Kidnapped - ELI Readers

ELT B1

Young Adult

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KIDNAPPED

Readers

– Information about Robert Louis Stevenson – Introduction: The Jacobite Rising – Glossary of difficult words – Comprehension and extension activities, including B1 Preliminary type, exercises – Exit test

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Stage 3 B1

In this reader you will find:

Robert Louis Stevenson

KIDNAPPED

Kidnapped is a story set in 18th century Scotland about the adventures of a young man, David Balfour, who leaves his quiet hometown in search of a new life at the house of Shaws. However, he immediately runs into danger at the hands of his cruel uncle Ebenezer. He gets caught up with criminals but also makes friends with Alan Breck, a wild Highlander, who helps him as he tries to cross the Scottish Highlands. Will David manage to win back Shaws or will his uncle Ebenezer’s cruel plan succeed?

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson KIDNAPPED

Stage 3 B1

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Book brief 1

Kidnapped is an adventure novel by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1886 in the magazine ‘Young Folks’.

2

The story is about David Balfour, a young Scottish boy, and his adventures from when he leaves his hometown after his father’s death.

3

It is set in 18th century Scotland and includes characters and historical events from real life, especially the ‘Appin Murder’ of Colin Campbell of Glenure.

4

The story is full of movement and action and is told through the eyes of David.

5

Main themes include friendship, loyalty, and how people see what is right and wrong in different ways.

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In this reader: 21st Century Skills

To encourage students to connect the story to the world they live in.

Preliminary

B1 level activities.

Culture notes

Brief cultural information.

Glossary

An explanation of difficult words.

Picture Caption

A brief explanation of the picture.

Audio

These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded: start stop

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Young Adult Eli Readers The ELI Readers collection is a complete range of books and plays for readers of all ages, ranging from captivating contemporary stories to timeless classics.

There are four series, each catering for a different age group: First ELI Readers, Young ELI Readers, Teen ELI Readers and Young Adult ELI Readers.

The books are carefully edited and beautifully illustrated to capture the essence of the stories and plots. The readers are supplemented with ‘Focus on’ texts packed with background cultural information about the writers and their lives and times.

Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson Retold and Activities Silvana Sardi Illustrations Federico Volpini ELI Readers Founder and Series Editors Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani, Daniele Garbuglia (Art Director) Graphic Design Emilia Coari Production Manager Francesco Capitano

Photo credits Shutterstock © New edition: 2022 First edition: 2018 ELi, Gruppo editoriale ELi P.O. Box 6 62019 Recanati (MC) Italy T +39 071750701 F +39 071977851 info@elionline.com www.elionline.com Typeset in 10,5 / 15 pt Monotype Fulmar Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa – Pigini Group Printing Division Loreto – Trevi (Italia) – ERA 335.10 ISBN 978-88-536-3244-9 www.eligradedreaders.com

Contents

6 8 10 12 22 24 34 36 46 48 58 60 70 72 82 84 94 96 106 108 110 111

Main Characters Introduction Before you Read Chapter 1 Leaving Home Activities Chapter 2 The Covenant Activities Chapter 3 A New Friend Activities Chapter 4 Lost at Sea Activities Chapter 5 The Appin Murder Activities Chapter 6 Cluny’s Cage Activities Chapter 7 A Meeting with Mr Rankeillor Activities Chapter 8 Goodbye My Friend Activities Focus on...

Robert Louis Stevenson Test yourself Syllabus

A kind man who takes care of David after his parents die.

The captain of the ship Covenant.

6

A Jacobite from the Scottish Highlands, he’s against the English.

He tells the story of his adventures from when he leaves his home in the Lowlands

the his ures en he home wlands

n si

David Balfour’s lawyer.

Main Characters

Once a leader of the Stewart clan, he now has no power and must hide from the English who want to kill him.

He’s part of the Campbell clan and works for the King of England.

He wants to make the Jacobite Stewarts leave their homes.

David Balfour’s cruel uncle.

7

Introduction

Kidnapped

2 Kidnapped is a historical novel that describes real 18th century

Scottish events. Therefore, before reading, here is some information that will help you understand the story better.

