Answer keys

PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme

LEVEL 3

The Thirty-nine Steps

Book key
1 a 1914
b 1918
c Most European countries, but not Spain, Portugal,
Switzerland or Scandinavian countries. The war
was mainly between Britain, France and the United
States, and Germany, Hungary and Turkey, but
there were many other countries in the war too.
2 a butler, captain, coastguard, general, innkeeper, lord,
minister, Sir
b admiralty, captain, coastguard, tide
c admiralty, cottage, town hall
3 a H b S c S d S e S f H
4 a His enemies want to kill him.
b The police will think that he killed Scudder.
c Karolides.
d Scudders chief enemy.
e Scudders black notebook.
f To buy a train ticket to Galloway.
g With a knife through his heart.
h He leaves the building looking like a milkman.
5 6 Open answers
7 a 5 b 4 c 3 d 8 B 2 f 6 g 7 h 1
8 a No. He is a foreign enemy.
b No. They are foreign enemies.
c No. His newspaper has the story of Scudders
murder and information about Hannay.
d Yes. He gives Hannay new clothes and food. His
uncle is the Chief Secretary at the Foreign Office.
e Yes. They give Hannay milk and food and do not
ask him questions.
f Yes. He hides Hannay in his house and does not
help Hannays enemies.
g No. He tries to stop Hannay because the telegram
describes Hannays car.
h Yes. Hannay has an interesting conversation with
him.
9 a Hannay learns from a newspaper that the police
know about his escape to Scotland.
b The dog pulls the old man off the train and they
fall down a river bank. Because of this, everybody
on the train forgets about Hannay and he
successfully escapes.
c Her name helps Hannay to solve the code in
Scudders black notebook.
d The Germans want to kill him and use his death as
an excuse for war.
c Pearson Education Limited 2008

e A French officer is coming to London on the same

day as Karolides to learn about the British war
plans.
f The Black Stone is a group of German spies in
Britain.
g Hannay uses this name with Sir Harry.
10 11 Open answers
12 a Hannay must get to London before that day to save
Karolidess life. He must also get there to stop the
German spies learning Britains war secrets.
b Open answers
13 a plane b shoes c dangerous d The police
e is Hannays main enemy f to kill the wrong man
g airfield
14 a Hannay borrows the roadmans hat, glasses and job.
b He taught Hannay how to be a good actor.
c Hannay escapes into the hills in his car.
d He saves Hannay from the police.
e Because of Hannays dirty clothes, the old spy halfbelieves Hannays story and does not kill him.
f Hannay uses them to escape from the dark room in
the spies house.
g Hannay hides on its roof to escape from the enemy
spies.
15 He is angry that there are foreign enemies in his
country. He is dishonest when he lies to the old spy.
He is happy when people see him as a real roadman.
He is hungry when he arrives at the spies house. He
is lucky that many people help him. He is also lucky
when he finds dynamite in the dark room. He is
nervous on the birdhouse roof because the spies can
see him from their plane. He is sick and thirsty on the
birdhouse roof because of the dynamite smoke. He
is weak like a child when he looks into the old spys
eyes. (Drunk and sad do not describe Hannay in these
chapters.)
16 17 Open answers
18 a 7 b 7 c 3 d 3 e 7 f 7 g 7
19 After his illness, Hannay goes to (1) Artinswell to see
Sir Walter Bullivant, (2) Sir Harrys uncle. Sir Walter
tells him that Scudders ideas were often (3) strange.
After news of the Greek Prime Ministers death, Sir
Walter goes to an important meeting. Hannay meets
Marmaduke Jopley. (4) Hannay hits Jopley and runs
to Sir Walters (5) house at Queen Annes Gate. Sir
Walter and his other guests are surprised that a foreign
spy has (6) heard their secret plans.

The Thirty-nine Steps - Answer keys

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Answer keys

LEVEL 3

PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme

The Thirty-nine Steps

20 a Turnbull has his coat with Scudders black
notebook in its pocket.
b Hannay offers him money.
c the song is a secret sign.
d Karolides is shot.
e important things are happening without him.
f he wants to check his idea about the real Lord
Alloa.
g a German spy has heard their war secrets.
2122 Open answers
23 a Scotland
b Senegal
c Scotland Yard
d the Admiralty
e the East Coast
f Bradgate, Kent
g Trafalgar House
h Germany
i Sir Walters house
24 a Royer lost some fingers because a lion attacked him.
b The spies have not taken their secrets to Germany
yet.
c Hannay thinks that the spies will try to escape in a
small sailing or fishing boat.
d correct
e Scaife and Hannay go fishing because they want to
look closely at the Ariadne.
f Hannay thinks that the people in Trafalgar House
look different from the enemy spies in Scotland.
g The thin, dark spy killed Scudder, and the fat spy
was probably the Lord Alloa of the night before.
h At the end of the story, all the spies are arrested.
25 35 Open answers

