T E A C H E R ’ S M AT E R I A L

Burlington
International
Readers

Little Women B1+

Louisa May Alcott

B U R L I N G T O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E A D E R

CONTENTS

To the Teacher 2

Before Reading 4

After Reading: Extra Challenges 5

Final Test 6

Answers to Final Test 8

Book Report 9

Answers to Activities in the Reader 10

Before using the following teacher’s material, we recommend that

you visit the Teacher’s Zone at www.burlingtonbooks.es
and consult the Burlington International Readers general
information leaflet. The Final Test in this teacher’s material
is also available in editable Word format from the website. The
Student’s Zone on the site offers audio MP3 recordings and a
printable book report form.
B  Burlington Books
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 Little Women
TO THE TEACHER
LIST OF MAIN CHARACTERS
Meg March: 16, the oldest of the March sisters. Meg is sweet-tempered but can be a little vain.
Jo March: 15, an aspiring writer with a bad temper which she struggles to control.
Beth March: 13, a music lover who suffers from terrible shyness.
Amy March: 12, the spoilt, pretty, youngest of the sisters. She is a talented artist who can be selfish at times.
Theodore (Laurie) Laurence: a clever but lonely boy, who lives with his grandfather next door to the March
family.
Mrs March (Marmee): the wise, kind and loving mother of the March sisters.
Mr Laurence: Laurie’s grandfather. He seems angry but he is loving and kind.
Mr March: the girls’ father. He is away in the army.

PLOT SUMMARY
The story begins in Boston at Christmas time, December 1861, during the American Civil War. Alcott
introduces us to the four sisters who are sitting around the fire. They are complaining about how hard
they work and how disappointed they are that they won’t be getting any Christmas presents. Their mother
believes it is wrong to spend money when the men are fighting, suffering and far from home. Mr March is
away in the army, working as a cleric. Mrs March, called Marmee by the girls, comes home and reads them
a letter from their father. Mr March encourages them to use their time wisely so that when he comes home,
he will be even more proud of his little women.
Marmee reminds the girls about how they used to act out scenes from the book The Pilgrim’s Progress
when they were little. The main character is tested in life by addressing his faults until he reaches heaven.
Marmee suggests the girls start the game again, to improve their characters. They all agree to work on their
faults and on Christmas morning, they willingly sacrifice their breakfast for a poverty-stricken family and
eat bread and milk instead. Their neighbour, Mr Laurence, hears of their kindness and sends them a special
supper to make up for the breakfast they gave away. He is a rich old man, whose grandson is now living
with him. The girls are curious about ‘the Laurence boy’ and want to meet him.
Meg and Jo are invited to a New Year party at their friend Sally Gardiner’s house, where they meet Laurie.
He is handsome, shy, good-humoured and very helpful when Meg sprains her ankle. Not long after the
party, Mrs March allows Jo to visit Laurie because he is ill. They soon become friends, and when
Mr Laurence sees how good the friendship is for his lonely grandson, he encourages Laurie’s friendship
with the entire March family. Laurie and Jo form a particularly close bond, as do Beth and Mr Laurence.
Beth reminds him of the little granddaughter he had lost and, one day, he overwhelms Beth with the gift
of a new piano.
Jo’s temper is severely tested when Amy burns the book Jo is writing. She does this because Jo refused to
take Amy to the theatre. Jo will not accept Amy’s apology and ignores her. One day, Jo and Laurie
go ice-skating on the river and Amy follows them. Amy falls through the ice after Jo fails to warn her
sister about the thin ice. Amy recovers, but Jo is horrified to think that her extreme anger could have been
indirectly responsible for Amy’s death. Jo is determined to try harder to control her emotions.
Meg must also try and control her desire for fine clothes when she visits her prosperous friends, the
Moffats. In the process, she learns a valuable lesson – that poverty is nothing to be ashamed of and that it is
important to be true to yourself.
However, the hardest burden all the girls must carry is when Mrs March receives a sudden telegram. Her
husband is ill, and she must leave the girls and travel to Washington, DC to nurse him. During her absence,
Beth contracts scarlet fever. Soon after, Amy, who hasn’t had the disease, is sent away to live with Aunt
March. Jo and Beth enjoy a very strong, loving bond and Beth chooses Jo to nurse her through her illness
rather than Meg. When Beth’s condition worsens and she almost dies, Laurie sends for their mother,
unknown to Meg and Amy. Beth’s fever breaks just before Mrs March arrives home. Shortly after Beth
recovers, Mr March also returns home. The girls and their parents can now look forward to a much happier
and more peaceful Christmas.

