KNIFE GRINDER

I. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases using an English-English dictionary:

Out of the blue (p. 277), to run out of (p. 281), layabout (p. 282), harsh assessment (p. 282), to hush up (p. 282), on the sly (p. 284), to break out (p. 286), in itself (p. 287), in vogue (p. 288), to slot (p. 288), vagrancy (p. 288), the powers that be (p. 289), standing ovation (p. 289), a fire drill (p. 290), to maim (p. 293)

II. Recall the situations in which the words and phrases from ex. I were used in the chapter under discussion.

III. Explain what is meant by:

1. I was still too poisoned by Wilcox to pick the last watery blackberries of 1982. (p. 278)

2. Poems are lenses, mirrors and X-ray machines. (p. 283)

3. God, I wish I’d said yes. (p. 286)

4. … the villagers wanted the gypsies to be gross, so the grossness of what they’re not acts as a stencil for what the villagers are. (p. 288)

5. Black Swan Green villagers learnt you can have smoke without fire on Wednesday. (p. 293)

6. The Triple Invisible Boy, that’s Jason Taylor. (p. 296)

7. I’d been thinking how gypsies wanted the rest of us to be gross, so the grossness of what they’re not acts as a stencil for what they are. (p. 304)

IV. Answer the following questions:

1. Comment on the knife grinder’s visit.

2. What is the villagers’ attitude to the gypsies? Describe the emergency meeting. What happens during the meeting?

3. How does Jason find himself in the wood? Does he enjoy being there?

4. Where does Jason meet the gypsies? How does he feel about it?

V. Give a summary of the chapter.

GOOSE FAIR

I. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases using an English-English dictionary:

Prosecution (p. 307), to arrive at a verdict (p. 307), ally (p. 309), vicious (p. 318), to stash away (p. 319), to cartwheel (p. 326)

II. Recall the situations in which the words and phrases from ex. I were used in the chapter under discussion.

III. Explain what is meant by:

1. If your words’re true, they’re armed. (p. 311)

2. “Son, if I’djust been fightin’ for the vonga, for the money ”, he told me, “that Welsh bastard’d’ve beat me”. (p. 314)

3. Leopards changing their spots, is it? (p. 315)

4. They was the straw what broke the camel’s back. (p. 318)

5. It’s the perfect revenge. (p. 319)

6. So important, I’ve got no idea what it was. (p. 320)

IV. Answer the following questions:

1. What is a Goose Fair?

2. What does Jason find? What does he do with it? Why?

3. What do we learn about Ross Wilcox’s family?

4. What problems does Ross Wilcox face?

5. Why does Jason return the wallet to Ross?

6. What message do you think the author wants to convey by having Ross Wilcox badly injured in an accident?

V. Give a summary of the chapter.

DISCO

I. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases using an English-English dictionary:

Vice (p. 328), premises (p. 328), extortion (p. 329), alleged (p. 330), to get on with homework (p. 331), intimidation (p. 332), to feign incomprehension (p. 333), to stamp on (p. 333), to let in on a secret (p. 334), to be in the know (p. 336), ambiguous (p. 338), morbid (p. 341), to pick on sb (p. 343), blur (p. 349)

II. Recall the situations in which the words and phrases from ex. I were used in the chapter under discussion.

III. Explain what is meant by:

1. But misfortunes are commonplace, Taylor, and relative. (p. 329)

2. That ‘alleged’ warned me the jury was still out. (p. 330)

3. Better to let someone else blow the whistle, sir. (p. 332)

4. Miss Lippetts loves her job, on good days. (p. 339)

5. ‘Your crush had evaporated?’

‘Yeah. Into thin air. How does that happen?’ (p. 342)

6. ‘A human punchbag?’ (p. 349)

7. That didn’t make sense. (p. 351)

IV. Answer the following questions:

1. What did Jason do at metalwork class? Why do you think he did it?

2. How did the teachers and Mr Nixon react to that? Comment on Miss Lippett’s lesson.

3. Why did Jason’s father lose his job?

4. What things happened at the disco?

5. What did Jason and his father talk about?

V. Give a summary of the chapter.

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