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, Mary was a a wheelchair. ..............
polite and friendly to Mrs Medlock. b two rabbits and two squirrels. ...............
c ___ The house in Yorkshire was large. c the key to the secret garden. ..............
d ___ At the beginning, Mary felt lonely at her d eleven brothers and sisters. ...............
uncle’s house. e a crooked back. ...............
e ___ Ben the gardener told Mary she 20 marks
was pretty.
f ___ The robin helped Mary to find the key 4 Look at this picture
to the secret garden. a Who are the three people?
g ___ Nobody had been in the secret garden ………………………………………..………………
for ten years. b Where are they?
h ___ Dickon was a selfish and bad- ………………………………………..………………
tempered boy.
i ___ Mary and Colin had an argument. 20 marks
j ___ Colin was in a wheelchair when he met
his father at the end. 5 Match a number from A with a letter from
B to make complete sentences.
20 marks
A
1 ___ Colin was worried ...
2 Put the following events in the story in
2 ___ Mary came to live in England ...
the right order. Number them 1–10.
3 ___ Mary found Colin ...
a ___ A robin helped Mary to find the key. 4 ___ Mr Craven was sad ...
b ___ Dickon and Mary took Colin to the 5 ___ The servants in Yorkshire were
secret garden in his wheelchair. surprised ...
c ___ Mary was born in India.
d ___ Mr Craven came back home, and was B
happy because his son could walk. a because his wife died.
e ___ Mary’s parents died. b because Colin could walk.
f ___ Mary went to the secret garden for the c because he thought he was going to die.
first time. d because both of her parents died.
g ___ Mary came to live in her uncle’s house. e because she heard him crying.
h ___ Mary met Dickon and they went to the
secret garden together. 20 marks
I ___ Colin learned to walk again.
j ___ Mary found Colin for the first time and Total marks
became his friend.
20 marks

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS COMPREHENSION TEST ANSWERS
Stage 3
The Secret Garden

1 5
a F 1 c
b F 2 d
c T 3 e
d T 4 a
e F 5 b
f T
g T
h F
i T
j F

2
a 4
b 8
c 1
d 10
e 2
f 5
g 3
h 6
i 9
j 7

3
a Colin
b Dickon
c Mary
d Martha
e Mr Archibald Craven

4
a Colin (Mr Craven’s son), Mr Archibald
Craven (Colin’s father), Mary (Lennox)
b At the door/ in front of the secret garden.
In the secret garden.

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 3
The Secret Garden

SETTING 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 _____.
CHARACTERS
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
b Dickon
20 marks
c Colin
d Ben Weatherstaff
DIALOGUE
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
VOCABULARY 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
20 marks
d whisper
33 something strange that can make wonderful,
PLOT
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
b Colin could 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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OXFORD BOOKWORMS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST ANSWERS
Stage 3
The Secret Garden

SETTING PLOT
1 b 41 b
2 a 42 d
3 b 43 d
4 c 44 b
5 d 45 a
6 b 46 c
7 a 47 d
8 a 48 a
9 b 49 c
10 b 50 a

