Short story: Soapy’s Choice

Before Reading

1 What do you think the story will be about? Look at the picture and
make predictions.

After Reading

1- Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? Rewrite the false ones with the correct information.
1 Soapy’s home was Madison Square.

2 It was winter in the story.

3 He usually had dinner in expensive restaurants.

4 Soapy went into an expensive restaurant, but he didn't get a meal.

5 Soapy’s trousers weren’t very old.

6 When Soapy broke a window, the policeman ran after him.

7 In the second restaurant, Soapy had a good meal.

8 The young woman called a policeman when Soapy spoke to her.

9 Soapy took a man's umbrella, and then gave it back.

10 At the church Soapy remembered happier days.

11 He didn’t want to change his life.

12 At the end of the story, Soapy’s mother appeared.

2- Answer the following questions:

1. Who was the main character of the story? Describe him.

2. Was he happy? Why/Why not?

3. Complete: He wanted three ________ in a nice, warm prison, with _________ and good ___________.

4. How many newspapers did he use to keep out the cold at night?

5. What did Soapy decide to do?

6. What was his first plan? Was it easy to carry out?

7. Was it successful this time? Why/Why not?

8. After this, where did he stop?

9. What did he plan to do?

10. Did the policeman catch Soapy? Why/Why not?

11. Complete: Soapy saw a __________ __________ __________ standing in front of a shop, and not

very far away there was a _______________.

12. What happened when Soapy tried to ‘frighten’ the young woman?

13. What did he do at the next corner?

14. Why wasn’t he successful again?

15. Next, what did he do with the man’s umbrella?

16. Could he go to prison now?

17. What did he see on a quiet corner of the city?

18. What did Soapy remember?

19. What did he decide to do?

20. Who appeared suddenly?

 3- Complete the summary of the story with the missing words:
“Soapy’s Choice” begins in the winter in Madison Square, _______ _________. Soapy is homeless, he wanted to spend
________ months winter time in ________ because it is so cold outside he wants a warm place, ________, and friends.
He decided to try to eat dinner in a _________without paying. Then, he tried to pick up a _________ and threw it at the
shop ________________on 6th Avenue. After this, he tried to frighten a __________ _____________.

He tried _____________and ______________and making a lot of noise in a street with lots of theatres. Also, he tried to
steal somebody’s expensive_________________. He did everything. He just wanted the________________ to send him
to jail, but he had no luck. The policeman didn’t _________________him to prison.

He felt ______________. When he walked back to Madison Square, he saw a beautiful old____________, it was just
like a country church and Soapy ____________________his happier days. He thought of his______________,
__________, and beautiful things in his life.

As a result, he decided to ______________his life; he wanted to find a_______________, he dreamed about his good
future. But suddenly, a _________________ appeared and said ‘come with me’.

4- Put in order the conversation that the policeman and Soapy had after being at the church:

A) B) C) D) E) F) G) H) I) J)
5 Complete the chart with the correct information: