OXFORD ​BOOKWORMS COMPREHENSION TEST

Stage 3
The Secret Garden

1 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? 3 In the story, who has ...? ​Choose from:
Mary, Mr Archibald Craven, Colin,
a ___ Mary’s servant Kamala came to
Dickon, Martha.
England with her.
b ___ On the journey to Yorkshire, a a wheelchair. ..............
Mary was polite and friendly to Mrs b two rabbits and two squirrels. ...............
Medlock. c the key to the secret garden. ..............
c ___ The house in Yorkshire was d eleven brothers and sisters. ...............
large. e a crooked back. ...............
d ___ At the beginning, Mary felt lonely ​20 marks
at her uncle’s house.
e ___ Ben the gardener told Mary she 4 Look at this picture
was pretty. a Who are the three people?
f ___ The robin helped Mary to find ………………………………………..………………
the key to the secret garden. b Where are they?
g ___ Nobody had been in the secret ………………………………………..………………
garden for ten years.
​20 marks
h ___ Dickon was a selfish and
bad-tempered boy.
5 Match a number from A with a letter from
i ___ Mary and Colin had an
B to make complete sentences.
argument.
j ___ Colin was in a wheelchair when A
he met his father at the end. 1 ___ Colin was worried ...
2 ___ Mary came to live in England ...
​20 marks
3 ___ Mary found Colin ...
4 ___ Mr Craven was sad ...
2 Put the following events in the story in
5 ___ The servants in Yorkshire were
the right order. Number them 1–10.
surprised ...
a ___ A robin helped Mary to find the
key. B
b ___ Dickon and Mary took Colin to a because his wife died.
the secret garden in his wheelchair. b because Colin could walk.
c ___ Mary was born in India. c because he thought he was going to
d ___ Mr Craven came back home, die.
and was happy because his son could d because both of her parents died.
walk. e because she heard him crying.
e ___ Mary’s parents died.
​20 marks
f ___ Mary went to the secret garden
for the first time.
​Total marks
g ___ Mary came to live in her uncle’s
house.
h ___ Mary met Dickon and they went
to the secret garden together.
I ___ Colin learned to walk again.
j ___ Mary found Colin for the first
time and became his friend.
​20 marks

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OXFORD ​BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 3
The Secret Garden
S​ETTING 8 Mrs Medlock thought that Mary was a _____
child.
Choose the best answer. a  disagreeable
1 The young Englishman told Mary’s mother b  pretty
that they should _____. c  happy
a  make a flower garden d  ugly
b  go to the hills
9 Mr Craven’s house had nearly _____ rooms,
c  leave India
but most of them were shut.
d  get more servants
a  a thousand
2 Later that day _____ in Mary’s house. b  one hundred
a  three servants died c  fifty
b  Mary’s mother had a party d  two hundred
c  the Englishman made a garden
10 Mr Craven’s house was right on the edge of
d  Kamala came back
the _____.
3 Mary did not miss her parents when they a  town
died because _____. b  moor
a  she didn’t live with them c  sea
b  she had not known them well d  lake
c  she hated them
​20 marks
d  she had lots of friends
4 At first Mary was taken to live with _____.
C​HARACTERS
a  her grandparents
b  the servants Choose the best answer.
c  a family who had known her parents 11 Mary was not a pretty child, she had a thin
d  her friends angry face and _____.
5 Basil sang a song about Miss Mary and her a  long arms and legs
stupid _____. b  thin yellow hair
a  parents c  a tall thin body
b  servants d  long thin fingers
c  friends 12 Kamala was paid to _____.
d  flowers a  take care of Mary
6 Basil told Mary that her uncle had no _____ b  look after the garden
because he was so bad-tempered. c  feed the elephants
a  wife d  help in the kitchen
b  friends 13 Mary was born in India, where her _____
c  servants was a British official.
d  children a  mother
7 Mary travelled _____ to her uncle’s house in b  father
Yorkshire. c  brother
a  north by train d  uncle
b  south by sea 14 Mary’s mother was very beautiful and spent
c  east by car all her time _____.
d  west by train a  in the garden
b  doing the cooking
c  talking to the servants
d  going to parties

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OXFORD ​BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 3
The Secret Garden
15 When she was in India, Mary was a very 22 ‘You’re a hard little girl! Well, if you don’t
_____, and bad-tempered little girl. care, Mr Craven doesn’t care either.’
a  kind, gentle a  Mary
b  selfish, disagreeable b  Mrs Medlock
c  confused, angry c  Basil
d  frightened, cross d  Martha
16 _____ was a large woman, with a very red 23 ‘My mother always says people should be
face and bright black eyes. able to take care of themselves, even if they
a  Martha are rich and important.’
b  Kamala a  Martha
c  Mary’s mother b  Mary
d  Mrs Medlock c  Mrs Medlock
d  Mr Craven
17 Martha had _____ brothers and sisters.
a  eleven 24 ‘I haven’t got any friends at all.’
b  twelve a  Martha
c  thirteen b  Mary
d  fourteen c  Mr Craven
d  Dickon
18 Before he met Mary, Ben Weatherstaff’s
only friend was _____. 25 ‘You’re a strange child. Like an old woman!
a  Colin Now run away and play!’
b  Mr Craven a  Mrs Medlock
c  his dog c  Mary
d  a robin c  Martha’s mother
d  Martha
19 Mary thought Mr Craven’s face was not ugly,
but very _____. 26 ‘You mustn’t go wandering around the
a  handsome house, you know. Mr Craven wouldn’t like it.’
b  sad a  Mrs Medlock
c  thin b  Ben Weatherstaff
d  angry c  Martha
d  Martha’s mother
20 When Colin was born _____.
a  his father and mother went to Europe 27 ‘I’ve stolen a garden. Nobody goes into it,
b  the garden door was locked nobody wants it. I love it and nobody takes
c  his father left him with his mother care of it.’
d  his father made a new garden a  Mary
​20 marks b  Dickon
c  Colin
d  Ben Weatherstaff
D​IALOGUE
28 ‘What a strange house this is! So many
Who said this? secrets! Does your father come and see
21 ‘Why has nobody come to take care of me?’ you often?’
a  Mary’s mother a  Martha
b  Kamala b  Colin
c  Mary c  Mary
d  Mary’s father d  Dickon

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OXFORD ​BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 3
The Secret Garden
29 ‘I won’t let that boy come to the garden if 36 a messenger from God, or a very
you stay with him instead of talking to me!’ good person
a  Colin a  angel
b  Mary b  cousin
c  Martha c  handsome
d  Dickon d  magic
30 ‘You’ve got your mother’s eyes. Yes, I know 37 drops of water that come from your eyes
you. You’re Mr Craven’s son … .’ a  stare
a  Martha b  horrid
b  Mary c  tears
c  Dickon d  shocked
d  Ben Weatherstaff
38 not beautiful
​20 marks a  pretty
b  bad
V​OCABULARY c  old
d  ugly
Choose the best answer.
39 often cross and angry
31 not pleasing; bad-tempered a  confused
a  confused b  furious
b  shocked c  bad-tempered
c  furious d  tears
d  disagreeable
40 to walk slowly with no special plan
32 to look at someone or something for a a  whisper
long time b  wander
a  stare c  skip
b  skip d  hop
c  wander
d  whisper ​20 marks

33 something strange that can make wonderful,

P​LOT
unusual things happen
a  angel Choose the best answer.
b  shocked
41 Mrs Medlock told Mary that she must _____.
c  confused
a  go to visit Colin
d  magic
b  stay in her room
34 to jump on one foot c  play in the garden
a  skip d  help in the kitchen
b  wander
42 Mary didn’t like the garden at first because
c  bury
she thought _____.
d  hop
a  it was untidy and dirty
35 a different way of speaking the same b  it had no flowers
language c  there were no birds
a  whisper d  it looked ugly in winter
b  dialect
c  cousin
d  ugly

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OXFORD ​BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 3
The Secret Garden
43 _____ told Mary about the secret garden. 50 When Mr Craven looked at a _____ he
a  Mr Craven realized how beautiful something living could
b  Colin be.
c  Mrs Medlock a  flower
d  Martha b  tree
c  robin
44 _____ was the only one who had been in
d  stream
the secret garden in the last ten years.
a  Ben Weatherstaff ​20 marks
b  The robin
c  Mrs Medlock ​Total marks
d  Martha
45 Mary found the old key in _____.
a  a hole in the garden
b  her room in the house
c  a tree
d  the robin’s nest
46 Dickon brought Mary a spade and
some _____.
a  trees
b  birds
c  seeds
d  roses
47 Mary found Colin’s bedroom because she
heard him _____.
a  laughing
b  singing
c  talking
d  crying
48 When he looked over the wall, Ben
Weatherstaff was surprised to see that Colin
didn’t have _____.
a  a crooked back and legs
b  his father’s hair
c  his mother’s eyes
d  crooked arms
49 Mrs Sowerby sent _____ to the garden for
Mary and Colin to eat.
a  eggs and meat
b  apples and pears
c  milk and fresh bread
d  cake and tea

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