OXFORD BOOKWORMS
COMPREHENSION TEST
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
1
Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
a
___ The first man to find the North Pole
was an American.
___ The name of Scott’s ship was Fram.
___ Amundsen had more motor sledges
than Scott.
___ They made depots because they
couldn’t carry all the food with them.
___ Ponies are faster than dogs on snow.
___ The British killed some ponies to eat.
___ Scott didn’t try to learn to ski.
___ There are no mountains in Antarctica.
___ The Norwegians killed some dogs
to eat.
___ Amundsen waited for Scott at the
North Pole.
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
B
a
b
c
d
e
because he started too early and his men
nearly died in the cold.
so their table was often wet and dirty.
there was no British flag there.
but Peary, an American, found the North
Pole a year before.
so he changed a lot of things to make them
stronger and faster.
20 marks
4
Explain in 3 sentences why Scott did not
win the race to the South Pole.
1
…………………………………………………..
2
…………………………………………………..
3
…………………………………………………..
20 marks
2
A
1
2
3
B
a
b
c
d
e
30 marks
Match a word from A with a definition
from B.
5
___ Sledge
___ Ski
___ Ice
4 ___ Pony
5 ___ Snowstorm
A small horse
Something to carry food and equipment
across the snow
A lot of wind and snow at the same time
A long piece of wood to put your feet on to
travel on the snow
Cold hard water
Oates wrote a letter to his mother. Fill in
the gaps using: think, learn, sleep, drive,
like.
We had a very bad winter here. I don’t ...............
Scott. We were here all winter, but he didn’t
............... to ski, or to ............... dogs. Our
equipment is bad, and he doesn’t ...............
about other people. I’m going to ............... in his
tent on the journey, but I don’t want to.
10 marks
Total marks
20 marks
3
A
1
2
3
4
5
1
Match a number from A with a letter from
B to make complete sentences.
___ The Norwegians wanted to be the first
men at the North Pole ...
___ On the Terra Nova, Scott’s men ate in
a room under the ponies ...
___ Bjaaland wasn’t happy with the skis
and sledges ...
___ Johansen told Amundsen he was a
bad captain ...
___ When the Norwegians arrived at the
South Pole ...
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OXFORD BOOKWORMS
COMPREHENSION TEST ANSWERS
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
1
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
T
F
F
T
F
F
T
F
T
F
2
1
2
3
4
5
b
d
e
a
c
3
1
2
3
4
5
d
b
e
a
c
4
1
2
3
Scott’s ponies were old and ill and they died
quickly.
In the winter Scott didn’t learn to ski, or to
drive dogs.
The Norwegians were some of the best
skiers on earth, and they had a lot of dogs.
5
like, learn, drive, think, sleep
2
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OXFORD BOOKWORMS
MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
SETTING
9
Choose the best answer.
a
b
c
d
1
a
b
c
d
The journey to the South Pole began in
the _____ of 1910.
spring
summer
autumn
winter
2
a
b
c
d
Scott’s ship was called _____.
Fram
Terra Firma
Terra Nova
New Land
3
a
b
c
d
In 1910, Scott was _____ years old.
31
39
41
43
4
a
b
c
d
Scott and his men wanted to _____.
be the first at the South Pole
be the first in Alaska
visit South America
travel around Norway
5
a
b
c
d
He wanted to _____ under his clothes.
carry a bottle of whisky
wear something British
wear another jumper
carry a British flag
6
a
b
c
d
Roald Amundsen decided to go to _____.
Antarctica before Alaska
Alaska before Antarctica
Britain
America
7
a
b
c
d
Amundsen’s friends were excellent _____.
sailors
walkers
swimmers
skiers
8
Amundsen’s ship first went to a small island
to get _____.
men
food
dogs
clothes
a
b
c
d
3
_____ was the first country to the
North Pole.
Britain
Norway
America
Antarctica
10 When Amundsen’s men heard where he
really wanted to go, they _____.
a
left the ship
b
were happy
c
were angry
d
went to Scott’s ship.
20 marks
CHARACTERS
Choose the best answer.
