Comprehension Test

As the Inspector Said and Other Stories

Retold by John Escott
1.Which crime goes with which story? As the Inspector
Said ..., The Man Who Cut Off My Hair, The Railway Crossing,
The Blue Cross, Cash on Delivery.

a A man plans to murder his blackmailer. ...............

b A man pays another man to kill his wife. ...............
c A man tries to steal an expensive object. ...............
d Two men steal jewels and silver. ...............
e A man murders his neighbour. ...............

2.Complete the answers to these questions.

a As the Inspector Said ...: Why did Robert French shoot Charles
Dorrell? Because
Charles ...........................................................................................
b The Man Who Cut Off My Hair: How did Judith help to catch the
thieves?
She was ..........................................................................................
c The Railway Crossing: What went wrong with Dunstan Thwaite’s
plan?
He left .............................................................................................
d The Blue Cross: What helped Valentin to catch Flambeau?
Everywhere that Flambeau went,
Father Brown .............................................
...................
e Cash On Delivery: Why did Linster kill the servant?
Because she put on ..............................................................................

3.Which stories do these sentences come from?

As the Inspector Said ..., The Man Who Cut
Off My Hair, The Railway Crossing, The Blue Cross, Cash on
Delivery.

a He had several parcels which he found difficult to keep

together. ...............
b All of Mr Colegate’s silver was on the table in front of him. ...............
c He had fair hair, and the right arm of his coat was empty. ........
.......
d But before he telephoned the police, he was careful to clean the
small gun which was in his dressing- gown pocket. ...............
e He put his hand into his pocket for the hammer ... And
stopped. ...............

4.Who said this? Match a

number from A with a letter from B.
A
1 ‘We can both drink the same whisky.’
2 ‘Then he picked up his cup and threw it at the wall.’
3 ‘He’s at the bottom of the stairs.’
4 ‘You must use both hands.’
5 ‘I wish I had cut your throat.’
B
a Robert French in As the Inspector Said ...
b The man with blue eyes in The Man Who Cut Off My Hair.
c Dunstan Thwaite in The Railway Crossing.
d The waiter in The Blue Cross.
e Jacob Elliston in Cash on Delivery

5. Are these sentencestrue (T) or false (F)?

As the Inspector Said ...

