Comprehension Test

American Crime Stories

Retold by John Escott

1 Which crime? Match a number from A with a letter from B.

A
1 A woman’s lover dies for her murders...
2 A woman murders her brother’s wife ...
3 A woman becomes a mugger ...
4 A man murders a another man but makes the death look like suicide ...
5 A detective catches a gang of robbers ...
6 A woman sets fire to a house ...
7 A husband murders his wife ...

B
a ... in Death Wish.
b ... in Death on Christmas Eve.
c ... in The Heroine.
d ... in Ride the Lightning.
e ... in The Lipstick.
f ... in Lazy Susan.
g ... in The Gutting of Couffignal.

28 marks

2 Who said this? Match a number from A with a letter from B.

A
1 ‘It’s about my pay, madam. It’s too much.’
2 ‘Didn’t I steal a crutch from a cripple?’
3 ‘When you robbed the liquor store, he stayed in the car to drive.’
4 ‘You haven’t been out of this house since the inquest.’
5 ‘I want you to teach me how to shoot a gun.’
6 ‘It’s a tough world, but you’re not going to find a better one at the bottom of a
river.’
7 ‘You don’t want it known that somebody was pushed out of your office window’

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 1

 B
a The cop in Death Wish.
b The lawyer in Death on Christmas Eve.
c The governess in The Heroine.
d The private detective in Ride the Lightning.
e Louise Baring in The Lipstick.
f Susan Carpenter in Lazy Susan.
g The detective in The Gutting of Couffignal.

28 marks

3 Are these sentences true or false?

a In Death Wish, Edward Wright tried to kill himself by taking too many sleeping pills.
b In Death on Christmas Eve, Charlie’s wife, Celia, died twenty years ago.
c In The Heroine, Lucille Smith wanted to kill the children because she hated them.
d In Ride the Lightning, Nudger saved Curtis Colt from death in the electric chair.
e In The Lipstick, Fred had been following his wife since Easter.
f In Lazy Susan, Susan was very angry about being robbed of fifty dollars.
g In The Gutting of Couffignal, the private detective shot the Russian princess in the leg.

14 marks

4 Who are these women? Match a number from A with a letter from B.

A
1 She reminded me of a steel trap ready to shut down on anyone who touched her
incautiously.
2 Her eyes looked like her mother’s when they opened wide like that.
3 She went to the sales office where she worked every day, and she smiled at the
customers, and her bosses liked her.
4 She would play around with a woman’s husband until she was tired of him.
5 She looked at first to be about twelve years old.

B
a Lucille Smith in The Heroine.
b Holly Ann Adams in Ride the Lightning.
c Celia in Death on Christmas Eve.
d Susan Carpenter in Lazy Susan.

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 2

 e Elinor Hammond in The Lipstick.

20 marks

5 Put these sentences from The Gutting of Couffignal in the right order. Number them 1–5.

a He fell on his face on the floor.

b I knocked Flippo on the head.
c When her right foot was in the doorway she laughed.
d I put a bullet in her leg.
e The girl was half way to the door when I ordered her to stop.

10 marks

Total marks

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 3

Multiple-choice Test

American Crime Stories

Retold by John Escott

Setting

Choose the best answer.

1 The cop told the man on the bridge _____.
a [ ] he’d get over his troubles b [ ] life was always difficult
c [ ] he should see a psychologist d [ ] he should get a coffee
2 People suspected that Celia _____.
a [ ] had pushed Jessica down the stairs b [ ] had tried to murder her brother
c [ ] had murdered her mother d [ ] was completely mad
3 Charlie wanted Celia to _____.
a [ ] go to prison b [ ] move out c [ ] be executed d [ ] get psychiatric help
4 The Christiansens employed Lucille _____.
a [ ] after talking to Dwight Howell b [ ] after seeing her with their children
c [ ] because they liked her big eyes d [ ] without checking her references
5 Holly Ann Adams said she wanted Nudger to _____.
a [ ] prove Curtis had killed the old couple b [ ] attend Curtis’s execution
c [ ] make the witnesses change their stories d [ ] visit the gas station
6 The inquest concluded that Elinor Hammond _____.
a [ ] accidentally fell out of the window b [ ] was thrown from the window
c [ ] jumped from the 10th floor d [ ] had always intended to kill herself
7 Louise saw Margaret Hammond looking for _____ at the side of the road.
a [ ] her mascara b [ ] Elinor’s lipstick c [ ] Fred d [ ] her lipstick
8 Susan had felt extremely _____ when she was robbed.
a [ ] frightened b [ ] angry c [ ] foolish d [ ] irritated
9 The private detective had been employed to guard _____.
a [ ] the wedding presents b [ ] some clients c [ ] the guests d [ ] the bride’s father
10 The robbers on the island first blew up _____.
a [ ] some houses b [ ] the bridge c [ ] some boats d [ ] the bank

