Beetle Boy By M.G. Leonard Name: ……………………………………………………………………… Chapter 1 The Mysterious Disappearance of Bartholomew Cuttle 7 8 9 Match the room with the correct colour. Kitchen Pink Living Room Orange Bathroom Midnight Blue Chapter 2 King Ethelred Hall 1. Name the people in the picture. 2. Fill in the boxes with the information you find about these characters in Chapter 2 Hair…………………………………… Skin…………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… ……………… ……………………………… Personality………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… ……………………… Build…………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… Family ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………… Bad Habit …………………………………………………………………………… Hair…………………………………… Wears ………………………………… …………………………………………… …………………………………………… ……………………………… Skin…………………………………… …………………………………………… Named after a …………………………………………… ……………………………………… Hobby ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………… Family ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. “Darkus clenched his fists.” “Darkus felt a surge of fire in his chest” What emotion is Darkus feeling? ………………………………………………………… 4. What has made Darkus “kind of famous”? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. There are two body related idioms on page 26. What do you think they mean – choose the best answer from the choices given. a) Virginia leant in, all ears Virginia was made of ears Virginia was listening carefully Virginia was laughing b) “Wow!” said Bertolt, his eyes lighting up. Bertolt had light bulbs in his eyes Bertolt was shining a torch in his eyes Bertolt was interested 6. Bertolt cupped his hands over his face in dismay. Which of these words is the closest in meaning to “dismay”? Shock Pleasure Relief 7. What does Darkus think has happened to his father? ……………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. Number these events in the order that they happened. Darkus meets Virginia and Bertolt Virginia and Bertolt agree to help find Darkus’ father Virginia stops Darkus hitting Robby Bertolt invites Darkus to eat lunch with them Chapter 3 The Eye-Gouger 1. Label the positions of “The Emporium” and the Launderette on the diagram below. Nelson Road “Mother Earth” (Uncle Max’s Flat) 2. There are lots of similes in this chapter. A simile is a phrase that compares something to something else using the words “…… as a ……… or “like a ……”. Tick two sentences that contain similes. Darkus liked the launderette. Humphrey trumpeted like an elephant. A fierce tusk, sharp as a tiger’s claw, stuck out of its head. As if to answer his question, the beetle began crawling up his arm. 3. Darkus sees his neighbours for the first time in this chapter. Write the words from the box in the correct column in the table. thin no hair yellow teeth pie shop antiques shop Pickering fat Humphrey 4. Where did the giant beetle come from? ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. Describe the beetle that Darkus found. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. Number these events in the order that they happened. The Eye-Gouger attacks the bullies Pickering and Humphrey have a fight in the street Darkus makes friends with a giant beetle Darkus waits for Uncle Max in the launderette 7. Darkus narrowed his eyes and did his best to look unbothered, but his heart was beating hard and his palms were clammy.(p40) What emotion is Darkus feeling? ……………………………………………………… 8. On pages 35, 41 and 42, the author uses similes to compare the beetle to three different forms of transport. Tick the boxes to show which forms of transport are mentioned. Car Steam Engine Motorcycle Fighter Plane Tank 9. At the end of the chapter Darkus thinks he might be “losing his marbles”. What do you think this phrase means? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter 4 The Entymology Vaults 1. What sort of beetle had Darkus found? …………………………………………… 2. What did Darkus name the beetle? ………………………………………………… 3. How did he decide on the name? (p44)…………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. What is a hexapod? …………………………………………………………………………… 5. Can you think of another word with the root word hex? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. What did Darkus find out about his father? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. Uncle Max gave Darkus his father’s old beetle book. Looking at the information on pages 4 and 51, work out how old the book was. (Hint – use Dr Cuttle’s age) The book was ……………………… years old. 8. What did Uncle Max find so surprising about Baxter? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9. What does coleoptera mean? …………………………………………………… 10. Tick the box to show whether each statement is true or false. Statement True False Uncle Max drove a Ferrari Darkus took a day off school to visit the museum Dr Cuttle was looking at beetles when he disappeared Baxter found Dr Cuttle’s pen in the vault 11. Label the elytra on the picture of the beetle. 12. Darkus went rigid. He was sick of being treated like a child. Tick the word closest in meaning to rigid. floppy weak stiff 13. … for Baxter, this room was a graveyard. What does this metaphor mean? ……………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14. Who arrived at the museum at the end of the chapter? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter 5 Furniture Forest 1. What unusual object did Baxter want to have in his tank? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. How could Darkus understand what Baxter was telling him? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. Darkus sees lots of old furniture in the garden next door. Many of the items are described as having human characteristics, e.g. a mob of brawling furniture. This is called personification. There are six other examples of personification in the passage below. Underline three. Table and chair legs stuck out, their feet like clenched fists about to land a punch. A brave hat-stand was making a break for it at the south side of the yard, held back by tendrils of bindweed. Wardrobes cowered beneath tarpaulin. Naked lamp stands were bound together with rope. Bedsprings pinged out of mattresses and a giant bathtub reared up in the middle of the yard, a pink scooter dangling helplessly from its taps. 4. Draw hands on the clock face to show the time the grandfather clock was stuck at. 5. Pickering and Humphrey argue loudly in this chapter. Look at pages 81 and 83 to find three animal-based insults they say to each other. a) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… b) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… c) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. What two animals does Darkus encounter on his way through the furniture forest? ……………………………………… and …………………………………… 7. List the different types of beetle that Darkus saw inside the room. One has been done for you. Red Ladybirds ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… 8. Number these events in the order that they happened. Darkus sees the beetles in the mountain of cups Pickering and Humphrey argue loudly Darkus is spotted and dragged into the room Darkus crawls through the furniture forest Chapter 6 Darkus and Goliath 1. His face twisted as he scrutinized Darkus. Tick the word closest in meaning to scrutinized. crumpled examined hit 2. Who’s who? Label the characters. 3. Draw lines to match the beginning and end of the sentences. Humphrey wanted to escape. Darkus wanted his cousin to die. Pickering wanted to eat people. 4. What was in Humphrey’s white bucket? …………………………………………… 5. What did Darkus know about beetles that Pickering didn’t? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. Why didn’t Pickering believe that Darkus lived next door? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. How did Darkus get free? …………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. What is stridulation? (look in the glossary at the end of the book) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9. This beetle has black and white zebra-like markings. What sort of beetle is it? ……………………………………………………………………………… 10. Who knocked on the door of Pickering and Humphrey’s house? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter 7 The Visit 1. What is Pickering’s full name? …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. What is Humphrey’s full name? ………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. More similes! Match up the woman’s features with their comparisons. Skin flick knives Sunglasses a knife Fingernails polished marble Voice a visor 4. What did the woman have in her hand? …….……………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. Describe the brooch on her coat. ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. What did Lucretia Cutter want? ………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. Label the features on the diagram using the descriptions in the word box below. Skirt like a parachute stiffened hood sleeveless black dress pulled in at the waist ballet pumps white triangular handbag white leather gloves arm held up like a teapot spout silver curls Chapter 8 The Oath 1. How did Darkus disguise himself so that he wasn’t spotted by Pickering and Humphrey? …………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Darkus grabbed his arm and hoiked him up on to the wall. Tick the word closest in meaning to hoiked. lifted lowered banged 3. How did Virginia know that Baxter was a rhinoceros beetle? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. He’d suck a bucketful of lemons to get his hands on a beetle this big. What does Virginia mean when she says this? Her brother wants a drink of lemonade Her brother would do anything to have a beetle like Baxter Her brother loves sucking lemons 5. Tick the boxes to show which of these statements about Lucretia Cutter are true. Statement True False Lucretia Cutter is a famous actress Lucretia Cutter is known as the Mad Scientist of Fashion Lucretia Cutter owns the House of Scarabs fashion brand Lucretia Cutter is a genius and a powerful businesswoman 6. Who was the girl from the car and where does she live? Name ……………………………………………………………………………… Address ……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………… 7. What did Baxter do to prove to Virginia that he had “superpowers”? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. What is an oath? ………………………………………………………………………………… 9. What oath did the friends make? ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter 9 Base Camp A bit of fun – help the beetle through the maze to the apple 😊 1. Find a word on page 129 that means “maze”. …………………………………… 2. Why wouldn’t it be a good idea for Bertolt to make explosive booby traps? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. List three of the useful things Virginia brought back to base camp. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. What did Bertolt see that he wanted to bring back to Base Camp later? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. Bertolt gave the tiniest of nods with the unhappiest of faces. The two words in bold are superlatives. They show that Bertolt’s nod could not have been any smaller or that his face could not have been more unhappy. grander grandest Chapter 10 Beetle Mountain 1. We meet more beetles in this chapter. Add them to the list below and then rearrange them into alphabetical order. Ladybirds ………………………………………………… Stag beetles ………………………………………………… Rhinoceros beetles ………………………………………………… Giraffe-necked weevils ………………………………………………… Jewel beetles ………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ………………………………………………… …………………………………………… ………………………………………………… 2. Number these events in the order that they happened. The friends go to see the beetle mountain Pickering and Humphrey return The Goliath beetle sits on Bertolt’s head Virginia and Darkus get into the boarded-up shop 3. What was written on the wall behind the till in the boarded-up shop? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. What did the shop used to be before Pickering and Humphrey bought it? …………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. Where did Darkus find the key for the front door of the shop? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. Dark exoskeletons scurried in and out of nooks and crannies, glistening in the half-light as they trundled about their business. Tick the words below that have the closest meanings to the words scurried and glistening. scurried means: glistening means: ran searching crawled shining rolled moving 7. What does Humphrey want to do with Darkus? ………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter 11 Newton 1. What was Bertolt pretending to be when he sat cross legged with the pipe? …………………………………………………………………………………………….......... ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 2. What sort of beetle was hiding in Bertolt’s hair? ………………………………... 3. What did Bertolt name the beetle? …………………………………………………… Why? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Describe Newton ………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. What is bioluminescence? (look it up!) ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. What did Uncle Max offer the friends for refreshments? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. What did Virginia suggest as alternatives? ………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. How does Newton communicate? ……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9. How does Baxter communicate? ………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10. What might Humphrey and Pickering think when they discover that Darkus is gone? …………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11. What was the connection between Dr Cuttle and Lucretia Cutter? ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12. Who did Darkus decide to ask for information? ………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13. Number these events in the order that they happened. The butler lets Darkus into the house Pickering & Humphrey appear outside Towering Heights The butler unlocked the gate and let the men in Darkus hides in the hedge We have come across several examples of “show don’t tell” in the first part of the book. “Darkus clenched his fists.” “Darkus felt a surge of fire in his chest” Bertolt cupped his hands over his face in dismay. Darkus narrowed his eyes and did his best to look unbothered, but his heart was beating hard and his palms were clammy. Virginia flared her nostrils, scowling at the idea. This is where the writer describes what a person is doing to show us what emotion that person is feeling rather than telling us directly. This technique helps give us a mental picture of what’s happening and makes the writing more interesting. Look through the information on the next few pages and try the exercises before moving on to Chapter 12. Chapter 12 Towering Heights 1. What was the colour scheme inside Towering Heights? …………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. Who had asked the butler to let Darkus into the house? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. Why did Novak hope Darkus had come to see her? ………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Novak gave an exasperated sigh. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word exasperated tired annoyed friendly 5. What sort of beetle was displayed as a trophy? ………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. What is special about this type of beetle? ………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. What was the portrait of Charles Darwin made of? …………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. Tick the boxes to show which of these statements are true. Statement True False Darkus was in love with Novak Cutter Mater is Latin for mother The Cochineal Bug is a beetle Novak Cutter likes beetles 9. What was Lucretia Cutter’s real name? ……………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10. Why did Lucretia choose the surname “Cutter”? ……………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11. How did the friends get out of the Library? ……………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter 13 The White Room 1. Tick the boxes to show which of these statements are true. Statement True False Towering Heights has eight floors Novak’s room is on the sixth floor Lucretia’s office is called the White Room The White Room is on the first floor 2. Tick the sculptures that appear in the White Room. 3. Which of the following amounts was Lucretia Cutter paying for the beetles? a) £500,000 b) £5,000,000 c) £50,000 4. What shocked Darkus about the photograph on Lucretia Cutter’s desk? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. What excuse did Novak give for spying on Lucretia in her office? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. Why did Novak call Humphrey and Pickering “clowns”? …………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. Pickering and Humphrey thought they were signing contracts to sell the beetles to Lucretia Cutter. What were they actually signing? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. “How dare you question me, you insolent girl?” Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word insolent evil clever rude 9. What did Darkus see as Lucretia Cutter left the viewing room? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10. Number these events in the order that they happened. Lucretia walked into the viewing room Novak hid Darkus under the bench Lucretia hit Novak with her walking stick Novak was sent to the cells with the bugs as a punishment Chapter 14 The Cry of a Seabird 1. Lucretia Cutter stood in the doorway, motionless, like the angel of death. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word motionless still angry sick 2. What name did Darkus give when Lucretia Cutter asked who he was? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. What was the present that she thought Darkus had brought her? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Lucretia Cutter chased Darkus along the corridor. What did she do when he made it to the lift? ……………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5. What did Darkus find in the room with the white door? …………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. Where had Darkus seen a yellow ladybird before? …………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7. What was different about the beetles in the room compared to the ones in beetle mountain? …………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8. Draw lines to match the descriptions of the beetles. Yellow Ladybirds bashed their antlers against the glass Darwin’s beetles gnashed their mandibles together Tiger beetles the size of two pence coins 9. Darkus heard an eerie wail, like the distant call of a seabird. What did the sound turn out to be? …………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10. Who hit Darkus over the head? ………………………………………………… 11. The confused cousins stared at each other and then staggered down the path and out of the gate, squabbling. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word squabbling singing arguing chatting Chapter 15 The Sewer Solution 1. How did Darkus get injured? ................................................................ ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 2. Using the information on page 207, number these events in the order they happened. Darkus heard his father’s voice Darkus saw the photograph on Lucretia Cutter’s desk Darkus found the room of angry insects Novak helped Darkus escape back to the lift 3. Why did Darkus say that Lucretia Cutter was a monster? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 4. What is DNA? ....................................................................................... .............................................................................................................. 5. What was Victoria’s genius idea? ........................................................ .............................................................................................................. 6. Read this extract from the chapter: The three of them heaved the heavy circle of metal to one side. The faint breath of sewage wafted out of the yawning hole, making Bertolt’s nose wrinkle. Darkus dangled his legs down the hole until there was room for him on the ladder. The shaft of light from above showed him the shadowy outlines of a cavernous brick chamber. The air was damp with the unsavoury tang of ammonia and slurry clay. A perpetual dripping sound accompanied his descent and, when he reached the ground, he saw shallow puddles everywhere. This descriptive passage tells us a lot about the underground sewer using the children’s senses. List the things they could see, hear, feel and smell in the chamber. They could see ...................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... They could hear .................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... They could feel ...................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... They could smell .................................................................................. ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 7. The shaft of light from above showed him the shadowy outlines of a cavernous brick chamber. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word cavernous huge tiny underground 8. How did Newton help Bertolt get into the chamber? .......................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 9. How were they going to get beetle mountain down into the sewer? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 10. Explain Bertolt’s idea about how to hide the beetles’ disappearance from Humphrey’s room. ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... Write a passage describing what it is like to eat in the school canteen. Use all your senses to help you describe your experience. You could use similes, metaphors and personification too! ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... Chapter 16 The Rat Trap 1. Who was caught in the Rat Trap? ........................................................ 2. What did the Rat Trap contain? (give two things) ............................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 3. Why did they need to be quiet on the way to Base Camp? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 4. What powered the kettle? .................................................................... 5. How did Uncle Max take his tea? .......................................................... ............................................................................................................... 6. I think you had better tell me exactly what’s going on here, lad. Don’t you? And no flimflam please. I want the truth. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word flimflam honesty tea nonsense 7. His face was flushed purple and his eyes were bulging out of their sockets. What emotion was Uncle Max feeling? ............................................... 8. What is a gorgon? ................................................................................. ............................................................................................................... 9. How had Uncle Max been finding out information from people at Lucretia Cutter’s offices? ...................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 10. What was The Fabre Project? ....................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 11. Name three of the scientists involved in the Project. .................................................................... .................................................................... .................................................................... 12. What does transgenic mean? ...................................................... ............................................................................................................... 13. What sort of beetle did Darkus’ father have? .............................. 14. Whose DNA did the beetle contain? ............................................. 