Questions About Night Without End
Questions About Night Without End
Questions About Night Without End
ACTIVITIES
BEFORE READING
1.- Read the story introduction on the first page of the book, and the
back over. How much do you know now about the story? For each
sentence, circle Y (yes) or N (no).
1. The story happens near the South Pole. Y / N
2. T he men at the weather station are used to working in year cold
conditions. Y / N
3. An airliner has crashed near the weather station. Y / N
4. Peter Mason was a passenger on the plane. Y / N
5. There were fifteen people on the plane. Y / N
6. Four people on the people were shot. Y / N
7. The radio is broken. Y / N
2. - What do you think will happen in the story? For each sentence, circle
Y (yes) or N (no).
1. Someone will be last in a terrible snowstorm. Y / N
2. There will not be enough food for everyone. Y / N
3. One of the passengers will have a serious illness. Y / N
4. Peter Mason will fall in love with someone. Y / N
5. Soldiers will come and rescue the passengers. Y / N
6. One of the scientists will be shot. Y / N
7. Two more of the plane passengers will die. Y / N
8. There will be more than one killer. Y / N
9. The killer(s) will be shot. Y / N
10.
The killer(s) will escape. Y / N
WHILE READING
1.- Read chapters 1 and 2, and then answer these questions.
1. How long had Dr. Mason been working in Greenland?
Dr Mason been working for four months
2. Why did Jackstraw think it was a big plane that he heard?
Because he could hear several engines.
3. How did Dr. Mason know that the plane was going to land?
2.- Read Chapter 3. Match the names of the passengers with the words
and phrases, and then write a sentence about each one.
Example: The elderly woman, Marie LeGarden, was a famous actress.
Senador Brewster/ Nick Corazzini/ Mrs Dansby-Gregg/ Helene Fleming/
Marie LeGarden/ Solly Levin/ Theodore Mabler/ Joseph Smallwood/ Jonny
Zagero.
Actress
society woman
Boxer
Maid
Jewish
Businessman
cut forehead
minister
elderly woman
little man
famous
boxers manager
priests collar
German
American politician
expensively dressed
dark-haired young man
broken collar-bone
thin and elderly
white hair and moustache
The man with the white hair and moustache, Senator Brewster,
was an American politician.
Nick Corazzini, who had a cut forehead, was a businessman.
Mrs Dansby-Gregg was an expensively dressed society woman.
Helene Fleming, who had a broken collar-bone, was a German
maid.
The little man, Solly Levin, was the boxers manager.
3.- before you read chapter 4, can you guess what will happen? For each
sentence, circle Y (yes) or N (no).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
4.- Read chapters 4 to 6. Who said this, and to whom? What were they
talking about?
1. Wont they worry if they dont hear from you?
Corazzini, to Dr Mason, about Hillcrest and his other colleagues.
2. And why didnt you show it to me yesterday?
Dr Mason, to Margaret Ross, about her injured back.
3. Somebody, out there, has just tried to murder me.
Dr Mason, to Joss, about getting lost in the snow.
4. I dont suppose you know anything about this, by any chance?
Dr Mason to Margaret Ross about the bullet hole in the Captains back
5. Now, do you trust me
Margaret Ross to Dr Mason, about her engagement to the radio
operator, which meant that she couldnt have killed him.
6. Do you think well ever get there?
Jackstraw to Dr Mason, about getting to Uplavnik
7. We know youre serious.
Zagero to Dr Mason, about Jackstraw being ready to shoot.
8. What on earths happening out there?
Corazzini to Dr Mason, about the plane being on fire.
9. the fire in the plane explains one thing, at least.
Joss to Dr Mason, about the stolen fuse wire.
10. I found a last handful of it lying on the floor of the tunnel.
Joss to Dr Mason, about the stolen sugar.
5.- Read chapters 7 and 8. Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
Rewrite the false ones the correct information.
1. Mahler stole all the sugar. F
6.- Before you read Chapters 9 and 10, can you guess what happens?