The Jacobite Rising of 1745 is known in Gaelic as ‘The Year of Charles’. This was when Charles Edward Stuart, usually known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ tried to win back the British throne* for the exiled* House of Stuart. The House of Stuart, originally spelt ‘Stewart’ had been Kings and Queens of Scotland from the late 14th century until Scotland and England became all one country in 1707.

The Rising happened while most of the British Army was fighting abroad. Charles had a meeting with Highland clansmen at Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands. They wanted him to be King and formed an army to help him. He went south with these men and the Jacobite army won the first two battles and reached Derby in England. Then, the British called their soldiers back from abroad to fight the Jacobites. The British won and sent the Jacobites back north to Inverness in Scotland. This is where the last battle on Scottish land took place at Culloden. The Jacobites lost The Battle of Culloden but Charles Edward Stuart managed to escape and found a ship to take him back abroad. throne where a king or queen sits

exile when you send or keep somebody away from their own country

8

Kidnapped

The British government* were used to fighting wars abroad and not on their own land, so the Jacobite Rising had been a terrible shock for them, especially since the Jacobites had managed to get so far south. To make sure that this didn’t happen again, the government passed new laws to try and destroy Highland clans and their traditions. These new laws, introduced in 1746, were called the Act of Proscription and the Dress Act. With the introduction of these new laws, the clan leaders no longer had control of their people, who now had to follow the King’s laws. Anyone who still believed in the Jacobites, and refused to respect these new laws, was executed*. The government also took control of the clans’ lands and made the people pay rent to the King to continue living there. Highlanders couldn’t carry weapons* and they weren’t allowed to wear Highland clothes unless they were soldiers of the King.

The Clan Campbell from western Scotland were one of the biggest and most powerful Highland Scottish clans of this period. During the Jacobite Rising of 1745, the Clan Campbell fought with the British soldiers against the Jacobites. When Colin Campbell was murdered in Appin, the British Government blamed two Appin Stewarts. The first was Alan Breck, an outlaw*, while the second was James Stewart of the Glen. James was arrested and executed for the murder. It was clear that he wasn’t to blame for the crime but the British Government used him as an example to stop any more Scots from going against the King. Until this day, nobody really knows who killed Colin Campbell of Glenure. As you’ll see, the Appin murder is one of the events used by Stevenson in Kidnapped.

government it has control of a country execute kill, put to death

weapon a thing you use to fight outlaw a criminal

9

Before you Read

Reading B1 Preliminary 1 Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) to complete the text about

Kidnapped.

‘Kidnapped’ was written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson.

This story is about the adventures of a young boy, David Balfour in Scotland in the 18th century. During the story, David meets Alan Breck Stewart, a Scottish soldier (1) ........................... actually existed in real life. Alan Breck Stewart (2) ........................... from the Highlands, in the north of Scotland, (3) ........................... David Balfour lives in the Lowlands, the part of Scotland nearest the border with England. Even if they’re very different, David and Alan become great friends and help (4) ........................... other during their long journey across the Scottish countryside. In the story, Stevenson also talks about events that really happened about that time (5) ........................... the ‘Appin Murder’ when Colin Campbell of Glenure was killed in a wood in the Highlands. As you read, you’ll see how all the problems that David has, help him (6) ........................... a stronger person.

1 2 3 4 5 6

A who A has been A rather A one A as A begin

B which B goes B so B each B like B believe

Speaking – Pair Work

C what C are C while C all C such C become

D whose D comes D then D every D which D find

21st Century Skills

2 Surf the Internet and find the answers to the

following questions about Scotland with your partner.

1 What’s another name for Scotland?

2 What’s its capital city?

3 What’s its largest city?

4 How many people live in Scotland now?

5 What famous inventions were made by Scottish people in the past?

6 What’s the weather like?

7 Which sports are popular in Scotland?

8 Which famous bands or singers come from Scotland?

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Vocabulary 3 You’ll find these Scottish words in the story. Try and match them to the correct definition or English word. You can find them all on the Internet.

