Dr Zhivago B1402

Transcription

Dr Zhivago B1402

Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
Dr Zhivago
Boris Pasternak
About the author
Born in Moscow in 1890, Boris Pasternak was brought
up in a cultured Jewish household. He at first intended
to be a musician, before deciding to study philosophy
at Moscow University. During the First World War he
worked in a chemical factory, and after the Revolution
he worked for the Soviet commissariat of education.
His first volume of poetry was published in 1913; with
the publication of his third volume, My Sister, Life, in
1922, he was recognised as a major new lyrical voice.
However, Pasternak’s work was regarded as going against
the Communist Party line, and from 1933 to 1943
he was unable to publish anything, and survived by
translating great European writers. Pasternak’s lifework
was Dr Zhivago, which he submitted to a leading Moscow
periodical in 1956. It was rejected as being politically
unsound. It was published in Italy in 1957 and Pasternak
was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature a year later.
However, this led to persecution in his own country, and
he was unable to accept the award. He died in 1960, aged
seventy, suffering from cancer and heart trouble. It was
not until 1987 that Dr Zhivago was finally published in
Russia, and the recognition that was Pasternak’s due was
finally granted him.
Summary
Dr Zhivago tells the story of five young people as they
live through the Russian Revolution, when the Russian
monarchy is overthrown and the world’s first Communist
state is established. There is Yury Zhivago, brilliant and
idealistic doctor, poet and writer; Tonya, who is a lawyer
and Yury’s wife; Lara, a nurse; her soldier husband,
Pasha, who is an inspired leader of men; and Misha,
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
philosopher and friend to Yury. Yury Zhivago is the true
hero of this epic story – we see the turbulence and danger
of the Revolution and the First World War through
his compassionate eyes. Yury, while married to Tonya,
falls deeply in love with Lara, a woman of mystery and
magnetism. Both Yury and Lara love their families. But
their love for one another seems destined. They meet, are
parted by the ravages of war, meet again and are parted
once more. Although the end of the story may seem tragic,
it is not, for their love transcends death itself.
Chapter 1: It is 1901. Yury Zhivago is a young boy
standing at his mother’s funeral. Having been abandoned
by his father long before, he is taken up by Uncle Kolya,
a citizen concerned with the political ideas of the time.
Chapter 2: Yury’s father is on a train talking to Mr
Gordon, a lawyer about his financial troubles. He jumps
off and kills himself. Uncle Kolya sends Yury to live in
Moscow with the rich Gromekos.
Chapter 3: Lara Guishar’s mother owns a struggling
shop and is under the influence of the evil Komarovsky,
a friend of her late huband’s. He introduces her to a world
of luxury and she belongs to him. Her best friend Pasha
is secretly in love with her. The situation in Moscow
worsens.
Chapter 4: During one of the Gromekos’ musical parties,
a violinist is called back home to see a dying friend: Lara’s
mother has tried to kill herself. Yury and her friend Misha
see Lara and Komarovsky. Misha recognises him as the
man who was on the train with Yury’s father.
Chapter 5: Lara shoots Komarovsky at a party but misses.
He realises she has the power to hurt him but does not
want to risk his reputation by being linked to her. He
decides to find her a place to live but he will stay away
from her. Yury recognises Lara. Tonya is devastated by her
mother’s death.
Chapter 6: Yury marries Tonya. He works as a doctor in a
hospital in Moscow. They have a son. Lara marries Pasha
and they move out of Moscow to become teachers. They
have a daughter. Their relationship is complicated, and so
he joins the army.
Chapter 7: Yury is working at one of the army’s hospitals.
When Misha visits, they discuss the horrors of the new
regime and the war. They make plans to leave together but
the Germans attack and Yury is seriously wounded.
Dr Zhivago - Teacher’s notes
of 5
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Dr Zhivago
Chapter 8: Lara learns about Pasha’s death. Yury and
Lara become friends. After three years, he manages to
get back to his wife and son in Moscow, where the 1917
Revolution has started, and a difficult winter is coming.
Yury helps a man who was robbed and who later protects
him and his family.
love stories. The author, Boris Pasternak, was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. By the end of that year,
it had been translated into eighteen languages. The film
Doctor Zhivago (1965) was also hugely successful.
Chapter 9: On a long trip by train to the family estate in
Varykino through destroyed villages, Yury is captured and
released by Commissar Strelnikov, who is really Pasha.
On arrival, they find the former employees in the house
but are allowed some rooms. The son is an important
Bolshevik leader named Liberius.
Dr Zhivago is in the tradition of the great Russian novels
of the nineteenth century. It has the epic sweep of a novel
such as War and Peace, moving through space and time
with the agility and assurance of a master novelist. The
novel starts in Moscow in 1901, and ends, in Moscow
again, in 1943. Of the five main characters, some are born
to wealth, others are poor. The vicissitudes of war and
revolution mean that each of the five characters comes to
learn that there is no security. To read Dr Zhivago is like
taking a ride on a roller coaster: if a character at last seems
to have found a haven in which to live peacefully with his
family, fate then intervenes, in the shape of war, poverty,
or some such evil, and chaos ensues once more. Thus,
Pasternak conveys to the reader a real sense of what it was
like to live at the time of the Russian Revolution, a sense
of the utter insecurity of those who lived through it, even
if they may have agreed with its principles.
Chapter 10: Yury begins writing and meets Lara on his
frequent trips to the library in Yuryatin. He is determined
to stop seeing her and tell Tonya the truth. He is
kidnapped by Liberius’s men.
Chapter 11: After two years with the Reds, Yury escapes
through Siberia. Ill and exhausted, he gets to Lara’s
house. She looks after him. Yury gets a letter from Tonya:
she has baby girl and is leaving Russia. Lara leaves with
Komarovsky to avoid danger. Strelnikov shoots himself
and Yury returns to Moscow.
Chapter 12: Yury abandons medicine and writes in
solitude until a former servant helps him and his daughter,
Marina, becomes Yury’s new love.
Chapter 13: Marina and Yury have two children. Misha
tells Yury to contact Tonya, who is in Paris, so that he
can marry Marina, to comply with the new rules and to
resume work. His half brother Yevgraf helps him rebuild
his life away from his family. On his way to work at the
hospital, Yury dies of a heart attack. Lara arrives to say
goodbye to Yury and search for their daughter who was
raised by strangers in Moscow. She is never seen again.
Chapter 14: Yevgraf finds Tanya, the lost child. Lara gave
her up because Komarovsky did not want children around.
Misha becomes an officer during the Second World War
and enjoys reading Yury’s books.
The original text
Published in 1957, the story is widely considered one
of the finest novels of the twentieth century. It not only
gives one of the best descriptions of the early days of the
Russian Revolution, it is also one of the world’s greatest
Background and themes
Following another tradition of the nineteenth century
Russian novel, Pasternak makes his hero, Dr Zhivago,
a good and idealistic man, committed to doing whatever
he can to help his people. Besides being a doctor,
Zhivago is also a poet and a writer, and one has the sense
that Pasternak put a lot of himself, his own hopes and
ideas, into this good-hearted doctor. Again, as is typical
in a Russian novel, Zhivago engages in philosophical
and political discussions with his friends, so that the
reader is able to appreciate the kinds of ideas that were
prevalent among intellectuals at that time. It is against
this background that we must view Yury Zhivago’s love
for Lara. Pasternak brilliantly portrays for us a loving
family man utterly torn in two – and eventually destroyed
– by his love for another woman. Pasternak was a great
poet, and it is in the love story of Yury and Lara that his
lyricism shines most brightly. It is here that his novel
parts company with the Russian novelists of the previous
century, for Dr Zhivago has a lyrical and poetic energy of
its own. Readers will finish Dr Zhivago feeling saddened
but greatly enriched, with a deeper understanding of life.
Dr Zhivago - Teacher’s notes of 5
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Dr Zhivago
Discussion activities
Before reading
1 Pair work: Put students in pairs. Ask them to say
what they know about the Russian Revolution that
brought Communism into the world. Then elicit
information from students, making notes on the
board. Then students read the Historical Notes on
page vi. Ask them this question:
Why are these dates important in the Russian
Revolution?
(a) 1905
(b) February 1917
(c) July 1917
(d) October 1917
2 Discuss: Ask students to read the Introduction and
the Historical Notes on page vi. Then answer these
questions about these sentences in the Introduction.
(a) ‘… the lives of four young people are interrupted
by the extraordinary events of the Russions
Revolution.’
Why were these events so extraordinary?
(b) ‘Each of the four … faces the endless problems
caused by the Revolution.’ What kind of
problems do you think the Revolution caused
them or might cause them?
Chapters 1–3
While reading
3 Discuss: (after reading Chapter 1) Yury was brought
up by Uncle Kolya, who was more than a father figure
to him. Ask students to discuss possible answers to
this question: How do you think his Uncle might
influence his future life?
4 Pair work: (page 2) Ask students in pairs to explain
the relationship between Yury and his father with the
information available so far.
5 Guess: (page 3) We learn that Yury’s father has
committed suicide. Ask students to discuss what kind
of problems could have made him make such a tragic
decision based on the brief information readers have.
6 Role play: (page 3) Soon after they returned from the
trip to Duplyanka, Uncle Kolya sent Yury to Moscow
to live with some distant relatives, the Gromekos. Ask
students in pairs to role play the conversation between
Yury and his Uncle when he breaks the news to the
boy.
After reading
7 Group work: Divide the class into groups of three.
Assign a character to each: Yury, Lara and Pasha.
Ask each group to gather information about their
character’s family background, their physical
description, personality, dreams and hopes, and
friends. Then form new groups of three students,
each coming from a different original group and with
information about a different character. In the new
group, they compare the life of the three people in the
story so far. Then they share their views.
Chapters 4–5
Before reading
8 Guess: The main characters in the story have been
introduced. Ask students to guess what will happen
between them.
While reading
9 Role play: (page 12) Lara’s brother, Rodya, is in
serious trouble: he must pay a gambling debt. Lara,
upset and embarrassed, asks Nadya’s father for help.
Ask students to role play this conversation in pairs.
10 Group work: (page 13) On her deathbed, Anna tells
Yury and Tonya to get married. Divide students into
two groups and ask them to think of arguments in
favour and against Anna’s wish. You can use these
questions to guide them:
Was this the right thing to do?
Should she impose such a heavy burden on these young
people? Or was she aware of the feelings for each other
that they were not aware of themselves?
What would happen if Yury or Tonya did not want to
get married?
11 Role play: (page 14) Ask students to imagine they are
guests at the Sventitskys’ Christmas party. What are
they wearing? What is the atmosphere like at the
party? What is the buffet like? Ask students to act out
a conversation between them in pairs or small groups.
12 Pair work: (page 14) Yury sees Lara for the second
time at the party. Ask students to compare this time
with the previous one, at her place. How does Yury
feel about her now?
After reading
13 Group work: Put students in groups of four. Each
student must write a short paragraph describing a
character’s thoughts at a certain point in the story
so far. They read their paragraph aloud and the rest
of the group say who the character is and what the
situation is.
Chapters 6–8
Before reading
14 Discuss: Ask students how much they know about
the First World War. How long did it last? Who did
Russia fight against? How did the war end for Russia?
While reading
15 Pair work: (page 17) Ask students in pairs to
compare the marriage of Yury and Tonya to that of
Pasha and Lara. Then form new pairs to see whether
they have considered the same ideas.
of 5
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Dr Zhivago
16 Discuss: (page 24) Yury asks Lara: ‘Why can’t an
adult man talk to an adult woman without everyone
thinking they are more than friends?’ Ask students to
discuss whether that is still true in their communities
and whether friendship between a man and a woman
is possible / desirable / more complicated than
friendship with people of the same sex.
17 Group work: (page 30) Ask students to work in small
groups. Ask them to explain the analogy in the novel:
‘… there was something similar between the political
events and the weather.’ Tell students that the weather
mirroring events is a frequent cinematographic
technique: rain signals a break-up in the flow of
events and the course of the story is altered. On the
contrary, a sunny day is a positive sign. Can this also
happen in real life?
18 Discuss: (page 32) Yury says ‘This is a great idea but
I doubt that it can work.’ What do you think are
Yury’s concerns about the future? Then read until the
end of the chapter and decide if their suppositions
were right.
After reading
19 Role play: Ask student to work in pairs and imagine
it is the winter of 1917–18. Ask them to act a
conversation between Yury and Tonya as they talk
about the political situation, their problems and who
can help them.
20 Pair work: Put students in pairs. Ask them to write
a description of how Yury changes during his illness
and what he looks like after he recovers. Then ask
them to join up with another pair and read each other
their descriptions. From the two descriptions they
write another fuller description.
Chapters 9–10
Before reading
21 Guess: Following Yury’s brother Yevgraf ’s advice, the
Zhivagos go to Varykino, near Yuryatin. Ask students
to discuss the following: What sort of life will they
have there? What will Yury do? Will they be able to
leave their problems behind?
While reading
22 Role play: (page 34) Yury does not want to leave
Moscow to settle in the estate of Tonya’s grandfather,
but in the end, his wife and father in law persuade
him. First ask students to pool ideas about which
arguments Tonya and her father might have used to
persuade Yury to leave. Then, ask students in small
groups to act out the conversation between the three.
23 Discuss: (page 37) Tonya’s father says that, ‘… the
revolution is not what they expected, but no political
system can stay pure.’ Ask students to discuss the
truth in this statement. Do they agree? Why/why not?
24 Group work: (page 40) We learn about the cruel
leader of the Red Army: Strelnikov. Ask students in
groups to make a list of the signs of violence and
cruelty that Zhivago finds on his journey by train.
Then we learn that he is Pasha. Ask student in the
same groups to fill in the information about his life
from the moment he left Lara and Katya, to the
moment Zhivago meets him.
25 Pair work: (page 44) Ask students to work in pairs
and discuss this statement: Yury is unfaithful to his
wife with Lara. How do you feel about this? Explain
why. Was this his only choice? Had he been made to
marry a woman he did not love? If they had not being
in the middle of a war, would this have happened?
After reading
26 Group work: Ask students to write down the two
most important feelings that the book causes in them.
Then they find two other people who share the same
feelings. Together, they explain to the rest of the class
what it is about the book that makes them feel like
this.
27 Pair work: Ask students in pairs to answer this
question: What have you learnt from reading
Dr Zhivago so far? Consider not only the characters
and the story but the political situation as well.
Chapter 11
Before reading
28 Discuss: Ask students: Are you glad to be reading the
book? Explain why/why not.
While reading
29 Guess: (page 53) Ask students to guess what Yury will
decide to do after reading Tonya’s letter. How do you
think he feels?
30 Discuss: (page 57) Ask students to discuss the
following: Would you agree that Komarovsky succeeds
in ruining Lara’s life again? If so, how does he do this?
31 Group work: (page 59) Get students to work in
groups and answer the following: Why do you think
Yury refuses to go away with Komarovsky and Lara?
Can you understand it? How does he trick Lara? Do
you think he is right to do so? Is it a strong or a weak
thing to do, do you think?
32 Role play: (page 60) Yury persuades Lara to leave
with Komarovsky but without him. Ask students to
role play the conversation between Yury and Lara.
33 Discuss: (page 62) Ask students to consider the
character of Pasha. He was a learned man who could
have played a very positive role in the New Russia.
Why do you think Pasha kills himself ? Would you
describe this as a strong or a weak thing to do? Give
reasons for your opinion.
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Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Dr Zhivago
After reading
34 Pair work: In pairs, students discuss to what extent
they agree with these statements. Then have a whole
class discussion about them.
(a) In this chapter, Dr Zhivago becomes a tragic
story.
(b) The tragic events in the lives of Yury, Lara and
Pasha are caused by the Revolution, not by
individuals.
Chapters 12–14
Before reading
35 Guess: Lara is gone and Tanya has left Moscow. Ask
students to speculate about the following: What kind
of life will Yury find in Moscow? Will he be able to
get his job at the hospital back?
While reading
36 Group work: (page 65) Put students into groups
of three. One student plays Yury, one student plays
Misha and one student plays Yevgraf. Misha and
Yevgraf talk to Yury, encourage him to sort things out
with Tonya, look after himself and his new family,
write and find a job. They act out the conversation.
37 Discuss: (page 65) We read that Yury needs to leave
his new family to rebuild his life. And that involves
writing. Ask students to discuss the following: Why
does Yury find it so hard to obey the new rules or
commit to a family? Which makes him happier:
Medicine or writing? Why?
38 Group work: (page 67) Ask students in small groups
to discuss the following questions:
What do you learn about Lara and her daughter in these
chapters?
What is your reaction to this information?
What do you think will become of Tanya now? Then
they share their ideas with the rest.
40 Discuss: Ask students to discuss the following:
Do you think that Dr Zhivago ends on a note of hope
or a note of despair? Give reasons for your opinion.
Extra activities
41 Group work: Ask students in small groups to draw
Yury’s family tree by the end of the novel. How do his
children reflect the different stages in his life? Then
they display their drawing and share their ideas with
the rest.
42 Discuss: Ask students to discuss the following:
Which do you think have the most importance in
Dr Zhivago: the love stories or the political events?
Give reasons for your opinion. Then encourage them
to comment on any story – either in a novel or in a
film – that is set amid a historical event. How does
Dr Zhivago compare to such a story?
43 Pair work: Ask students to discuss the following in
pairs of small groups. Which of these adjectives do
you think describes Yury Zhivago best? (If necessary,
use your dictionary to help you.) Account for your
choice with examples from the story.
(a) idealistic
(b) stubborn
(c) committed
(d) selfish
(e) weak
44 Discuss: Tell students that the 1965 production of
Doctor Zhivago, starring Omar Sharif, Geraldine
Chaplin and Julie Christie, was very successful and
won several awards. Then ask them to consider what
the greatest challenge must have been when turning
this novel into a film.
Vocabulary activities
For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
www.penguinreaders.com.
After reading
39 Role play: Ask students to imagine the following
situation: Tonya returns to Moscow when the war is
over. She meets Yevgraf, who briefs her with the latest
news: Yury’s death, his new family, including Tanya.
Ask students in pairs to act out the conversation
between Tony and Yevgraf.
Dr Zhivago - Teacher’s notes of 5
Activity worksheets LEVEL 5
Dr Zhivago
While reading
Chapters 1–3
1 Answer these questions.
a In what way is Yury Zhivago unlucky? In
what way is he lucky?
………………………………………………
b Explain Komarovsky’s importance in the lives of both Yury Zhivago and Lara Guishar.
What kind of man is he? Do you blame Lara
for what happens to her with Komarovsky?
Give reasons for your opinion.
………………………………………………
………………………………………………
c What do we learn about the revolution in
these chapters? Which characters are involved
in it?
………………………………………………
2 Write an entry in Lara’s diary after one of the parties reflecting how she feels about her
double life with Komarovsky.
Chapters 4–5
3 Complete these sentences.
a Amalia Guishar tries to kill herself because
…………………………………………….. .
b Yury and Misha Gordon go to Lara’s house
because……………………………………. .
c Yury and Misha are shocked by what they see
in Lara’s house because ……………………. .
d Anna Gromeko speaks to Yury alone because
…………………………………………….. .
e Lara becomes a teacher with a friend’s family
because……………………………………. .
f Lara’s brother, Rodya, goes to Komarovsky
because……………………………………. .
g Lara tries to shoot Komarovsky because
…………………………………………….. .
h Yury and Tonya’s relationship changes because
…………………………………………….. .
i Yury and Tonya have to leave the party
because……………………………………. .
j Komarovsky decides to help Lara and never
go near her because ……………………….. .
4 Describe Lara from …
a Yury’s point of view
b your point of view.
Can you understand and forgive her for trying to
kill Komarovsky? Say why/why not.
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PENGUIN READERS
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5 Amalia Guishar tried to poison herself. Write the letter she might have left her friend
Tishkevich explaining the reasons that led her
to such a tragic decision.
Chapters 6–8
6 Explain how these sentences are wrong.
a Tonya has a baby daughter in the winter of
1915.
………………………………………………
b Lara teaches Latin and American History at
the girl’s high school in Yuryatin.
………………………………………………
c Pasha admires the people of Yuryatin.
………………………………………………
d Pasha and Lara’s relationship is perfect.
………………………………………………
e Pasha joins the army because he wants to fight
for Russia.
………………………………………………
f Lara leaves her daughter, Lipa, with a friend
and becomes a nurse because she is brokenhearted.
………………………………………………
g Pasha is killed while leading an attack against
the Germans.
………………………………………………
h Yury is killed in the hospital building by a
bomb.
………………………………………………
7 Write a letter from Pasha to Lara explaining
why he has left her.
8 Who says or writes these words? To whom?
Explain the situation.
a ‘Thank you for your help. I am a doctor. I can look after myself.’
………………………………………………
b ‘How could you imagine such a thing? Don’t
you feel my love for you?’
………………………………………………
c ‘But, of course, then I’d knock him down …’
………………………………………………
d ‘There really was something unhealthy in the
way rich people used to live.’
………………………………………………
e ‘Sasha, what will Daddy think?’
………………………………………………
Dr Zhivago - Activity worksheets
of 2
B1402
Dr Zhivago
f ‘This new history must begin now, today,
without any concern about what is already
here.’
………………………………………………
g ‘He came every day while you were ill. He
took care of all of us.’
………………………………………………
h ‘We could grow vegetables and hunt for food.’
………………………………………………
Chapters 9–10
9 Say what you know about these people or
things and their part in the Zhivago family
story.
a cooked duck
Vassya Brykin
a special train
Strelnikov
Mikulitsin
10 Imagine that you are one of the people on the train – you can choose to be anyone you
want. Write one or two paragraphs about your
experiences, your hopes and fears.
11 In Chapter 10, Yury experiences both great
problems and great happiness. Explain this
statement.
12 Who is Liberius Forester? What kind of life do
you think Yury will lead from now on? Why?
Chapter 11
13 Read to the middle of page 54 (the end of
Tonya’s letter). Give an example of:
a The kind of people who join the Forest
Brotherhood.
………………………………………………
b Liberius’s success as a leader.
………………………………………………
c Yury’s opposition to Liberius.
………………………………………………
d the terrible, cruel things that the armies do to
each other.
………………………………………………
a Yury escapes from the Brotherhood by
…………………………………………….. .
b After Yury has eaten potatoes at Lara’s house
he …………………………………………. .
c While Yury is ill, Lara …………………….. .
PENGUIN READERS
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d At first Yury can’t go to Moscow because
…………………………………………….. .
e Yury finds a job …………………………… .
f Officials think that Yury…………………… .
g Lara is in danger because………………….. .
h In her letter, Tonya tells Yury that…………. .
15 What is your opinion of Yury after reading
these pages? Has it changed? Say why (not).
16 Put these events in the right order numbered
1–5.
a c Pasha kills himself.
b c Yury and Lara live together in Varykino.
c c Komarovsky tells Yury that Strelnikov has
been shot.
d c Pasha and Yury talk about Lara.
e c Lara and Komarovsky leave for
Vladivostok.
17 Pahsa wanted to be judged for all the things
he felt guilty about from the last ten years.
Write a list of the things about his family and
his political career that Pasha might regret.
Chapters 12–14
18 Answer these questions.
a How does Yury help people once he returns to
Moscow?
………………………………………………
b How do people help him?
………………………………………………
c How has Yury changed?
………………………………………………
d How do you think the story will end?
………………………………………………
After reading
19 Dr Zhivago is considered a very important
Russian novel. Why do you think this is so?
Write your opinion in one paragraph.
20 Write a review.
Imagine your school is holding a writing
competition for free tickets to the film of your choice. Your entry in the competition is a review of the book you have read for your
English course. You decide to write about Dr Zhivago. Remember to include a brief
description of the plot, and your opinion on
the story.
Dr Zhivago - Activity worksheets of 2
Progress test
LEVEL 5
Dr Zhivago
1 What happened first in the story? Number the
sentences 1–10.
a c Yury’s father jumped off a train to Duplyanka
and killed himself.
b c Yury’s mother died.
c c Yury was sent to Moscow to live with the
Gromekos, a rich family distantly related to
him.
d c Yury and Uncle Kolya travelled to the farm in
Duplyanka.
e c Yury lived in a beautiful estate with a park
listening to his uncle discuss agricultural
changes.
f c Yury’s father left home and went to Siberia.
This was the last time the boy saw him.
g c Yury was taken up by Uncle Kolya, his mother’s
brother.
h c Yury’s mother enjoyed nature and took him on
long walks in the countryside.
i c Yury adopted Christian philosophy.
j c Tonya became Yury’s close friend.
2 Read this information about the people in the
story. Who are they? Write the names in each
sentence.
Pasha Yury Lara Tonya Misha
a ………… studied medicine because he wanted to
do something useful but he loved writing poems
too.
b ………… was born in a rich family who loved
literature and music.
c ………… was a well-read teacher who later became
a very important leader of the revolutionary forces.
d ………… took a job as a private teacher and saved
the money for her education.
e ………… studied philosophy and enjoyed having
long talks with Yury about the political situation.
3 Are these sentences right (3) or wrong (7)?
a Yury spoke to Lara for the first time when he was recovering from his wounds in hospital. c
b Pasha joined the army at Omsk because he wanted to be away from Lara.
c
c Once recovered, Yury arrived in peaceful Moscow.
c
d Yury and Uncle Kolya opposed the Revolution and the Bolsheviks from the start.
c
e After the Revolution, life for the Gromekos was difficult and Yury was ill.
c
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Photocopiable
4 Choose the correct answer.
a Yury started going to the library in Yuryatin …..
1) because his heart disease did not allow him to
work.
2) because he knew Lara would be there.
3) to find material for the important book he
wanted to write.
b Before he could tell Lara that they should not see
each other again, Yury …..
1) was captured by the Forest Brotherhood to
become their doctor.
2) realised she was going to have his child.
3) learnt that Uncle Kolya had died.
c Lara believed the evil of the revolution appeared
when people …..
1) created the labour gangs and the Forest
Brotherhood.
2) stopped listening to the voices of individuals.
3) followed the new rules.
d Lara left for the east with Komarovsky because …..
1) he threatened her with telling Yury the truth
about her past.
2) her child needed medical care.
3) she believed Yury was soon going to join her.
e Yury tells Strelnikov that his wife …..
1) would have done anything to go back to their
happy old days.
2) had left with Komarovsky.
3) had taken up her old job as a teacher.
a When he got back to Moscow, Yury learnt that his
family…………………………………………… .
b Yury’s books about his philosophy of life, his views
on medicine, his ideas on history and religion, and
his poems became ………………………………. .
c Yury lived with Markel, an old servant of the
Gromekos’. They felt lucky because their house
………………………………………………….. .
d When Yury did not come home for three days, his
wife Marina asked………………………………. .
e Lara gave up the child she had by Yury soon after
she was born but Yevgraf ……………………….. .