1. Someone falls into a crevasse. Is it ..
a) Helene?
b) Corazzini?
c) Levin?
2. Someone has something hidden in their bag. Is it
a) a gun?
b) food?
c) Insulin?
3. The important thing being carried on the plane was.
a) a piece of secret military equipment.
b) a new sort of medicine.
c) Secret government papers.
4. The captain crashed the plane near the weather station.
a) because he was lost.
b) because the killers shot him.
c) to shop the criminals from meeting their friends.
5. Someone else is going to be killed. Is it.
a) Helene?
b) Mrs Dansby -Gregg?
c) Margaret Ross
6. Decide which of these people are definitely not the two criminals,
and which might be.
a) Senator Brewster
b) Nick Corazzini
c) Mrs Dansby- Gregg
d) Helene Fleming
e) Solly Levin
f) Theodore Mahler
g) Reverend Smallwood
h) Johnny Zagero
7.- Read Chapters 11 and 12. Choose the best question-word for these
questions and then answer them.
How / What / Which / Who / Why
1. WHICH three people could no longer walk?
Helene, Marie LeGarde, Theodore Mahler
2. WHAT did Balto find between midnight and three oclock?
The dog sledge.
3. WHO died and fell off the sledge?
Senator Brewster.
4. WHAT did they find in the morning?
The tractor sledge.
5. WHICH two things on the sledge made Dr Mason happy?
The magnesium flares and the radio balloons.
6. WHO was going to shoot Corazzini and Smallwood?
Jackstraw.
7. WHY was it impossible to shoot them?
Because they were on the far side of the glacier.
8. HOW did Levin attack Corazzini?
With his head.
9. WHO killed Corazzini?
Zagero.
10.WHY didnt Smallwood shoot Zagero?
Because he needed to save his remaining bullets.
11.WHY did Smallwood try to escape in the tractor?
Because he saw the Marines.
12.HOW did Dr Mason stop Smallwood shooting Margaret?
By jumping on top of him.
AFTER READING
1.- What did the killers do, and why? Fill in their names and make as many
sentences as you can from the table.
..
They
shot
tried to
shoot
stole
destroyed
Because..
to..
They shot the chief pilot because he didnt land where they told
him to.
Smallwood shot Mrs Dansby-Gregg because she rushed in front of
Helene.
They shot Colonel Harrison because he was carrying the secret
guided-missile mechanism.
They stole the sugar to put in the petrol.
They stole the fuse wire to blow up the plane.
Corazzini shot Solly Levin because he attacked him.
Smallwood tried to shoot Helene because she kicked out at him
They destroyed the radio to stop anyone from calling for help.
Smallwood shot Margaret Ross to make Mason drop his gun.
2.- Put these sentences into the right order. Then put them together to make a
paragraph. Use linking words (and, but, so, when, etc.) and pronouns (he, she,
it, who, etc.) instead of names where possible.
1. Mason thought that Corazzini was going to kill them.
2. Corazzini smiled and threw down a rope.
3. Mason lowered himself into the crevasse to help them.
4. Helene landed on a snow and ice bridge six metres down.
5. Mason ans Jackstraw jumped to the other side of bridge.
6. Mason heard the ice beginning to crack.
7. Helene heard and fell into a crevasse.
8. Mason looked up.
9. Jackstraw jumped down after her.
10.Helena was then pulled down after her.
11.Mason tied a rope round Helene.
12.One side of the sow bride collapsed.
13.Jackstraw hurt his arm as he fell.
14.Mason saw Corazzini with a gun in his hand.
Correct order of the sentences: 7,4,9,13,3,11,10,6,5,12,8,14,1,2
Now write a paragraph about what happened when Smallwood
and Margaret fell into the crevasse.
Option 1:
Helen slipped and fell into a crevasse, but she landed on a snow and ice
bridge six metres down, Jackstraw jumped down after her, hurting his
arm as he fell. Mason lowered himself into the crevasse to help them and
tired a rope round Helene, who was then pulled to safety. Mason heard
the ice beginning to crack, so he and Jackstraw jumped to the other side
of the bridge, and then one side of it collapsed. When Mason looked up,
he was Corazzini was going to kill them, but Corazzini smiled and threw
down a rope.
Option 2:
Smallwood and Margaret fell into a crevasse, but they landed on a solid
shelf of rock. Mason jumped down on top of Smallwood, holding on to
him until he was too weak to fight back. Jackstraw was lowered into the
crevasse to help Margaret. He heard Jackstraw shouting, so he climbed
out with the help of another rope. Then Jackstraw angrily threw a rope
down on top of Smallwood and left him to die.
3.- Complete the conversation that Captain Hillcrest had with Joss. Use
as many words as you like.
JOSS: Hillcrest, what on earth are you doing back here?
HILLCREST: We heard from Uplavnik that a plane was missing and that
they wanted us to join in the search for it.
JOSS: Well, I cant tell you how glad I am to see you!
HILLCREST:
Its good to see you too. But where are Mason and
Jackstraw?
JOSS: Theyre on the way to the coast in the other tractor. And you must
go after them at once!
HILLCREST: Why do I have to go after them? Im supposed to be looking
for a crashed plane.
JOSS: You dont have to search for the plane.
HILLCREST: Why not? What do you mean?
JOSS: Its about 500 metres away, buried under a snowdrift. It crashed
right here.
HILLCREST: My God! What about the passengers?
JOSS: Most of them were OK. But the pilot and other officers didnt
survive
HILCREST: Dead? Oh no! But why didnt you radio for help?
JOSS: Because someone broke the radio.
5.- What might have happened if.? Complete these sentences in your
own words.
1. If the pilot had landed near the Kangalak glacier, the killers might not
have shot him.
2. If they had more food, they could have stayed in the cabin.
3. If they had all stayed in the cabin, they might have been all right until
Captain Hillcrest arrived.
4. If Mason hadnt found one of the antenna poles when he was lost in
the snow, he would have died.
5. If Corazzini and Smallwood hadnt set fire to the plane, Hillcrest
would have been able to use the planes petrol.
6. If Corazzini and Smallwood hadnt put sugar in the petrol, Hillcrest
would have travelled faster.
7. If Mason had read the newspaper article earlier, he would have
searched everyones luggage and found Corazzinis and Smallwoods
equipment.
8. If Mahler hadnt worked for an oil company, he couldnt have helped
Hillcrest get the sugar of the petrol.
9. If Mason had known that Levin was Zageros father, he might not
have though they were the killers.
6.- Do you agree (A) or disagree (D) with these statements? Explain
why.
1. Leaving Smallwood in the crevasse was revenge, not justice, and so
was a criminal act. (D)
2. Shooting Corazzini and Smallwood on the tractor, even to save Solly
Levin and Margaret Ross, would have been murder, as Hillcrest said.
(A)
3. Solly Levin and Johnny Zagero should have revealed the fact that
they were father and son.
(A)
4. Mahler should not have stolen the sugar.
(D)
5. Mrs Dansby-Gregg should have helped to bandage Helenes shoulder.
(A)
7.- Which of the people in this story did you most admire, and why?
Who did you think was bravest? Write a few sentences about two or
three of the characters.
Dr. Mason was very persistent thats admirable of him he never gave up,
he was the bravest man aboard.
Solly Levin, at the end he fight to save everybody from Corazzini, and he
was tied!!
Jackstraw, hes maybe the most thought character of the history he
never doubted.
8.- Imagine that your plane has crash-landed in the Arctic. Which of
these things would you need, and why? Choose the five most important
ones. Would you add anything else to the list?
balloons
bandages
compass
dogs
food
explosive
fuse wire
guide-missile
mechanism
homing spool
gun
Insulin
magnesium flare
petrol
radio
rope
sledge
sleeping-bag
stove
stretcher
snow sticks
sugar
tape recorder
tent
torch
tractor
warm clothes