1

■ glen

2 ■ loch 3 ■ clan 4 ■ laird 5 ■ tartan 6 ■ kilt 7 ■ ben 8 ■ The Highlands

a an area in northern Scotland with many mountains b family c traditional Scottish skirt usually worn by men d valley e a person who owns land in Scotland f lake g traditional Scottish woollen material for clothes h mountain

Listening 3

4 Listen to the start of Chapter 1 and decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F).

The story starts in 1741.

1 The weather was nice.

2 It was late morning.

3 Mr Campbell was waiting inside the church.

4 Davie hasn’t had breakfast yet.

5 Mr Campbell and Davie start walking towards the river.

6 This is the first time Davie will leave his home town.

7 Davie’s family are still alive.

8 Mr Campbell has a letter from Davie’s mother.

9 Cramond is a fishing village.

10 Davie’s father came from Cramond.

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T ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

F 3 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Chapter One

Leaving Home

3 The story of my adventure begins early one morning in the month of

June 1751, when I took my key for the last time out of the door of my father’s house. The sun was beginning to shine on the top of the hills as I went down the road to the church.

Mr Campbell, the head of the church of my town, Essendean, was waiting for me in the churchyard. He was such a good man! He asked me if I’d had breakfast; when I said yes he took my arm in his and said: ‘Well, Davie, my boy, I’ll walk with you as far as the low part of the river before saying goodbye.’

So, we began to walk together without speaking. After some time he said: ‘Are you sorry to leave Essendean Davie?’

‘Well sir, Essendean is a pleasant place and I’ve been very happy here, but then I’ve never been anywhere else. Since my mother and father are both dead, I’ve nothing to keep me here; but if I thought I had the chance of a better life, I’d go with a lighter heart.’

‘Yes?’- said Mr Campbell. ‘Very well, Davie. I have something to tell you about your future. Before dying, your father, good man, gave me a letter for you. He said it was your inheritance* and that you must go to the house of Shaws not far from the fishing village of Cramond. This is where your father came from and he wanted you to go back there.’ inheritance money or land you get from someone when that person dies

12

Kidnapped

4

‘The house of Shaws!’ I said surprised. ‘Who did my poor father know at the house of Shaws?’

‘I don’t know Davie,’ said Mr Campbell,‘but your surname is Balfour and that’s the family name of the people who live in that house, the Balfours of Shaws. It was a famous, important house at one time, though now a lot of it is old and broken. Your father was just a poor teacher at the local school, but it was obvious that he was a well learned man.’

He gave me the letter, and on the envelope*, I read: ‘To the hands of Ebenezer Balfour, House of Shaws, given to him by my son, David Balfour.’

I felt very excited. I was only seventeen years old, a poor teacher’s son, and here was the chance of a great adventure.

‘Mr Campbell,’ I said, ‘and if you were me, would you go?’

‘Of course Davie!’ said Mr Campbell. ‘You’re a young, brave boy.

Cramond is near Edinburgh. It’ll only take you two days to walk there.

If you don’t like your relatives then you can always come back. I hope you like them and that one day you’ll become an important man. But, Davie you must be careful of the dangers of the world.’

Then he sat down under the shade of a big tree and said: ‘Davie, always remember where you’ve come from. Show respect for the laird and do what he tells you.’

‘Well sir,’ I said, ‘I promise you, I’ll try.’

Then he stood up and took me in his arms. At last, he said goodbye and then went back down the road we had walked along together.

He almost ran and looked quite funny, but I didn’t feel like laughing at that moment because I knew he was sad to see me go. I even felt a bit guilty* because I was happy about going away from that quiet countryside to a great, busy house, with rich and important people who had my own name.

envelope you put a letter in this

guilty when you feel bad about something

13

Robert Louis Stevenson

At the top of the hill, David looks for the last time at Essendean church where his parents are buried.

The red coats were King George II’s soldiers, who beat Charles Edward Stuart and the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in April 1746.

I took my things, crossed the river and went up the hill. At the top, I stopped and looked for the last time at Essendean church where my parents were buried.