Dr Zhivago - Progress test
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Answer keys
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Dr Zhivago
Book key
1 1890: Boris Pasternak was born in Moscow.
1904: strikes and street-fighting.
1905: citizens over twenty-five given the vote, but the
new parliament had little power.
1914: Russia joined the First World War.
1917: the Russian Revolution.
1922: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was set up.
1957: the book, Dr Zhivago, appeared in Italy.
1958: Boris Pasternak won the Nobel Prize for
Literature.
1960: Boris Pasternak died.
1965: the film, Doctor Zhivago, appeared.
2 a commit suicide b country estate c elegant dress
d determined effort e slap face f grey wolf
g railway carriage h Russian revolution
i sensational story j wept tears
3 Open answer
4 a Yury Andreyevich Zhivago
b Nikolay Nikolayevich Vedenyapin
c Misha Gordon
d Victor Ippolitovich Komarovsky
e Tonya Gromeko
f Larissa Fyodorovna Guishar
g Pavel Pavlovich Antipov
h Tishkevich
5 1 c 2 g 3 a 4 e 5 d 6 b 7 f
6–8 Open answers
9 a Amalia Guishar b Komarovsky c Lara
d Yury e Yevgraf f Nadya’s parents g Rodya
10 a Amalia Guishar has tried to poison herself.
b Lara and Komarovsky.
c Lara tries to shoot Komarovsky.
d After she shoots him, he tries to avoid her.
e Anna Ivanova dies.
11–13 Open answers
14 a leave > find b German > Jewish
c escaped > died d Moscow > Petersburg
e happy > embarrassed f soldiers > peasants
g philosophy > politics h happy > depressed
i soldiers > Bolsheviks j Kolya > Yevgraf
15 a Join the army / go to the army school in Omsk
b He is knocked down by an explosion.
c ‘young and serious, not exactly handsome but
intelligent, with a very attractive character.’
d New ideas in philosopy, art and politics.
e The family can only use three rooms now.
f He has never seen him before.
g He helps and protects them.
h They are cold and hungry.
16 The October Revolution.
The Bolsheviks are fighting against the soldiers from
the Provisional Government.
19 a exchanges b sends c hear d meets e gives
f sees g come
20 a tickets, permission papers, information
b He asked the guard to let Vassya take his place on
the train while he kissed his wife. Then he left.
c As insurance, to prevent any more trouble in the
district.
d They clear snow and look for wood.
e The guards think that he’s a spy.
f He feels shy and doesn’t want to interrupt her work.
g He feels like a criminal and that he is putting his
family’s happiness and safety at risk.
h He is taken away by Liberius’s men.
21 1 b 2 e 3 a 4 f 5 c 6 d
22 Open answer
23 a The Reds
b Open answer
24 a F b T c F d T e F f T g T h F
i F j T
25 Open answer
26 a Lara to Yury b Yury to Komarovsky
c Pasha to Yury
27 Open answer
28 a 7 b 5 c 4 d 6 e 2 f 1 g 3
Discussion activities key
1 Communism is a political system of belief that says
that no one should own private property. It began
with the theories of Karl Marx (1818–83) who
believed that everyone should be ‘equal’, with no
great differences in position or money. The Russian
Revolution established Communism as the political
system of Russian.
a) This was the year of the first Russian Revolution,
which was a battle between the government of
Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia and groups of
workers, peasants and soldiers who wanted a fairer
system of government.
b) Tsar Nicholas II’s government ended and a new
government was put in place.
Dr Zhivago - Answer keys
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Answer keys
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Dr Zhivago
c) The Tsar and his family were murdered.
d) The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, took over the
government.
2 a) Because Russia’s ruling family was murdered and an
entirely new political system replaced it.
b) Uncertainty about the future, poverty, loss of jobs,
the possibility of imprisonment and even death.
3– 4 Open answers
5 Suggested answer:
He might have been in great financial trouble. Perhaps
he could not repay his gambling debts.
6–11 Open answers
12 Suggested answer:
Yury is intrigued by beautiful Lara and evil
Komarovsky.
13 Open answer
14 Suggested answer:
First World War broke out in 1914 after Duke Francis
Ferdinand was killed in Sarajevo. It lasted four years,
until 1918. Russia fought the Axis powers (Italy and
Germany) alongside Britain and France, but the
Communist government signed a treaty with the
Germans before the end of the War.
15–37 Open answer
38 Lara had a child by Yury called Tanya. But because
Komarovsky did not want children around, Lara asked
a young couple to look after Tanya for a while. The
child never saw her mother again – she ran away from
home and became homeless. Eventually, in 1929, Lara
came to Moscow looking for her daughter. She did
not find her but was able to visit Yury’s coffin and say
goodbye to him. After that, Lara disappeared or died,
probably in prison. In 1943, Tanya was discovered by
Yury’s half brother Yevgraf, in an army camp doing the
laundry. We know that Yevgraf will look after her now.
Activity worksheets key
1 a Yury is unlucky because he loses his mother when
he is ten years old and his father is a drunkard who
loses all his wealth and commits suicide, leaving
Yury an orphan. Yury is lucky because his uncle,
who looks after him at first, is a very good and
loving man. Yury goes to live with the Gromeko
family where he is very happy. They live the kind of
life that is ‘proper’ for a Zhivago – in other words
they are wealthy and mix with high society.
b The lawyer Komarovsky encourages Zhivago, Yury’s
father, to drink because ‘it is in some way to his
advantage’. In other words, when Zhivago is drunk,
he is more likely to do what Komarovsky says
(Zhivago probably pays Komarovsky more than he
should). On the train to Duplyanka, Komarovsky
encourages Zhivago to drink and this leads to
Zhivago’s suicide. So, we can say that Komarovsky
is in some way responsible for Yury’s father’s death.
Komarovsky seduces (= persuades someone to have
sex) Lara when she is only sixteen. This is a wicked
thing for an older man to do to a young girl. In
those days this kind of thing had a terrible effect on
a young woman’s life and possibilty of marriage.
c In 1905 many groups of workers in Moscow went
on strike and marched in the street. On October
17th, the Tsar agreed to give land to the Russian
peasants. But this did not happen and conditions
for farmers and workers grew worse. Pasha Antipov
wanted change in his country and was willing to
fight on the streets for it. Yuri’s Uncle Kolya wrote
several important revolutionary books.
2 Open answer
3 a … she suspects that Lara and Komarovsky are
sleeping together.
b … Amalia Guishar has tried to poison herself. A
message is sent to her violinist friend, Tishkevich,
who is playing in a concert at Mr Gromeko’s house.
Mr Gromeko goes with Tishkevich to Amalia
Guishar’s house and Yury and Misha with him.
c … they see Lara and Komarovsky together and it
is obvious that something forbidden is happening
between them, something wrong.
d … she wants Yury to think carefully about his
future. She knows that he will get nothing from his
father’s estate.
e … she wants to live away from her mother and
in this way get away from Komarovsky. She can
only do this by earning enough money to live
independently.
f … he has gambling debts he needs to repay.
g … she feels that once again he has destroyed her
life. He told her brother that if she would speak to
him he would help him. What he really means is
that if she returns to him he will help her brother.
Lara has to borrow money from Mr. Kologrivov
to help her brother. But she has no money to pay
Dr Zhivago - Answer keys of 4
Answer keys
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Dr Zhivago
them back. She decides to demand money from
Komarovsky and shoot him if he refuses. But
instead she just shoots him, probably because she is
so angry.
h … Tonya’s mother, Anna Ivanova, asks them to
stay together if she dies. For the first time Yury and
Tonya look at each other as a man and woman and
realise they are in love with each other.
i … they hear that Tonya’s mother is dying or dead.
When they get back home she is dead.
j … he does not want gossip to link him with Lara or
the shooting. He wants to keep her quiet and out of
the way.
4–5 Open answers
6 a Tonya has a son in the autumn of 1915.
b We are not told what Lara teaches at the high
school.
c Not true. Pasha is very critical of them. He thinks
their political ideas are very simple. He studies and
educates himself to a high degree and misses the big
city.
d Pasha and Lara love each other deeply but are
unable to be completely natural with each other.
Pasha knows about Komarovsky, he questions Lara’s
love for him and even his love for her.
e Pasha joins the army because he wants to be away
from Lara.
f Laura leaves her daughter Katya with an old
student, Lipa, and becomes a nurse in order to
look for Pasha.
g Pasha is believed to be killed while leading an attack
against the Austrians.
h Yury is knocked unconscious just before he reaches
the hospital building.
7 Open answer
8 a Yury says this to Lara when he talks to her for the
first time in the army hospital where he is a patient.
b Yury writes these words to Tonya, who has written
to him begging him to leave her for Lara.
c Yury says these words to Lara. He did not intend
to say them as they show how much he cares about
her. He intended to tell her he was worried about
her.
d Tonya says this to Yury on his return to Moscow.
People in Moscow are now very poor and the
Zhivagos only have the use of three rooms in their
house.
e Tonya says this to her son Sasha who has slapped
his father’s face. The child has never seen his father
before.
f Yury says this to Tonya late one night as they
discuss the fact that a new government, ‘the
Dictatorship of the Proletariat’ has been formed.
g Tonya says this to Yury as he recovers from typhus,
an illness which nearly killed him. Tonya is talking
about Yury’s half brother, Yevgraf, who visited the
family and brought them food.
h Tonya says this to Yury. They have decided, at
Yevgraf ’s suggestion, to leave Moscow and go to
Tonya’s grandfather’s estate near Yuryatin.
9 a cooked duck: An old peasant gives Tonya the duck
in exchange for a beautifully decorated towel.
Vassya Brykin: This is a sixteen-year-old boy belonging
to one of the labour gangs travelling on the train. He
is attractive and innocent. He is in the labour gang
because his uncle cruelly allowed him to take his place
in the labour gang.
A special train: Yuri is taken to this train because he
is asking questions and some guards think he is a spy.
The train is being used as the offices of the Red Army
Commissar Strelnikov.
Strelnikov: He is the leader of the Red Army in that
region and has done terrible things, destroying and
burning villages. He is brilliant and original. He talks
to Yury and allows him to go free. In fact, he is Pasha,
Lara’s husband.
Mikulitsin: He worked for the Krueger’s, who were
Tonya’s grandparents. Now he lives in what used to be
the estate manager’s house. He gives the Zhivago’s two
rooms at the back of the big house and helps them in
many ways.
10 Open answers
11 Yuri lives happily with the family, feeling very close
to them and contented. But then he realises that he
has the same heart disease as his mother had. Then
he meets Lara again in the library at Yuryatin and is
unfaithful to Tonya with her. This causes him both
happiness and pain, as he hates to be unfaithful to
Tonya. Finally, he is kidnapped by three men on
horseback who take him off to join their Bolshevik
army.
12 He is the son of Avercius Mikulitsin, who has allowed
the Zhivagos to live on the Krueger estate. Although
Liberius is very young, he is an important Bolshevik
leader.
Dr Zhivago - Answer keys
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Answer keys
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PENGUIN READERS
Dr Zhivago
13 a Peasants, soldiers from the German army,
churchmen, students, disappointed politicians and
true revolutionaries.
b Liberius get results. The Forest Brotherhood helped
to drive the Whites towards the East. During Yury’s
time in the Brotherhood, the Brotherhood grows to
ten times its original size.
c Yury can’t accept the extreme acts of cruelty. He
can’t agree with the ideas that people like Liberius
wish to force on all Russians. He hates Liberius for
kidnapping him.
d Soldiers in the White Army cut off a man’s arm
and leg and tie them to his back as a warning to the
Brotherhood.
14 a … walking out of the camp using the Brotherhood’s
secret words. He has hidden food, heavy clothes
and boots near the edge of the camp. He walks
from Siberia to Yuryatin.
b … becomes very ill.
c … looks after him.
d … he is too weak.
e … at a hospital.
f … is too independent in his ideas.
g … the leaders know that Strelnikov is her husband.
He has never been a member of the Bolshevik Party
and is no longer considered a hero.
h … her family and children, including Uncle Kolya
and her father, have had to leave Russia. She tells
him that she loves him and knows he doesn’t love
her.
15 Open answers
16 a 5 b 1 c 2 d 4 e 3
17 Open answers
18 a Yury helps the young peasant boy, Vassya, to get a
place at the Stroganov Institute.
b Vassya puts together the books that Yury writes.
Markel, who had been chief servant at the
Gromeko’s home, helps Yury and allows him to use
the hot water in his rooms. Markel’s elder daughter
sews Yury’s clothes, cleans his room and takes food
to him.
c Yury writes short books ‘on a variety of subjects and
these become very popular. However, in some ways
he seems to be a broken man. He wants to close
himself off from the world and does not work as
a doctor any more. After Vassya leaves, Yury stops
seeing his friends and becomes quite strange and
helpless.’
d Open answer
19–20 Open answer
Progress test key
1 a 7 b 3 c 9 d 6 e 8 f 2 g 4 h 1 i 5
j 10
2 a Yury b Tonya c Pasha d Lara e Misha
3 a 3 b 3 c 7 d 7 e 3
4 a 3 b 1 c 2 d 3 e 1
5 a … had left the city/had gone away from Moscow.
b very popular.
c was dry and warm, and they had a lot of hot water.
d Misha for help.
e found her and looked after her.
Dr Zhivago - Answer keys of 4
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
The Body
Stephen King
About the author
Stephen King is the highest-earning author in the world.
Since selling his first book in 1973, he has published over
thirty novels, of which there are more than 150 million
copies in print. He earns $2 million a month from book
sales and film returns. All this was achieved from poor
beginnings and King’s is a success story that could itself
have come from the pages of fiction.
King was born in 1947 in Portland, Maine, the American
state where The Body is set. His father, a merchant seaman,
deserted the family in 1950, and Stephen and his brother
David were raised alone by their mother. Early on in life,
King became addicted to radio horror tales and science
fiction films. According to one report, he was ‘oversized
and ungainly’ as a boy and ‘predictably chosen last’ in
team games. At high school, he began to write stories, and
at the University of Maine took creative writing courses.
After college, King worked in a launderette until he found
a teaching position. From 1971 to 1973, while he taught
at a secondary school in Hampden, Maine, he continued
to write, often in the school’s boiler room, with a child’s
desk against his knees. By then he was married, had a child
and was weighed down with bills. But in 1973 he sold his
first novel, Carrie. When his publishers, Doubleday, told
him that paperback rights to the book had been sold for
$400,000 he was freed from teaching and able to devote
himself full-time to writing.
Summary
The Body is quite different from most of Stephen King’s
other work, in that it is not a horror story, although it
does contain one or two nasty moments. It was originally
published as part of a collection of tales called Different
Seasons (1982), a book in which King wished to show the
different side of his imagination.
The semi-autobiographical story concerns four young
boys, growing up in a poorer area of 1960s Maine, in the
northeast corner of the United States. The boys, Gordie
Lachance, Vern Tessio, Chris Chambers and Teddy
Duchamp, are all about to turn thirteen. When they
hear about the death of another boy, who was walking
in the forest miles from his home, they cannot resist the
temptation to go and look for his body, though they know
the journey will be long and dangerous. The adventure
becomes a turning point in all their lives as they face the
dangers and wonders of the forest and some of the bigger
questions of their lives to come.
Full of the atmosphere of a teenage summer, The Body is
both an adventure story and a portrait of four boys on the
first step of their journey into adulthood.
Chapter 1: The narrator of the story (Gordie Lachance)
remembers seeing a dead person when he was twelve years
old. That memory stays with him today.
Chapter 2: Gordie (Gordon) is in a tree house with Teddy
Duchamp and Chris Chambers on the last Friday of the
summer holidays. Vern Tessio, the fourth member of their
club, arrives. He has news about a body that has been
found in the forest. He suggests they go see it.
Chapter 3: Gordie recalls hearing that a boy their age
(Ray Brower) has been missing for three days. He had
been picking wild fruit in the forest.
Chapter 4: We learn how Vern found out about the
body. He overheard his older brother Billy (who is part
of a gang) talking about the body to a tough guy named
Charlie. The two had been out in the forest when they
accidentally came across the body of a boy. They did not
tell the police because they had driven out to that location
in a stolen car.
Chapter 5: The boys think they will need to walk about
thirty miles to find the body. When they find the body,
they will report it to the police and become famous. They
plan to leave that day (Friday) and camp overnight in the
forest. They will tell their parents they are camping in
Vern’s back field.
Chapter 6: Gordie has no problem getting permission.
His older brother died five months ago, and his parents do
not pay much attention to him.
The Body - Teacher’s notes
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Teacher’s notes
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The Body
Chapter 7: Gordie meets Chris. Chris shows Gordie that
he is taking along his father’s gun. Chris says his father is
drunk and will not miss it.
Chapter 20: The boys find the body in the midst of a
terrible thunderstorm. It seems the boy was trying to get
out of the way when a train hit him.
Chapter 8: The boys start on their journey. They realise
they will need water and food. They plan to go to the
dump for water. Teddy tries to play a dangerous game by
stepping in front of a train but Gordie stops him.
Chapter 21: Ace Merrill, the leader of the gang, and five
others (including the brothers of Chris and Vern) arrive.
They plan to take the body but the boys talk back. Chris
pulls out the gun and threatens Ace.
Chapter 9: The dump is closed and the boys climb
the fence to get water. They worry about meeting Milo
Pressman, the manager of the dump, and his dog,
Chopper. (The dog has as a reputation for being fierce.)
They flip a coin to decide who will leave to buy food.
Gordie loses the toss.
Chapter 22: Vern and Teddy run off and leave Chris and
Gordie to face the gang. Ace and the gang leave with the
threat that they will get the four boys later.
Chapter 10: Gordie returns with food. He enters the
dump and gets chased by Chopper and an angry Milo.
Teddy teases Chopper. Milo insults Teddy by talking
about Teddy’s father’s psychiatric problems.
Chapter 11: Chris tries to make Teddy feel better about
Milo’s comments. Vern says they are going to see a dead
body, so maybe they should not have a good time.
Chapter 12: The boys cross a railway bridge that was not
made for walking across. Vern and Gordie narrowly avoid
getting hit by a train.
Chapter 13: Chris tells Gordie that changes are coming at
school as Gordie starts taking courses that will prepare him
for college while the others take shop courses. Chris talks
about his family’s bad reputation and about being betrayed
by a teacher. He says that friends can drag a person down.
Chapter 14: The boys set up camp and Gordie tells a
story. Gordie thinks about the body alone in the forest.
Chapter 15: The boys wake up to the sound of loud
screaming. They are not sure what it is and take turns
guarding the camp. Gordie dreams about Chris being
dragged under the water by Vern and Teddy.
Chapter 16: The sun comes up and Gordie has a special
moment when he sees a deer alongside the railway tracks.
A train goes by and wakes up the other boys.
Chapter 17: The boys jump into a pool of water to cool
off. It is full of leeches.
Chapter 18: The boys realise they still have a long way to
go before they will get to the body.
Chapter 19: While the boys continue their journey, a
gang of six (including Billy and Charlie who saw the body
first) are travelling by car to that same location. They also
plan to be heroes by discovering the body.
Chapter 23: Chris decides they should leave the body
in the forest. Gordie wonders about Ray Brower and the
missing bucket of fruit.
Chapter 24: The boys get back to town early Sunday
morning. Chris worries that Teddy and Vern will tell
others but Gordie suggests this will not happen for a
long time and that Teddy and Vern will almost forget
everything that happened.
Chapter 25: Gordie sees his mother on Sunday morning,
She only talks about missing his dead brother.
Chapter 26: The police get an anonymous call from Ace
about the location of the body. Neither group gets credit
for finding it. All four boys are beat up at different times
but the story about their meeting the gang in the forest
never gets out. Teddy and Vern find new friends.
Chapter 27: Gordie thinks about the deaths of his three
friends. Vern is killed in a fire at a house party. Teddy
drives drunk and dies in a car accident. Chris studies hard
alongside Gordie and goes on to graduate school. Chris
dies trying to break up a fight between two strangers.
Meanwhile, Gordie becomes a writer and writes this book.
About the film
The Body was filmed in 1986 as Stand By Me with the late
River Phoenix as Chris Chambers.
Background and themes
Many of the ingredients that now characterise what we
think of as a Stephen King novel can be found in King’s
first novel Carrie: small-town New England, usually
thought of as a quiet, conventional part of America,
becomes the arena for a battle of good versus evil. Psychic
powers or some supernatural creature – or both – cause
a series of horrible events in what was an ordinary, sleepy
town.
The Body - Teacher’s notes of 5
Teacher’s notes
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The Body
In fact, New England – where some of the first European
settlements in North America were established in the
seventeenth century – is no stranger to the supernatural.
When most of America was still the home of so-called
Indian ‘savages’, the fragile colonial settlements lived
in fear of the wildness beyond their fences. The forests
became a symbol of evil and the unknown – the horror
of untamed nature.
In 1960, the year in which The Body is set, the New
England forests were still quite extensive. Since then, the
city suburbs and roads have forced them back, but in
1960, according to King ‘it was still possible to walk into
the woods and lose your direction and die there’.
The mysteries of these forests play a large part in The
Body, since it is there that the four young heroes of the
book decide to go to undertake their life-changing quest.
As they travel further from civilisation, the boys have to
rely on their own personal resources, and must grow up to
face what comes. However, as well as terrors and the harsh
realities of life, the wilderness reveals its secret wonders.
Their journey to see another boy’s dead body becomes a
journey out of innocence.
The Body is set at the beginning of a decade in which
America, too, was shaken out of its innocence. 1960 was
the year that John F Kennedy was elected president, on a
wave of optimism. But only three years later, the youthful
promise that he symbolised to so many was ended when
he was shot. The shock of Kennedy’s assassination was
tremendous. Many Americans were confused by the
seeming irrationality of the event. From 1962 onwards,
the American military increased its presence in Vietnam.
But at the same time protests against the war grew in
strength as America’s youth grew in a new self-confidence.
Those who entered their teenage years in the sixties were
entering an era when the culture and values of the young
would be totally different from those of the parents.
Discussion activities
Before reading
1 Discuss: Ask students to look at the picture on the
cover of this book. What can you see? What do you
expect to see? What kind of feelings do you get from this
picture? Write the students’ ideas on a chart.
I see …
I expect to see …
I feel …
2 Guess: Have students look at the title of the story
(The Body). Ask them to imagine what might happen
in the story. Have them share their thoughts in a
group. (Have them look at the extended name on the
title page, Fall from Innocence: The Body. Does this
give them further ideas?) Write down possible story
ideas on the board.
3 Group work: This story is about four twelve-year-old
boys. In groups, have students think back to when
they and their friends/classmates were twelve years
old. What words can you use to describe a twelve-yearold boy? What do twelve-year-old boys like? What do
twelve-year-old boys hope for? Have them write down
their ideas in a chart.
I am a 12-year-old boy.
I am …
I like …
I hope …
Have students share their ideas in class. Do they see
lots of differences among boys at this age? How might
they compare the characteristics, interests and hopes
of boys at this age to girls?
Introduction
Before reading
4 Guess: Stephen King is famous for writing horror
stories. This story has elements of horror and is
based on King’s childhood. Put students into groups.
Have them discuss what things may have happened
in King’s childhood that made him into a writer
of horror stories. Then have students read the
Introduction.
In groups, have them list important facts they have
learned about King. Have them share their ideas with
the rest of the class.
Chapters 1–6
Before reading
5 Discuss: The opening sentence of the book is:
‘The most important things are the hardest things
to say.’ Is this the same for children and for adults?
What kind of ‘important things’ might be hard for a
twelve-year-old boy to talk about?
After reading
6 Pair work: In pairs, have students research one of the
boys. Have them complete a chart outlining the boy’s
relationship with his family. Have them consider how
this might affect the boy’s behaviour during the story.
Name of boy
Family members (and
characteristics)
Relationships (How does
the family get along?)
Thoughts about boy
(relating to story)
of 5
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
The Body
As a class, complete a chart that outlines the main
points of all four boys. Have pairs of students provide
their ideas for each boy.
7 Guess: Think about the boys’ plans to see the body.
What problems could they have on this journey?
Discuss ideas as a class. Write them down on a chart
that can be referred to later.
Chapters 7–9
While reading
8 Role play: Read Chapter 7. Think about Chris’s plan
to bring along the gun on the journey. Get students
to plan and dramatise a role play between Chris and
Gordie.
Student A: You are Chris. Give reasons why you want
to bring along the gun.
Student B: You are Gordie. Explain to Chris why it
might not be a good idea. What could happen?
After reading
9 Discuss: Talk about the significance of ‘that moment’
from Chapter 8 on page 15 when Gordie is looking
down the railway track with the town behind him.
What might Gordie be thinking about? Why will he
never forget that moment?
10 Write and discuss: As a class, discuss Teddy’s moment
on the railroad tracks and Gordie’s response. Do you
remember a daring/exciting/scary experience from your
childhood? (It could be something you experienced or
observed.) What happened? How did you feel?
Have students write a paragraph describing an event:
I’ll always the remember the time I …
Let students know they will have a short time to
write their paragraph and they will be sharing it with
others. Teachers may want to read aloud a paragraph
that they have written as an example.
After writing, have students place their paragraphs
on desks around the classroom. Have students
go from desk to desk and read each other’s work.
They can write a short response at the end of the
paragraph before moving onto the next. At the end,
have students collect their paragraphs and read the
comments. Have them share their thoughts and
experiences with the class.
11 Pair work: Think about Gordie’s statement on
page 19: ‘I never had any friends later like the ones
I had when I was twelve. Did you?’ Have students
remember a special friend they had when they were
young.
Write down a few things you remember about your
friend. What did he or she look like? What are some
characteristics about your friend? What did you like to
do together? Are you still friends with this person today?
Do you know what this friend is doing?
Have students complete a chart and talk about the
friend with a partner.
Appearance
Characteristics
My friend
Activities
Today …?
Chapters 10–11
After reading
12 Artwork: Read the line that begins Chapter 10 on
page 20. ‘Words mean different things to different
people.’ Gordie describes what the word ‘summer’
means to him. Choose a word that has meaning
to them, such as school, family, my hometown,
my grandma’s house. Have them write that word in
the centre of a page and then draw pictures and/or
write words or expressions that represent that word
to them.
13 Discuss: At the end of Chapter 10 on page 25,
Gordie says he looked at Milo Pressman ‘and
I suddenly felt sorry for him. He looked exactly
like a schoolboy locked in the school playground by
mistake …’ As a class, discuss what Gordie means by
this comment. What kind of advice could they give
Milo Pressman?