15. What did Bertolt need to collect from home as part of the plan? ................................................................................................................ Chapter 17 Band of Beetle Brothers 1. What were Pickering and Humphrey having to eat and drink at the start of the chapter? ............................................................................ .............................................................................................................. 2. What did Humphrey use to hit the beetles? Choose one Sledgehammer Frying pan Fist 3. List the four types of beetles, apart from Baxter, that were involved in the plan. .............................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................. 4. What did the tiger beetles do? ............................................................. ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 5. How did the beetles on Beetle Mountain react when Darkus told them that Lucretia Cutter was coming and that they were going to fight her? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 6. Darkus asked for some beetles to help him get his father out of Towering Heights. Name three types of beetle that came forward. ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 7. What sort of beetle offered to be Novak’s friend? .............................. 8. “Great!”, Virginia muttered. “Now everyone has a beetle except for me!” What emotion is Virginia feeling? ...................................................... 9. ... the mountain reverberated with the rhythm of war. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word reverberated collapsed echoed shook 10. What jobs were Virginia and Bertolt doing during the attack? Virginia: ................................................................................................ Bertolt: .................................................................................................. Chapter 18 Marvin 1. Several types of beetle were involved in damaging the structure of the building. Draw lines to show whether each beetle was damaging wood or metal/brick. Furniture Bess Blister Wood Bombardier Bark Asian Longhorn Metal/Brick Powder-post Deathwatch 2. What had Bertolt made to help the beetles damaging the metal and brickwork? ............................................................................................ .............................................................................................................. 3. What was the purpose of Bertolt’s mechanism on the manhole cover? ................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 4. How did Virginia free the butterfly bush from the mountain? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 5. Who did Virginia think was the best musician of all time? ............................................................................................................... 6. Fill in the details about this beetle. Type of beetle: ............................................. ....................................................................... Length: ......................................................... Colour: ......................................................... Special ability: ............................................. ...................................................................... Name: .......................................................... “Owner”: ...................................................... 7. Tick the boxes to show which of these statements are true. Statement Bertolt isn’t afraid of beetles any more The beetles didn’t listen to Virginia Virginia’s beetle fell from the butterfly bush Marvin can jump True False Chapter 19 Moving a Mountain 1. “Moving mountains” is a phrase that means (Choose one): To clean up molehills from the garden To do or achieve something incredibly difficult To move house from a town to a mountainous area 2. What did the beetles have to do once the had moved their mugs to the sewer? .......................................................................................... ............................................................................................................. 3. Why didn’t the beetles damage the floor of the kitchen or the supporting wall between the shop and the kitchenette? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 4. What time did they finish moving all the mugs to their new home? ............................................................................................................... 5. What excuses did Bertolt and Virginia give their parents to explain them being out all night? ..................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 6. There were three phases to the children’s plan. Match up the phase number with what had to be done. Phase 1 Rescue Darkus’ father Phase 2 Get Pickering and Humphrey out of the way Phase 3 Move Beetle Mountain Chapter 20 Hepburn 1. What was the colour scheme of Lucretia Cutter’s bedroom? ............................................................................................................... 2. What did the butler suggest that Novak should do? ............................ ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 3. All four friends now have beetles. Match up the names of the children with their beetles. Darkus Newton Virginia Baxter Bertolt Hepburn Novak Marvin 4. What did Novak make for her beetle to hide in? ................................. ............................................................................................................... 5. As soon as the vehicles had passed them, Darkus and Uncle Max scurried in through the open gates of Towering Heights. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word scurried crawled crept ran 6. Which security guard had been left guarding the cells? ...................... 7. Which cell was Darkus’ father in? ...................................................... 