On the second day of my journey, I arrived at the top of a hill and looked down at the city of Edinburgh with its castle and ships in the sea. I stopped at a house to ask for directions to Cramond. On my way, I was excited to see a group of ‘red coats’, the King’s soldiers.

When I arrived in Cramond, I asked where the house of Shaws was. People seemed surprised when they heard the word Shaws. At first I thought it was because of my country clothes; they were very simple and a bit dirty now and I was asking the way to a great house.

Then I began to think that maybe there was something strange about Shaws itself. I decided to change my question and the next man I saw, I asked if he knew anything about the house of Shaws.

‘It’s a great house,’ said the man.

‘And what about the people who live there?’ I asked.

‘People?’ said the man. ‘Are you mad? There aren’t any people!’

‘What?’ I said. ‘Not even Mr Ebenezer?’

‘Oh yes,’ said the man. ‘There’s the laird for sure. Why?’ ‘I’m looking for a job,’ I said.

‘What?’ shouted the man. ‘Listen, you seem a good young man. If I were you, I wouldn’t work there.’

With these words, he turned and went on his way. I was a bit worried now, so the next person I saw, I asked: ‘What sort of a man is Mr Balfour of Shaws?’

‘No kind of a man at all!’ said this man as he went on his way.

I felt even more worried now. I almost wanted to go back home, but I was far from Essendean and I was also too proud to turn back.

I walked some more. Then, I met a woman and asked her where the Shaws was. She took me up a hill and pointed to the ruins of a

14

Robert Louis Stevenson

great big house in the green valley. The countryside around was lovely but the building looked terrible. There wasn’t even a path up to the house and no garden. I felt really sad and disappointed.

‘Is that the house of Shaws?’ I asked.

‘That’s the house of Shaws!’ said the woman angrily. ‘Blood built it: blood stopped the building of it: blood will bring it down!’

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The woman ran away before I could ask her anything else. I sat down and looked at the house. I felt miserable. I stayed there until the sun went down. Then I saw some smoke rising above the roof of the house. So there is somebody! And maybe a warm fire and some food! I thought.

I started walking towards the house. As I came nearer, it looked even worse. Many of the windows were broken and bats were flying in and out of them. It was nothing like the palace I had imagined. I saw the light of a little fire from one of the windows above me. It was now almost dark. I knocked on the door and waited. Nobody answered. I knocked again and still nobody answered. I began to get angry and started shouting: ‘Mr Balfour!!’I heard someone open the window above me. I looked up. There was a man with his gun pointed at me.

‘I’ve come here with a letter,’ I said, ‘for Mr Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws. Is he here?’

‘Who’s it from?’ asked the man with the gun.

‘That’s not your business. It’s for Mr Balfour. It’s a letter of introduction,’ I said.

‘What!’ shouted the man. ‘Who are you?’

‘They call me David Balfour’, I said.

The man jumped when he heard my name, then said: ‘Is your father dead?’

16

Kidnapped

I was so surprised I didn’t answer.

‘Yes,’ continued the man, ‘he’ll be dead for sure; that’s why you’ve come to my door. Well then, I’ll let you in.’

With these words, he left the window and opened the door to me.

‘Go into the kitchen and don’t touch anything,’ he said.

It was very dark inside and I could hardly see anything until I entered the kitchen where there was the fire. The kitchen was very empty. There were only a few dishes on the shelves. On the table there was a bowl of porridge* and a small cup of beer.

Now I could see the man who had opened the door to me. His face was grey and he didn’t look friendly at all. His clothes were old and he looked untidy and dirty. He must be a servant*, I thought.

‘Let’s see the letter,’ he said.

I told him the letter was for Mr Balfour and not for him.

‘And who do you think I am?’ he said. ‘Give me Alexander’s letter!’

‘You know my father’s name!’ I said surprised.

‘It’d be strange if I didn’t,’ he answered. ‘He was my brother, and like it or not, I’m your uncle and you’re my nephew. So give me the letter!’

I didn’t know what to say, so I gave him the letter and sat down at the table. He told me to eat the porridge, but I wasn’t hungry anymore.

‘So what are you hoping for?’ he asked me.

‘Nothing, if you don’t want to give me any help,’ I said angrily.

‘Maybe I’m poor but I’ve got lots of friends, who would be happy to help me.’

‘Well now!’ said uncle Ebenezer, ‘don’t get angry with me, and if you’ve finished with that porridge I’ll have it. If you’re thirsty, there’s some water behind the door. Your father liked his food; instead I never ate a lot.’ porridge cereal made soft and thick with water or milk

servant someone who works for a person in their house

17

Robert Louis Stevenson

During the Jacobite Rising, the Clan Campbell fought on the side of the British government against the Jacobites.

He then finished the porridge left in the bowl. As he ate, he looked at me and said: ‘When did your father die?’

‘Three weeks ago,’ I answered.

‘Did he ever speak about me or Shaws,’ he asked.

‘Not a thing,’ I answered.

He seemed happy with this answer. Then he said: ‘You’ll see, Davie, we’ll become friends! Right, time for bed!’

I followed him to my room. It was very dark and I could see nothing. I asked for a light, but uncle Ebenezer said there was enough light from the moon. The room was cold and the bed was wet, but I was so tired, I was soon asleep.

When I woke up next morning, I could see that maybe 20 years ago the room had been nice. Now it was old and dirty and the glass in all three windows was broken. Uncle Ebenezer was in the kitchen with two bowls of porridge on the table this time. There was only one cup of beer. When uncle Ebenezer saw me looking at it, he got another cup and gave me half of his. He wasn’t generous for sure! When we had finished eating, he said: ‘And your mother?’

‘She’s dead too,’ I replied.

‘She was a beautiful woman,’ he said. ‘What about these friends of yours?’

I told him I had lots of friends from the Campbell family, even if there was only really Mr Campbell, but I didn’t want my uncle to know that. He thought for a moment then said: ‘You did the right thing coming here Davie. Family means a lot to me and I’ll make sure you do better than any Campbell. But you mustn’t write any letters or messages to anybody; or else – there’s my door.’

18

Kidnapped

‘Uncle Ebenezer,’ I said, ‘I’m sure you only want the best for me, but remember also that I’m proud, so if you show me your door again, I’ll go.’

‘Hey Davie, don’t get angry. I can’t find you money at the bottom of a porridge bowl. Just give me a day or two, and say nothing to nobody, and I promise you that I’ll do the best for you.’

‘Very well,’ I said, ‘if you want to help me then I’ll be grateful to you.’

‘What’s mine is yours Davie, my boy. Blood is thicker than water, and it’s only you and me that have the name Balfour.’

‘Well, sir,’ I said, ‘I’ll stay and I’ll do my best to agree with you.’

The rest of the day passed well. We had cold porridge at noon and hot porridge at night. In the room next to the kitchen, there were lots of books and I spent the afternoon there reading. In one of the books, I found this message written by my father: ‘To my brother Ebenezer on his fifth birthday.’ This was strange. The writing was very good. How old had my father been then? I thought. That evening at dinner, I asked my uncle if my father had been good at school.

‘No, not at all,’ said uncle Ebenezer. ‘I was much better than him. I could read as soon as he could.’

‘Were you and my father twins?’ I asked.

At these words, my uncle jumped up and came angrily towards me.

‘Why are you asking that?’ he said, holding me by my jacket.

‘What do you mean?’ I shouted. ‘Take your hands off my jacket!’

My uncle seemed to try really hard to stay calm. Then he said: ‘David, you shouldn’t speak to me about your father. He was the only brother I ever had.’

There was no heart in these words as he sat down and started eating his porridge again. I couldn’t understand him. Was he mad? I remembered an old ballad* about a poor boy whose uncle had tried ballad a slow popular song

19

Robert Louis Stevenson

to keep his inheritance from him. Was this my uncle’s plan?

We sat opposite each other at the table, like cat and mouse. He didn’t speak and I couldn’t imagine what he was thinking, but I was sure that he didn’t like me. Then he said: ‘Davie, There’s some money… not a lot …that I promised your father I’d keep for you…it’s … it’s forty pounds! And if you go outside for a minute, I’ll get it for you.’

