Title Children and It Five Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? a b c d e f g h i j Anthea found the Psammead. The Psammead was a hundred years old. A Psammead’s wish ends when the sun comes up. Nobody wanted the children’s gold coins. When the children had wings, everybody was nice to them. The children had lunch with the vicar. Robert wished to be bigger than the baker’s boy. Bill made a lot of money from showing Robert. When the sun went down, Bill found a small boy in his tent. Mother thought Jane was a thief. a ... they had no gold in their pockets. b ...because Robert was too big to get into the house... c ... it gets ill and usually dies. d ...because she found Lady Chittenden’s jewels in her room. e ... to pay for the plums that they ate. 20 marks 5 Fill in the gaps using these words: day, bigger, fur, ended, wish, fat, smaller, ears, sun, eyes The Psammead had ............... on stalks, and big ............... . It had ............... on its arms and legs, and a ............... body. When it gave a ..............., it got ..............., then ............... . But a wish was only for a ...............; when the ............... went down, the wish ............... . 20 marks 2 B Who said this in the story? Jane, the vicar, Martha, the Psammead, Robert 20 marks a ‘Leave me alone!’ ............... b ‘I can’t see anything – just two very dirty hands.’ ............... c ‘Good Heavens! They’re children!’ ............... d ‘I wish I was bigger than him!’ ............... e ‘I’d like Mother to have all Lady Chittenden’s beautiful jewels now.’ ............... Total marks 20 marks 3 Put the following events in the story in the right order. Number them 1–5. a b c d e They ate the food on the church roof. The children enjoyed flying in the blue sky. When they woke up, they had no wings. Anthea wished for beautiful wings. They all went to sleep in the sun. 20 marks 4 Match a number from A with a letter from B to make complete sentences. A 1 2 If a Psammead gets wet ... When the children got to the police station ... Anthea gave the little man some money ... The children had lunch in the garden ... Mother went to the police ... 3 4 5 oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 17 © oxford university press photocopiable COMPREHENSION TEST 1 Edith Author Nesbit Five Children and It Edith Nesbit Setting 15 _____ wishes for a lot of money. a c Mother b c Baby c c Robert d c Martha 16 In Rochester, _____ shows the gold to Martha but she can’t see it. a c Cyril b c the Psammead c c Mother d c Lady Chittenden 17 The children take some food from the _____ house. a c baker’s b c Psammead’s c c policeman’s d c vicar’s 18 Robert _____ with the baker’s boy. a c plays b c sings c c fights d c eats 19 After a wish, _____ becomes much bigger. a c Robert b c Jane c c Baby d c Anthea 20 Somebody takes _____ jewels. a c Mother’s b c Lady Chittenden’s c c Martha’s d c the vicar’s Choose the best answer. 1 2 3 M U LT I P L E - C H O I C E TEST 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The children go to a _____ house with a green garden. a c brown b c white c c black d c pink The house is in the _____. a c country b c town c c city d c mountains _____ goes away to stay with Grandmother, who is ill. a c Father b c Mother c c Baby d c Martha The children find a sand-fairy at a _____ near their house. a c park b c beach c c gravel-pit d c shop The sand-fairy is also called a Psammead. It lives in a _____. a c river b c flower c c tree d c hole The Psammead is _____ old. a c thousands of years b c a hundred years c c fifty years d c ten years The Psammead can give the children _____. a c chocolate b c wishes c c books d c new clothes One day the children go to Rochester. Rochester is _____ near their house. a c a small town b c a big city c c a new shop d c an old school The children fly to a _____ and sit on the roof. a c hotel b c house c c castle d c church Robert goes to a fair and people _____ to see him. a c fight b c forget c c pay d c drive 20 marks Dialogue Who said or wrote this? 21 ‘I wish we were all very, very beautiful.’ a c Mother b c Cyril c c Martha d c Anthea 22 ‘But remember, the wish is only for a day. When the sun goes down, everything goes back to what it was.’ a c the Psammead b c the baker’s boy c c Martha d c Mother 23 ‘I had to pay with my real money. When they saw all the coins, they wouldn’t change the gold.’ a c the Psammead b c Cyril c c the vicar d c Martha 24 ‘How many of you are there? Have you got guns?’ a c Jane b c the baker’s boy c c the vicar d c Baby 25 ‘I’ll teach that baker’s boy a lesson one day. I wish I was bigger than him!’ a c Cyril b c Anthea c c Martha d c Robert 26 ‘Come and see the biggest man in the world!’ a c Bill, the headman at the fair b c the Psammead c c Martha d c Anthea 27 ‘... my brother must be alone when the sun goes down. He gets very angry and strange then.’ a c Cyril b c the vicar c c the baker’s boy d c the Psammead 20 marks Characters Choose the best answer. 11 Martha is the children’s _____. a c nursemaid b c teacher c c doctor d c friend 12 _____ finds the Psammead. a c Mother b c Martha c c Anthea d c Baby 13 The Psammead can _____ the children. a c carry b c visit c c write to d c talk to 14 When the children look very beautiful, Baby _____ because he doesn’t know them. a c laughs b c cries c c runs away d c stands up oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 72 © oxford university press photocopiable Five Children and It Edith Nesbit Plot 28 ‘There were thieves at Lady Chittenden’s last night. They took all her jewels!’ a c the vicar b c Martha c c Baby d c the Psammead 29 ‘I really don’t enjoy giving wishes. It’s very hard work, you know, and I get so tired.’ a c Cyril b c Jane c c Robert d c the Psammead 30 ‘I wish that Mother and Martha will forget all about the jewels.’ a c the baker’s boy b c the vicar c c Jane d c Lady Chittenden 41 One day the children _____ at the gravel pit. a c dig a hole b c build a house c c look in a tree d c play football 42 The children think the Psammead is very strange. It is _____ with big eyes on stalks. a c green and thin b c brown and furry c c pink and fat d c tall and yellow 43 When the children look beautiful, Martha won’t let them into the house and the children are very _____ all day. a c happy b c hot c c hungry d c excited 44 When the children wish for money, they get a lot of _____. a c big diamonds b c gold coins c c new English money d c old dollars 45 The children try to spend their money but somebody calls _____. a c Mother b c the baker’s boy c c Martha d c the police 46 One day the children get _____ and they can fly. a c a small aeroplane b c a big aeroplane c c some birds the d c wings 47 When the children are on top of the church, the vicar _____ them and they come down. a c telephones b c sings to c c helps d c hits 48 Robert puts the baker’s boy on a _____. The baker’s boy is then late back to the shop. a c table b c haystack c c chair d c horse 49 Robert _____ away from the fair. a c drives b c flies c c walks d c runs 50 At the end, the children wish that they will _____ the Psammead again. a c see b c help c c teach d c write to 20 marks Vocabulary Choose the best answer. 31 very, very big a c empty b c enormous c c expensive d c exciting 32 a person who makes and sells bread a c baker b c biker c c beginner d c brother 33 a beautiful and expensive stone, for example a diamond a c dollar b c money c c gold d c jewel 34 a person who works in another person’s house, doing work like cleaning or gardening a c doctor b c visitor c c servant d c driver 35 when you hit something or somebody with your foot; you do this with a football a c kick b c give c c stand up d c move of 36 a soft, dark-red or purple fruit a c cheese b c plum c c onion d c carrot 37 a person who works for the church a c baker b c footballer c c painter d c vicar 38 you often find this fine, light earth on the beach; it is usually yellow or white a c bread b c sea c c sand d c sugar 39 when you say what you would like to have or do (usually something which is not possible) a c wait b c wish c c wear d c work 40 the soft hair on an animal’s body a c feet b c face c c fur d c flower 20 marks Total marks 20 marks oxford bookworms library sTAge 2 73 © oxford university press photocopiable M U LT I P L E - C H O I C E TEST Choose the best answer.