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 Little Women
TO THE TEACHER (continued)
BACKGROUND
• T
 he American Civil War: After years of conflict over slavery and the right of states to decide their
own future, the Union Army in the North and the Confederate States in the South fought each other
between 1861 and 1865. The war ended with Confederate surrender and the abolition of slavery. Over
660,000 soldiers died and much of the South was left in ruins.
• I nfectious diseases: Two thirds of the 660,000 Civil War deaths were caused by viruses and infections.
A worldwide scarlet fever epidemic raged from 1820 to 1880 and particularly affected children in
Europe and North America. Symptoms included a sore throat, high temperature and a headache. Victims
sometimes died within 48 hours of contracting it.
• P
 ickled limes: At the time this book was written, these popular childhood treats were sold everywhere
at local stores for a penny each. They were often traded amongst children at school.
• P
 hilanthropy: Philanthropy in 19th-century America was based on religious traditions. Wealthy people
in society gave to the poor as a Christian duty. Charity was seen as a way of saving one’s own soul,
while also helping those in need.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Louisa May Alcott was born on 29th November, 1832, in Pennsylvania, the second child of four girls.
Alcott’s parents were extremely political and opposed to slavery. They even hid runaway slaves and
provided a stop on the secret Underground Railway, used to help slaves escape. They were also very vocal
regarding women’s rights and anti-alcohol movements.
Like her mother and sisters, and the March sisters in Little Women, Alcott worked as a domestic to help
her family’s finances, as well as working as a teacher, nurse and actress. But it was as a writer that Alcott
eventually became famous and made her fortune. She began publishing poems and short stories under the
pseudonym Flora Fairfield in 1852 and her first book, Flower Fables, was published in 1854. She also
worked as a nurse in a hospital near Washington, DC during the Civil War, but when she caught typhoid
fever, she was forced to return home.
Alcott wrote about her experience as a nurse in Hospital Sketches in 1863. Her big break arrived when
her publisher asked her to write a “girls’ book”. Alcott drew on her childhood experiences at home with
her three sisters to write Little Women, including such details as the childhood craze for pickled limes.
Tragically, Alcott’s beloved sister Elizabeth died of scarlet fever, and this clearly influenced the story of the
illness of Beth March in Little Women and the sequel Good Wives.
Little Women was published in 1868. In her lifetime, Louisa May Alcott produced more than 200 works,
including poems, plays, short stories, novels and non-fiction articles.
Alcott never married. She declared that she would rather be free and unmarried than the prisoner of a life
she did not want. However, Alcott was a devoted daughter and cared for her sick parents and a niece.
Alcott died in Boston on 6th March, 1888, two days after her father’s death. She was 55 years old.

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 Little Women
BEFORE READING
SUGGESTIONS FOR LEAD-IN ACTIVITIES
Ask the questions and elicit the answers from the whole class. Some possible answers are provided in
italics. If you prefer, the students can work in pairs or small groups.
1. How has life changed for women today compared to the lives of the March sisters in the 1860s? (more
women work today, more equality between men and women, gender roles are much less polarised, etc.)
2. What does the term “little women” suggest to you? (Young girls who need to act more like women due to
circumstances in their lives that force them to take on adult responsibilities and duties.)
3. Little Women concerns the lives and struggles of a single family. What is the importance of a strong
family life? (Family works together to help each other collectively and to grow individually. It helps
children to follow examples set by their parents. A family that loves each other can also extend its
kindness and compassion to the wider society.)
4. During the period when the novel is set, many girls were expected to go out to work to support their
families. How do you think they felt? (It gave the girls a sense of achievement in helping others and
developed a sense self-reliance. / Some of them might have felt it was unfair for them to stop their
education.)