I could see he was telling a lie, but I did what he asked. It was dark outside and there was a storm coming. I didn’t know then that this bad weather would save me. Then he called me back in and gave me the money. I couldn’t believe it. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all!

‘So now we can be friends,’ said my uncle. ‘I’m old now, so you can help me with the house and garden. Take this key. Go outside and up to the tower at the end of the house. I need some documents in the room at the top. You can only get to the tower from the outside because I haven’t finished that part of the house yet.’

‘Can I have a light, sir?’ I asked. ‘It’s very dark outside.’

‘No,’ he said. ‘There are no lights in my house. Stay near the wall when you’re climbing the stairs because there’s no bannister*; but the stairs are fine.’

I went outside. It was windy now. I moved slowly along the wall of the house until I came to the tower door. Suddenly I saw a flash of lightning then heard thunder. The summer storm had arrived. I opened the door – it was even darker inside. I kept to the wall and slowly started to climb the stairs. The tower had five floors. I went higher and higher.

There were bats all around me now. Suddenly there was another flash of lightning and this time I saw that the stairs in front of me bannister you hold on to this when going up or downstairs

20

Kidnapped

finished suddenly. One more step and I’d fall to the ground and die. I stood for a moment then slowly went back down the way I had come.

I now knew that my uncle had tried to kill me. As I came near the kitchen door, there was another flash of lightning. I saw my uncle Ebenezer standing there, waiting … waiting to hear me fall? Then the thunder came and my uncle ran back into the house. Maybe he thought the thunder was the noise of me falling!

I went quietly into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table with his back to the door. I came up behind him, put my hands on his shoulders and shouted: ‘Ha!’ My uncle made a strange noise then fell to the ground as if dead. I left him there, looked in the cupboards and found a big knife. I put it under my coat. Then I threw some water on my uncle’s face and he woke up.

‘Come on,’ I said. ‘Sit up.’

‘Are you alive?’ he cried.

‘Yes I am,’ I answered, ‘and no thanks to you!’

‘Davie, get my medicine … in the cupboard … a blue bottle,’ he said.

‘It’s my heart …’

His face was blue. I ran to the cupboard and found the medicine.

He took some and began to feel better. I sat on a chair and watched him. I asked him lots of questions: why he had got angry when I asked if my father and him were twins; why he had suddenly given me the money; why he had tried to kill me.

‘Please, Davie let me go to bed,’ he said. ‘I promise I’ll tell you everything in the morning.’

He looked so weak that I decided to leave everything until the morning. After he went to bed, I made a big fire in the kitchen and slept in front of it that night.

21

After-Reading Activities • Chapter One

Reading Comprehension 1 Choose the correct answer, A, B or C about Chapter 1.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

David’s surname is ■ A Shaws.

■ B Campbell.

3 C Balfour.

■ Before dying, David’s father wrote a letter to ■ A Mr Campbell.

■ B his son.

■ C his brother Ebenezer.

David was sad when he saw the house of Shaws ■ A because it was old and not kept well.

■ B because it was in the countryside.

■ C because it was far from his home.

David’s father had died ■ A three months before.

■ B three weeks before.

■ C three days before.

Ebenezer said David’s father ■ A was better at school than him.

■ B was his twin.

■ C used to eat more than him.

Ebenezer gave David ■ A £30.

■ B £40.

■ C £45.

Ebenezer asked David to go up to the tower ■ A to kill the bats.

■ B to get him some documents.

■ C to see if a storm was coming.

David was angry with his uncle because ■ A he didn’t tell him that the stairs in the tower were dangerous.

■ B he wanted more money.

■ C he was frightened of the thunder and lightning.

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Grammar 2 Complete the sentences with a verb from the box in the correct form.

look (2) • walk • break • try • take • help • come 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

walked with David to the river.

Mr Campbell .........................

David’s father ......................... from the house of Shaws near Cramond.

Mr Campbell says it ......................... David two days to get to Cramond.

