Penguin Readers Answer key

About a Boy

Level 4 – Intermediate
Answers to Book Activities 16 a Will usually spends Christmas with
friends’ families.
1 Open answers b Will spends this Christmas at Marcus’s
2 a kid place.
b blond(e) c Fiona gives Will a joke Christmas
c involve present.
d quiz d Will falls in love on New Year’s Eve.
e Open answer e Rachel lives in a tall, thin house.
f Her ex-husband lives in America.
3 a Marcus g Will pretends to have a son.
b Will
c Fiona 17 Open answers
d Angie 18 a to make boxes
e Suzie b when you feel very happy Chapter 5

About a Boy
f Will c someone has done something to hurt
you, for example, they have stolen your 1 (b), (d) and (f) happen
4 a Because he thinks he is a very shallow (a), (c) and (e) don’t happen
person and he isn’t interested in children. purse or wallet
b He’s worried about his mum because d Russia, Poland 2 Open answers
she has started crying a lot. He’s 19–26 Open answers Chapter 6
worried about school because he’s not
like other kids. 1 (a) Ned
c Because she’s a single mother with two (b) Ellie
Answers to Factsheet Activities (c) Ellie and Will
small kids and it’s difficult for her to
meet new men. Student’s activities (d) Marcus
d Because he wants to meet attractive (e) Ellie’s imaginary boyfriend
single mothers. Activities before reading the book
2 (a) She is laughing at him.
e Because they get into trouble with other 1 (a) lazy, hates responsibility (b) He’s afraid he’ll get more trouble from
boys when Marcus is with them. (b) How to be Good them.
5 Open answers Activities while reading the book (c) Because he doesn’t want to be involved
in Marcus’s life or his problems.
6 a duck, b vegetarian, c truth, d jumper, Chapter 1
(d) He can help him to be a kid.
e pump 1 (a) He enjoys simple relationships. (e) He makes her laugh and he likes Kurt
7 a False. Will pretends he has a two-year- (b) He spends his afternoons watching TV Cobain.
old son called Ned. quiz shows.
(c) He thinks they are very unhappy. Chapter 7
b True
c False. He throws a loaf of bread at a (d) He doesn’t want to know about 1 (a) depressed
duck. Christine’s tiredness. (b) unhappy
d True (e) He is not pleased and leaves at once. (c) very surprised
e True (d) relaxed
2 (Possible answers)
f False. She isn’t his type of woman. (e) embarrassed and ashamed
He wears the wrong trousers, the wrong shoes
8 a Marcus kills a duck with a loaf of bread. and he has the wrong haircut. He doesn’t 2–3 Open answers
b Fiona writes a letter about killing herself watch TV or listen to music or play computer
games. He listens to music from the 1960s and Chapter 8
and then takes a whole bottle of pills.
reads books. He sometimes sings out loud by 1 (a) She draws pictures for children’s books.
c Fiona is a vegetarian and sings old pop
mistake. (b) Because he’s jealous – he only wants
songs from the 1960s.
his mother to like him.
9 a Open answers Chapter 2 (c) Open answer
1 (a) rather surprised
10 a look after successfully (b) he wants to push the table over and run 2 (a) act as if you are
b a warm cotton shirt, shoes for sports away (b) really like
such as running (c) very good about himself (c) feeling anxious
c believe he would be honest (d) very pleased (d) spends time
(e) doesn’t like
11 a Countdown is Will’s favourite television 2 Open answers (f) really likes
programme. He prefers to watch boring
TV programmes than get involved in 3 (a) Because it’s full of single mothers. Chapter 9
real life. (b) Because it’s full of horrible little kids, all 1 (a)–(b) Open answers
b Will buys Marcus a pair of Adidas about ten years younger than Marcus. (c) Because Ellie says Kurt Cobain will try
trainers. This shows that Will to kill himself again. Marcus thinks his
Chapter 3
understands Marcus’s problems and mum will try to kill herself as well.
Fiona doesn’t. 1 (a), (c), (d) and (f) are lies.
(d) He wants to get involved in Marcus’s life
c Ellie, a cool 15-year-old, is in trouble (b) and (e) are the truth.
and help him.
because she is wearing this sweatshirt 2 Open answers
at school. 2 Open answers
d Ellie and Will both like Nirvana. Marcus 3 (Possible answers)
Chapter 10
can talk to Ellie about Nirvana. (a) She is very angry.
(b) He is shocked and frightened. 1 The correct order is: (e), (d), (c), (b), (a), ( f )
12–13 Open answers (c) He finds the experience interesting. 2 Open answers
14 a headphones Chapter 4
b fancy Chapter 11
c keen on 1 Marcus wants to make his family grow. He 1 (a) the policewoman
wants his mum and Will to go out together. (b) Ellie
15 a Will to Marcus Then he and his mum can go and live with
b Suzie to Will (c) Ellie’s mum
Will and Will’s kid. (d) the shop owner
c Lindsey to Will
d Marcus to his father 2 (a) Because she would be dead. (e) Will
e Ali to Marcus (b) Because if one of them died, the other 2 Open answers
f Marcus to Rachel other would be left on their own.
(c) He wants to find something to do with a
twelve-year-old.
(d) She doesn’t look right and she’s too
strange.
(e) Very embarrassed.

© Pearson Education Limited 2003 Published and distributed by Pearson Education

Factsheet written by Jane Rollason
Factsheet series developed by Louise James