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES

The Before Reading tasks in the Burlington International Readers general information leaflet, pages 9-13,
can be applied to Little Women.
1. Look at the picture on page 8 and read the caption. What impression of the family do you get from the
picture? (They appear to be happy spending time in each other’s company.)
2. Read the last two paragraphs on page 8 and the first five paragraphs on page 9. What do we learn about
the girls? (Meg finds it hard being poor, Amy is envious of her friends, Beth is happy with what
she has got and Jo misses her father.)
3. Read the last paragraph on page 11 from “Mrs March watched them and smiled.” to the end of the
chapter. Why do you think Mrs March encourages her daughters to play the game Pilgrim’s Progress?
(She can see that they are dissatisfied with their situation and wants to help them appreciate everything
they have got.)
4. Look at the picture on page 14 and read the caption above it. What does it tell you about society at the
time when the book is set? (Many people lived in conditions of extreme poverty. They depended on the
charity of others to survive.)
5. Look at the picture on page 18 and read the caption. What is happening here? (One girl has attempted to
curl the other girl’s hair but burnt it instead.)
6. Read page 26 from the sixth paragraph “Jo nodded and Laurie left the room.” to “Let’s see how these
girls can help him.” at the bottom of the page. What do we learn about the characters of Jo, Laurie and
Mr Laurence? (Jo is a courageous girl who is prepared to say what she thinks even if she is nervous of
doing so. Laurie is lonely, and Mr Laurence cares deeply for his grandson.)

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AFTER READING: EXTRA CHALLENGES
MAKE YOUR STUDENTS THINK
Here are some points that more advanced students can be asked to consider after reading the book.
1. Why do you think Meg’s visit to the Moffat family makes her feel uncomfortable?
2. Mr March only appears at the end of the book. Why do you think Louisa May Alcott made this decision?
3. Mr Laurence and Laurie are extremely rich, but the March family is relatively poor. Why doesn’t this stop
them from being good friends as well as neighbours?
4. At the end of the novel, Mr March comments on how each of the girls has improved. Why do you think
the girls’ behaviour improved?
5. Why do you think the novel begins and ends at Christmas time?

DRAMA ACTIVITIES AND PROJECT SUGGESTIONS

1. Imagine you are a newspaper reporter. Write a report about the popularity of pickled limes in the 1800s.
You could include information about some of the ingredients, what children do with them and why they
are so popular.
2. Work in pairs. One of you is Jo and the other is Amy. Write the conversation that may have occurred
when Jo finds out that Amy burnt her story and Amy tries to defend herself.
3. Imagine Mr Brooke has asked Meg to marry him. Design their wedding invitation.
4. Work in pairs. One of you is Jo and the other is Meg. Discuss your thoughts about Beth’s illness and
how you are each going to try and be better people if she survives.
5. Imagine you are Amy. Write a letter to your sisters describing life with Aunt March. Mention how Laurie
is trying to cheer you up and how you are longing to come home.
6. Which character do you like most or least in Little Women? Write a paragraph explaining your choice.
7. Imagine you are Laurie. Write a page in your diary about what you can see of the March family home
from your window and how you would like to be part of their close family circle.
8. Work in groups of four. Two of the group act out an episode from the book and the other two say what is
happening in the episode. Then change roles.
9. Imagine you are Mr March. Write a letter to your wife and daughters imagining what you will do when
you finally come home.
10. In a group or in pairs, search for information about the American Civil War. Write a paragraph which
includes answers to some of these questions:
a) What started the American Civil War?
b) Who was fighting who?
c) Who was President of the United States during the Civil War?
d) How did the war end?

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 Little Women
FINAL TEST

A Write T (true) or F (false) next to each sentence.

Then give evidence based on the story to support your answer.
1. 
The girls all want to buy Christmas presents for their mother.

2. Mr Laurence’s granddaughter lives with him.

3. Jo sells her books to raise money for her father.

4. Mr Brooke is a man of good character.

5. Amy has never had scarlet fever.

10 points (2 points each)

B Put the events in the correct order of the story.

a. Amy fell into the ice while skating.
b. Jo went to visit Laurie when he was ill.
c. The girls took their Christmas breakfast to the Hummel family.
d. Amy took pickled limes to school to share with her friends.
e. Meg twisted her ankle at Sally Gardiner’s home.
f. Beth received the gift of a piano.
12 points (2 points each)

C What happened as a result of the following events?