David told a man that he ......................... for a job at the house of Shaws.

Many of the windows in the house of Shaws .......................... .

Ebenezer ......................... old and untidy.

David told Ebenezer he had lots of friends who ......................... him.

David wanted to know why Ebenezer ......................... to kill him.

Speaking

21st Century Skills

3 Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1 How would you feel if you had to leave your hometown like David did?

2 What would you miss the most?

3 What do you think would be difficult about going to live in another country?

Pre-Reading Activity • Chapter Two

Listening B1 Preliminary 5

4 Listen to the beginning of Chapter 2 and complete the sentences with the words you hear.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

windy .

The next morning it was cold and .........................

David sat in front of the fire to ......................... .

David knew that his uncle Ebenezer ......................... him.

Some people say you can see your ......................... in the fire.

David didn’t see any of the ......................... he was about to have.

David says he had thought his uncle was a ......................... man.

David opened the door and found a ......................... young boy there.

The boy’s face was ......................... with the cold.

23

After-Reading Activities • Chapter Eight

Reading Comprehension 1 Match the questions to the answers.

What was Ebenezer like when he was young?

Why did people stop speaking to Ebenezer?

Why shouldn’t David go to court to fight his uncle?

Why did Mr Rankeillor forget his glasses?

Where did Alan and Ebenezer speak?

Why didn’t Ebenezer want to pay the ransom?

How much money did Ebenezer give Hoseason?

Who did David want to help after getting his inheritance?

Where did Alan and David say goodbye?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

e ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

a b c d e f g h i

It could be dangerous for Alan Breck.

On a hill above Edinburgh.

They thought he had killed his brother.

He didn’t care about David.

Quite good-looking.

So that he could say that he hadn’t been able to see Alan well.

Twenty pounds.

At the door of Shaws.

Alan and James of the Glens.

Speaking B1 Preliminary 2 At the end of the story, David has to decide what to do now, after all his adventures. Here are some jobs he might like doing. Talk to your partner about them and decide which one he’d enjoy the most.

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Speaking and Writing -Pair Work 3 Talk to a partner about David Balfour, Alan Breck, Ebenezer Balfour and Mr Rankeillor, then write your ideas. Talk about: - What they look like.

- Their character.

- What you liked or didn’t like about them.

David Balfour .......................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

Alan Breck ............................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

Ebenezer Balfour .................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

Mr Rankeillor ........................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................................

Speaking - Pair Work

21st Century Skills

4 One of the main themes of Kidnapped is the friendship between

David Balfour and Alan Breck. Discuss the following questions with a partner and write your answers.

1 Why do you think the author, Stevenson, chose to make a ‘Whig’ and a ‘Jacobite’ become friends? ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................

2 Talk about parts of the story when they: - saved each other - got angry with each other - showed how much they cared about each other - the moment when it looked as if their friendship could end forever ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................

3 David and Alan have a very different idea of what is right and wrong.

Explain this through examples from the story. ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................

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Focus on...

Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, he was born on 13 November 1850 in Edinburgh and during his lifetime published about forty books.

Robert Louis Stevenson

1850

Family and Early Life His grandfather, his father, Thomas, and his uncles were all engineers and were famous for building lighthouses. Robert’s mother, Margaret Balfour, was the daughter of a churchman of the Church of Scotland. Robert wasn’t a very strong child and was often unwell. His nurse, Cummy, often read stories to him when he was ill, and this is where his love of books probably started. As soon as he could read and write, he spent a lot of his childhood writing stories.

Education Robert started school when he was six years old but he often had private lessons at home because of his ill health. When he was 11 years old, he went to secondary school. In 1867, Robert went to Edinburgh University to study engineering, but he wasn’t interested in this subject. He was more interested in travelling around Scotland with his father to see the lighthouses his family had built, as these trips gave him ideas for his books. Then, he started to study law at university to please his father. He finished university in 1875, but never actually worked as a lawyer, only using his knowledge of this subject in his books.