Chapters 12–14
After reading
14 Write: Imagine you are Gordie. You are writing in
your diary that night about crossing the railway
bridge. What would you write? Thinking back on
it, how would you feel?
Dear Diary,
Today I …
15 Role play: Think about Chris and his future studies.
Have students imagine a conversation between Chris
and a guidance counsellor (or teacher) who wants to
help him plan his upcoming classes at school and his
future career.
Student A: You are Chris. What concerns do you
have? What do you see happening in your future?
What do you want to happen?
Student B: You are a school guidance counsellor
(or teacher). What do you know about Chris? What
questions do you want to ask him? What kind of
advice can you give him?
Write down your thoughts. Present your dialogue to
the class.
Chapters 15–18
Before reading
16 Guess: The boys are sleeping in the dark forest. What
could happen in the night? Have students share their
ideas. Write their suggestions on the board.
of 5
Teacher’s notes
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
The Body
While reading
17 Group work: Read the first section of Chapter 15
to the line on page 41: ‘It was the sort of scream
you might expect from a woman who was dying in
extreme pain and extreme fear.’
Discuss in groups: What can be making this sound?
What can the boys do? What will the boys do? What will
happen?
Share your ideas as a class.
After reading
18 Check: Compare your thoughts in activities 16 and
17 with what actually happened. Discuss the boys’
response to the events the next morning.
19 Discuss: Why doesn’t Gordie tell anyone about the
deer? Why does he think it was the best part of the
trip? Why does Gordie remember the deer at difficult
times in his life?
20 Read carefully: In pairs, have students list what they
have learned about leeches by reading Chapter 17.
Have them share their facts together. How would they
feel if they were the boys? Have any of them seen
leeches?
Chapters 19–21
Before reading
21 Check: Think about what will happen from now
until the end of the story. Have students check their
guesses from activity 7 after reading Chapters 1– 6.
Have their ideas changed?
While reading
22 Group work: After reading Chapter 19, discuss
Gordie’s line from page 52: ‘The big things in life
should never be easy; they should be marked in some
way as important’. What difficult events had turned
this trip into ‘a serious matter’. Make a list of the boys’
difficulties.
After reading
23 Guess: On page 51, we learn that Chris, Vern and
Teddy are going to die young. (Note that they don’t
die in this story.) Ask students in small groups to
guess what might happen to each of these boys. Also
have them make guesses about the types of jobs or
schooling the boys might have in the next few years.
24 Role play: Put students into groups of four (with
each taking the role of one of the boys). Ask them
to imagine a conversation the young boys have six
months later. Have them role play the conversation
with each of them taking the role of one of the boys.
Have them discuss how they honestly felt when they
discovered the body.
Example:
Student A (as Gordie): So, Vern, what did you think
when you first saw the body?
Student B (as Vern): At first, I felt excited! We walked
a long way to find it …
25 Write: On page 60, Gordie says he could have had
a ‘reasonable argument’ with Ace but instead he said,
‘Go to hell, Ace.’ Imagine what Gordie could have said
to Ace. Write your thoughts in a letter to Ace from
Gordie.
Ace,
I met you in the forest last Saturday. I wanted to write
you a letter to explain my feelings …
26 Check: Look again at your guesses from activities 7
and 21. Check what you thought could happen in the
story opposite what actually happened.
Chapters 22–27
While reading
27 Guess: Before reading Chapter 26, guess what will
happen: to the body of Roy Brower; to the four boys;
to the friendship of the four boys.
After reading
28 Discuss: Look again at the conversation between
Gordie and Chris in Chapter 24 on pages 68– 69.
When the boys get back into town, Gordie would
probably like to tell Chris that he loves him, but he
cannot. Why? Is it because they are both boys? Would
it be different for two boys today?
29 Group work: In groups, discuss the parents’ response
to the boy’s late return on Sunday morning. Discuss
the following: What did the parents of each of the boys
say or do (if anything) about their late return? How do
you think the boys would feel about their response? How
would you feel if you were the boys?
30 Check: Look at your guesses from activity 23.
Did any of the students guess correctly? Was there
anything in the story that could have helped them
guess what happened?
Extra activities
31 Discuss: In groups, talk about the effects the
adventure had on the boys’ friendships. Do they think
things would have been different between the boys
later if the boys had not had this adventure together?
What did they learn about each other on this journey?
32 Pair work: Have students return to the partner they
worked with in activity 6. Have them look at their
original chart and check the thoughts they had about
the boy they researched. Were they surprised by the
boy’s actions in the story or did they predict them?
As a class, have students share their ideas about all
the boys.
Vocabulary activities
For the Word List and vocabulary activities, go to
www.penguinreaders.com.
The Body - Teacher’s notes of 5
B1402
The Body
While reading
Chapters 1–6
1 Complete these notes about the story.
a The story happens in a town called
……………… in the state of
………………, USA.
b It begins on a Friday in the month of
……………… in the year ……………… .
c The weather is ……………… and
……………… .
d There are ……………… or ………………
‘regulars’ in the boys’ club.
e When the boys talk about the dead body,
there are ……………… of them in the tree
house.
f The storyteller’s first name is ……………… .
g The name of the boy who is missing in the
forest is ……………… .
h ……………… is the name of the boy who
tells the others in the tree house about the
body.
2 Who are the boys? Choose the right name.
a ….. wears thick glasses and likes to take crazy
chances.
b ….. has a father who drinks.
c ….. is like Teddy – not very intelligent.
d ….. is ‘invisible’ at home.
1) Gordie (the storyteller)
2) Teddy
3) Chris
4) Vern
Chapters 7–9
3 Put these events in the correct order (1–7).
a c The boys reach the dump.
b c The boys throw coins to see who will go
and get some food.
c c Teddy turns to face the train that is
coming down the tracks.
d c Gordie goes to buy some food.
e c The boys see how much money they have
got altogether.
f c The boys drink water from the tap.
g c Gordie pulls Teddy away from the train
tracks.
4 Underline the mistakes in the sentences and
correct them.
a Chris has a gun that belongs to his brother.
………………………………………………
PENGUIN READERS
Photocopiable
b Teddy is the bravest guy in the boys’ gang.
………………………………………………
c Gordie thinks they will have to walk thirteen
miles.
………………………………………………
d The boys are scared about seeing wild animals
in the dump.
………………………………………………
e The boys toss the coins and get four tails.
That’s good luck.
………………………………………………
Chapters 10–11
5 Match and complete the sentences.
a The boys are surprised when they see
Chopper because …..
b When Gordie hears Milo he feels scared
because …..
c When Milo sees the boys he feels angry
because …..
d When Milo yells at Teddy, Teddy feels upset
because …..
e Chris is the best person to talk to Teddy
because …..
f Vern says that they should not have a good
time because …..
1) they are teasing his dog.
2) he knows how to make people feel better.
3) he is an ordinary dog.
4) they are going to see a dead guy.
5) he is afraid of Chopper.
6) he doesn’t like to hear bad things about his
father.
Chapters 12–14
6 Who said what? Imagine which boy would say
each of the sentences below as he crossed the
railway bridge.
a ….. ‘This is a great dare! A train could be
coming any minute now!’
b ….. ‘I have a terrible feeling that a train is
coming. We need to run fast!’
c ….. ‘Sometimes you have to show that you
are brave by doing something like this.’
d ….. ‘I have to do this or the guys will think
I’m scared. I’m going to walk very carefully.’
1) Vern
2) Teddy
3) Chris
4) Gordie
The Body - Activity worksheets
of 2
The Body
7 Underline YES or NO.
a Is Gordie scared when he is on the train
tracks?
YES NO
b Does Chris think Gordie will be friends with
the three boys next year?
YES NO
c Did Chris take the milk money from school
last year?
YES NO
d Did Chris try to return the money?
YES NO
e Does Gordie feel scared when he thinks about
the body of the boy?
YES NO
Chapters 15–18
8 Put these words in the correct spaces.
guard scream deer wild cat
forest dream ghost
The boys wake up in the (a) ……………… .
They hear a loud (b) ……………… . Teddy
thinks it might be the (c) ……………… of the missing boy. Chris thinks it could be a (d) ……………… . The boys decide to take
turns keeping (e) ……………… . Finally,
Gordie falls asleep and has a (f ) ……………… .
In the morning, Gordie is happy to see a (g) ……………… by the railway tracks.
9 Think about Gordie’s dream. Choose the
correct name(s).
a Who is in the water? …..
b Who is playing with plastic buckets? …..
c Who is lying on her back in a grey suit? …..
d Who starts repeating a poem? …..
e Who pulls Chris under the water? …..
f Who does not try to save Chris? …..
1) Teddy and Vern
2) Chris
3) Mrs Cote, the English teacher
4) Gordie
5) little children
6) Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern
Chapters 19 –21
a c Chris threatens Ace with his gun.
b c Vern sees the body.
c c Ace and his gang arrive. Ace tells the boys
to leave.
d c The boys continue the long walk along
the railway tracks.
e c Gordie says, ‘Go to hell, Ace.’
f c A thunderstorm begins.
g c The boys turn over the boy’s body.