1. Jo went to visit Laurie when he was ill. 3. Meg convinced Amy to apologise to Jo.

2. Beth received the gift of a piano. 4. The girls received news their father was better.

10 points (2.5 points each)

D Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Circle Yes or No.
Then explain your answers.
1. Mrs March was a good influence on her daughters. Yes / No

2. Jo didn’t really change, despite her resolution. Yes / No

3. Meg really enjoyed her stay at the Moffats. Yes / No

4. Amy loved her sister, but was extremely cruel to her. Yes / No

5. It was Jo’s fault that Beth became ill. Yes / No

10 points (2 points each)

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FINAL TEST (continued)
E Choose the correct answer.
1. 
The March family is poor because ... . 4. Jo didn’t tell Amy that the ice was thin
a. they spend all their money on books on the river because ... .
b. Mr March lost his money trying a. she didn’t know Amy was there
to help a friend b. Jo thought Amy knew about the ice
c. there are no sons in the family to c. she was sick of Amy following her
help them earn money 5. At first, Meg enjoyed the party at the
2. Marmee reveals to Jo that she has spent Moffats because ... .
a lifetime struggling with ... . a. she was able to wear a new dress
a.
her temper b. of the compliments she received
b.
her finances c. she heard people talking about her mother
c.
Aunt March
3. Jenny Snow told the teacher that Amy
had limes in her desk because ... .
a. she had finished all of hers
b. she was jealous of Amy
c. she was afraid of him
10 points (2 points each)

F Answer the following questions.

1. 
What did Jo discover about Laurie at the party?

2. Why didn’t Jo want Amy to go to the theatre?

3. Why was Mrs March uneasy about allowing Meg to go and stay with the Moffats?

4. Why was Meg upset about what she overheard Mrs Moffat saying?

5. Why did Mrs March write a note to Aunt March when she received the telegram?

6. What promise did Laurie make to Amy if she agreed to go and stay with Aunt March?

18 points (3 points each)

G Write a paragraph about one of the following topics. The paragraph should be at
least 100 words long.
1. Why do you think the girls immediately agreed to give their Christmas breakfast to the
Hummels, even though they had been complaining about being poor earlier?
2. 
How did Meg’s vanity influence her behaviour when she went to stay with the Moffat family?
3. Describe Amy’s character, and the way she behaved before Beth caught scarlet fever.
4. Who do you think Mr March would be most proud of when he came home from the war?
Explain your answer.
30 points

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ANSWERS TO FINAL TEST

A 1. T – In Chapter 1, the girls discuss what they are going to buy for her.
2. 
F – At the end of Chapter 4, Marmee explains to Jo that Mr Laurence’s granddaughter had died.
3.
F – In Chapter 9, she sells her hair to raise money for her father.
4. 
T – In Chapter 9, he offers to accompany Mrs March to Washington, DC and in Chapter 12,
he escorts Mr March home.
5. T – In Chapter 10, Dr Bangs says that Amy can’t stay at home because she hasn’t had the illness.

B 1. c 2. e 3. b 4. f 5. d 6. a

C 1. Mr Laurence allowed Laurie to be friends with the March family.

2.
She forgot her shyness and went to thank Mr Laurence.
3.
Amy followed Jo to the river.
4. 
Everyone except Beth went back to their old ways.

D 1. Yes – S he taught them to be charitable towards others, to remember the lessons learnt from the game
of Pilgrim’s Progress, and above all to be kind and forgiving.
2.
No – She learnt to be more generous to others.
3. 
No – S he felt ashamed of her poor background, she heard some unkind things about her mother and
when Laurie criticised her for wearing make-up and too much jewellery, she was very upset.
4. 
Yes – S he knew how much Jo’s story meant to her, but she burnt it in an act of revenge for not being
allowed to go to the theatre.
5. No – It was Mrs Hummel, who didn’t warn Beth that the baby had scarlet fever.

E 1. b 2. a 3. b 4. c 5. b

F 1. She discovered that they both felt uncomfortable socialising.

2. 
Because Laurie had already reserved the seats and if Amy went, he would give up his seat for her.
3.
She worried that Meg would come home discontented with being poor.
4.
Because Mrs Moffat was suggesting that Mrs March was planning a match between Meg and Laurie.
5. 
Because she wanted to ask for money for the journey to Washington, DC so she could care for her
husband.
6.
He promised to visit Amy every day and take her to interesting places.

G Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers. Possible points for inclusion:
1. They learnt the lessons their mother had taught them. They understood that the Hummels’ situation
was desperate. They also understood that the gift of kindness is especially important at Christmas.
2. 
She allowed herself to be affected by comments and compliments about her appearance. She realised
that the other girls had much prettier dresses and that her own dress was plain and old-fashioned by
comparison. She let the girls dress her up like a doll. When Laurie expressed his disapproval, at first
she didn’t understand why or listen to his criticism.
3. 
Amy liked being the centre of attention. She was spoilt, stubborn and extremely selfish. One of the
reasons she wanted to take pickled limes into school was because she had received them as gifts from
the other girls and she wanted to show off. Burning Jo’s book when she didn’t get her own way was an
example of her selfishness.
4. 
All the girls have travelled a long and difficult journey from one Christmas to the next, but Jo has
probably come the furthest. The girl who complained about not having Christmas gifts instantly and
unselfishly sold her best physical feature – her hair – in order to help others.

