Title

Goldfish Raymond Chandler

Author

1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? 4 Who said this? Who did they say it to?
a Kathy Horne is a policewoman. Carol Donovan, Lutin, Sunset, Rush Madder, Mrs
COMPREHENSION

b Sol Leander paid $25,000 for the pearls. Sype, Carmady.

c Peeler Mardo drank too much. a ‘Remember them? They cost this company
d Wally Sype killed a man. $150,000.’ ……………….. to ………………..
e Someone shot Peeler Mardo. b ‘I don’t like the way she does things.’
TEST

f Lutin wanted Carmady to find the pearls. ……………….. to ………………..

g Carmady likes water in his whiskey.
h Carmady drove to Westport in his car.
i Wally Sype changed his name to Mr
Wallace.
j The pearls in the goldfish were real.
c ‘Why didn’t Peeler come himself?’
……………….. to ………………..
d ‘Slam it!’ ……………….. to ………………..
e ‘Mister Wallace live here?’ ……………….. to
………………..

20 marks 20 marks

2 Put the following events in the right order. Number 5 Where were they? Match a number from A with a
them 1–10. letter from B.
a Carmady caught the plane north. A
b Mrs Sype shot Carol Donovan. 1 Kathy’s husband was in . . .
c Kathy told Carmady about the pearls. 2 Peeler Mardo rented a room in . . .
d Carmady found Peeler Mardo’s body. 3 Carmady’s office was opposite . . .
e Wally Sype stole the pearls. 4 Sunset was playing pool at . . .
f Rush Madder and Carol Donovan caught 5 Wally Sype died in . . .
the plane north.
B
g Sol Leander bought two pearls.
a . . . the Smoke Shop
h Carmady found the pearls.
b . . . Westport
i Wally Sype went to prison.
c . . . Kathy’s house
j Carmady met Wally Sype.
d . . . prison
20 marks e . . . the Mansion House Hotel.

20 marks
3 Who in the story . . . ? Carmady, Peeler Mardo,
Sunset, Rush Madder, Carol Donovan, Wally Sype,
Kathy Horne. Total marks
a . . . was married to a crook? ………………..
b . . . talked in his sleep? ………………..
c . . . had a thin black moustache? ………………..
d . . . worked at a hotel? ………………..
e . . . gave Carmady something strange to drink?
………………..
f . . . had a map in his shoe? ………………..
g . . . shot a mail clerk? ………………..
h . . . told Carmady which town Wally Sype lived in?
………………..
i . . . shot Sunset? ………………..
j . . . shot Rush Madder in the knee?
………………..