11 Robert Scott was _____.
a
strong and not very tall
b
strong and tall
c
not very strong or tall
d
very thin and tall
12 Roald Amundsen was _____.
a
not very tall with a long face
b
quite short with a big face
c
tall with long hair
d
tall with a long face
13 Olav Bjaaland was the best _____.
a
swimmer in Norway
b
skier in the world
c
leader of the Norwegian team
d
skier in Norway
14 _____ thought that Scott made a lot of
mistakes.
a
Oates
b
Wilson
c
Evans
d
Bowers
15 Amundsen _____ very carefully.
a
built Framheim
b
drove the dogs
c
made his depots
d
wrote letters
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MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
16 Johansen told Amundsen that he was wrong
to start in _____.
a
January
b
April
c
June
d
September
17 _____ knew how to drive the dogs in Scott’s
team.
a
Oates
b
Meares
c
Evans
d
Wilson
23 ‘I came here to learn about the Antarctic!’
a
Scott
b
Johansen
c
Amundsen
d
Oates
24 ‘All the ponies are in a small room at the
front of the ship.’
a
Evans
b
Scott
c
Oates
d
Bowers
18 Titus Oates’ _____ became black.
a
hands
b
legs
c
feet
d
fingers
25 ‘That’s too early! We can’t start then – it’s
dangerous and stupid!’
a
Oates
b
Johansen
c
Bjaaland
d
Amundsen
19 Hansen wanted Amundsen to _____.
a
go more quickly
b
be first at the South Pole
c
go home
d
make more depots
26 ‘You aren’t coming to the Pole with me.’
a
Scott
b
Oates
c
Amundsen
d
Johansen
20 Edgar Evans was the first of Scott’s men
to _____.
a
feel ill
b
ski
c
die
d
leave
27 ‘This is a wonderful place – but I don’t want
to stay a long time.’
a
Amundsen
b
Bjaaland
c
Scott
d
Wisting
20 marks
DIALOGUE
Who said or wrote this?
21 ‘An American flag at the North Pole, a
British flag at the South Pole.’
a
Scott
b
Johansen
c
Evans
d
Amundsen
22 ‘It’s a ski race, isn’t it, and the English
can’t ski!’
a
Bjaaland
b
Amundsen
c
Oates
d
Johansen
4
28 ‘Stop! This is it.’
a
Scott
b
Hanssen
c
Oates
d
Amundsen
29 ‘Great God! This is an awful place!’
a
Evans
b
Oates
c
Scott
d
Wilson
30 ‘I’m going outside for a minute. I may be
some time.’
a
Scott
b
Wilson
c
Oates
d
Evans
20 marks
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OXFORD BOOKWORMS
MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
VOCABULARY
Choose the best answer.
31 when two or more people try to be first
a
lie
b
camp
c
race
d
journey
32 a drawing which shows where places are
a
plateau
b
flag
c
pole
d
map
33 to go from place to place
a
travel
b
ski
c
journey
d
reach
34 thick air which is difficult to see in
a
ice
b
rain
c
fog
d
wind
35 to be the first in something
a
reach
b
win
c
lose
d
pull
36 with nothing in it
a
dirty
b
awful
c
lost
d
empty
37 something to carry food and things on snow
a
boot
b
sledge
c
island
d
tent
38 when you do not know where you are
a
lost
b
quiet
c
unhappy
d
tired
5
39 a place to leave food and things on a
journey
a
depot
b
tent
c
house
d
equipment
40 a small horse
a
body
b
boot
c
pony
d
hole
20 marks
PLOT
Choose the best answer.
