Comprehension TestChemical Secret Tim Vicary 1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? a John Duncan’s wife died at sea. b John’s new job was in a plastics factory. c The factory was near a river. d The waste products from the factory went into the drinking water for the town. e The waste products were dangerous to rats. 10 marks 2 Who said this in the story? John, Andrew, David Wilson, the doctor, Simon, Mary, Christine. a ‘When can you start?’ ............... b ‘I wouldn’t want anyone to drink those waste products.’ ............... c ‘You should leave too.’ ............... d ‘He thinks I’m still a little girl.’ ............... e ‘I’m too old.’ ............... f ‘I have to write an article every week about the environment.’ ............... g ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees.’ ............... h ‘Have you robbed a bank or something?’ ............... i ‘We can’t put those chemicals in the river.’ ............... j ‘Can we have a boat?’ ............... 20 marks 3 Fill in the gaps in the story using these words: floating, swimmer, life, heavy, swim, water, slowed, turn, floated, swim. Hurriedly, Simon began to ............... after her. He was a good ............... but the white clothes ............... him down. The ............... seemed heavy and held him back. For the rest of his ............... he would dream about that long, slow ............... towards a white body that ............... quickly away. As he reached her she was ............... with her face down, unconscious. He tried to ............... her over but it was so difficult because she was ............. . 20 marks 4 Who are these two people? ........................................................................... Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 1 ........................................................................... 10 marks 5 Where are they? ........................................................................... ........................................................................... 10 marks 6 Complete these sentences about the last chapter of the story. a John was living .............................. b His bedroom was full of .............................. c He hadn’t spoken to Christine because .............................. d Every morning he rang the hospital to ask .............................. e On the way to the hospital he went into a shop and .............................. f The rain was falling on the sandbanks where .............................. 30 marks Total marks Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 2 Multiple-choice Test Chemical Secret Tim Vicary Setting Choose the best answer. 1 John Duncan stopped being a biologist _____. a [ ] to make and sell cars b [ ] to become a teacher c [ ] to sail around the world d [ ] to make and sell boats 2 He lost his business after _____. a [ ] his wife divorced him b [ ] his wife died c [ ] he met David Wilson d [ ] he bought another company 3 David Wilson told John that they needed a biologist _____. a [ ] to find new chemicals b [ ] to produce new colours c [ ] to say that the factory was safe d [ ] to clean the dangerous water 4 John was _____ when he was offered the job. a [ ] very disappointed c [ ] not surprised b [ ] very unhappy d [ ] very surprised 5 He had _____. a [ ] two sons and a daughter c [ ] no children b [ ] a son and a daughter d [ ] two daughters 6 The flat he and his family lived in was _____. a [ ] small and miserable b [ ] big and modern c [ ] beautiful with a big garden d [ ] twenty years old 7 When his wife was alive, they used to have a _____. a [ ] flat in the city b [ ] boat for holidays c [ ] house in the country d [ ] house by the sea 8 John said he hadn’t been able to find another job because _____. a [ ] companies didn’t employ biologists any more b [ ] there were too many bright young biologists c [ ] he wasn’t a very good biologist d [ ] he didn’t like biology 9 Christine Duncan had never _____. a [ ] been skiing b [ ] been sailing c [ ] seen mountains Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 3 d [ ] lived in a house 10 John told his children that they were going _____. a [ ] to live in another country b [ ] to be poor c [ ] to be rich d [ ] to work 20 marks Characters Choose the best answer. 11 Before John got the job, he was _____. a [ ] short and thin, with black hair c [ ] tall and thin, with no hair b [ ] tall and thin, with grey hair d [ ] tall and fat, with brown hair 12 David Wilson had _____. a [ ] a cold, hard smile b [ ] a friendly smile c [ ] long hair d [ ] a lot of gold rings 13 Mary had _____ and a friendly face. a [ ] short brown hair b [ ] long brown hair c [ ] short blonde hair d [ ] long blonde hair 14 Christine was _____ than her brother, Andrew. a [ ] three years younger c [ ] three years older b [ ] one year older d [ ] one year younger 15 They _____ when they first met her. a [ ] liked Mary a lot c [ ] laughed a lot b [ ] were angry with Mary d [ ] cooked Mary a fantastic meal 16 David Wilson said that John would _____ if he told the truth. a [ ] be paid twice as much c [ ] become a director b [ ] be an honest man d [ ] lose his job 17 Christine told Mary that Simon _____. a [ ] made her feel important c [ ] laughed a lot b [ ] made her feel young d [ ] was a lot like her father 18 Simone wrote an article saying that _____. a [ ] the paint was fantastic for cars b [ ] the factory’s waste products were dangerous c [ ] the factory made safe products d [ ] the river was safe for swimming 19 Peter and Susan were _____. a [ ] two colleagues from the newspaper c [ ] two people against Greenworld Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 b [ ] John’s neighbours d [ ] two friends from Greenworld 4 20 At the end of the story, John was living _____. a [ ] in a smaller house near the sea c [ ] with Mary b [ ] in a different country d [ ] in a small flat near the sea 20 marks Dialogue Who said this? 21 ‘You’ll have your own office, and a company car, of course.’ a [ ] David Wilson b [ ] Mary c [ ] Simon’s father d [ ] John 22 ‘She sailed around the world alone in a small boat.’ a [ ] Christine b [ ] John c [ ] Andrew d [ ] Simon 23 ‘I wouldn’t want anyone to drink those waste products.’ a [ ] John b [ ] a chemist c [ ] David Wilson d [ ] John’s doctor 24 ‘I never knew they lived here, so close to the town.’ a [ ] Andrew b [ ] Mary c [ ] Christine d [ ] John 25 ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know!’ a [ ] John b [ ] Simon c [ ] David Wilson d [ ] Simon’s father 26 ‘You should leave, too, and get a job in another company.’ a [ ] Mary b [ ] Simon c [ ] Christine d [ ] John 27 ‘He says he’s too old for me, and I mustn’t see him!’ a [ ] Simon’s mother b [ ] Susan c [ ] Christine d [ ] Mary 28 ‘We want to help those poor seals, if we can.’ a [ ] Christine b [ ] Simon c [ ] John d [ ] a young chemist 29 ‘Nothing can come out of that pipe now!’ a [ ] Simon b [ ] Christine c [ ] John d [ ] Mary 30 ‘Are you worried about her baby?’ a [ ] a policeman b [ ] a young chemist c [ ] a journalist 20 marks Vocabulary Choose the best answer. 31 a person who says things that are not true a [ ] scientist b [ ] chemist c [ ] liar Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 d [ ] painter 5 d [ ] the lawyer 32 to have enough money to buy something a [ ] arrange b [ ] afford c [ ] allow d [ ] argue 33 bad, not nice a [ ] wrong b [ ] dangerous c [ ] sad d [ ] nasty 34 land, air, water, plants, etc. a [ ] sewage b [ ] stream c [ ] environment d [ ] sandbanks 35 worried, afraid a [ ] nervous b [ ] angry c [ ] proud d [ ] miserable 36 an official description of something a [ ] post b [ ] log c [ ] report d [ ] headline 37 make a liquid run out of a container by mistake a [ ] kick b [ ] spill c [ ] shiver d [ ] sail 38 a small grey or brown animal with a tail a [ ] seal b [ ] rat c [ ] bear d [ ] body 39 unhappy because you are not with other people a [ ] lonely b [ ] untidy c [ ] polite d [ ] tired 40 an illness of the body a [ ] waste b [ ] pain c [ ] pipe d [ ] disease 20 marks Plot Choose the best answer. 41 The most important thing that the company produced was _____. a [ ] paint for houses c [ ] paint for cars b [ ] a machine to clean water d [ ] special pipes 42 Some of the _____ left a mark on John’s leg. a [ ] new paint b [ ] river water c [ ] sea water d [ ] waste products 43 He told his doctor that the water at the river mouth was _____. a [ ] dangerous b [ ] safe c [ ] clean d [ ] dirty 44 When John tested the waste products on rats, some of their babies _____. a [ ] were healthy b [ ] were bigger than usual c [ ] were very small d [ ] were born without eyes and ears 45 David Wilson _____ to clean up the waste. a [ ] was not interested in machines b [ ] agreed to buy machines c [ ] employed more people d [ ] said it was a good idea Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 6 46 After eighteen months, Mary _____. a [ ] decided to marry John b [ ] became one of the directors c [ ] decided to move to another company d [ ] developed another new product 47 Christine wanted to marry Simon, who was interested in _____. a [ ] the environment b [ ] science c [ ] sport d [ ] cars 48 She drank the dangerous river water _____. a [ ] when she was swimming b [ ] when she was watching the seals c [ ] as part of an experiment d [ ] when she nearly drowned 49 At the Public Enquiry, John _____. a [ ] said the water was OK c [ ] said nothing b [ ] told the truth d [ ] started crying 50 John didn’t know if his grandchild would _____. a [ ] be a biologist b [ ] be like him c [ ] be polite 20 marks Total marks Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 7 d [ ] be born healthy Chemical Secret 1 a T b F c T d F e T 2 a David Wilson b The doctor c Mary d Christine e John f Simon g David Wilson h Christine i Mary j Andrew 3 swim, swimmer, slowed, water, life, swim, floated, floating, turn, heavy. 4 John and Mary 5 In the factory restaurant 6 a … in a small flat near the sea. b … baby clothes. c … she wouldn’t speak to him. d … if Christine was there. e … bought some flowers. f … the seals used to live. Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 8 Chemical Secret Setting 1 d 2 b 3 c 4 d 5 b 6 a 7 c 8 b 9 a 10 c Characters 11 b 12 a 13 a 14 c 15 b 16 d 17 a 18 b 19 d 20 d Dialogue 21 a 22 b 23 d 24 b 25 c 26 a 27 c 28 d 29 a 30 d Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 9 Vocabulary 31 c 32 b 33 d 34 c 35 a 36 c 37 b 38 b 39 a 40 d Plot 41 c 42 d 43 b 44 d 45 a 46 c 47 a 48 d 49 b 50 d Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 10