CHARACTERS
11 b
12 a
13 b
14 d
15 b
16 d
17 a
18 d
19 b
20 b

DIALOGUE
21 c
22 b
23 a
24 b
25 d
26 c
27 a
28 c
29 a
30 d

VOCABULARY
31 d
32 a
33 d
34 d
35 b
36 a
37 c
38 d
39 c
40 b

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OXFORD BOOKWORMS
Stage 3
The Secret Garden
BEFORE READING
Activity 1
1 Yes 2 Yes 3 No 4 Yes 5 No
Activity 2
Encourage students to speculate and to
make guesses, but do not tell them the
answers. They will find out as they read
that the best answer is number 1. Number
2 is close, because Mrs Craven fell off the
branch of a tree in the garden, and died
soon afterwards.
Activity 3
Open answers. Encourage discussion of
these questions and others. Help
students to imagine what life would be
like for a young orphaned child, suddenly
transplanted into a different culture,
climate, landscape, etc.
WHILE READING
Chapter 1
1 Mary to herself, about her Indian servant,
Kamala.
2 A young Englishman to Mary’s mother, about
the disease that was killing so many people in
the town.
3 Another Englishman to his friend, about
Mary when they found her alone in her
parents’ house.
4 A young boy called Basil to Mary, about her
uncle in Yorkshire, Mr Craven.
5 Mrs Medlock, Mr Craven’s housekeeper, to
Mary, about Mr Craven.
6 Mary to herself, about the frightening sound of
the wind blowing across the wild Yorkshire
moor.
Chapter 2
1 Martha Sowerby, one of the servants.
2 Martha’s brother, Dickon Sowerby.
3 Ben Weatherstaff, the gardener.
4 Mary’s uncle, Mr Craven, because his wife
had died after an accident in the garden.
5 Mrs Medlock, the housekeeper.
Before Reading Chapter 3
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BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Encourage students to speculate and to
make guesses, but do not tell them the
answers. They will find out as they read
that it is the robin who shows Mary both
the key and the door to the garden.
Chapter 3
1 What . . .? She went home to help her mother
with the housework.
2 Who . . .? The robin.
3 What . . .? A skipping-rope.
4 What . . .? She pulled out the thick grass
around lots of little green shoots.
5 Why . . .? Because she wanted to make her
own garden.
6 What . . .? Somebody (a child) crying.
Chapter 4
1 T
2 F Dickon brought a squirrel, a crow, and
two
rabbits when he came to see Mary.
3 F Mary told Dickon about the secret
garden.
4 T
5 F Mary thought that her uncle was a nice
man.
Chapters 5 and 6
1 She followed the crying sound through the
house until she found his room.
2 Because it made him remember his wife,
Colin’s mother, who died when Colin was
born.
3 He had been ill all his life and his back was
not strong. He was afraid that he would have a
crooked back like his father, and he thought he
was going to die.
4 Because he was building a nest.
5 She wanted to show him the secret garden,
and help him get better in the fresh air.
6 Because it gave him something new to think
about.
7 To see if it really was crooked, and she
decided it wasn’t.
8 In a wheelchair, and Dickon was going to
push it.
Before Reading Chapters 7 and 8
Open answers. Encourage discussion and
speculation. Ask students whether they
OXFORD BOOKWORMS
Stage 3
The Secret Garden
think there will be a happy ending or a
sad one, and which they would prefer. In
fact, the first answer is the correct one.
Chapters 7 and 8
1+12 2+8 3+11 4+14 5+9 6+13 7+10
When Colin first saw the beautiful secret garden,
he knew at once that he was going to get
better. He wanted to show Ben that he did not
have crooked legs, so he got out of his
wheelchair and stood up straight. After that,
he walked and ran a little more each day, until
he was as strong and healthy as any other boy.
While the secret garden and Colin were
returning to life, Mr Craven was travelling
round Europe. In late summer he decided to
return to Yorkshire, because in a dream he
heard his dead wife calling to him. He came to
the door of the garden and his son ran out,
straight into his arms. Then the children told
him all about the magic of the secret garden,
which had made Colin well.
AFTER READING
Activity 1
Suggested answers (other answers are
possible in some places, provided the
adjective is appropriate for the context):
1 When Mary arrived in Yorkshire, she was
lonely because she had no friends. She only
thought of herself, and was selfish and
disagreeable. But playing outside in the fresh
air soon made her strong and healthy, and
she became more interested in other
people.
2 Martha was always kind and friendly to Mary,
but she was shocked when she learnt that
Mary couldn’t dress herself.
3 Before he met Mary, Colin was always feeling
sorry for himself. He was frightened that his
back would be crooked, like his father’s, and
this fear had made him ill. Meeting Mary was
good for him, and gave him new things to think
about.
4 Old Ben Weatherstaff was often bad-
tempered with Mary, but his voice was always
gentle when he spoke to the robin.
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BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
5 Dickon was a kind boy, who could make friends
with wild animals.
6 Mr Craven spent his time travelling in beautiful
places, but he was a sad and lonely man.
Activity 2
Suggested answers:
MARTHA : Did you know, Mother, there’s a little girl
who’s come to live at the Manor? Her name’s
Mary Lennox.
MRS SOWERBY: Where has she come from?
MARTHA : From India. Her parents both died
suddenly, so she had to come to live with Mr
Craven, her uncle.
MRS SOWERBY: What’s she like?
MARTHA : She’s a very strange little girl. Very thin,
with a yellow skin. And she doesn’t know how
to dress herself because her servant always
used to do it for her.
MRS SOWERBY: She’ll have to learn how to take
care of herself now.
MARTHA: Oh yes, I told her that.
MRS SOWERBY: She must be lonely, poor child. I
feel sorry for her.
MARTHA : I feel sorry for her too. And you’re right,
she is lonely. I talk to her a lot when I take her
meals up.
MRS SOWERBY: What do you talk about?
MARTH A : Well, I told her all about the locked
garden, and why nobody’s been in it for ten
years.
MRS SOWERBY: Did you tell her about Colin, too?
MARTHA : No, I didn’t. Mrs Medlock told all the
servants that we mustn’t say anything about him.
MRS SOWERBY: She’ll probably find out about him
sooner or later.
MARTHA : Yes, I’m afraid she will. She’s already
heard him crying and asked me about it.
MRS SOWERBY: Martha, I’ve just had an idea. I’m
going to buy a skipping-rope for that poor
lonely child.
MARTHA: A skipping-rope? Oh yes, that’s a lovely
idea!
Activity 3
Hidden sentence: A boy and a girl learnt to be
happy in the garden.
Other words across: magic, hop, door, spade,
horrid, seed
Other words down: cousin, nest, healthy, robin,
skip, key
OXFORD BOOKWORMS BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Stage 3
The Secret Garden

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Activity 4
1 Colin, thinking about Mary. He has just woken
up the next morning, after Mary’s first visit to
him during the night.
2 Mrs Sowerby, thinking about Mr Craven. She
has just been to see the children in the garden,
and is going to go home and write to Mr
Craven, to ask him to come home.
3 Mary, thinking about Martha. She has just
woken up on her first morning in Yorkshire, and
is going to ask Martha who she is.
4 Ben, thinking about Colin. He is looking over
the wall of the secret garden, and has just
seen Colin get out of his wheelchair and
stand up.
5 Mary, thinking about Dickon. She has just
shown Dickon the secret garden for the first
time.

Activity 5
Open answers. Encourage students to look at
the character development of Mary and
Colin.

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