Comprehension Test

Agatha Christie, Woman of Mystery -

John Escott
1 Put the following events in the right order. Number them 110.
a Agatha went to Baghdad.
b

Agathas first book was published.

Agatha was made a Dame of the British Empire.

Agatha married Archie.

Agatha met Max Mallowan.

Agatha disappeared.

Agatha wrote a play: The Mousetrap.

Agatha wrote her first story.

Agatha and Archie divorced.

Agatha had a baby.

20marks

2 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F) TF

a

Agathas first story was published very quickly.

Agatha married Reggie Lucy.

Agatha worked with poisons in hospital.

Agatha called one of her detectives Hercule.

Nobody knows why Agatha left her car on the night she disappeared.

After her divorce, Agatha didnt want to be called Christie.

Agatha went to Baghdad by plane.

Max Mallowan was much older than Agatha.

Agatha liked travelling with Max.

Miss Marple was a beautiful young woman.

20marks

3 Who said this? Who did they say it to? Archie, Max, Agatha, Hughes Massie, an actor,
Clara, people in the theatre.
a Why dont you write a story? ............... to ...............
b I want to marry you next month! ............... to ...............
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

c You need a publisher who will pay you more. ............... to ...............
d They want me to write a play for the radio. ............... to ...............
e Please dont tell your friends who did the murder. ............... to ...............
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4 Match a number from A with a letter from B to make complete sentences. B
A
A
1 Ill go to Baghdad, . . .
2 Agatha changed her tickets for the West Indies . . .
3 While she was staying in Baghdad, . . .
4 Agatha loved Ur, . . .
5 It was slow, tiring work . . .
B
a . . . she remembered Commander Howes words.
b . . . and she loved watching the archeologists.
c . . . for tickets to Istanbul.
d . . . not the West Indies.
e . . . and they had to dig carefully.
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5 Match the person with the description: Leonard Woolley, Madge, Hughes Massie, Jane
Marple, Reggie, Rosalind, Hercule Poirot, Clara, Teresa Neele, Max Mallowan.

a Agathas mother
b Agathas sister
c A young army officer
d A Belgian detective
e Agathas agent
f Agatha when she was in Harrogate
g Agathas daughter
h The head archaeologist at Ur
i Agathas second husband
j A woman detective
20marks

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Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

Multiple-choice Test

Agatha Christie, Woman of Mystery -

John Escott

Setting
Choose the best answer.
1 _____ told Agatha to start writing stories.
a [ ] Agathas mother
c [ ] Agathas sister

b [ ] Agathas father
d [ ] Agathas English teacher

2 Agathas first story was _____.

a [ ] about a murder

b [ ] a love story

c [ ] about Belgium d [ ] about dreams

3 Her first novel was called _____.

a [ ] Vanity Fair

b [ ] Snow Upon the Desert

c [ ] House of Beauty

d [ ] The Bodley Head

4 It was about _____.

a [ ] a girl who lived in China

b [ ] a boy who found a head

c [ ] a girl who lived in Cairo

d [ ] a strange family

5 She sent her novel to _____.

a [ ] her sister

b [ ] two publishers

c [ ] one publisher

d [ ] four publishers

6 Eden Phillpotts, a writer, told Agatha _____.

a [ ] to find an agent

b [ ] to write another book

c [ ] to take her book to his agent

d [ ] to stop writing

7 In 1911, Claras mother _____.

a [ ] got married again

b [ ] got divorced

c [ ] stopped travelling d [ ] became ill

8 Agatha decided to _____.
a [ ] start playing tennis b [ ] go to Egypt with her mother
c [ ] become a journalist instead

d [ ] go to Hong Kong with her mother

9 She met Reggie Lucy, a young _____.

a [ ] policeman

b [ ] teacher

c [ ] army officer

10 They decided to get married _____.

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

d [ ] naval officer

a [ ] in two years time

b [ ] in ten days time

c [ ] straight away d [ ] the following year

20marks

Characters
Choose the best answer.
11 Agatha was _____ when she wrote her first story.
a [ ] twenty

b [ ] seventeen

c [ ] twenty-eight

d [ ] eighteen

12 _____ wrote more than a hundred novels and plays for the theatre.
a [ ] Hughes Massie

b [ ] Eden Phillpotts

c [ ] Reggie Lucy d [ ] Madge Miller Christie

13 Agathas father died when she was _____.
a [ ] eleven

b [ ] eight

c [ ] fourteen

d [ ] eighteen

14 _____was tall and good-looking with blue eyes.

a [ ] Reggie Lucy b [ ] Archibald Christie

c [ ] Hughes Massie

d [ ] Roger Ackroyd

15 John Lane was Agathas _____.

a [ ] first boyfriend

b [ ] favourite cousin

c [ ] first publisher

d [ ] favourite writer

16 Hercule Poirot had black hair, _____.

a [ ] green eyes and a moustache

b [ ] green eyes and a beard

c [ ] brown eyes and a moustache

d [ ] blue eyes and a beard

17 He _____ how clever he was.

a [ ] didnt like to tell people
c [ ] sometimes told people

b [ ] was always telling people

d [ ] never told people

18 In Harrogate Agatha told people that her name was _____.

a [ ] Teresa Neele

b [ ] Clara Miller

c [ ] Nancy Neele

d [ ] Agatha Miller

19 After she married Max, _____.

a [ ] she still thought a lot about Archie

b [ ] she stopped writing

c [ ] she was happy for the rest of her life d [ ] she became an archaeologist
20 _____ saw, heard and remembered everything.
a [ ] Agatha

b [ ] Miss Marple

c [ ] Agathas mother

d [ ] Queen Elizabeth

20marks

Dialogue
Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

Who said this?

21 You need to go somewhere warm and sunny to get better.
a [ ] Clara

b [ ] Agatha

c [ ] Agathas father

d [ ] Claras doctor

22 I want to see you as often as I can.

a [ ] Archie

b [ ] Max

c [ ] Reggie

d [ ] Agatha

23 Dont worry about it. I understand.

a [ ] Max

b [ ] Agatha

c [ ] Reggie

d [ ] Clara

24 Some of my readers think that we could publish your book.

a [ ] Hercule Poirot

b [ ] Agatha

c [ ] Hughes Massie

d [ ] John Lane

25 I didnt cheat. Its wrong to say that.

a [ ] Archie

b [ ] Roger Ackroyd

c [ ] Agatha

d [ ] Miss Marple

26 Why is that car down there, and why are the lights on?
a [ ] Miss Marple

b [ ] Hercule Poirot

c [ ] Agatha

d [ ] George Best

27 She doesnt know me, and she doesnt know where she is.
a [ ] Archie

b [ ] Clara

c [ ] Madge

d [ ] Max

28 Ive changed my plans.

a [ ] Agatha

b [ ] Hughes Massie

c [ ] Max

d [ ] Clara

29 Its nice and quiet. Theres no telephone!

a [ ] Max

b [ ] Agatha

c [ ] Commander Howe

d [ ] Mrs Howe

30 Please dont tell your friends who did the murder in this play.
a [ ] Agathas agent

b [ ] Agatha

c [ ] an actor

d [ ] Miss Marple

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Vocabulary
Choose the best answer.
31 sad because something nice doesnt happen
a [ ] bored

b [ ] disappointed

c [ ] surprised

d [ ] tired

32 someone who does useful work for no money

a [ ] agent

b [ ] nurse

c [ ] doctor

d [ ] volunteer

33 something that can kill you if you eat or drink it

a [ ] puzzle

b [ ] medicine

c [ ] poison

d [ ] dispensary

34 a large piece of land with no trees

a [ ] moor

b [ ] lake

c [ ] mountain

d [ ] garden

35 intelligent
a [ ] tidy b [ ] clever

c [ ] shy d [ ] lonely

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36 to do something that is not honest

a [ ] guess

b [ ] hurry

c [ ] cheat

d [ ] disappear

37 information that helps to find the answer to a mystery

a [ ] clue

b [ ] secret

c [ ] idea

d [ ] maid

38 when you like to keep things in good order

a [ ] lonely b [ ] tidy

c [ ] clean

d [ ] quiet

39 something that is difficult to understand

a [ ] book

b [ ] letter

c [ ] game

d [ ] puzzle

40 the hair between a mans mouth and nose

a [ ] beard

b [ ] eyebrow

c [ ] moustache

d [ ] lip

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Plot
Choose the best answer.
41 Agatha met Archibald Christie _____.
a [ ] while playing golf b [ ] at a dance

c [ ] at the beach

d [ ] on a train

42 She learned about _____ in the hospital dispensary.

a [ ] medicine

b [ ] murder

c [ ] poisons

d [ ] illnesses

43 Agatha got the idea of a Belgian detective _____.

a [ ] after a holiday in Belgium b [ ] after meeting Belgian people in Torquay
c [ ] from a Belgian detective story

d [ ] from her sister

44 People talked about _____ The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

a [ ] the unusual beginning of

b [ ] the big surprise at the end of

c [ ] the interesting characters in d [ ] the strange story in

45 Agatha disappeared when _____.
a [ ] her mother became very ill b [ ] her publisher didnt like her new book
c [ ] people asked her to write too many books

d [ ] she knew Archie loved another woman

46 After her divorce, Agatha _____.

a [ ] was happy to use the name Christie b [ ] changed her name back to Miller
c [ ] didnt want to use the name Christie d [ ] stopped using the name Christie
47 She decided to go to _____ on the Orient Express.
a [ ] Cairo

b [ ] Baghdad

c [ ] Paris

d [ ] The West Indies

48 Agatha married Max Mallowan, _____, in 1930.

a [ ] a young archaeologist
c [ ] a young army officer

b [ ] a middle-aged archaeologist
d [ ] a middle-aged writer

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

49 Her other famous detective, _____ appeared the same year.

a [ ] Miss Jane Marple

b [ ] Sherlock Holmes

c [ ] Mary Westmacott

d [ ] George Best

50 Queen Elizabeth made Agatha _____ in 1971.

a [ ] a princess

b [ ] a Dame of the British Empire

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Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

c [ ] a promise

d [ ] a jumper

Agatha Christie, Woman of Mystery

1 a 7
b 4
c 10
d 2
e 8
f 5
g 9
h 1
i 6
j 3
2 a F
b F
c T
d T
e T
f T
g F
h F
i T
j F
3 a Clara, Agatha
b Archie, Agatha
c Hughes Massie, Agatha
d Agatha, Max
e an actor, people in the theatre
4 1 d
2 c
3 a
4 b
5 e
5 a Clara
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b Madge
c Reggie
d Hercule Poirot
e Hughes Massie
f Teresa Neele
g Rosalind
h Leonard Woolley
i Max Mallowan
j Jane Marple

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

Agatha Christie, Woman of Mystery

Setting
1

10

Characters
11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Dialogue
21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

10

Vocabulary
31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

Plot
41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2

11