ to Meg, pretending
that they came from Mr Brooke. He did this because
he was annoyed that Jo knew a secret and wouldn’t
tell him what it was.
3 Meg wore a dress with a low neck and drank wine
at the Moffats’ party. She did it because she felt
she couldn’t say no to the Moffat girls, and at first
she enjoyed it, but later she felt uncomfortable and
© Oxford University Press

unhappy.
4 Jo knew that Amy hadn’t heard Laurie’s warning
about the thin ice in the middle of the river, but
she said nothing, and so allowed Amy to get into
danger. She wanted to punish Amy for burning Jo’s
notebook of stories.

oxford bookworms library staGe 4 44 little women