WILD WATER
by Sue Murray
Assignments
Before Reading
1
Look at the picture on the front cover.
A
What are the people in the boat
doing?
B
What are they wearing?
C
What seems to be happening to
the man in the foreground?
While Reading
Chapter
1 Scott’s good idea
1
Why had the boys decided to do something together?
2
Why did Mouse (Malcolm) say the idea of going whitewater
rafting sounded expensive?
Give two reasons.
3
Read the brochure of the Black and White Outdoor Adventure
Company.
A
Explain in English: what are
rapids? Use a dictionary, if you need
one.
B
How are these rapids divided
into classes?
C
Will the B and WOAC pay for
damages if something goes wrong?
Explain your answer.
4
Why, at the end of Chapter 1, did Mouse wonder if the
trip was such a good idea?
5
Why was Malcolm nicknamed Mouse?
Chapter
2 Meeting the guides
1
Look at the list of the things the boys had to bring.
A What
item do you think would be very silly to forget? Explain your answer.
B What
would be an item that you would try
to fit in extra into your backpack?
Explain
your answer.
2
Look at the list of things NOT TO BRING.
A
Why would mobile phones be on
this list?
B And
why cameras?
C
What item on this list would you miss most? Explain your answer.
3
A What is the difference between Ryan’s gear
and Malcolm’s?
B
What does this tell you about
their families?
4 A What
can be said about the guides?
B What
did Rick say was the reason for this?
5 Why
was Bruce still angry with Scott’s father and Rick?
6
What was the roar that Malcolm heard when he got out
of the bus?
7
A How do you think Malcolm felt when he looked
down at the white water for the
first time?
B
How would you feel at the start of such an adventurous trip?
8
Write down the names of all the people that go rafting
in the grid below.
the
four friends
|
guides
|
others
|
|
|
|
9
Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 2 on the map.
Mark it Ch 2.
See: After Reading
Chapter
3 Is it too dangerous?
1
Why were Malcolm and Petra nodding at what Rick said?
2
A What looks like a washing machine?
B Why
do you think it is called that?
3
What is ‘portaging’?
4
Why did Rick do the throw bag drill? Give two reasons.
5
Which member(s) of the group is/are the most
A
impatient
B
cheerful
C
careful
6
Look at the picture on page 22.
A
What piece of equipment is Rick
showing?
B
What have you come to know
about this piece of equipment? Fill in the gaps.
A
|
B
They
are very light so that they _________________ (I).
You
must always _______________ (II) of
it.
When
using it, you must always use ________________________________ (III).
|
7 Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 3 on
the map. Mark it Ch 3.
See: After Reading
Chapter 4 Clear
water
1
How was the group divided over the two rafts? Write
down where is everyone sitting as
precisely as you can.
Raft 2 Raft 1
2 What did the group do first after they
had climbed into their rafts?
3 How did Petra feel about her mother’s singing? Circle
A, B, C, or D.
A proud
|
B embarrassed
|
C angry
|
D enthusiastic
|
4 A What
was the painful result of the argument between Scott and Ryan?
B Who
had been the subject of the argument?
5 What
did Rick mean by ‘reading the river’?
6 What
is meant by these commands?
A “Dig!”
B “Get down!”
7 Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 4
on the map. Mark it Ch 4.
See: After Reading
Chapter
5 A missing person
1
What had been the reason for Rick to say ‘Scott, if you do that one more time, you
can
swim the
rest of the way’?
2
A Look at your answer to Question 2A of
Chapter 2. Were you right?
B
What means of communication had
Rick brought instead?
3
What did Rick think was Scott’s biggest problem?
4
The next morning Rick said, ‘It’s stopped now – don’t worry.’
What had stopped?
5
Who is the missing person from the title of this
chapter?
6
Do you think Rick has been a good leader so far?
Explain your answer.
7
Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 5 on the map.
Mark it Ch 5.
See: After Reading
Chapter
6 Who’s the leader?
1
A Where had the missing person from Chapter 5
been?
B What seems to be bothering him?
2 The
two guides thought differently about the journey ahead. Finish the two
sentences
below.
Hal
did not want to continue that day because
|
Rick
wanted to go on because
|
3 What could be a possible danger to Linda?
4 A
What did Rick want Hal and his
crew to do just before they reached the
Straight Shooter?
B
Did Hal succeed in doing so?
5 Draw the route that was taken in Chapter
6 on the map. Mark it Ch 6.
See: After Reading
Chapter
7 The Straight Shooter
1
A What was in the river that made the Straight
Shooter even more difficult to cross?
B
What was the result?
2
What must be done if a rafter falls into the river? Circle
A, B, or C.
