OXFORD BOOKWORMS COMPREHENSION TEST

Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? b ‘I don’t know any apple-sellers!’
……………….. to ………………..
a ___ Auguste Dupin was a police
c ‘All this was done by a very strong person.’
detective.
……………….. to ………………..
b ___ Auguste Dupin and his friend
lived in the Rue Morgue.
c ___ Auguste Dupin and his friend
went for walks every afternoon.
d ___ Chantilly wrote a very bad book.
e ___ The body of the daughter was in

the chimney.
f ___ Some people heard an
argument in the dead women’s house.
g ___ All of the witnesses spoke
French.
h ___ The police arrested a bank clerk.
i ___ The murderer came to France
on
a ship.
j ___ The murderer went to prison.
20 marks

2 Put the following events in the right

order. Number them 1-10.
a ___ The neighbours and the police
find the bodies.
b ___ Dupin explains about the voices
and the window.
c ___ The sailor sells the orang-
outang.
d ___ The sailor finds the orang-
outang again.
e ___ People hear screams in the
house.
f ___ Dupin shows his friend a book
about orang-outangs.
g ___ Dupin reads about the murders
in the newswpaper.
h ___ The sailor tells his story.
i ___ The sailor comes to see Dupin.
j ___ Dupin and his friend go to the
house.
20 marks

3 Who said this? Who did they say it to?

The doctor, Dupin, Dupin’s friend, the
police, the sailor.
a ‘He cannot write tragedy, that is true.’
……………….. to ………………..

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS COMPREHENSION TEST
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

d ‘The animal ran, and I followed.’

……………….. to ………………..
e ‘I found the answer to this mystery, and he
didn’t.’
……………….. to ………………..
20 marks

4 Who in the story …? Le Bon, Dupin,

Dupin’s friend, Madame L’Espanaye,
Mademoiselle L’Espanaye, the sailor.
a met Dupin in a bookshop?
………………..
b came from a famous family?
………………..
c lived with her mother? ………………..
d once helped Dupin? ………………..
e had some hair in her hand?
………………..
f put an advertisement in the newspaper?
………………..
g carried a heavy stick? ………………..
h followed an orang-outang through the
streets of Paris? ………………..
i told the police the true story?
………………..
j was free at the end of the story?
………………..
20 marks

5 Fill in the gaps. Use these words:

chimney, hands, lightning-rod, orang-
outang, razor, shutter, streets, sailor,
threw, window.
The …………………… escaped and ran through
the ……………………of Paris. He got into the
house by climbing up the ……………………, and
then swung on the ……………………through the
open …………………… . He killed the older
woman with a ……………………, and the
younger woman with his …………………… .
Then he pushed the younger woman up the
…………………… and ……………………her
mother out of the window. The ……………………
watched the murders but he couldn’t stop them.
20 marks

Total marks

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS COMPREHENSION TEST ANSWERS
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

1
a F
b F
c F
d T
e T
f T
g F
h T
i T
j F

2
a 2
b 5
c 10
d 9
e 1
f 6
g 3
h 8
i 7
j 4

3
a Dupin, Dupinís friend
b Dupinís friend, Dupin
c the doctor, the police
g the sailor, Dupin
j Dupin, Dupinís friend

4
a Dupinís friend
b Dupin
c Mademoiselle LíEspanaye
d Le Bon
e Madame LíEspanaye
f Dupin
g the sailor
h the sailor
i Dupin
j Le Bon

5
orang-outang, streets, lightning-rod, shutter,
window, razor, hands, chimney, threw, sailor