a Robert French was younger than his wife.
b Sonia planned to marry Charles after her husband’s death.
The Man Who Cut Off My Hair
c The thief cut off Judith’s hair with scissors.
d The police arrested the thieves at Victoria Station.
The Railway Crossing
e Thwaite put sleeping powder in Dunn’s drink.
f Thwaite killed Dunn on the railway crossing.
The Blue Cross
g Father Brown broke a window in a restaurant.
h Father Brown did not know that Flambeau had a knife.
Cash On Delivery
i Mrs Elliston decided to walk to the railway station with her brother.
j Linster tried to take the money before the murder.
Multiple-choice Test
As the Inspector Said and Other Stories
Retold by John Escott
Setting
Choose the best answer.
1.Robert and Sonia French had been married for over _____.
a [ ] ten years b [ ] eight months c [ ] ten months d [ ] eight
years
2.An inspector told Robert to _____.
a [ ] make his house more secure b [ ] watch Charles carefully
c [ ] put his silver in the bank d [ ] leave Sonia
3.Judith Lee saw two men discussing _____ on a train.
a [ ] silver jewellery b [ ] her own house
c [ ] the silver in Myrtle Cottage d [ ] the Duchess of Dachet’s jewels
4.After her hair was cut off, she tried to _____.
a [ ] cut off the blond man’s hair b [ ] remember the man’s words
c [ ] kill the blond man d [ ] forget what had happened
5.Dunstan Thwaite stole money from his company to pay for _____.
a [ ] his house b [ ] his new company c [ ] his wedding d [ ] his
new car
6.John Dunn blackmailed Thwaite for _____.
a [ ] five years b [ ] five months c [ ] ten years d [ ] ten months
7.Detective Valentin was in London to arrest _____.
a [ ] a very short priest b [ ] two priests c [ ] a shopkeeper d [ ]
Flambeau
8.Flambeau was known for playing _____.
a [ ] football b [ ] cricket c [ ] cards d [ ] jokes
9.Max Linster was sent _____.
a [ ] to rob Jacob Elliston b [ ] to rob Mrs Elliston
c [ ] to kill Mrs Elliston d [ ] to kill Jacob Elliston
10.He hid _____ in the bedroom.
a [ ] behind the curtains b [ ] in the clothes cupboard
c [ ] outside the window d [ ] behind the door
Characters
Choose the best answer.
11.Robert French was _____ his wife.
a [ ] the same age as b [ ] ten years older than
c [ ] twice as old as d [ ] two years older than
12.Charles Darrell was ____.
a [ ] Robert’s oldest friend b [ ] the detective’s name
c [ ] their only neighbour d [ ] Sonia’s first husband
13.Judith learned to lip-read from _____.
a [ ] Mr Colegate b [ ] her parents
c [ ] a friend d [ ] the two thieves
14.The man who cut off her hair had _____.
a [ ] dark hair and blue eyes b [ ] fair hair and blue eyes
c [ ] red hair and green eyes d [ ] fair hair and brown eyes
15.Hilda Lorraine’s family _____.
a [ ] was extremely wealthy b [ ] asked Thwaite to steal money
c [ ] had less money than Thwaite thought d [ ] had less money
than Thwaite
16.John Dunn _____.
a [ ] was a good friend of Thwaite’s b [ ] tried to help Thwaite
c [ ] wanted to kill Thwaite d [ ] worked closely with Thwaite
17.Flambeau was _____ two metres tall.
a [ ] just under b [ ] exactly c [ ] more than d [ ] much less than
18.Valentin was _____.
a [ ] chief of the Paris police b [ ] the most famous detective in
Europe
c [ ] chief of the Brussels police d [ ] a priest from Paris
19._____ was thirty-five years old and had fair hair.
a [ ] Jacob Elliston b [ ] Mrs Elliston
c [ ] Mrs Elliston’s brother d [ ] Max Linster
20.Mrs Elliston _____.
a [ ] wanted to leave her husband b [ ] walked to the station with
her brother c [ ] tried to kill her husband d [ ] went to bed at once
Dialogue
Who said or wrote this?
21.‘I have a gun, and I won’t think twice before using it.’
a [ ] Valentin b [ ] Charles Darrell c [ ] Robert French d [ ]
Sonia French
22.‘I’m afraid there is nothing that we can do for him.’
a [ ] Robert French b [ ] Dunstan Thwaite
c [ ] Father Brown d [ ] Charles Darrell
23.‘That parcel has been with us for nearly a month.’
a [ ] a shopkeeper b [ ] a detective
c [ ] a man at Victoria Station d [ ] Judith Lee
24.‘I wish I had cut your throat!’
a [ ] John Dunn b [ ] Judith Lee c [ ] Max Linster d [ ] the man
