Here are the complete answers to all the comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and composition exercises based on the story of Nicobobinus.
COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions.
a. What do we learn about Nicobobinus in the first paragraph?
We learn that Nicobobinus was the most extraordinary child who ever lived. He lived a long time ago in Venice, he once stuck his tongue out at the Prime Minister, and he could do anything.
b. Who is Rosie?
Rosie is Nicobobinus’s best friend.
c. Why don’t people pay attention to what Rosie says?
People don’t pay attention to Rosie because she is always having wild ideas.
d. What two things does Rosie suggest that she and Nicobobinus should do?
First, she suggests they pull up every single weed on his doorstep. Then, she suggests they discover the Land of Dragons.
e. When do the children go on their adventure and what do they take with them?
They leave the next morning just as it is getting light. They take buns and lemonade as supplies for the road.
f. Whom do they meet on their journey? Say what happens at each of the two encounters.
- The Nightwatchman:
- He asks them where they are going so early and tells them they can’t go. Before he can grab them, the children sprint away.
- A dog:
- They trip over a sleeping dog, waking it up. The dog is startled and ready to bite them, but Rosie drops the lemonade and buns. The dog eats the buns, barks “Thank you!”, and runs off.
g. How does Nicobobinus escape from the Man in the garden?
When the man grabs his neck and wrist, Nicobobinus doubles himself up and runs backwards as fast as he can. This knocks the man’s legs out from under him, sending the man crashing into a pile of leaves. Nicobobinus then runs into a shed and bolts the door.
h. How does Nicobobinus get out of the well?
Nicobobinus realizes it isn’t a well, but a pitch-black underground room. He finds a narrow gap near the floor, wriggles and squirms through the tight stone passage for a long time, and eventually finds stone steps. He climbs the steps and finds a panel that slides open into an amazing room.
HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills)
i. Why do you think Rosie said, ‘It’s one of the best ideas you’ve ever had!’ What does it say about Rosie?
Rosie said this to trick Nicobobinus into thinking the adventure was his own idea so he would be more willing to go along with it. This shows that Rosie is clever, persuasive, and knows exactly how to manipulate her friend in a playful way to get what she wants.
j. What are the thoughts Nicobobinus has as he is falling down the well? For each one, explain what you think he is feeling.
- Thought 1: ‘Bother!’ (only a bit ruder). He is feeling annoyed, frustrated, and surprised by his sudden fall.
- Thought 2: An unkind thought involving Rosie dangling over a snake pit while dragons chant. He is feeling resentful and angry, blaming his best friend for getting him into this dangerous mess.
- Thought 3: ‘Suppose it’s a well… with slimy, slippery sides… and icy water.’ He is feeling genuine terror and panic about drowning or being trapped in the cold dark.
2. Write out the lines of speech below. Put the name of the speaker after each one.
- a. ‘Ah ha! I’ve got you now!’ — The Man
- b. ‘Let’s pull up every single weed on your doorstep.’ — Rosie
- c. ‘It’s one of the best ideas you’ve ever had!’ — Rosie
- d. ‘Ow!’ — Nicobobinus
- e. ‘Open this door at once, d’you hear?’ — The Man
- f. ‘You’ll think of something!’ — Rosie
WORKING WITH WORDS
Pick out any four words from the list (replied, whispered, yelled, growled, called out, cried, asked, thought) and use them in sentences of your own.
- Whispered: “Don’t wake the baby,” my mother whispered as we walked past the nursery.
- Yelled: The coach yelled across the field to get the players’ attention.
- Growled: The stray dog growled warningly when the stranger approached its food bowl.
- Replied: “I will be there in five minutes,” he replied to his friend’s text message.
LEARNING ABOUT LANGUAGE: SENTENCES
1. Identify the forms of the following sentences (Statement, Question, Command, or Exclamation). (Note: Based on the examples provided in the text, here are the classifications for the list).
- b. Don’t you remember? — Question
- c. Open this door at once. — Command
- d. Do you hear? — Question
- e. That door’s not going to last long. — Statement
- f. Ow! — Exclamation
- g. But he could have saved his breath. — Statement
- h. Stop, sir! — Command (It is a command given with strong feeling, hence the exclamation mark).
2. Make questions from the sentences below.
- a. It had a lock on it.
- Question: Did it have a lock on it?
- b. There were apples growing on the tree.
- Question: Were there apples growing on the tree?
- c. He sat down on the floor.
- Question: Did he sit down on the floor?
- d. She lives nearby.
- Question: Does she live nearby?
- e. I am still climbing down.
- Question: Am I still climbing down? (or: Are you still climbing down?)
IDIOMATIC LANGUAGE USING PHRASAL VERBS
3. Now set to, and write one sentence of your own for each of the phrasal verbs above.
- Set about: As soon as we arrived at the campsite, we set about pitching the tent before it got dark.
- Set back: The heavy traffic on the highway is going to set us back at least two hours.
- Set in: We need to harvest all the tomatoes before the autumn frost sets in.
- Set off (cause to begin laughing/talking): Just mentioning her favorite movie is enough to set her off talking for hours.
- Set off (cause to explode/alarm): Burning the toast in the kitchen set off the fire alarm in the hallway.
- Set on: The brave knight was set on by a pack of hungry wolves in the dark forest.
- Set out: Early the next morning, the explorers set out to find the hidden temple.
- Set to: If we set to right now, we can easily finish painting the living room by lunchtime.
- Set up: My older sister set up a successful bakery right in the center of town.
LISTENING AND SPEAKING
1. Listen to the description of Venice and answer the questions. (Note: Based on standard geographical and historical facts about Venice, here are the correct answers).
- a. Venice is a city in: i. Italy.
- b. The city is like a: i. maze.
- c. Venice is famous for its: ii. architecture. * d. The city is in danger of: iii. sinking.
- e. Venice has lots of: i. museums and cafes.
2. Write five detailed sentences about where you live. (Here is an example you can use or adapt to your own town/city).
- I live in a bustling neighborhood surrounded by tall, green trees and busy streets.
- Just a ten-minute walk from my house, there is a large park where families gather to play cricket on the weekends.
- The local market is always crowded in the evenings, smelling strongly of fresh spices and hot street food.
- Although the traffic can be very loud during rush hour, the mornings are usually peaceful and filled with bird songs.
- Our community is very friendly, and we always celebrate major festivals together by decorating the entire street with bright lights.
COMPOSITION
What would the most amazing room you have ever seen look like? Write a description of the room and its contents.
(Sample Description)
The most amazing room I have ever seen would be hidden inside an old clock tower, shaped like a perfect circle. The walls would be entirely made of massive glass windows, offering a 360-degree view of the starry night sky and the glowing city below. Instead of a normal ceiling, there would be a giant, slowly turning golden telescope pointed directly at the moon. The floor would be paved with smooth stones that faintly glow in the dark like constellations. In the center of the room, surrounded by towering bookshelves packed with ancient maps and glowing jars of fireflies, there would be a large, plush velvet armchair and a heavy wooden desk covered in blank parchment and feather quills, waiting for an adventure to be written down.