41 When Scott heard that Amundsen wanted to
go to the South Pole, _____.
a
Scott was in front
b
Amundsen was in front
c
Scott was in England
d
Amundsen was in Norway
42 The two teams decided to _____.
a
go to the South Pole in winter
b
go to the South Pole in the summer
c
stay in the same place for one year
d
play football
43 _____ before the journey.
a
No one worked hard at Scott’s camp
b
The Norwegians didn’t work hard
c
Only Scott worked hard
d
Amundsen worked the hardest
44 The Norwegians travelled more quickly
because _____.
a
the English team was fatter
b
they used motor sledges
c
they liked the snow and ice
d
they skied and used more dogs
45 Scott’s ponies walked slowly
because _____.
a
they didn’t cost much money
b
their feet went down into the snow
c
they ate too much
d
the men were too heavy
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MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
46 Amundsen thought that _____ go up the
mountains.
a
anything could
b
only men could
c
only ponies could
d
motor sledges couldn’t
47 The Norwegians killed thirty dogs
because _____.
a
the dogs were ill
b
they only needed eighteen dogs
c
the dogs didn’t like the cold
d
the dogs ate too much food
48 Scott wanted to take five men to
the Pole, _____.
a
so Bowers went back with Teddy
b
and there was food for everyone
c
but he only had food for four men
d
but only three wanted to go
49 _____ on December 14th, 1911.
a
Scott arrived at the South Pole first
b
Amundsen arrived at the South Pole
second
c
Scott arrived at the South Pole second
d
Amundsen arrived at the South Pole first
50 People found _____ in November, 1912.
a
the bodies of Scott, Wilson, Bowers and
Oates
b
Amundsen and his team
c
the bodies of Scott, Wilson, and Bowers
d
five bodies
20 marks
Total marks
6
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MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST ANSWERS
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
SETTING
1 b
2 c
3 c
4 a
5 d
6 a
7 d
8 c
9 c
10 b
PLOT
41 a
42 b
43 a
44 d
45 b
46 d
47 b
48 c
49 d
50 c
CHARACTERS
11 a
12 d
13 d
14 a
15 c
16 d
17 b
18 c
19 b
20 c
DIALOGUE
21 d
22 a
23 a
24 c
25 b
26 c
27 b
28 d
29 c
30 c
VOCABULARY
31 c
32 d
33 a
34 c
35 b
36 d
37 b
38 a
39 a
40 c
7
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BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
BEFORE READING
page 44
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
WHILE READING
Chapters 1, 2 and 3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Scott
Amundsen
Amundsen
Scott
Amundsen
Amundsen
Scott
Scott
Chapters 4 and 5
2
Encourage students to speculate and to make
guesses but do not tell them the answers. When
they have read the story, they will find that 3, 5,
and 8 are correct.
3
The aim of this crossword is to help students
learn these key words if they do not already
know them. If students find it difficult, encourage
them to look in the introduction and at the
captions under the pictures. The words sledge
and ponies are in the captions under the
pictures. The words South Pole, snow, wind,
ice, ponies, skis are all in the introduction on the
first page.
Across:
1 South Pole, 3 snow, 4 wind, 6 skis
Down:
1 sledge, 2 ponies, 5 ice
The Norwegians worked on their equipment.
The Norwegians made two depots with
many flags.
The British didn’t work on their equipment.
The British made one depot with one flag.
The British didn’t learn to ski.
The ponies walked slowly through the snow.
The dogs lived in holes under the snow.
The dogs ran fast over the snow.
Chapters 6 and 7
The Norwegians started in September, but they
nearly died of cold, so they went back to
Framheim. They left again on October 20th, with
five men, four sledges, and forty-eight dogs.
They travelled fast, and everybody was happy.
The British started on October 24th. They had
two motor sledges, eight sledges with eight
ponies, and one sledge with dogs. The ponies
travelled slowly, and got tired quickly. The motor
sledges broke, and the men pulled the sledges
themselves.
Chapter 8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
They killed and ate thirty dogs.
175 kilometres.
The Norwegians reached the South Pole.
Meares, Teddy Evans, and two other men.
Oates, Wilson, Edgar Evans, Bowers.
They had one sledge and food for four men.
270 kilometres.
Before reading Chapter 9
Do not tell the students the answers but
encourage them to guess. They will find out as
they read the last chapter that the only ‘yes’
answer is 2.
8
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BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
AFTER READING
1
1 + 14
2 + 11
3+9
4 + 16
5 + 13
6 + 10
7 + 12
8 + 15
The Norwegians got to the Pole on
December 14th, and stayed there for
two days.