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

SETTING 9 People were woken from sleep by a number

of terrible _____.
Choose the best answer. a  shouts
1 The writer met Auguste Dupin while he was b  drawings
living in Paris in the _____ of 1839. c  screams
a  autumn and winter d  neighbours
b  spring and summer
10 The murders happened on the _____ floor.
c  winter and spring
a  first
d  summer and autumn
b  second
2 Dupin was from _____ and famous family. c  third
a  a rich d  fourth
b  a young
20 marks
c  an old
d  a happy
CHARACTERS
3 _____ were the love of Dupin’s life.
a  Animals Choose the best answer.
b  Books 11 Auguste Dupin could read people’s _____.
c  Children a  clothes
d  Clothes b  thoughts
4 The writer and Dupin first met in a _____. c  neighbours
a  school d  windows
b  church 12 Pauline Dubourg did the _____ for Madame
c  house and her daughter.
d  bookshop a  garden
5 They found a house together in _____ b  windows
street. c  washing
a  a quiet d  shopping
b  an old 13 Madame L’Espanaye had lived in the Rue
c  a noisy Morgue for _____ years.
d  a nice a  four
6 They lived only for the _____. b  three
a  food c  five
b  day d  six
c  night 14 Days before her death Madame L’Espanaye
d  streets took four thousand _____ out of the bank.
7 Dupin said that people had _____ in a  francs
their faces. b  pounds
a  doors c  dollars
b  windows d  euros
c  walls 15 The _____ was the first one up the stairs to
d  streets the first floor.
8 The story about the murders was in a  musician
the _____, an evening newspaper. b  policeman
a  Gazette c  kitchen worker
b  Times d  neighbour
c  Express
d  Telegraph

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

16 Adolphe Le Bon was the _____ who 23 ‘I went into the house with the others and
delivered the money to the house. heard the voices on the stairs.’
a  clerk a  Auguste Dupin
b  policeman b  the writer
c  shopkeeper c  Adolphe Le Bon
d  doctor d  William Bird
17 Henri Duval was a _____. 24 ‘We must not say ‘impossible’ just because
a  shopkeeper the police have done nothing.’
b  neighbour a  Auguste Dupin
c  policeman b  the police inspector
d  cook c  the writer
d  Adolphe Le Bon
18 Mademoiselle L’Espanaye’s first name
was _____. 25 ‘But perhaps the voice was speaking an
a  Camille African language, or an Asian one.’
b  Carol a  the police inspector
c  Clara b  Auguste Dupin
d  Clarissa c  the writer
d  Henri Duval
19 The sailor had just come back from _____.
a  Africa 26 ‘What has happened that has never
b  America happened before?’
c  the East Indies a  the sailor
d  India b  the writer
c  the police inspector
20 The orang-outang had _____ hair.
d  Auguste Dupin
a  red
b  brown 27 ‘A madman has done this – a wild and
c  black horrible madman ...’
d  orange a  the writer
b  the police inspector
20 marks
c  Adolphe Le Bon
d  the sailor
DIALOGUE
28 ‘Sailors always use ribbons like these to tie
Who said this? back their long hair.’
21 ‘The apple-seller! But I don’t know any a  the sailor
apple-sellers.’ b  the writer
a  Dupin c  Auguste Dupin
b  the writer d  the police inspector
c  Madame L’Espanaye 29 ‘God help me. I will tell you what I know.’
d  Henri Duval a  the writer
22 ‘In six years I never saw anybody go into b  Adolphe Le Bon
their house except the postman and the c  Auguste Dupin
doctor.’ d  the sailor
a  Pierre Moreau 30 ‘And last, it took the old lady’s body, carried
b  Pauline Dubourg it to the window, and pushed it through.’
c  Jan Odenheimer a  Adolphe Le Bon
d  Isodore Muset b  the sailor
c  the writer
d  the police inspector
20 marks

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

VOCABULARY 39 somebody who lives in the next house

a  neighbour
Choose the best answer. b  foreigner
31 not able to understand or explain something c  orang-outang
a  peculiar d  clerk
b  puzzled
40 to fall down suddenly, because you are ill or
c  tragedy
afraid
d  horrible
a  faint
32 when pieces of wood, etc. cross over b  argue
each other c  fasten
a  fasten d  arrest
b  shutter
20 marks
c  latticed
d  nail
PLOT
33 a small piece of material for tying things
a  ribbon Choose the best answer.
b  spring 41 When the police arrived the room was
c  mattress locked, with the _____ on the inside.
d  razor a  neighbours
34 a very sad thing that happens b  key
a  tragedy c  clerk
b  faint d  shutter
c  arrest 42 In front of the fireplace on the floor was
d  ancient a _____.
35 able to move very quickly and easily a  book
a  swing b  whip
b  fasten c  newspaper
c  motive d  razor
d  agile 43 A small strong-box was found under
36 very cruel and violent the _____.
a  brutal a  chair
b  whip b  fireplace
c  horrible c  mattress
d  bruise d  window

37 a person who sees something happen and 44 When the police looked _____ they found
can tell other people about it later the body of the daughter.
a  madman a  under the window
b  foreigner b  up the chimney
c  witness c  in the garden
d  clerk d  on the second floor

38 a piece of hard ground next to or between 45 The police arrested _____.

buildings a  Adolphe Le Bon
a  chimney b  Auguste Dupin
b  yard c  Pauline Dubourg
c  quarter d  Pierre Moreau
d  shutter

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

46 Dupin tried to take out the _____ to open

the windows.
a  shutters
b  lightning-rod
c  nails
d  ribbon
47 It was possible to climb up the _____ to the
fourth floor.
a  shutters
b  chimney
c  lightning-rod
d  windows
48 The owner of the orang-outang was _____
on a Maltese ship.
a  a sailor
b  an officer
c  a kitchen worker
d  a musician
49 The orang-outang was a wild and _____
animal.
a  hungry
b  dangerous
c  quiet
d  happy
50 At the end of the story the man _____.
a  killed the orang-outang
b  gave the orang-outang to the police
c  sold the orang-outang
d  gave the orang-outang to Dupin
20 marks

Total marks

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST ANSWERS
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

SETTING PLOT
1 b 41 b
2 c 42 d
3 b 43 c
4 d 44 b
5 a 45 a
6 c 46 c
7 b 47 c
8 a 48 a
9 c 49 b
10 d 50 c

CHARACTERS
11 b
12 c
13 d
14 a
15 b
16 a
17 b
18 a
19 c
20 d

DIALOGUE
21 b
22 a
23 d
24 a
25 c
26 d
27 a
28 c
29 d
30 b

VOCABULARY
31 b
32 c
33 a
34 a
35 d
36 a
37 c
38 b
39 a
40 a

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
BEFORE READING
Activity 1
The old lady and her daughter were murdered on
the fourth floor of a house in the Rue
Morgue in Paris. The door was locked, with
the key on the inside of the door, and the
windows were shut and fastened. Two angry
voices were heard by neighbours when they
ran up the stairs.
Activity 2
Encourage students to speculate and to
make guesses, but do not tell them the
answers. They will find out as they read
that the answers are 1b, 2d, 3c, and 4b.
WHILE READING
Chapter 1
1 meeting the apple-seller
2 jumping out of the way
3 hole in the street
4 nearly falling over
5 looking at the street name
6 turning into the Rue Racine
7 thinking of Racine’s play
8 Chantilly ‘the new Racine’
Chapters 2 and 3
1 Sure. (Many neighbours said this.)
2 A guess. (Perhaps they had friends, and/or
enemies, who never visited them.)
3 Sure. There was blood on it, and the mother’s
neck was very deeply cut.
4 Sure. (Many witnesses said this.)
5 Sure. (Many witnesses agreed on this.)
6 A guess. (The witnesses did not agree on this.)
7 A guess. (Only one witness thought this.)
8 A guess. (Only one witness thought this.)
9 Sure. (Because of the way the women were
killed.)
10 A guess. (We just don’t know.)
11 A guess. (We just don’t know.)
Before Reading Chapter 4
Encourage students to speculate and to
make guesses, but do not tell them the
answers. They will find out as they read
that the answers are numbers 2 and 5.
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BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Chapters 4 and 5
1+9 The police arrested Adolphe Le Bon
probably because they thought he
wanted to steal the four thousand francs.
2+11 Dupin was waiting for a visitor who knew
something about the murders.
3+8 The witnesses agreed about the deep
voice, which they said was the voice of a
Frenchman.
4+7 The witnesses all thought that the shrill
voice was the voice of a foreigner, but
they did not agree which language it
spoke.
5+12 The windows were fastened with nails
on the inside, but the nail in the right
window was broken.
6+10 An agile person could climb up the
lightning-rod and swing into the room
through the open window.
Before Reading Chapter 6
Open answers. Encourage students to make
guesses, but do not tell them if their
guesses are right. For the first question
they might want to talk about secret
doors or hiding under the floorboards.
For the second question, the most likely
answer is that Dupin is trying to say that
the murderer is not human.
Chapter 6
Possible answers:
1 The gold was still there in the room, so how
could stealing it be the motive for the
murder?
2 The handfuls of long grey hair show that the
murderer is very strong, because it is not
easy to pull hair out of someone’s head.
3 Nobody understood a word that the peculiar
voice said, so perhaps the voice was not
using words at all – perhaps it was not a
human voice.
4 The short, orangey-brown hair is not human
hair, so it must be from an animal.
5 Sailors tie back their hair with ribbons like
these, and dark red is a favourite colour of
Maltese sailors. So I will advertise for a
sailor from a Maltese ship.
6 I will put the Bois de Boulogne in the
advertisement because that is a long way
OXFORD BOOKWORMS
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
from the Rue Morgue, and it will make the
sailor feel safer.
Before Reading Chapter 7
Encourage students to speculate and to
make guesses, but do not tell them the
answers. They will find out as they read
that the correct answers are 1c and 2d.
AFTER READING
Activity 1
If students need help with this, encourage
them to look at links in the language.
3 Dupin: I have come to tell you, Inspector, the
answer to the Rue Morgue mystery.
6 Inspector: But we already know the answer,
Dupin. The bank clerk murdered the women
for the money.
9 Dupin: No, he didn’t. Adolphe Le Bon is an
innocent man. The killer was an orang-outang
from Borneo.
2 Inspector: A WHAT?
5 Dupin: An orang-outang. It escaped from its
owner’s house with a razor, and climbed into
the room through the window.
8 Inspector: An orang-outang with a razor?
Listen, Dupin, don’t try to do my job for me.
You don’t know anything about police work.
1 Dupin: But I know how to think. I know what
questions to ask. And you’ll find my answer is
right.
4 Inspector: Oh, will I? What makes you so
sure?
7 Dupin: Because I have a witness – who was
outside the window on the lightning-rod, and
who saw it all.
Activity 2
The picture goes on page 40.
1 He is on the lightning-rod on the back wall of
the house in the Rue Morgue.
2 Because he can see the orang-outang in the
room, and he is shouting to try and stop the
animal killing the two women.
3 He climbs down the lightning-rod and runs
home, because he wants to get away from
the horror of it.
Lines taken from the story would make
suitable captions, for example:
10
BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
 I could just look into the room.
 I was shouting at it, and it made noises
back at me.
Or students might want to invent something,
for example, words that the sailor might
be shouting:
 ‘Stop it, stop it, you devil! Leave her
alone! Oh my God!’
Activity 3
Story one
Adolphe Le Bon, who works for Mignaud & Son
as a bank clerk, today left prison, a free man.
The police arrested him because they
thought that the motive for the murders was
the four thousand francs in gold, which Le
Bon carried to the house for Madame
L’Espanaye. ‘But it was all a horrible mistake,’
said a friend of Le Bon’s. ‘Adolphe couldn’t
hurt a fly.’
Story two
The police now know how the murderer got into
and out of the room in the house in the Rue
Morgue. He climbed up the lightning-rod on
the wall outside, and took hold of the open
shutter with both hands. Then he pushed his
feet against the wall and swung himself into
the room through the open window. He went
out the same way, and the window dropped
down behind him.
Story three
Early this morning an orang-outang was caught
in the Bois de Boulogne. The animal, which
comes from Borneo, belongs to a sailor and
escaped from his house four days ago. It is a
large animal, and is strong, agile, and very
dangerous. The sailor is planning to sell it as
soon as he can.
Activity 4
Students can complete this how they like. A
possible paragraph might be:
At last we have the answer to the brutal Rue
Morgue murders. The two women were killed
by an orang-outang, not a human. This
explains why the murders were so brutal and
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OXFORD BOOKWORMS BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Stage 2
The Murders in the Rue Morgue

so violent, and why there was no motive for

the killing. The animal is very strong and very
agile, and so was able to take hold of the
latticed shutter and swing itself into the room.
The orang-outang was brought from Borneo
by a sailor. It escaped from the sailor’s house
with a razor and ran through the streets. The
sailor tried to catch it but couldn’t, and says
that he will never forget the horrible things he
saw that night.

Activity 5
Story 4: Astonishing Answer to Rue Morgue
Tragedy
Story 1: Police Arrested Innocent Man
Story 3: Wild Animal found in City Park
Story 2: Keep your Shutters Closed at Night!

Activity 6
Open answers.

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