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
Photocopiable
Chapters 22–27
11 Choose the right word in italics.
a Ace tells the boys he will shoot / hurt them.
b Gordie / Teddy stays with Chris until the gang
leaves.
c Chris / Gordie falls down beside the body and
starts to cry.
d The boys decide to take / leave the body.
e Gordie worries the most about Ray Brower’s
missing bucket / shoes.
f The boys arrive back in town on Saturday /
Sunday morning.
g When Gordie sees his mother, she is thinking
about Gordie / his brother Dennis.
12 Are these sentences right (3) or wrong (7)?
a Gordie tells the police about the body.
c
b All of the boys were hurt by Ace and his gang later that month.
c
c Everyone hears the boys’ story.
c
d The four boys remain good friends all
through high school.
c
e Chris works hard in school and takes college courses with Gordie.
c
f Chris tries to stop a fight and is killed.
c
g Gordie becomes a lawyer.
c
After reading
13 At the end of the story, we learn what happened
to Chris, Vern and Teddy. Look in Chapter 19
on page 51. Gordie (as the narrator) says: ‘They
say the effect of events can grow larger and larger
as the years pass, so who knows? If we hadn’t
walked along the tracks maybe Chris and Teddy
and Vern would still be alive today.’
Write about: What do you think the narrator
means? Do you think the events of that weekend
could have changed the lives of the boys? If so, in
what way?
14 Write: Gordie talks about looking down the
railway tracks in Chapter 8 on page 15. He says,
‘I’ll never forget that moment, however old I get.’
He talks about seeing the deer on the railway
tracks on pages 45–46 in Chapter 16. He says he
has returned to that moment at difficult times in
his life.
Think of an important moment in your life and
answer the following questions in a paragraph:
What happened? When? Where? What did you learn
from this event? Why is it important to you?
The Body - Activity worksheets of 2
Progress test
LEVEL 5
B1402
The Body
Chapters 1–6
1 Underline the mistakes in the sentences and correct
them.
a Gordie’s brother died a few years ago.
……………………………………………………
b Ray Brower is the name of the missing man.
……………………………………………………
c Chris hears his brother talking about a body.
……………………………………………………
d The boys think they will be in big trouble if they
find the body.
……………………………………………………
e They will say they are sleeping in Vern’s house.
……………………………………………………
f Gordie has a father who drinks a lot.
……………………………………………………
Chapters 7–9
2 Complete the sentences with the words.
track gun dump bullets shop coins
tent tracks
Chris meets Gordie and show him his father’s (a) ……………… . He has brought some (b) ……………… for it. Vern has put up a (c) ……………… in his back field. Chris stops Teddy from walking on the railway (d) ………………
when a train is coming. The boys go to the (e) ……………… to get some water. They toss (f ) ……………… to see who will buy some food at
the (g) ……………… .
Chapters 10–11
3 Who are they? Choose the correct name.
Gordie Teddy Milo Chopper Vern Chris
a …………… sometimes worries about scary things
under his bed.
b …………… looks back at Milo behind the dump
fence and feels sorry for him.
c …………… has strong feelings about his father.
d …………… hurt himself when he ran into the
fence.
e …………… is good at making peace with people.
f …………… calls Teddy’s father a ‘madman’.
Chapters 12–14
4 Choose the right sentence. Write 1 or 2.
a Teddy says they should cross the railway bridge
because …..
1) the other bridge is too far away.
2) it is safer than the other bridge.
PENGUIN READERS
Photocopiable
b
c
d
e
f
Chris crosses the bridge first because …..
1) he think it will be easy.
2) he dared the others.
Gordie stops on the bridge because …..
1) he has a feeling that a train is coming.
2) Vern is walking so slowly.
Chris tells Gordie that friends …..
1) are the most important thing.
2) can sometimes drag you down.
They camp ten miles from the body because …..
1) they don’t want to get too close to the body.
2) it is already dark.
Gordie thinks about Ray Brower and feels …..
1) scared that the boy will appear as a ghost.
2) sad that the boy is all alone.
Chapters 15–18
a c The boys get leeches all over their bodies.
b c Gordie sees a deer near the tracks.
c c Something is screaming in the forest.
d c A train goes by and wakes up the boys.
e c Gordie has a strange dream about Chris.
f c The boys swim in a pool of water.
g c The boys take turns guarding the camp.
Chapters 19–21
6 Underline the correct word or phrase.
a Gordie hears thunder and feels excited / scared.
b Vern / Chris is the first one to see the body.
c The first thing they see when they look at the body
is the boy’s foot / hand.
d Gordie thinks the boy was hit by a train /
killed by an animal.
e Gordie get angry when Ace mentions his brother /
father.
f Gordie / Chris takes out the gun and points it at
Ace.
Chapters 22–27
7 Read each question and circle YES or NO.
a Do Vern and Teddy run away when it starts to hail?
YES NO
b Does Chris shoot Ace?
YES NO
c Does Gordie tell the police about finding the body?
YES NO
d Do the boys sleep in the forest another night?
YES NO
e Is Gordie’s mother worried when he gets home?
YES NO
f After school started again, do Ace and his gang hurt
the boys?
YES NO
The Body - Progress test
of 1
Answer keys
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
The Body
Book key
1 a 3 b 2 c 2 d 3 e 2 f 1 g 2
2 a Billy
b several miles from
c good
d teacher
e before
f must
3 Open answers
4 a 3 b 3 c 3 d 7 e 3 f 3 g 7 h 3
i 7 j 3
5 a He died in a Jeep accident in the army.
b Seven years.
c Yes, they were.
d No, they weren’t.
6 Open answers
7 a 6 b 3 c 2 d 5 e 1 f 7 g 4
8 They take a gun, blankets, money and water bottles.
9–10 Open answers
11 a through
b an ordinary
c pleased
d knows
e but sympathetic
f less
g are
h promise not to tell
12 He means he later wrote a novel about someone
having night-sweats and it earned him a million
dollars.
13 –14 Open answers
15 a mile
b minute
c track
d side
e train
f bridge
g faces
h dirt
i alive
16 a Chris
b Gordon’s father
c Chris
d Mrs Simons
e Vern and Teddy
f Ray Brower
20 a woman > wild cat
b Chris > Vern
c dives > doesn’t dive
d sees Gordon > hears the train
e good > bad
f very dangerous > mostly harmless
g shorter > longer
h know > don’t know
21 a A wild cat or other animal.
b Because Castle Rock is too far away in one
direction, and Ray Brower’s body is in the other
direction.
c Because of their conversation during the day.
d The good things in life.
e He cries (even though he doesn’t want to).
f Because they’re hot, tired and hungry, and they
have to walk further than they thought.
22 Open answers
23 a 3 b 3 c 3 d 7 e 7 f 3 g 3 h 3
i 7
26 a Chris to Eyeball
b Ace to Chris
c Teddy to Chris
d Chris to Gordie
e Vern to the others
f Gordon’s mother to Gordon
27 a Teddy – died in a car accident.
b Vern – died in a house fire.
c Gordon – is a famous writer.
d Chris – died in a street fight.
Discussion activities key
1–32 Open answers
Activity worksheets key
1
a Castle Rock, Maine
b September, 1960
c dry, hot
d five, six
e four
f Gordie (Gordon)
g Ray Brower
h Vern
The Body - Answer keys
of 2
Answer keys
LEVEL 5
B1402
PENGUIN READERS
The Body
2 a 2 b 3 c 4 d 1
3 a 4 b 6 c 2 d 7 e 1 f 5 g 3
4 a brother > father
b Teddy > Chris
c 13 > 30
d wild animals > Chopper the dog
e good luck > bad luck
5 a 3 b 5 c 1 d 6 e 2 f 4
6 a 2 b 4 c 3 d 1
7 a YES
b NO
c YES
d YES
e NO
8 a forest
b scream
c ghost
d wild cat
e guard
f dream
g deer
9 a 6 b 5 c 3 d 2 e 1 f 4
10 a 7 b 3 c 5 d 1
e 6 (Note: This is strong language.)
f 2 g 4
11 a hurt
b Gordie
c Chris
d leave
e bucket
f Sunday
g his brother Dennis
12 a 7 b 3 c 7 d 7 e 3 f 3 g 7
Progress test key
1 a years > months
b man > boy
c Chris > Vern
d in big trouble > heroes
e house > (back) field
f Gordie > Chris
2 a gun
b bullets
c tent
d track
e dump
f coins
g shop
3 a Vern
b Gordie
c Teddy
d Chopper
e Chris
f Milo
4 a 1 b 2 c 1 d 2 e 1 f 2
5 a 7 b 4 c 1 d 5 e 3 f 6 g 2
6 a scared
b Vern
c hand
d hit by a train
e brother
f Chris
7 a YES
b NO
c NO
d NO
e NO
f YES
The Body - Answer keys of 2

Dr Zhivago B1402

Transcription

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