Worksheet
Answer Key
The Fruitcake Special and other stories Frank Brennan
Summaries
The Fruitcake Special
Anna, a chemist working for Amos Cosmetics, puts a
piece of fruitcake in a perfume mix as an experiment.
She is surprised when her boss, Mr Amos, takes a
sudden unexpected interest in her and invites her to
dinner. At home, Annas mother and Aunt Mimi
question her about when she will find a husband
and tease her about Armstrong, the boy who used
to deliver pizza. Anna ignores them and surprises
them with the news of her date. At the restaurant,
Mr Amos takes little notice of Anna, and even seems
embarrassed that he has asked her out, but things
rapidly change when Anna applies some more of the
new perfume the fruitcake special. Not only
Mr Amos, but also one of the waiters becomes deeply
attracted to her. In the midst of the ensuing chaos,
Mr Amoss girlfriend, Sabina, arrives, and shortly after
a fight breaks out. Anna makes a quick exit.
Anna, diplomatically, takes the next day off work and
visits her Aunt Mimi who bought the cake. Her aunt
tells her the woman who made it has died, but this
woman never had problems finding husbands seven
in total. On returning to work, Anna is summoned
to Mr Amoss office. Sabina is also there, and is rude
towards Anna. In revenge, Anna pours the remainder
of the fruitcake special over Sabina and walks out of
her job.
Shortly after this, we learn that Anna has a new job at
the factory where they make Intrigue. One day, she is
trying to make fruitcake, when there is a knock at the
door. It is Armstrong, who now owns his own pizza
company. Now that he is successful, he feels he can
ask Anna out and she realises that he is really very
nice.
The Real Aunt Molly
Aunt Molly is a sweet-natured, cheerful woman whose
sole interest in life is her home. After being widowed,
she becomes less cheerful, and concentrates her time
and energy on bringing up her twin sons, Winston and
Clement. The narrator, cousin Rufus, observes the
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Level 4
changes in her. As the twins grow into teenagers, they
become restless with the household routine, and decide
to organise something exciting for their mothers 39th
birthday: a visit to a television studio to see one of
her favourite shows live. The twins organise a trip to
see Maxwell Marvel, an expert hypnotist. Aunt Molly
goes along with the idea to please her sons.
At the end of the show, Marvel asks for a final
volunteer. The twins propose their mother, and ask
Marvel to make her more decisive and self-confident.
She is hypnotised easily, but no sooner has Maxwell
finished than he collapses on stage. Aunt Molly
confidently organises medical aid. Back home, the
change in Aunt Molly is marked. She develops
a whole range of new interests, reads avidly and
paints. The twins and Rufus find the new Aunt Molly
very different but very likeable. Finally Aunt Molly
announces she is leaving for a holiday in Greece with
a professor. Meanwhile, Grandpa has received a letter
with a tape recording from the now deceased Marvel,
which would undo the hypnotic suggestion. With their
Aunt now departed to Greece, the twins and Rufus are
left with the dilemma whether to tell Aunt Molly or
not.
Brains
Gina, a research scientist studying for her Ph.D., has
been developing a drug that increases intelligence.
She is summoned to her bosss office in New York to
report on her findings. She is questioned by
Mr Dimitri about her work with Max the monkey,
who now has the intelligence of an eight-year-old
human. He is curious to learn whether the drug could
be used on humans. Anna admits this is possible, but
she is taken aback when Mr Dimitri orders her to
cease her research in this field. He explains that Ginas
research findings could be challenged as people might
accuse her of taking the drug. Gina is offered work
and funding in a different field and accepts.
Meanwhile, we learn the real reasons for Mr Dimitris
objections to Ginas research work; a drug that raised
intelligence would be bad for business, since intelligent
customers would be much more discriminating about
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 Worksheet
Answer Key
Level 4

The Fruitcake Special and other stories Frank Brennan

what they bought. Unbeknown to Gina, Mr Dimitri collection of artefacts he has stolen. He is frustrated
orders that Max the monkey should be killed so as to that he cannot afford the choice items on display in
destroy the evidence of Ginas experiment. the antique shops. One day, his superior, Professor
Teo, asks Harry to check through a collection of goods
The Book of Thoughts
found in a nearby grave. There appears to be little of
Chester is an eager young executive working for a interest until Harry accidentally smashes a sealed pot.
corporation in Singapore. Devoted to his career, his Inside is a whistle with the inscription BE STILL. He
only distraction is the lovely Dorothy, a new recruit to decides to pocket it.
the business. One evening, he is sorting through some
Later, on his way home, he blows the whistle. The
books outside an antique shop. The shopkeeper tells
effect is to make everything and everyone around him
him to help himself and he selects an ancient volume
freeze, as if a film has been stopped. The next day,
called The Book of Thoughts. At his regular restaurant,
Professor Teo says there is something suspicious about
he is served undercooked chicken which he complains
the grave where the whistle came from. That evening,
about. The dish is returned, and to Chesters
Harry realises how he can use the whistle to steal
astonishment, when he opens the book, the thoughts
antiques without fear of detection. His first acquisition
of the waiter appear on the blank page. The next
is a valuable jade dragon.
morning, he discovers the book can read the thoughts
of passengers on the train. The next day, the Professor has ominous news about
the grave. The deceased was a man with an evil
Back in the office, Chester discovers via the book,
reputation, a priest who was cast out by his peers.
that an older work colleague has supplied him with
Harry blows the whistle behind the Professors back,
incorrect figures to make him look incompetent at a
and observes the same effect as before all motion
presentation the next day. Chester secretly retrieves
stops. When the whistle is blown again, the Professor
the correct figures from among his colleagues papers.
continues as if nothing has happened. Harry realises
Later, he phones his brother Kim to ask him out for
he has control over time itself.
a game of squash. Kim makes his excuses, but the
book gives him the real reason Kim dislikes playing Later, Harry decides to do some serious thieving, but
squash with the ambitious Chester. he blows the whistle at the same time as a camera flash
goes off. The blinding light is suspended in time. In
The presentation is a great success, but Chester
his confusion, Harry drops the whistle and crushes it
is dismayed when the book tells him exactly how
under his foot. He is helpless trapped in time, with
unpopular he is in the office. Feeling somewhat
no past or future.
shaken, Chester decides not to consult the book for
a while. Meanwhile he summons the courage to
ask Dorothy out for dinner. But when he looks for Before reading
the book to find her opinion of him, the book has
2. 1 a, 2 c, 3 d, 4 b, 5 e
disappeared.

Finders Keepers
Harry Chen, a lecturer in archaeology at a university
in Singapore, is also a thief, who has a private

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 Worksheet
Answer Key
Level 4

The Fruitcake Special and other stories Frank Brennan

Check your reading

2. a Max the monkey b Gina c Mr Dimitri
The Fruitcake Special d CSBD e Miss Epstein
1. h, g, d, a, b, e, f, c 3. Students own answer.
2. a Aunt Mimi b Mr Amos c waiter d Sabina
The Book of Thoughts
e Aunt Mimi f Sabina g Anna
1. a waiter b woman on train c man on train
The Real Aunt Molly d Mr Shaw e Kim
1. 1 f 2 d, 3 b, 4 e, 5 a, 6 c 2. a F, b T, c T, d F, e T, f F
2. After being hypnotised by Maxwell Marvel, 3. Students own answer.
Aunt Molly lived life to the full. She
Finders Keepers
discovered that she could read and she also
took up painting. Soon she was painting like 1. 1 b, 2 g, 3 f, 4 a, 5 c, 6 e, 7 d
a professional. The twins were very surprised 2. a Harry Chen b the clay pot c the whistle
when Aunt Molly said she was going to Greece d Lou Foo e Professor Teo f Harry Chen
with a professor. She explained that he was a 3. Students own answer.
good-looking man, and that she might marry
again. Although the new Aunt Molly was very
different, she was very easy to like.
3. Students own answer.

Brains
1. Gina was pleased when Max the monkey
completed the Rubik cube in five minutes. Now
she had to see Mr Dimitri, a clever business
man, to talk about her idea for a drug to increase
intelligence. Mr Dimitri said that her work had
been very good / excellent but she had to stop
immediately. He knew business would not be
good if people were too smart/clever. He asked
her to work in a different area, and he decided to
put Ginas idea in a safe/secret place with all the
other dangerous ideas. Gina would now work on
three-legged chickens.

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