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1878

Travelling and Marriage After finishing university, Robert spent all his time travelling and writing. During a trip, he met his future wife, Fanny, an American woman, who had left her husband and gone to live in France with her children. Robert fell in love with her and when she returned to California in 1878, he decided to join her there the following year, even if he was not in good health. Fanny and Robert got married in 1880, and their first months together are described in his book, Silverado Squatters.

1883

Writing and Success In August 1880, Robert sailed back to Britain with Fanny.

He spent the next seven years trying to find a place to stay that would help improve his health. During this time, he wrote his most famous novels. These include Treasure Island (1883) an adventure story about pirates, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and the historical adventure story, Kidnapped written the same year. He was now a famous writer and earned enough money to have a comfortable life. Robert also became famous for his short stories, travel writing and poetry. There are translations of his works in many languages and his stories are still very popular today.

1894

Later life Robert and his wife tried living in a lot of different places, hoping that the better weather would help his health. In 1888, he started a voyage in the Pacific that lasted three years. During this time, he visited many islands, his health improved a bit and he continued to write. In 1890, Robert bought some land in Upolu, an island in Samoa and decided to stay there. He helped the Samoan people in many ways and they loved him. They used to call him ‘Tusitala’ that in Samoan means ‘storyteller’.

He died on 3 December 1894 and is buried on Mount Vaea in Samoa.

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Test Yourself Choose A, B or C to complete the sentences about Kidnapped.

Ebenezer Balfour was A the same age B older than C younger than as David’s father. David’s father. David’s father.

1

Ransome was killed by A Captain Hoseason.

B Mr Shaun.

C Mr Riach.

2 Alan Breck wore A French clothes.

B Scottish clothes.

C English clothes.

3 Most of the exiled Scottish clan chiefs lived in A the Lowlands.

B France.

C the Highlands.

4 The Covenant went down to the bottom of the sea because A there was a storm.

B there was a fight.

C it hit some rocks. on board.

5 David managed to get off the island of Earraid because A it was low tide.

B he could swim.

C some men rescued him in a boat.

6 Colin Campbell of Glenure was shot A by the tenants.

B by the red coats.

C by? We don’t know.

7 After the Covenant was lost, Alan Breck was helped by A Captain Hoseason.

B Mr Riach.

C the other sailors.

8 Whoever caught Alan and David, would get a reward of A £100.

B £500.

C £200.

9 Cluny Macpherson’s home was known as A Cluny’s Clan.

B Cluny’s Cave.

C Cluny’s Cage.

10 While at Cluny’s, Alan used David’s money to A buy weapons.

B play cards.

C get a boat.

11 Mr Rankeillor didn’t take his glasses with him when he went to meet Alan Breck…

A because he only B because he C so he could say needed them for always forgot he couldn’t reading. them. recognise Alan.

12 When Hoseason kidnapped David, Ebenezer gave him A £20.

B £200.

C £50.

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Syllabus Level B1 This reader contains the items listed below as well as those included in previous levels of the ELI Readers syllabus.

Verb tenses Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple Verb forms and patterns make/let + infinitive Verb + object + infinitive (e.g. I want you to help) Reported speech with say, ask, tell.

Phrasal verbs Modal verbs can / could might would rather should must / have to need / needn’t used to would (past habits) had better Clause Time clauses introduced by when, while, until, before, after…

Clauses of purpose First conditional Second conditional Clauses of concession

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Young Adult

Readers

STAGE 1 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe STAGE 2 Shakespeare, Hamlet Prince of Denmark Charles Dickens, Great Expectations William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Bram Stoker, Dracula William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat John Buchan, Thirty-Nine Steps STAGE 3 Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray William Shakespeare, Macbeth Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White Anonymous, Beowulf Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped Elizabeth Ferretti, The Earthkeepers Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Ubervilles George Orwell, 1984 STAGE 4 James Joyce, Dubliners Mary Shelley, Frankenstein Henry James, The Turn of the Screw Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights Edgar Allan Poe, Stories of Mystery and Suspense Charles and Mary Lamb, Tales from Shakespeare Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities Hermann Melville, Moby Dick Jane Austen, Emma Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter E.M.Forster, A Passage to India STAGE 5 Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby