The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux
Te a c h e r s Material

C O N T E N T S

To the Teacher ..................................................................................................................... 3

Before Reading...................................................................................................................... 5 After Reading: Extra Challenges .......................................................................................... 6 After Reading: Group Work ................................................................................................. 7 Possible Answers to Group Work ....................................................................................... 8 Worksheet 1: Chapters 1 8 ................................................................................................ 9 Answers to Worksheet 1 .................................................................................................... 10 Worksheet 2: Chapters 9 16............................................................................................. 11 Answers to Worksheet 2 ................................................................................................... 12 Final Test .............................................................................................................................. 13 Answers to Final Test ......................................................................................................... 14 Answers to Questions in the Reader.................................................................................. 15

Before using the following teachers material, we recommend that you read the Burlington Reader Series general information leaflet.

Copyright 1998 Burlington Books

The Phantom of the Opera

TO THE TEACHER
LIST
OF

MAIN CHARACTERS

The Opera Ghost: also known as Erik. Christine Daa: a young singer at the Opera with whom the Ghost is in love. Raoul de Chagny: a young nobleman who is also in love with Christine. The Persian: a man who knew Erik in Persia. He helps Raoul and Christine.

P L O T S U M M A RY
There has been a special performance at the Paris Opera. Afterwards, all the performers are talking about the Opera Ghost, who haunts the Opera House and of whom everyone is frightened. Count Philippe de Chagny and his brother Raoul are talking enthusiastically about the singer Christine Daa, whom they have just heard. Raoul is obviously in love with Christine. He joins the people in her dressing-room and reminds her that they used to play together when they were children, but Christine seems very nervous and says she wants to be alone. Raoul waits for her outside her dressing-room. He hears Christine and a man talking to each other. But when Christine comes out, she is alone and her room is empty. The two new managers of the Opera House receive a letter from the Ghost, telling them they must keep his box, Box Five, free for him at every performance. The two managers ignore the letter and sell the tickets for the box. That evening, the police are called to the Opera House to ask the people in Box Five to leave because they are making too much noise. Madame Giry, who is responsible for the box, tells the managers that the Ghost caused the disturbance because he was angry. Meanwhile, Raoul is upset because Christine has not appeared at the Opera House and he doesnt know where to find her. He receives a letter from her, saying she is going to Pellon. Raoul follows her, and tells Christine that he heard a man talking to her in her dressing-room. Christine runs away, but later tells Raoul that the man was the Angel of Music, whom her father used to tell them about when they were children. When Raoul laughs at her story, she is angry and leaves him. The managers receive another letter from the Ghost demanding that Christine sing the lead part in the opera. Again, they ignore the letter, and Christine sings another part instead. During the performance, the main singer, Carlotta, starts croaking like a frog. Then the chandelier falls down, killing a woman. After the performance, Christine disappears again and Raoul is very worried. Finally, he receives a letter from her, telling him to go to the masked ball at the Opera House the following evening. At the ball, Christine starts to explain everything to Raoul, but his attitude makes her change her mind, and she runs away from him again. He hides in her dressing-room and hears her say, Poor Erik and then he hears a mans voice singing beautifully. He sees Christine looking in the mirror, but when he comes out of his hiding place, the room is empty. The next day, Raoul asks Christine to explain everything to him, but she makes him promise never to come to her room again. Raoul then tells her that he is going away for a long time and they secretly get engaged. They spend a lot of time together and Christine tells him how the Opera Ghost, Erik, fell in love with her and kept her prisoner in his house for two weeks. He only let her go when she promised to return. Christine and Raoul do not realise that Erik has overheard everything. Raoul and Christine plan to run away after the next performance. But during the performance, the stage goes dark and Christine disappears. Raoul tells a police inspector about the Opera Ghost. The inspector tells Raoul that he thinks Count Philippe has taken Christine out of Paris in his carriage. Raoul runs after them, but he is stopped by the Persian. The Persian tells Raoul that it is Erik who has taken Christine, and says he will help Raoul find her. He touches the mirror in Christines dressing-room and a secret door opens. The Persian leads Raoul through the cellars under the Opera House to Eriks house near the lake. They hear Erik telling Christine that by 11pm the following evening she must decide to marry him, or everyone will die. When she is alone, Raoul and the Persian tell her that they have come to free her, but Erik returns, realises what is happening and puts Raoul and the Persian through a series of tortures. They lose consciousness and when they wake up, they find themselves in Eriks house. He allows the Persian to go, but keeps Raoul. Later, Erik arrives at the Persians house. He explains that he has decided to let Christine and Raoul get married and gives his reasons for doing so. Three weeks later, the Persian sends Raoul and Christine a message which says, Erik is dead.
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The Phantom of the Opera

ABOUT

THE

AUTHOR

Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was born on May 6, 1868. He grew up in Normandy, in the north of France. Leroux spent many of his early years in the village of St. Valery-en-Caux, on the English Channel, where his family was involved in ship-building. He received his high school education at the College dEu, in Caen, where he acquired a taste for literature and also wrote poems in his spare time. He was an outstanding pupil, winning many prizes. After getting his baccalaureate, Leroux studied law in Paris, but he was already writing poetry and short stories, some of which were published in journals. He graduated in 1889, the same year his father died, leaving Leroux a million francs. Leroux rapidly spent the inheritance on drinking, gambling and making unsuccessful speculations. Therefore, he had to find a job to maintain the good life which he so enjoyed. He gave up the legal profession, which he found unsatisfying, and got a job with the newspaper LEcho de Paris. He worked as a theatre critic and also reported on trials. Leroux was so successful that he was soon offered a job by the influential paper Le Matin. He soon built up a reputation for theatrical reviews and unique interviews with well-known personalities. He also reported on the infamous Dreyfus trial and believed firmly in Dreyfuss innocence. Leroux became an international correspondent for Le Matin, and travelled all over Europe and parts of Russia, Asia and Africa. His vivid articles helped to sell many copies of the newspaper. During this time, he married, but divorced his wife a few years later. In 1902, he met Jeanne Cayatte, who was his mistress until he married her in 1917. In 1907, Leroux decided to give up journalism and concentrate on writing novels. The following year, he moved to Nice, where he wrote many detective novels as well as stories of romance, horror and fantasy. He based his detective stories on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe, but gave his detectives even more puzzling crimes to solve. He was also greatly influenced by the French writers Stendhal, Hugo and Dumas. Lerouxs first novel had been published in 1903, but it was the first of his detective stories, The Mystery of the Yellow Room, published in 1907, which established his reputation as a writer. From 1908-1911, he wrote five more novels which were very popular at the time, but are largely forgotten today. In 1919, Leroux formed a film company called Cineromans. His actress daughter Madeleine performed in some of the films, but he left the company in 1922. For the next few years, Leroux led a pleasant life in Nice, enjoying the fame his novels and films had brought him, and gambling in the local casinos. He died on April 15, 1927 and is buried in the Castle Cemetery, in the hills above Nice. The Phantom of the Opera, which was published in 1911, is the only one of Lerouxs works which is still remembered today. Universal Studios made it into a film in 1925 and the film was a great success. The modern musical production by Andrew Lloyd Webber has again brought Phantom worldwide popularity.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Leroux is supposed to have written The Phantom of the Opera after visiting the Paris Opera House, which was opened in the 1870s. It is a huge building, with hundreds of cellars and underground passages, and an underground lake which, in good enough light, can be seen through iron bars in the floor. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), some of these cellars were turned into cells, and the place was used as a prison. In the unabridged version of the story, the Ghost hides the bodies of his victims there. It took 14 years to build the Opera House, and an architect with the right knowledge could have created many secret passages which only he knew about. So Leroux made Erik an architect by profession, as well as being passionately fond of music. Leroux also knew about the tragic incident in 1896 when part of the Opera Houses huge chandelier fell on the audience, killing several people. This gave Leroux the idea for the incident where the whole chandelier falls and kills Madame Girys replacement. Another interesting footnote is that Leroux was working as a journalist at a time when new, advanced methods of communication were changing the face of journalism. Leroux used his journalistic training to include many documentary items and details to support his claim that the Opera Ghost really existed. He may well have been the first writer to use this blend of fact and fiction so that the reader no longer knows which is which.
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The Phantom of the Opera

BEFORE READING
SUGGESTIONS
FOR

LEAD-IN ACTIVITIES

In pairs, students ask and answer the following questions. Alternatively, you can ask the questions and elicit the answers from the whole class. (Some suggested answers are provided in italics.) 1. Look at the pictures on pages 7 and 41. In what period do you think the story takes place? What makes you think this? What do you know about this period? (the end of the 19th century, you can tell by their clothes, the horse-drawn carriage) 2. What do you know about a theatre? What do you call the different parts of the theatre? (stage, stalls, circle, box) What does a classical opera house look like? Use the pictures on pages 11, 19 and 22 to help you with your description. (chandeliers, boxes, high ceilings, large staircases) 3. The Phantom of the Opera is, in part, a ghost story. Tell the class about any other ghost stories or films you know about. Can you think of any famous ghosts in literature? (Hamlet, Macbeth, A Christmas Carol) 4. Are ghosts always bad? Do you know any stories involving a good ghost? (Casper) 5. How do people usually react to a ghost? How do they feel (scared, terrified, frightened) and what do they do? (turn pale, scream, run away) 6. Many people know about The Phantom of the Opera because of the popular musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Do you know of this musical? If so, what do you know about it?

K E Y V O C A B U L A RY
1. Pre-teach the following words in bold. The words are presented in context in a paragraph. The paragraph can also be used as a dictation for your students. There are many ghost stories. People are usually frightened of ghosts and speak about them in trembling voices. But some people do not believe in ghosts and are not afraid of them; they think that it is all a joke. Ghosts can do strange things. They can hide in unusual places and walk through mirrors. They can cause the sudden disappearance of somebody and make people scream with fear. It is difficult to rescue a ghosts victims, who often feel great despair. Ghost stories are usually fun to read. 2. Give the students definitions in English of the bolded words above. In pairs, have them match each word to its definition. Then give each pair four of the words (or ask each pair to choose four words) and ask them to write sentences of their own illustrating them. Have them read their sentences to the rest of the class, who should feel free to comment on correct use of vocabulary, etc. 3. You can also pre-teach some of the vocabulary connected with the theatre: performance dressing-room box stage trap-door foyer audience

Divide the class into small groups and tell them that they have got five minutes to write a paragraph using as many of the words above as they can. The winner is the group which has used the most words correctly.

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES

The Before Reading activities in the Burlington Reader Series general information leaflet, pages 8-11, can be applied to The Phantom of the Opera. In addition to the activities in the general leaflet, students can then answer the following questions after scanning pages 6 and 7 and looking at the picture on page 7. 1. Who are the three main characters in the story? (the Opera Ghost, Christine Daa, Raoul de Chagny) 2. What event is there at the beginning of the story? (a special performance to mark the retirement of the first managers of the Opera House) 3. Which two characters know each other from the past? (Christine and Raoul)
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The Phantom of the Opera

AFTER READING: EXTRA CHALLENGES

MAKE YOUR STUDENTS THINK
Here are some points that more advanced students can be asked to consider after reading the book. 1. Read the back cover of the book. Describe a few incidents which show examples of terror in the story. 2. Why do you think people believe in ghosts? 3. Imagine you are Christine. Would you have acted differently? Why / Why not? 4. Why did Erik behave badly? Was it simply because he was bad or were there other reasons? 5. What do you admire and respect in Raoul? What do you find fault with in him? 6. The Phantom of the Opera is not only a ghost story. What other elements are there in the story? Give examples from the book. (romance, suspense, fear)

DRAMA ACTIVITIES

AND

PROJECT SUGGESTIONS

You may want to present some of these activities in the students own language. 1. Write a letter to Gaston Leroux telling him what you liked and didnt like about the book and what changes you want to make. 2. In pairs, act out an interview for a newspaper or magazine with one of the two new managers, Monsieur Moncharmin or Monsieur Richard, about the events at the Opera House. 3. Choose one of the characters in the book and build up a network for your character. