THE BLACK CAT HANDOUT.

HANDOUT

“THE BLACK CAT”

 

a)  Number these events in the correct order.

 

1)	The narrator kills his wife.	14
2)	The mark on the cat grows and changes until it has the shape of the gallows	12
3)	The narrator takes one cat home.	11
4)	The narrator holds of an axe and tries to kill the animal.	13
5)	The shape of a cat is outlined in the white bedroom wall.	10
6)	On top of her head, with a red, open mouth and one burning eye, sat the black cat.	17
7)	The narrator takes a knife and cuts one of Pluto´s eyes.	7
8)	The narrator becomes a heavy drinker.	2
9)	Fire in the house	9
10)	He caught Pluto by his neck and shook him.	5
11)	He hangs Pluto from a tree and leaves it there to die.	8
12)	Pluto bit the narrator.	6
13)	The police visit his house.	16
14)	His wife used to buy him many animals as presents.	1
15)	He starts to hit his wife and animals.	4
16)	The narrator hides the body of his wife behind the walls of the cellar.	15
17)	The narrator becomes very violent.	3

 

b) Complete each sentence with a word from the box. You can use the same word

more than once.

 

angry – axe – cellar – evil – horror mad – object – plaster – several

 

 

a) Some people believe that all black cats are evil

b) I was often suddenly angry about unimportant things.

c) Someone else was in my body: someone evil, and mad with drink!

d) The next morning, my mind was full of pain and  horror when I woke up.

e) I realized why this wall didn’t burn: because there was new plaster on it.

f )I looked at the shape in complete horror .

g) I noticed a black object on top of a cupboard.

h) The cat pressed the side of his head against my hand several times.

i)  I took the axe and tried to cut the animal into two.

j)  I decided to hide the body in one of the walls of the cellar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c) Which of the words below describe the people or animals in the story?

 

Bad – brave – clever – evil – friendly – good Happy  – horrible – kind – loving – selfish – sick

 

 

a) The story-teller: bad, evil, selfish, sick.

b) The story-teller’s wife: friendly, loving, kind.

c) Pluto: clever, brave, friendly.

d) The second cat: horrible, evil.

 

 

d) Choose the best alternative.

1. C

2. C

3. C

4. A

5. B

6. D

7. B

8. D

9. B

10. D

 

e)  Answer the following questions.

 

1.- Why does the narrator say that he is going to die tomorrow?

Because he killed his wife with an axe.

 

2.- What was the name of the cat?

The name of the cat was Pluto.

 

3.- Why does he become into an angry and violent person?

Because he became a heavy drinker.

 

4.- Why does the narrator mention the wall to the police?

Because he was unworried, even though his wife’s body was behind the wall.

 

5.- Why and how does he kill his wife?

He killed her because she stopped him from murdering Pluto. He turn the axe into her head.

 

6.- Where is the narrator as the writes the story?

He is in jail (prison).

 

7.- Describe what the narrator did to Pluto that cost him an eye?

He shook Pluto, he was bitten by the cat. After that, he cut out Pluto’s eye with a knife.

 

8.- Compare the two cats in the story.

Pluto was clever, beautiful cat. The second cat didn’t have an eye, and had a mark on its chest of a gallows.

 

9.- What was the narrator like as a child? As a young married man?

He was a loving person, as a young married man he was a gentle person.

 

10.- How does Pluto react to the narrator after he hurt him?

Pluto ran away when he saw the narrator with fear of been hurt again.