Discussion activities key

121 Open answers

Activity worksheets key

1






2

a Karolides, the Greek prime minister

b Hannay
c Scudder
d Karolides
e one of Scudders enemies
f Hannay
g Scudders chief enemy
Open answer

c Pearson Education Limited 2008

3 covers the body with a tablecloth, leaves London for

a few weeks, Scotsman, German, an empty part of
the countryside, tobacco box, a joke, Hannay leaves
his flat dressed as a milkman, throws the milkmans
clothes over a wall, catches the train.
4 a 6 b 7 c 4 d 1 e 5 f 2 g 3
5 a Nobody can stop the war now
b The Germans are going to attack suddenly
6 Open answer.
7 a in the hills > on the coast
b Red Rock > Black Stone
c the German spies > Richard Hannay
d means > doesnt mean (Protection means paying
money to the government to move goods between
countries.)
e Australia > Rhodesia
f is > was (the last)
g church > government
h good > terrible
i new suit of clothes > old suit of clothes,
new car > old bicycle
8 a He throws it into a pool.
b He got drunk the night before.
c He borrows the roadmans hat and glasses, he puts
dirt on his trousers and shoes, he ties his trousers
below the knee, he makes his hands dirty.
d They think he is Hannay.
e His newspaper, his shoes, someone on a bicycle.
f Because he is very frightened of Hannay / because
Hannay says he will murder him.
9 hill-top, notebook, hiding-place, glass bottle, worst
enemy, shopkeeper, stick of dynamite, farmyard, birdhouse, airfield
10 in the long grass on a hill, in a group of trees, in a
farmyard, in a glass building, in a dark room with only
one window, in a dark back room with no light, in the
farmyard again, at the back of the bird-house, on the
roof of the bird-house, at the little river by the farm
11 a woman in a cottage; Alexander Turnbull, the
roadman; Sir Walter Bullivant
12 a To learn the British plans for war
b Because he isnt well
c Because Royers visit to London is secret only five
people know. Hannay can tell the police his story
after the visit
d Because he has read Scudders notes and because he
has seen the German spies outside his flat and in
Scotland
The Thirty-nine Steps - Answer keys  of 3

Answer keys

PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme

LEVEL 3

The Thirty-nine Steps

e No, he hasnt
f When Lord Alloa looks at Hannay there is a sudden
light in his eyes which he has seen before.
g He phones Lord Alloas home and Lord Alloa is
there, in bed
13 a 7 b 3 c 1 d 5 e 2 f 4 g 6
14 a 10 b 5 c 1 d 8 e 9 f 2 g 4 h 6
i 3 j 7
15 Open answers
16 Suggested answers:
At the first inn where Hannay stays in Scotland the
young landlord likes writing interesting stories, and
helps Hannay. Later, Hannay meets Sir Harry. Sir
Harrys uncle is the Chief Secretary at the Foreign
Office.
The roadman is a very kind man and helps Hannay
when he is ill. Hannay meets Marmaduke Jopley on a
quiet road in Scotland. Jopley drives him away from
danger. Hannay finds a detonator and some dynamite
in the cupboard when he is in the glass building. No
one sees him on the top of the bird-house.
17 Open answer

c Pearson Education Limited 2008

Progress test key

1 a German > Greek; Friend > stranger.
b President > Foreign Office; it was not a good idea >
there was no time.
c Germany > Scotland; British > a Scotsman/Scottish
d Bag > pockets; bed > tobacco.
2 a 7: in the house of a family.
b 3
c 7: after June 15th.
d 3
3 a 1 b 2 c 1 d 2
4 a his clothes and name from Twidson to Turnbull.
b he was afraid of him because he read in the paper that
he was a murderer.
c a kind-looking old man.
d he was one of Scudders enemies.
5 a cottage
b butler
c Lord, Admiralty
d General
6 a 3 b 7 c 3 d 7
7 a 1 b 3 c 4 d 5 e 2

The Thirty-nine Steps - Answer keys  of 3