The Piano Rosemary Border

1 Are the following sentences true (T) or false (F)? 4 How was it possible for Tony to put the piano in the
a Sally Hill, the newspaper reporter, had a school?

COMPREHENSION
special ticket for the concert. ...........................................................................................
b Sir Anthony Evans didn’t want to speak to ...........................................................................................
reporters.
c Tony’s family was poor. 10 marks

TEST
d Tony’s mother worked on Mr Wood’s farm
when she was a child. 5 At first Tony didn’t want to play in the music
competition. Why not?
e Tony didn’t want to work on the farm.
...........................................................................................
f Tony didn’t like Mrs Wood’s food.
...........................................................................................
g Pip played the piano very well.
h Mr Gordon went to the school because he
10 marks
was looking for a book.
i Tony had to pay Mr Gordon for his music
6 Imagine you are Sally Hill, the journalist. Write a
lessons.
short newspaper article about Sir Anthony Evans.
j Tony won the music competition. Describe his first piano.
...........................................................................................
20 marks
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
2 Mr Wood wanted the three boys to take all the
...........................................................................................
rubbish away and then clean the building. Why?
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
10 marks
...........................................................................................
3 Match a number from A with a letter from B to make ...........................................................................................
complete sentences. ...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
A
...........................................................................................
1 Tony didn’t enjoy the lessons in school ...
...........................................................................................
2 Linda wanted to go to the village ...
...........................................................................................
3 Pip and John’s father wanted them to go to
college ...
4 Mr Wood found another boy to help on the 40 marks
farm ...
5 Tony knew that he was the winner ...
T Total marks
B
a ... but they wanted to be farmers.
b ... because he saw his photograph in the
newspaper.
c ... but he was happy when Mrs Lark came to the
school.
d ... because her best friend was ill.
e ... while Tony practised for the competition.

10 marks

oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 33 © oxford university press photocopiable

 The Piano Rosemary Border

Setting 15 Mr Grey did not like _____.

a c children  b c dogs   
Choose the best answer.
c c music  d c school holidays
1 It was Sir Antony’s _____ birthday concert. 16 Tony was the oldest of _____ children.
a c fiftieth  b c sixtieth    a c six  b c four  c c three  d c five
c c seventieth  d c eightieth 17 Pip and John’s father had a large _____ in town.
2 Everybody wanted a _____ for the concert. a c school  b c factory   
a c piano  b c ticket    c c farm  d c shoe shop
c c newspaper  d c dressing room 18 Mr Gordon was a _____.
3 Sir Antony was _____ before he touched a a c farmer  b c doctor   
piano. c c teacher  d c reporter
a c fourteen  b c fifteen    19 _____ gave Tony a piano lesson every day at
c c sixteen  d c thirteen four o’clock.
4 Tony’s family were very poor and they lived a c Mr Gordon  b c Mr Wood   
_____. c c Mrs Lark  d c Mrs Wood
M U LT I P L E - C H O I C E

a c on a farm  b c in a small house    20 Tony went to _____ for three years.

c c in a school  d c in a big house a c the College of Maths  b c the College of
5 _____ was music day at school. Music  c c the College of Medicine   
a c Monday  b c Wednesday  c c Friday    d c the College of Teachers
TEST

d c Tuesday
6 The music teacher was called Mrs _____.
a c Brown  b c Bird  c c Lark  d c Hen
7 Tony left school when he was thirteen and
worked _____.
a c in a factory  b c in a shop   
c c on a farm  d c for a newspaper
8 Tony’s mother wrote to _____ about a job for
him.
a c Mr Grey  b c Mrs Lark   
c c Mr Evans  d c Mr Wood
9 Tony had never seen a real _____.
a c cow  b c piano  c c dog  d c cat
10 Mr Wood’s daughter was called _____.
a c Linda  b c Laura  c c Lisa  d c Lana
20 marks
Characters
Choose the best answer.
11 Sir Antony was tall with bright _____ eyes.
a c green  b c grey  c c brown  d c blue
12 The reporter is called _____ Hill.
a c Sally  b c Sammy    a c Tony  b c Linda  c c Pip  d c John
c c Susan  d c Samantha
13 Lady Evans looked like a _____ wife.
a c teacher’s  b c farmer’s    a c John  b c Linda  c c Tony  d c Pip
c c doctor’s  d c reporter’s
14 Tony was big and slow and _____.
a c clever  b c silent  c c small d c grey
20 marks
Dialogue
Who said this?
21 ‘Did you come from a musical family?’
a c Mr Grey  b c Sally Hill   
c c Lady Evans  d c Sir Antony
22 ‘It’s a strange story, but every word of it is true.’
a c Sir Antony  b c Mr Wood   
c c Sally Hill d c Lady Evans
23 ‘Hullo, Betty. It’s nice to see you again.’
a c Mr Wood  b c Mr Grey   
c c Mrs Lark  d c Sir Antony
24 ‘How old are you, boy?’
a c Mr Wood  b c Mr Grey   
c c Mrs Evans d c Mrs Lark
25 ‘He always has a job for us!’
a c John  b c Tony  c c Pip  d c Linda
26 ‘We can’t get rid of this. We really can’t.’
a c Pip  b c John  c c Linda  d c Tony
27 ‘Mother has sent you some cakes and milk. She
asked me to bring them.’
28 ‘I can’t read music. We didn’t have music lessons
at my school.’
29 ‘I left it at school. I’ll go there at once. It isn’t
far away.’
a c Tony  b c Mr Gordon   
c c Mr Grey  d c Mr Wood

oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 104 © oxford university press photocopiable

 The Piano Rosemary Border

30 ‘Tony is a good boy. He’s like a son to us. His 43 At school, the children sang like _____.
father is poor, but we are not.’ a c birds  b c chickens   
a c Mrs Wood  b c Mr Gordon    c c pianos  d c teachers
c c Mrs Lark  d c Mr Grey 44 Mr Wood was like a _____ to Tony.
a c brother  b c friend   
20 marks c c teacher  d c father
45 The old piano was made of beautiful, _____
wood.
Vocabulary a c dark brown  b c black   
Choose the best answer. c c dark green  d c red
31 something that you do not want because it is 46 The boys put the piano in the _____.
not useful to you a c house  b c school  c c shop  d c factory
a c throw  b c broken    47 Every evening after supper Tony borrowed
c c rubbish  d c get rid of Linda’s _____ and went to play the piano.
32 a long thin mark on paper a c bicycle  b c car  c c lorry  d c school

M U LT I P L E - C H O I C E
a c line  b c note  c c yard  d c programme 48 Mrs Wood bought Tony a new _____ for the
33 the black and white pieces of a piano that make competition.
music when you touch them a c car  b c suit  c c piano  d c bicycle
a c lorries  b c concerts  c c taps  d c keys 49 Antony won the _____.

TEST
34 to move your arm quickly to send something a c piano  b c car   
through the air c c newspaper  d c competition
a c fill  b c throw  c c win  d c practise 50 Sir Antony and Lady Evans had been married
35 a plant with thin green leaves that covers fields for _____ years.
and gardens a c fifty  b c forty  c c thirty  d c sixty
a c grass  b c cake  c c tin  d c note
20 marks
36 a school where young people can learn to be
teachers, doctors, musicians etc.
a c concert  b c cycle Total marks
c c college  d c competition
37 a person who writes for a newspaper
a c farmer  b c pianist   
c c reporter  d c teacher
38 a piece of ground next to walls or buildings
a c yard  b c farmhouse  c c grass  d c mind
39 not wet
a c clean  b c dry  c c stage  d c cycle
40 to ride a bicycle
a c cycle  b c fill  c c yard  d c key

20 marks

Plot
Choose the best answer.
41 Tony Evans played football with _____.
a c an old tin  b c an old piano   
c c his dog d c his teacher
42 At school, Tony waited quietly for _____ o’clock
to come, when he could go home.
a c three  b c five  c c four  d c six

oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 105 © oxford university press photocopiable