8. The beetles rescued Darkus’ father from the cell. Match the beetle to the job it did. Tiger beetles caught the lock as it fell Bombardier beetles lit up the cell Dung beetles killed the insects attacking his father Fire beetles dissolved the lock and the shackles 9. Using the information on page 270, number the events of Darkus’ fathers kidnapping in the order they happened. Darkling beetles in the safe gassed Dr Cuttle The Darwin beetles carried Dr Cuttle away Darwin beetles came out of the specimen drawers Dr Cuttle woke up in the cell 10. How long had it been since Dr Cuttle knew Lucretia Cutter? ............................................................................................................... Chapter 21 Ambush 1. Humphrey tells Pickering to “Keep your hair on”. What does this idiom mean? Tick one. Be sensible Keep calm Keep out of trouble 2. Why couldn’t Pickering answer the door? ............................................ ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 3. What reason did Pickering give for Humphrey going through the stairs as he walked down them? .......................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 4. Dankish was “a man who looked like he kicked puppies for fun”. What do you think he looked like? ....................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 5. Circle the symbol that was on the poisoned gas cannisters? 6. Which beetles made up the “downpour squadron”? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 7. Which was the last beetle to enter the room? ..................................... 8. What was hidden in Bertolt’s laundry basket? ..................................... ............................................................................................................... 9. Her heart roared like a lion in her chest. Bertolt felt his heart tap dancing on his ribcage. What emotion were Virginia and Bertolt feeling? ................................. Chapter 22 The Battle of Nelson Parade 1. What ammunition did the beetles use to throw at Craven and Dankish? ............................................................................................... 2. The hall quickly became a slurry pit. What does this mean? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 3. Where on the body is the “Adam’s Apple”? ......................................... 4. Virginia punched the air. What emotion was Virginia feeling? ..................................................... 5. What happened that wasn’t in the plan? ............................................. ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 6. She rotated the handles at a furious speed, Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word rotated turned rolled threw 7. Darkus’ father was too weak to walk out of his cell. How did he get out? .................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................ 8. What did Novak expect Mawling to do when he found that Dr Cutter had escaped? ...................................................................................... ............................................................................................................. 9. Alliteration – where two or more words close together in a sentence begin with the same letter or sound. Highlight the alliterations in these sentences. Humphrey saw the beetle boulder tip forwards... Humphrey and Pickering were covered in a blanket of attacking arthropods. ... a battalion of black beetles advanced towards his nose. 10. Number these events in the order that they happened. The beetle boulder hit Humphrey in the face Bertolt rang 999 to report explosions The beetles defeat Lucretia Cutter’s men Humphrey and Pickering enter the Emporium Chapter 23 Goliath’s Fall 1. When the beetles had finished attacking the men, where did they go? ........................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................... 2. What did Lucretia Cutter do to the Goliath beetle? ............................. ............................................................................................................... 3. How many explosions did Bertolt set off at the Emporium altogether? ........................................................................................... 4. What did Virginia say that Humphrey and Pickering had done? .............................................................................................................. 5. ...all of humanity will rise up and sweep your abominable empire off the face of this planet. Tick the word that has the closest meaning to the word abominable amazing terrible explosive 6. Who was Lucretia Cutter trying to shoot when she shot Darkus in the shoulder? ........................................................................................ Chapter 24 Back to Base Camp 1. How long had it been since they had found Uncle Max in the Rat Trap? .................................................................................................... 2. What had happened to Darkus’ father after the shooting? ................. ............................................................................................................... 3. What happened to Bertolt’s arms? ....................................................... ............................................................................................................... 4. What sort of eyes does Lucretia Cutter have? ..................................... 5. In the back of the Beetle Boy book is an entomologist’s dictionary. Look up the term you have used for the answer to question 4 and write out the definition. ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 6. Why hadn’t Bertolt and Virginia visited Darkus in hospital? ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................... 7. Draw lines to match up what happened to each of the following characters at the end of the book. Darkus’ father Staying with Uncle Max until his dad is better Virginia Escaped Darkus In hospital Humphrey & Pickering Safe in the sewer Lucretia Cutter Arrested for shooting Darkus Beetle Mountain Grounded forever Now fill in these boxes to review the book.