20 marks

oxford bookworms library STAge 3 16 © oxford university press photocopiable

 Goldfish
Setting
Choose the best answer.
1 Carmady works in _____.
a F New York b F San Francisco
c F Los Angeles d F Seattle
2 Kathy Horne comes to talk to Carmady at his
_____.
a F shop b F golf club c F bar d F office
3 Kathy works at the _____.
a F Reliance Insurance Company
b F Mansion House Hotel
c F nearest police station d F local fish shop
4 There are _____ of the Leander pearls.
a F two b F four c F six d F eight
M U LT I p L e - C H O I C e
5 Sol Leander bought the pearls for his _____ .
a F mother b F wife c F daughter
d F girlfriend
6 The pearls cost _____ dollars.
TesT
a F twenty b F two hundred
c F two thousand d F two hundred thousand
7 The mail-car robbery happened _____ years ago.
a F two b F nine c F nineteen
d F thirty-nine
8 There is a _____ dollar reward for the pearls.
a F five thousand b F twenty-five thousand
c F fifty thousand d F hundred thousand
9 Carmady gets on a plane and goes up north to a
town called _____.
a F Leander b F Leavenworth
c F Sunset d F Olympia
10 Carmady goes into a bar called ‘Smoke Shop’
and asks about _____.
a F goldfish b F pearls c F fish tanks
d F cigarettes
20 marks
Characters
Choose the best answer.
11 Carmady is a _____.
a F police officer b F hotel manager
c F lawyer d F private detective
12 _____ was in prison for fifteen years.
a F Wally Sype b F Rush Madder
c F Kathy Horne d F Carol Donovan
13 _____ heard about the pearls in prison.
a F Carmady b F Peeler Mardo
c F Rush Madder d F Lutin
14 Peeler Mardo _____.
a F fights Carmady b F runs away
c F dies in bed d F finds the pearls
oxford bookworms library stage 3
Raymond Chandler
15 _____ was once in the police and is now married
to a crook.
a F Kathy Horne b F Carol Donovan
c F Mrs Sype d F Sol Leander
16 _____ is a lawyer but also a crook.
a F Carmady b F Sol Leander c F Sype
d F Rush Madder
17 Carol Donovan is a _____ woman.
a F funny and attractive b F warm and friendly
c F cold and hard d F quiet and sweet
18 Carmady meets _____ in a bar in Olympia. He
helps Carmady to find Sype.
a F Lutin b F Sunset c F Rush Madder
d F Sol Leander
19 _____ has a lot of money.
a F Mrs Sype b F Carmady
c F Kathy Horne d F Peeler Mardo
20 Sype now uses the name of _____.
a F Leander b F Murdo c F Wallace
d F Westport
20 marks
Dialogue
Who said or wrote this?
21 ‘Well, listen to this. Peeler Mardo rents a room
in my house and he drinks too much and he
talks in his sleep.’
a F Carmady b F Kathy Horne
c F Carol Donovan d F Rush Madder
22 ‘I think he probably died quickly and didn’t say
very much. When I went there, I didn’t believe
this story, but now I’m not so sure.’
a F Carmady b F Kathy Horne
c F Sol Leander d F Rush Madder
23 ‘They cost this company one hundred and
fifteen thousand dollars. Sure I remember them.’
a F Carmady b F Kathy Horne
c F Lutin d F Sype
24 ‘Here’s the deal, Carmady. We’ll cut it two ways
– you and me. Not Carol. I don’t like the way
she does things.’
a F Peeler Mardo b F Rush Madder
c F Sol Leander d F Kathy Horne
25 ‘Don’t be stupid, Carmady. A few hours’ sleep
for you, a few hours’ start for us. Don’t make
me shoot. I will if I have to.’
a F Peeler Mardo b F Sype
c F Kathy Horne d F Carol Donovan
66 © oxford university press photocopiable
 Goldfish
26 ‘I think I’ll tie you up with rope, really hard.
Then me and my friend’ll go looking for some
pretty stones – pearls to you.’
a F Sype b F Carol Donovan c F Sunset
d F Kathy Horne
27 ‘Now I heard there was an old guy here with
hundreds of fish.’
a F Peeler Mardo b F Kathy Horne
c F Sol Leander d F Carmady
28 ‘I did my time in prison. I know people aren’t
going to stop wondering.’
a F Carmady b F Kathy Horne
c F Sype d F Mrs Sype
29 ‘The Moors, Hattie – the Moors.’
a F Sype b F Mrs Sype
c F Rush Madder d F Carol Donovan
30 ‘They’re clever, don’t you think? They look very
fine – just like the real thing. Of course I never
saw any really valuable pearls.’
a F Carmady b F Mrs Sype c F Sype
d F Rush Madder
20 marks
Vocabulary
Choose the best answer.
31 a very valuable jewel; a small white shiny ball
found inside oysters
a F gold b F ring c F diamond d F pearl
32 to shut a door quickly and make a loud noise
a F slam b F pull c F lock d F turn off
33 to have a big wide smile on your face
a F laugh b F grin c F cry d F shout
34 money that you get for finding something that is
lost
a F deal b F crime c F reward d F rent
35 when something or someone is bad or not nice
a F nasty b F famous c F funny
d F wonderful
36 when a person is well-dressed or fashionable
a F dirty b F careless c F smart d F lazy
37 to hit something or someone with your foot
a F break b F kick c F knock d F shake
38 an informal word for a police officer
a F cop b F crook c F ex-con d F guy
39 to breathe out slowly when you feel very sad or
tired
a F smell b F say c F speak d F sigh
oxford bookworms library stage 3
Raymond Chandler
40 the time when the sun goes down
a F midday b F midnight c F sunset
d F sunrise
20 marks
Plot
Choose the best answer.
41 One day, Kathy Horne comes to tell Carmady
about some stolen _____.
a F goldfish b F money c F gold
d F pearls
42 Peeler Mardo rents a room in _____.
a F Kathy’s hotel b F Kathy’s house
M U LT I p L e - C H O I C e
c F Carol’s house d F Carmady’s house
43 Mardo is dead because somebody burned his
_____.
a F feet b F hands c F fingers d F arms
TesT
44 Carmady goes to an insurance company to ask
about _____ the pearls.
a F the name of b F the colour of
c F a photo of d F the reward for
45 Carmady learns that _____ also want to go and
find the pearls.
a F Kathy Horne and Peeler Mardo
b F Kathy Horne and Sol Leander
c F Carol Donovan and Rush Madder
d F Rush Madder and Peeler Mardo
46 When Carmady talks to Rush Madder, Carol
Donovan comes out of the closet with _____.
a F a gun b F a knife c F a goldfish
d F the pearls
47 In Westport, Carmady _____ and then asks the
man about Sype’s house.
a F has a coffee b F has a lunch of ham and
eggs c F buys some fish d F buys a gun
48 Rush Madder and Carol Donovan escape and
arrive at _____ with guns in their hands.
a F the Snoqualmie Hotel b F the ‘Smoke
Shop’ bar c F Sype’s house d F Sype’s boat
49 Carmady finds the pearls inside _____.
a F Sype’s gun b F an empty fish tank
c F two goldfish d F two black fish
50 At the end, Carmady understands that the
pearls are _____.
a F real b F not real c F not valuable
d F broken
20 marks
Total marks
67 © oxford university press photocopiable