The Three Strangers and Other Stories
Before Reading
BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 60)
ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING
Encourage students to discuss the words and to
make guesses, but do not tell them the answers.
They will find out as they read that the stories
contain: a duke, a jealous husband, a prisoner,
a party, a honeymoon, a death, a murder, sheep,
horses, secret meetings, lambs
ACTIVITY 2 BEFORE READING
Encourage students to guess, but do not tell them
theanswers, which are 1a, 1b, 2b, 3c, 4b, 4c, 5a,
5c, 6b, 6c.
ACTIVITY 3 BEFORE READING
Encourage students to guess, but do not tell them
the answers. They will find out as they read that
the only ‘yes’ answer is number 3.
While Reading
THE THREE STRANGERS TO THE END OF PAGE 12
1 The first stranger, to Shepherd Fennel, asking for a
little tobacco.
2 The second stranger (the hangman), to Mrs Fennel,
talking about her best mead.
3 The second stranger (the hangman), to the
policeman, about the third stranger (the little man).
4 The first stranger, to the hangman, about chasing
and trying to catch the little man who had run away.
BEFORE READING THE THREE STRANGERS FROM PAGE
13 TO THE END
Encourage students to speculate and make guesses,
but do not tell them the answers. They will find out
as they read that the answers are 1d, (and possibly
1e), 2d.
BEFORE READING WHAT THE SHEPHERD SAW FROM
PAGE 32 TO THE END
Encourage students to speculate and make guesses,
but do not tell them the answers. They will find out
as they read that the true answers are numbers
1, 5, 7.
BEFORE READING A MOMENT OF MADNESS FROM
PAGE 54 TO THE END
Encourage students to speculate and make guesses,
but do not tell them the answers. They will find out
as they read that the answers are numbers 1, 6, 8.
OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 3
STAGE 3
After Reading
ACTIVITIES ANSWERS
ACTIVITY 1 AFTER READING
1 Charles Stow, in A Moment of Madness. He has just
caught sight of Baptista in Pen-zephyr, for the first
time since they both left their training college.
2 The old shepherd, in What the Shepherd Saw, on
the second night. He has come back to the hut to
make sure the boy is awake, and has seen the Duke
attacking Fred Ogbourne.
3 The third stranger, in The Three Strangers. He has
just seen his brother, the escaped prisoner, sitting
next to the hangman by the fire, and has decided to
leave at once.
4 The Duchess, in What the Shepherd Saw, on the
second night. She had been awake, wondering if
Fred would come to the house when she did not
appear at the meeting place by the Devil’s Door. She
has just heard her husband returning a day earlier
than expected.
5 The workman, in A Moment of Madness. He has
just recognized Baptista, seen David Heddegan
across the garden, and realized that he was not the
husband he had seen Baptista marry. He has also
realized that there is probably an opportunity for
blackmail here.
6 The first stranger (the clockmaker), in The Three
Strangers. The men in the cottage are now chasing
his brother, and the clockmaker has just left, said a
friendly goodbye to the hangman, and continued on
his way.
ACTIVITY 2 AFTER READING
If students need help with this, encourage them to
look at links in the language.
2 O FFIC ER : ‘I’m sorry, you’ll have no work to do this
morning.’
5 H AN G M AN : ‘Why’s that then? Didn’t the men at the
cottage catch the escaped prisoner last night?’
8 O FFIC ER : ‘No, they only caught a little man with
fair hair.’
1 H AN G M AN : ‘But that’s my man, surely!’
6 O FFIC ER : ‘No, he’s the prisoner’s brother. He
was on his way to make his last visit to him in
© Oxford University Press
Casterbridge prison.’
9 H AN G M AN : ‘So where’s the prisoner himself then?
Hasn’t anybody seen him since he escaped?’
3 O FFIC ER : ‘Yes, you have! You were sitting next to
him!’
81 THE THREE STRANGERS AND OTHER STORIES
XXX
 7 H AN G M AN : ‘What! You don’t mean to say–’ ACTIVITY 5 AFTER READING

4 O FFIC ER : ‘Yes. The man in the chimney corner Suggested answers:

ACTIVITIES ANSWERS

drinking mead with you and smoking his pipe 1 B APT ISTA : We can’t stop him, because I have my
– he was our prisoner!’ own secret, you see. I’ve told David already. In
a moment of madness I married a young man
ACTIVITY 3 AFTER READING
called Charles Stow, just before I came back to
Encourage students to discuss what the stories are St Maria’s to marry David. Poor Charles was
about, and to think of reasons why a title would be drowned just after our wedding, so I came home
suitable or not. Encourage discussion of the idea of and married David. I have to pay for the mistake
jealousy (in What the Shepherd Saw), honesty (in A I made, so I’ll have to take care of David’s
Moment of Madness), and suitable punishment for daughters.
a crime (in The Three Strangers). 2 B APT ISTA : No, don’t say anything. Perhaps it won’t
The Three Strangers be so bad, after all. David’s a good man, and I
The Hangman’s Visit must do what I can to help him. I’m pleased he’s
Mead and Mystery confessed to me – secrets aren’t a good thing
Footpath to Freedom between husband and wife. I can teach his girls
A Wanted Man to read and write, and I won’t be lonely in the
What the Shepherd Saw house.
An Honest Wife
The Devil’s Door ACTIVITY 6 AFTER READING

Meetings by Moonlight Open answers.

!(IDDEN'RAVE ACTIVITY 7 AFTER READING
A Moment of Madness It all happened up at the Devil’s Door. Captain
Death by Drowning Ogbourne, who was the Duchess’s cousin, came to
Honeymoon of Horror meet her there. I was looking out of the window of
The Wedding Witness the hut, so I could see everything. He had come to
The Two Husbands tell her he loved her, and, although she didn’t say she
ACTIVITY 4 AFTER READING still loved him, she agreed to meet him the next night.
Students can complete the conversation as they After they’d gone, the Duke appeared from behind the
wish, but possible answers would be: stones. I realize now that he thought they were lovers,
M OT H ER : You look worried, dear. Is anything the but he was too far away to hear what they were
matter? saying. The next night he arrived early, and waited in
B APT ISTA : Yes, there is. David has just told me a secret the hut where I was hiding. When the Captain arrived,
about his past life. the Duke went out and killed him. If you look in that
M OT H ER : Really? What kind of secret? hole behind the Devil’s Door, you’ll find what’s left of
B APT ISTA : He was friendly with a woman in Pen-zephyr his dead body. I know it was wrong to keep it a secret
for many years, and just before she died, he married all these years, but I was only a boy then. The Duke
her. made me promise to stay silent and I kept that promise
M OT H ER : He married her? Well, she’s dead now, dear, until he died, because, like everybody else, I’ve always
and at least there are no children to worry about! been afraid of him.
B APT ISTA : But there are! There are four daughters! ACTIVITY 8 AFTER READING
M OT H ER : What! Four daughters! And what’s he going Open discussion.
to do with them?
B APT ISTA : He’s going to bring them all to live with us.
© Oxford University Press

They’ve never been to school, and because I was a

teacher, he wants me to teach them, for nothing!
M OT H ER : Oh no! He can’t do this to you, Baptista,
and we must stop him!

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 3 82 THE THREE STRANGERS AND OTHER STORIES
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