with fair hair
25.‘Come to my house tomorrow night and we’ll talk.’
a [ ] Jacob Elliston b [ ] Charles Darrell
c [ ] Dunstan Thwaite d [ ] Robert French
26.‘I didn’t feel very well, but I feel a little better
now.’
a [ ] John Dunn b [ ] Flambeau c [ ] Jacob Elliston d [ ] Father
Brown
27.‘We’re all alone here, and I could pull you to pieces easily.’
a [ ] Dunstan Thwaite b [ ] Valentin c [ ] Mr Colegate d [ ]
Flambeau
28.‘I wasn’t sure if you were a thief, so I tried several things.’
a [ ] Robert French b [ ] Father Brown c [ ] Judith Lee d [ ]
Valentin
29.‘You must use both hands.’
a [ ] Sonia French b [ ] Jacob Elliston
c [ ] Dunstan Thwaite d [ ] Father Brown
30.‘I’m like a real lady.’
a [ ] Mrs Elliston b [ ] Sonia French
c [ ] Josephine Demessieux d [ ] Judith Lee
Vocabulary
Choose the best answer.
31. something that helps to find the answer to a mystery or crime
a [ ] chin b [ ] alibi c [ ] idea d [ ] clue
32.to get money from somebody by saying you will say bad things
about them
a [ ] murder b [ ] rob c [ ] blackmail d [ ] catch
33.unable to speak
a [ ] dumb b [ ] deaf c [ ] blind d [ ] shy
34.to speak very quietly
a [ ] cry b [ ] whisper c [ ] warn d [ ] lip-read
35.something said or done to make people laugh
a [ ] game b [ ] story c [ ] joke d [ ] stain
36.a tool with a heavy metal head
a [ ] knife b [ ] handle c [ ] brooch d [ ] hammer
37.a small house
a [ ] hut b [ ] myrtle c [ ] shed d [ ] cottage
38.to make soft by using heat or fire
a [ ] cut b [ ] hurt c [ ] melt d [ ] shout
39.something like a coat to put over pyjamas
a [ ] night-gown b [ ] dressing-gown c [ ] night-dress d [ ] night-
clothes
40.to put rope around something or somebody
a [ ] tie b [ ] catch c [ ] stop d [ ] hold
Plot
Choose the best answer.
41.When Sonia heard the shot, she thought _____ was dead.
a [ ] Robert b [ ] Charles c [ ] the burglar d [ ] the inspector
42.Robert cleaned his gun before _____.
a [ ] telephoning the police b [ ] killing Charles
c [ ] telling Sonia about Charles d [ ] killing the burglar
43.The address that Judith lip-read was _____, near Oxford Street.
a [ ] Harwood, 13 Bantock Street b [ ] Bantock, 23, Harwood Street
c [ ] Harwood, 23, Bantock Street d [ ] Bantock, 13 Harwood Street
44.The thieves were wanted _____.
a [ ] in London b [ ] all over the world c [ ] in France d [ ] in
Europe
45.Dunstan Thwaite _____.
a [ ] agreed to pay Dunn more money
b [ ] killed Dunn in his house
c [ ] said Dunn could tell the company the truth
d [ ] took Dunn back to the station
46.Thwaite’s plan went wrong because _____.
a [ ] John Dunn left early b [ ] Dunn didn’t come for the meeting
c [ ] his wife came home d [ ] he forgot his key
47.Father Brown _____ all over London.
a [ ] left clues for the police b [ ] had accidents
c [ ] visited churches d [ ] tried to hide
48.He _____ and kept the blue cross.
a [ ] changed his clothes b [ ] killed Flambeau
c [ ] arrested Flambeau d [ ] changed the parcels
49.Josephine Demessieux _____.
a [ ] stole Mrs Elliston’s ring b [ ] made Mrs Elliston’s bed and left
c [ ] saw Linster and screamed d [ ] put on Mrs Elliston’s coat and
ring
50.Linster committed the murder with _____.
a [ ] the jewel-box b [ ] one hand c [ ] a knife d [ ] two hands
CORRECTION

As the Inspector Said and Other Stories

1
a The Railway Crossing
b Cash on Delivery
c The Blue Cross
d The Man Who Cut Off My Hair
e As the Inspector Sai

2
a ... and his wife were lovers.
b ... an excellent lip-reader.
c ... his keys inside his house.
d ... did something which people would talk about.
e ... some of the jewelry and a coat belonging to Mrs Elliston.

3
a The Blue Cross
b The Man Who Cut Off My Hair
c Cash on Delivery
d As the Inspector Said ...
e The Railway Crossing

4
1c
2d
3a
4e
5b

5
aF
bT
cF
dF
eT
f F
gT
hF
iT
jT
As the Inspector Said and Other Stories
Setting
1a
2c
3c
4b
5c
6a
7d
8d
9c
10 b
Characters
11 c
12 c
13 b
14 b
15 c
16 d
17 c
18 a
19 a
20 b
Dialogue
21 b
22 a
23 c
24 d
25 c
26 a
27 d
28 b
29 b
30 c
Vocabulary
31 d
32 c
33 a
34 b
35 c
36 d
37 d
38 c
39 b
40 a
Plot
41 a
42 a
43 d
44 b
45 c
46 d
47 a
48 d
49 d
50 b