On the way back they travelled fast,
often fifty kilometres a day, so they
were back at Framheim by
January 26th.
The Englishmen reached the Pole on
January 17th, about five weeks after
the Norwegians got there.
They left the Pole and started north
again, but they travelled slowly, about
ten kilometres a day.
In March they were still a long way
from home and they didn’t have
much food.
At Cape Evans the Englishmen waited
all winter, but Scott and his men did
not come.
In October, when the next Antarctic
summer began, the men at Cape
Evans started for the south.
After two weeks they found a tent, with
the bodies of Scott, Wilson and
Bowers, but nobody ever found the
bodies of Titus Oates and
Edgar Evans.
2
7 Reporter:
3 Amundsen:
12 Reporter:
4 Amundsen:
9 Reporter:
5 Amundsen:
2 Reporter:
9
Mr Amundsen! Can I ask you
some questions, please?
All right. What do you want
to ask?
Well, first, do you know that
Captain Scott is dead?
Dead? No, I didn’t know. What
happened?
His friends found him in his tent,
with Wilson and Bowers. They
died of cold and hunger.
Poor men. Were they far from
a depot?
No. There was a depot a few
kilometres away, but they didn’t
find it. Is it difficult to find depots,
sir?
1 Amundsen:
Difficult? No, but you must have
a lot of flags. How many flags
did Scott have at his depots?
11 Reporter:
One, sir. A big flag on top of
the depot.
8 Amundsen: One? That’s no good. You need
lots of flags.
15 Reporter:
How many flags did you have at
your depots, sir?
10 Amundsen: Well, at our second depot we
had sixty flags.
6 Reporter:
Sixty! So it was easy to find!
14 Amundsen: Very easy. We were careful,
you see.
13 Reporter:
Yes, sir. Thank you very
much, sir.
3
Amundsen’s Diary: December 14th, 1911
Today was warm and sunny, and the dogs ran
well. We are the first men to reach the South
Pole, and we are all very happy and excited.
When we stopped, we put up a tent and the
Norwegian flag. Then Bjaaland took some
photos. Antarctica is a beautiful place; it is like
the high mountains of Norway. We have a lot of
food, our equipment is good, and there are ten
depots between here and Framheim. This is a
great day for us, and for Norway!
Scott’s Diary: January 17th, 1912
This was a bad day for us. The Norwegians got
here first – five weeks before us. We found their
tent, with its Norwegian flag, and a letter for me
from Amundsen. We are tired and unhappy, cold
and hungry. The temperature is –30˚, and there
is a snowstorm. Great God! This is an awful
place! Tomorrow we must begin the journey
back. Bowers has no skis, Evans is ill, and
Oates has bad feet. We can only travel slowly,
and it is a long, long way home.
4
Encourage students to discuss these possible
interpretations of Oates’s last words. The most
likely interpretation is probably number 2, but
students can choose which meaning they like. If
they decide on number 2, ask them to suggest
why Oates didn’t say directly what he meant.
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OXFORD BOOKWORMS
BOOK ACTIVITY ANSWERS
Stage 1
The Coldest Place on Earth
5
1N 2B 3B 4N 5B 6N 7B 8B
6
Encourage students to write as many sentences
as they can about each team. Many of the
reasons for Scott’s failure and Amundsen’s
success can be seen in Activity 5. Some
possible answers:
The Norwegians won because …
 they were all good skiers and they used
dogs to pull the sledges.
 they could find their depots easily because
of the flags.
 they had good equipment and a lot of food.
 they travelled quickly and they didn’t get ill.
 they came from Norway and so they
understood snow and ice.
The British lost because …
 they were not good skiers and they used
ponies to pull the sledges, not dogs.
 they couldn’t find their depots easily because
there was only one flag on them.
 they needed more food, for the men and
the ponies.
 when the ponies died, they pulled the
sledges themselves and so travelled
very slowly.
 five men went to the Pole, but with food for
only four men.
10
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