Penguin Readers Answer Key

Madame Doubtfire
Answers to book activities

Activities while reading the book

Chapter 1

1 a no
i yes
b yes j yes
c no
k no
d no
l no
e yes m yes
f no
n yes
g yes o no
h yes p no
2 a quarrel b shocked c pretend
d annoyed e naked f mess
3 Ahamster is an animal.
Aquail is a bird.
4 Examples:
a The housekeeper lost her job, so she was
in tears.
b We saw an advertisement in the
newspaper for modelling work.
5 Daniel
Miranda
Her father
Her mother
NATALIE
Christopher
Lydia
Her brother
Her sister
6 a Christopher
b Daniel
c Miranda
7 a make-up b divorced c God
8 Open answers
9 a Because Daniel changes the telephone
number in the advertisement to his
number. Daniel makes the calls.
b Lydia realizes that Madame Doubtfire is
really her father. She wants Christopher to
come upstairs so that she can tell him this.
c Because it is half term and the art school is
shut.
10 Strike = b a decision not to work
11 Open answers
12 a . . . the tickets are cheap and they cant
see well. Also, Natalie falls asleep on top of
Daniel.
b . . . he has forgotten to bring any mens
clothes with him.
c . . . Daniel agrees to be the gardener at
Mirandas house, working there every
afternoon.
13-16 Open answers

Answers to Factsheet activities

Communicative activities
Open answers except:
Activities before reading the book
(a) She looks about fifty-five years old. She has
grey hair and wears glasses.
She is quite big and looks quite strong. She is
smiling. She is wearing a blouse and skirt and
is holding cleaning things in her hands.
Students activities
Activities before reading the book
1 (a) Because Daniel wants to see his children
more, and Miranda wants him to see them
less.
(b) Miranda
(c) look after the children
(d) they all have strangely low voices
(e) Open answer
(f) 1987
(g) 1993
(h) Robin Williams
2 Open answers

Pearson Education 2000

1 (a) Wrong. He is the father of Lydia,

Christopher and Natalie.
(b) Right
(c) Wrong. Daniel doesnt like Miranda at all.
(d) Wrong. Miranda doesnt want Daniel to see
the children.
(e) Right
(f) Wrong. Miranda says she will keep the
children on Friday night.
2 When Daniel is rude about Miranda, Natalie
looks sad and hides her face. Lydia then says,
Why dont you try a bit harder? You dont
make it any easier for her, you know. L a t e r,
Lydia says, It isnt easy for her, you know,
being a single parent.When Daniel pretends
to cut the teapots throat Natalie nearly starts
crying again. After Daniel reads Mirandas
letter, and becomes angry, the children cry,
Dad, please!Lydia says, Really, Dad! What
are you thinking of?
3 Open answer
Chapter 2
1 (a) He is an actor but these days he is always
out of work.
(b) He models for an art school with no clothes
on.
(c) She feels very angry and shocked. But she
also thinks it is funny.
(d) Three pounds an hour.
(e) Look after the children when they get back
from school.
(f) Because she has to travel a lot for her job.
Also, Miranda doesnt get home until half
past six.
(g) She says he gives her too many problems.
2 (a) He is very funny. He gets very angry with
Miranda and shows his anger to his
children. He loves his children. It is difficult
for him to make money from acting.
Perhaps he daydreams a lot.
(b) Open answer
(c) Open answer
3 Open answer
Chapter 3
1 (a) early, (b) businesswoman, (c) look after,
(d) phone number
2 (a) Because he wants people to ring him, not
Miranda.
(b) Open answer
(c) Open answer
3 Open answer
Chapter 4
1 (a) Because it is Daniel who reads her a story.
(b) Because she knows Madame Doubtfire is
her father.
(c) Because she has heavy make-up on her
face and talks strangely. She is very big
and her hair is tied up in a kind of towel.
(d) Because she gets Natalie to sleep quickly
and tells Christopher not to be rude.
2 Open answer
Chapter 5
1 (a)(v), (b)(iii), (c)(iv), (d)(i), (e)(ii)
2 Open answer
Chapter 6
1 (a) Miranda says these words when Madame
Doubtfire is looking after her and has made
a fire for her and a cup of tea.
(b) Miranda says this. She shows Madame

level

PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Doubtfire a picture of Daniels naked
body. Mrs Hooper has drawn it in her art
class.
(c) Miranda says this when she realizes that
the art class is going to meet at her
house. Daniel will be there modelling for
the class with no clothes on.
(d) Madame Doubtfire says this in answer to
Miranda.
(e) Miranda says this to Madame Doubtfire.
She wants Madame Doubtfire to be there
during the art class.
(f) Lydia says this when Daniel pretends to
throw a bomb at Miranda.
2 Open answers
Chapter 7
(a) Because it is about happy and unhappy
marriages. They think it is very real.
(b) Because Christopher asks Daniel why he
didnt stay in the family and pretend to be
happy.
(c) Because he says a job is a job but real life is
real.
(d) Open answers
(e) Because pigs cant think, they are happy. But
because Daniel is a man he can think. He
knew he was unhappy with Miranda, and he
wants to live a real life, not a pretendlife.
(f) Because he decides not to act any more.
When he is Madame Doubtfire he has to act.
He wants to be real.
(g) Open answers
Chapter 8
1 (a) She comes home and meets Daniel on
the stairs wearing a towel. She has found
Madame Doubtfires clothes. So she
realizes that Daniel was Madame
Doubtfire.
(b) Open answers
(c) Open answers
(d) They are very sad and angry. Lydia says,
I hate you bothin a shaky voice.
Christopher shouts, Go on with your
stupid quarrel and just leave us alone!
2 Open answers
3 Open answers
Chapter 9
1 (a) Because Miranda tells him that his flat is
messy and that he doesnt know what
hard work is.
(b) Lydia
(c) She says, Its not enough to say what
you want. You have to listen to what your
children want too.
(d) She tells her the same thing. She also
says, You can give orders and still not
win. You can try to control people and still
lose them.
(e) Christopher asked her again and again to
come.
(f) She is kinder and more polite. She says
Daniel can come and work as the
gardener and see the children after
school. She says the children can stay
the night. We can see that she is going to
let Daniel see the children more.
2 You can tell people what to do and control
them. (Miranda does this.) But if you do this,
they may not love you or like you. You cant
control peoples feelings.
Activities after reading the book
Open answers