A
Swim to the river’s edge
B
Wait for the raft to come to
you
C
Go down river, head first
3 A Once
Mouse had got to the river bank, he felt useless. Why was that?
B How
did he make himself useful in the end?
4 Add
the correct names to the gaps below to show how the rafters were saved.
______
( A) let the rope go through his hands to get ____________ , ___________ ,
__________
and ___________ (B) across the river. Together with _________ (C)
he
then pulled it back. Then ____________ , __________ and
__________ (D)
paddled
across.
|
5 From what Linda was saying, what sort of
medical condition do you think she might suffer from?
6 Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 7
on the map. Mark it Ch 7.
See: After Reading
Chapter
8 In the cave
1
Why had Linda not worn her helmet properly?
2
Why had Linda wanted to come on this trip?
3 Of the three barrels that had gone
missing, which one do you think was the most
important?
Explain your answer.
4 Why can’t Linda be moved?
5 Why was it not a good idea to wait for
other rafters?
6 A Who are continuing their trip?
B Who
are staying behind?
N.B.: No route in this chapter
Chapter
9 Devil’s Elbow
1
Circle True or False.
The
rain that had fallen made the Bear Trap easier to cross.
2
Copy two of Scott’s quotations from pages 48 and 49 to
show his stubbornness.
3
What were the two reasons for Hal and his group to
climb up the rocks?
4
Give two reasons why the next rapid was called Devil’s
Elbow.
5 Circle
True or False.
The
rain that had fallen made Devil’s Elbow easier to cross.
6 A What
did Hal suggest was the best way to get past Devil’s Elbow?
B Who
agreed with him?
C Who
disagreed with him?
7 How did Malcolm get injured?
8 Draw the route that was taken in Chapter
9 on the map. Mark it Ch 9.
See: After Reading
Chapter
10 A race against time
1
Why do you think Malcolm agreed to have Scott take
over as raft captain?
2 Circle True or False.
Scott managed to pass the first rapid
well.
3
A What did Malcolm first think was the reason
for the Washing Machine to make
so much noise?
B
What turned out to be the real
reason?
4
Why would it be hard to portage around the washing
Machine?
5
What did Hal and Malcolm suggest to do next?
6
Why did Scott disagree with this?
7
Who won the argument?
8
What trouble did Malcolm land in when he tried to
cross the Washing Machine?
9
Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 10 on the
map. Mark it Ch 10.
See: After Reading
Chapter
11 One more night
1
When Mouse closed his eyes, Hal called out his name.
Why do you think he did that?
2
Who had taken over as raft captain?
3
Why did the boys not want a helicopter to come and
pick them up?
4
Why was dinner not a very good one?
5 On page 32 Rick told Hal, ‘…… . Besides, we have to go on. There’s nowhere
to take the rafts off the river before the bridge. So don’t say anything …… ‘.
What was Hal not supposed to say?
6 Why had Hal agreed to become a guide on
this trip after all?
7 What had been the reason for Scott’s bad
temper on this trip?
8 A
Who was on the phone?
B
What was the message?
9 Plop,
plop, plop, clunk. What happened next?
10 Ring,
ring, plop. What happened next?
11 Draw the route that was taken in Chapter 11
on the map. Mark it Ch 11.
See: After Reading
After Reading
1 After
reading each of the Chapters, draw a line to show the route that was taken in
it. Mark these lines Ch 2, Ch 3, etc.
1
Add a line to show the route that would be taken the
next day. Mark it AR
2
Solve the Wild
Water crossword.
Across:
2 Protective
headgear (6)
5 Material
used to tie things up (4)
6 Powerful
wave in a rapid (7)
8 Animal
that is kept at people’s homes (3)
9 Things
to prepare meals in (4)
10 Frozen
water (3)
12 Piece
of wood (that made the Straight Shooter even harder to cross) (3)
14 If
Linda had …… what was going to happen, she would have worn her 2 Across (5)
16 Not in the past, but not in the future
either (3)
17 Without
(much) light (4)
18 Thing
made of stone or wood to get across a river (6)
20 Things you need to go on an expedition,
such as tools and clothing (9)
Down:
1 Small
inflatable boat (4)
2 Special
sort of rubber 1 Down is made of (7)
3 Something
to catch wild animals such as bears in (4)
4 To
watch for something as a hobby, e.g. for airplanes (4)
6 One
of the guides of this expedition (4)
9 Something
with a flat part to each end, used to push a boat through water (6)
11 Natural underground space (4)
13 Deep,
narrow opening between mountains, often with rocky walls and a stream (5)
15 The colour of fast moving water (5)
19 Life is full of …….. and downs (3)
21 How long did it take the group ….. reach the
end of their journey? (2)