20 marks

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 4

Characters

Choose the best answer.

11 Edward Wright had a long, narrow face and thick _____.
a [ ] eyelashes b [ ] black hair c [ ] black eyebrows d [ ] arms
12 The psychiatrist found his patients’ dreams _____.
a [ ] tiring b [ ] annoying c [ ] fascinating d [ ] ridiculous
13 Lucille _____ when Heloise got scratched.
a [ ] overreacted b [ ] punished Nicky c [ ] wanted to leave d [ ] didn’t care
14 Celia often behaved as if _____ when she went out.
a [ ] she was chasing something b [ ] Jessica were with her
c [ ] nothing had happened d [ ] something was chasing her
15 _____, but looked ten years older.
a [ ] Charlie was the same age as Celia b [ ] Charlie was five years younger than Celia
c [ ] Celia was the same age as Charlie d [ ] Celia was five years younger than Charlie
16 The witnesses all said that the car driver was thin with _____.
a [ ] curly fair hair and a beard b [ ] wavy black hair and glasses
c [ ] straight black hair and a mustache d [ ] curly black hair and a mustache
17 Curtis probably didn’t say who had done the murders, because _____.
a [ ] he didn’t think it mattered b [ ] Holly Ann had threatened him
c [ ] he didn’t mind being in prison d [ ] he loved Holly Ann
18 Elinor had _____.
a [ ] always been faithful to her husband b [ ] hated Fred’s many affairs
c [ ] had several affairs with married men d [ ] always been happy with Fred
19 Princess Zhukovski was _____ the private detective.
a [ ] the same height as b [ ] taller than c [ ] shorter than d [ ] fatter than
20 The detective had _____ four years previously.
a [ ] sent Flippo to prison b [ ] found Flippo a job
c [ ] protected Flippo d [ ] become friends with Flippo

20 marks

Dialogue

Who said or wrote this?

21 ‘I wonder whether I do these people any good at all.’
a [ ] Doctor Barclay b [ ] Lucille c [ ] Al Sharp d [ ] Edward’s psychiatrist

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 5

 22 ‘There’s no reason why you should not be as normal as your father was.’
a [ ] Lucille’s psychiatrist b [ ] Holly Ann c [ ] Charlie d [ ] Doctor Barclay
23 ‘I had recommended that she go away for a rest.’
a [ ] Edward Wright b [ ] Fred Hammond c [ ] Doctor Barclay d [ ] Charlie
24 ‘This is one day I’d like to take out of the year permanently.’
a [ ] Al Sharp b [ ] Celia and Charlie’s lawyer c [ ] Curtis Colt d [ ] Holly Ann
25 ‘I was worried my false hair might slip, but it didn’t.’
a [ ] Holly Ann b [ ] Charlie c [ ] Mark d [ ] Flippo
26 ‘You’re always talking about doing something “important” for us.’
a [ ] Louise b [ ] Lucille c [ ] Mrs Christiansen d [ ] Mrs Thompson
27 ‘All my life I’ve never done anything because of her.’
a [ ] Lucille b [ ] Charlie c [ ] Curtis d [ ] Fred
28 ‘Why didn’t this fiancée come to the trial and speak for Colt?’
a [ ] Hammersmith b [ ] Nudger c [ ] Louise d [ ] Len
29 ‘I don’t want to hurt you. I just want your money.’
a [ ] Holly Ann b [ ] Susan c [ ] Celia d [ ] Louise
30 ‘I’m a hunter and you’re something that’s been running in front of me.’
a [ ] the lawyer b [ ] Nudger c [ ] Louise d [ ] the private detective

20 marks

Vocabulary

Choose the best answer.

31 a police officer
a [ ] coroner b [ ] clerk c [ ] cop d [ ] bandit
32 a street robbery
a [ ] ruffle b [ ] mugging c [ ] inquest d [ ] gutting
33 to force liquid, air, etc. into or out of something
a [ ] pump b [ ] pour c [ ] pile d [ ] press
34 a letter to an employer describing an applicant’s suitability for a job
a [ ] character b [ ] alibi c [ ] fingerprint d [ ] reference
35 put to death as a punishment
a [ ] gutted b [ ] executed c [ ] scared d [ ] suppressed
36 a scratch or slight injury to the skin
a [ ] nick b [ ] tear c [ ] graze d [ ] wound
37 a woman employed by a family to educate their children
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 6
 a [ ] nanny b [ ] maid c [ ] teacher d [ ] governess
38 a small, round, hard piece of medicine which is swallowed
a [ ] trailer b [ ] pill c [ ] tank d [ ] wig
39 a room for babies or young children
a [ ] nursery b [ ] range c [ ] trailer d [ ] lawn
40 showing great sadness and wearing dark clothes because of a death
a [ ] depression b [ ] stern c [ ] mourning d [ ] package

20 marks

Plot

Choose the best answer.

41 Edward killed his wife because she _____.
a [ ] wanted a divorce b [ ] never did the right thing
c [ ] wouldn’t divorce him d [ ] used to hit him
42 Mark didn’t think he would be caught because _____.
a [ ] he had cleaned his fingerprints off the gun
b [ ] Edward’s death would look like an accident
c [ ] Edward’s ‘suicide’ wouldn’t be a surprise
d [ ] he also intended to kill himself
43 For _____, Celia and Charlie had been acting as if Jessica had recently died.
a [ ] three days b [ ] twenty years c [ ] two weeks d [ ] two years
44 Lucille’s main concern was to _____.
a [ ] find good books for the children b [ ] prove herself in a crisis
c [ ] work for no payment d [ ] get on with the children
45 Lucille blew up the house _____.
a [ ] after leaving the gas on in the kitchen b [ ] with half a tank of gasoline
c [ ] after making some bombs d [ ] with a full tank of gasoline
46 Holly Ann had been most worried about _____.
a [ ] Curtis going to the electric chair b [ ] Nudger talking to the police
c [ ] Curtis telling the truth in prison d [ ] Len talking to the police
47 _____, disguised as a postman, was responsible for Elinor’s murder.
a [ ] Doctor Barclay b [ ] Louise c [ ] Mrs Thompson d [ ] Fred
48 After three weeks of self-defense training, Louise _____.
a [ ] felt more confident b [ ] decided to teach self-defense
c [ ] decided to join the police d [ ] started to mug people
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 7
 49 The princess and her friends had carefully planned to rob _____.
a [ ] businesses outside Russia b [ ] wealthy houses
c [ ] a group of isolated, wealthy people d [ ] banks around the world
50 The wedding presents were stolen and _____.
a [ ] hidden under the garage b [ ] taken off the island by Flippo
c [ ] sold for more money d [ ] sent back to Russia

20 marks

Total marks

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 8

American Crime Stories
1 1 d 5 g
2 b 6 c
3 f 7 e
4 a

2 1 c 5 f
2 g 6 a
3 d 7 e
4 b

3 a F e T
b T f T
c F g T
d F

4 1 c
2 a
3 d
4 e
5 b

5 a 2
b 1
c 4
d 5
e 3

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 6 9

American Crime Stories
Setting
1 a
2 a
3 c
4 d
5 c
6 c
7 b
8 b
9 a
10 d

Characters
11 c
12 b
13 a
14 d
15 b
16 d
17 d
18 c
19 b
20 a

Dialogue
21 d
22 a
23 c
24 b
25 c
26 c
27 b
28 a
29 b
30 d

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 610

Vocabulary
31 c
32 b
33 a
34 d
35 b
36 c
37 d
38 b
39 a
40 c

Plot
41 a
42 c
43 b
44 b
45 d
46 c
47 d
48 d
49 c
50 a

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 611