Reading, 39

You are going to read an extract from a book. For questions 8-15, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Just after midnight the last of the lights had gone out and Boyd started the car, drove down to the coast road and turned so that the car would be facing the right way for when he left. They didn’t look as if they would be a problem but the quicker he could leave the easier it would be. He stopped the car just past the entrance to the driveway. The nylon ropes and the torch were on the passenger seat beside him. His gun was in his right-hand jacket pocket. When he got out he opened all the car doors very slightly after he had switched off the parking lights.

He walked up the road until he guessed he was opposite the house and then climbed over the low dry-stone wall. The moon was full, making the house look almost as if it were all lit up. Treading slowly and determinedly he moved down the slope towards the house, across the drive and over to the front door. It was in deep shadow and he shone the torch on the lock as he gently pushed in the key. It turned easily and when he moved the handle he felt a soft rush of cold air as the door opened. He left the door slightly open and he shone the torch around the big square hall.

The stairs made a lot of noise despite his keeping well against the wall, but nobody stirred. The bedroom facing the top of the stairs was locked, and he tried several keys in the lock. The third one unlocked it and he opened the door slowly. There was a smell of stale smoke, and he guessed it was not used as a bedroom. He shaded the torch with his hand and saw that the room was unoccupied. He found the switch, turned on the light and closed the door.

There were two long tables in the centre of the room. The kind that decorators use. They were piled with papers and books, with a space cleared for a portable typewriter. Against the far wall was a projection screen on a metal stand. A slide projector and a 16mm sound projector were on a metal stand at the side of metal shelves. There were three worn armchairs and on an otherwise empty bookshelf was a small portable radio.

8 Why did Boyd wait to park his car?

A to let the others go to bed

B to make sure his car was facing the right way

C to get the ropes and torch ready

D to let the moon go behind a cloud

9 Why did Boyd turn the car around?

A He wanted to be able to leave quickly and easily.

B He was worried that he might have problems with the car.

C He wanted to park just past the entrance to the driveway.

 D He couldn’t see well because the lights had gone out.

10 How did he feel as he got near the house?

A guilty and fearful

B disappointed and determined

C nervous and frightened

D confident and calm

11 What does ‘it’ in line 12 refer to?

A the low dry-stone wall

B the moon

C the house

D the slope

12 What does ‘treading’ in line 12 mean?

A running

B walking

C escaping

D racing

13 While going up the stairs, he thought that

A he should keep away from the wall.

B he might be heard.

C he must have lost his keys.

D he was the only one in the house.

14 What do we learn about the bedroom facing the top of the stairs?

A It had just been decorated.

B It was unlocked.

C It had been used by smokers.

D It had been used as a cinema.

15 What would be the most suitable title for this extract?

A Caught as a spy

B An ordinary burglar

C Looking for information

D Telling secrets

Check your answers here