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BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL READER B1+/B2

Write a book report. Include in your report the following information:
1. The title, author, genre, characters and setting.
2. Summarise the plot and describe the characters.
3. Give your opinion of the book and a recommendation.

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ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES (pages 6-7)
1 1. pleased 6. barely
2. proud 7. lonely
3. take care of 8. sewing
4. exhausted 9. cheering up
5. homesick
2 1. whispered 4. soft-hearted
2. jealous 5. hug
3. gift 6. crashed
3 1. polite 3. in pain
2. shyness 4. share
4 Possible answers
1. Agree: There are always people who have
greater problems than me. / Disagree: When
there’s a serious problem, it’s hard to focus on
the positive in life.
2. Agree: Your siblings know you the best and
their friendship is unconditional. / Disagree:
You might not have a lot in common with your
siblings so it can be difficult to be good friends.
3. Agree: It is the moral thing to do and perhaps
will teach others to share the kindness in return
one day. / Disagree: Our first responsibility
should be to our family.
4. Agree: No amount of money can buy the
love and support a family usually give to one
another. / Disagree: Not every family is loving
and supportive.
5. Agree: Your character is formed at an early
age. / Disagree: If you know you have a
weakness in your personality, you can make
an effort to change your actions.
6. Agree: Home is a place where you should feel
most at ease. / Disagree: For some people,
home is not a safe or happy environment.
5 Accept all logical and grammatically correct
answers.
CHAPTERS 1-3 ACTIVITIES (pages 22-23)
1 1. h 3. c 5. f 7. d
2. e 4. b 6. a 8. g
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Little Women
2 X 1. I n her heart she longed for new clothes
and pretty things.
X 3. M
 eg decided to buy her mother a gift /
some gloves with her Christmas money.
X 4. None of the girls guessed who sent the
Christmas treats.
X 5. M
 eg refused to go to the party if Jo didn’t
wear gloves.
3 1. Family was important to her. / She loved and
valued her family. / She tried to see the good
in every situation.
2. She was a little bit selfish.
3. She was kind and thoughtful.
4. He was shy and awkward in social situations.
4 1. The story takes place in the United States just
before Christmas at the time of the American
Civil War.
2. 
The setting is the living room of a clean, tidy,
warm household.
Words or phrases which help one imagine the
house and atmosphere: a cheerfully burning
fire, a comfortable room, pretty roses, pleasant
and peaceful
3. 
The Hummel house was simple, depressing
and cold. In comparison to the March house, it
seems a sad and hopeless place.
Words or phrases to show the difference:
depressing room, broken windows, no fire to
provide warmth, a sick mother, a tiny crying
baby, a group of hungry children
5 1. Because they wouldn’t have any gifts to open.
2. He was away in the war / the army fighting in
the Civil War.
3. Because the girls had given their breakfast to
the Hummels.
4. They met at a party.
5. She twisted her ankle.
CHAPTERS 4-6 ACTIVITIES (pages 38-39)
1 1. she wanted him to talk to her / she wanted to
make him smile and enjoy himself
2.
he had a sore throat
3. 
he was lonely and he loved watching them all
sit round the table with their mother
4.
he wanted Jo to help his grandson
5. 
he wanted to encourage Beth to play the piano
6.
she didn’t want to lose her courage

ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER (continued)
2 Accept all logical and grammatically correct
answers.
3 1. Because she reminded him of his
granddaughter who had died.
2. 
Because she owed her friends limes.
Possible answers
3. a. 
She wanted Amy to give her some of the
limes.
b. 
She wanted to punish Amy for saying she
wouldn’t give her limes.
4. 
To allow Amy to calm down after her
humiliation.
4 1. He learnt that his grandson was lonely and
needed the company of young, lively people to
cheer him up.
2. The reader learns that she loves music but she
is shy and reserved.
5 1. Because she saw that he had kind eyes.
2. Because it reminded him of the granddaughter
he had lost.
3. Because she was usually shy and scared of
other people.
4. Because Amy was one of his favourite
students.
CHAPTERS 7-9 ACTIVITIES (pages 54-55)
1 1. a. Amy burns one of Jo’s stories in revenge
and Jo is hurt and furious.
b. Jo is very angry and won’t talk to Amy.
Amy is insulted that her attempts at
reconciliation are ignored by Jo. This
leads to Jo ignoring Amy on the lake
where she almost drowned.
c. T
 hey resolve their differences by giving
each other a hug.
2. a. W
 hether to allow Meg to go and spend
two weeks with the wealthy Moffat family,
or not. She is concerned it may make Meg
discontented with her life and home.
b. She has given in to Meg’s pleading
because she knows it will make her
daughter happy to enjoy some luxury.
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Little Women
3. a. W
 hether to wear her old, simple white
dress or to borrow Belle’s more elegant
dress.
b. She accepts Belle’s offer to borrow her
blue dress because she likes the idea of
looking beautiful.
4. a. L
 aurie doesn’t like girls who wear
make-up and a lot of jewellery. He tells
Meg this and she is insulted.
b. Laurie resolves the conflict by asking Meg
to dance.
2 1. Amy was angry and burnt Jo’s story.
2. Amy skated to the middle of the ice, which
then broke, and Amy fell into the water.
3. Mrs March hurried to Washington, DC to
take care of Mr March.
4. Jo realised that Mrs March needed money, so
she went and sold her hair.
3 1. Jo 4.
Mrs March
2.
Mrs Moffat 5. Meg
3. Amy 6. Meg
4 1. F – Jo shook Amy’s shoulders when she found
out that Amy had burnt her story.
2.
T
3. 
F – Mrs March was reluctant to let Meg go
and stay with the Moffats.
4. 
F – After waving goodbye to Mrs March, the
girls felt sad and worried.
5 1. temper 3.
rope
2.
forgive 4. overheard
6 1. She refused to forgive Amy and ignored her
sister.
2. Because she felt sorry for Meg.
3. Because she wanted to be close to her family
at a difficult time.
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ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER (continued)

CHAPTERS 10-12 ACTIVITIES (pages 70-71)
1 1. Meg: “Oh, I’m too tired to go out today. I’ll
go tomorrow.”
Jo: “Oh, no, not today. It’s snowing and my
cold is still really bad.”
2.
Jo said passionately that she wouldn’t let
Beth catch it. / She found a book on illnesses
and how to cure them. She read a page,
looked at Beth’s throat, felt her hot head and
was more frightened than ever.
3.
Amy declared passionately that she would
rather catch scarlet fever than go to stay at
Aunt March’s house.
4. 
Everyone missed Beth and asked about her.
Meg and Jo were surprised to see how many
friends their shy younger sister had.
5. 
Laurie held Jo when she was sad about Beth
getting worse. He sent a telegram to
Mrs March asking her to come home.
6.
“You’ve travelled a long road, girls, and
you’ve made many discoveries.”
2 1. Beth found it hard to function in her mother’s
absence.
2. 
The girls were afraid that Amy would catch
scarlet fever.
3.
Amy saw the advantages of staying with
Aunt March while Beth was ill.
4. 
Jo felt very happy when she found out Laurie
had sent a telegram to Mrs March and she
threw her arms around him.
5. 
The girls stayed awake all night waiting for
their mother to come home.
6. 
Mr March thought Meg’s hands were
beautiful with burns and rough skin.
3 1. go to see the Hummels herself
2.
burst into tears
3. 
looked in her mother’s book about how to
cure illnesses / went to wake Hannah up
4. 
he left a lot of responsibility in Hannah’s
hands
5.
bring her home as soon as Beth was better
4 Possible answers
1.
When Beth’s illness got worse and she
didn’t recognise her sisters and cried for her
mother.
2. 
The girls understood that money was not the
most important thing in life.
5 1. She was very worried, but kept her fears to
herself.
2.
Meg felt hurt, but also a little relieved.
3. 
Jo was an excellent nurse and devoted herself
to caring for Beth night and day.
4. 
Meg begged Hannah to let them write to
Marmee. / Meg kept a telegram in her desk
all the time, ready to send it to Marmee at any
moment.
5.
She’s sleeping naturally. / The fever’s passed.
6 1. They each learnt to think more of other people
and less of themselves.
They learnt to appreciate what they had and
each other.
2. 
The news was that Mrs March would be
returning home.
3.
A healthy family being able to celebrate
together and Mr March coming home.

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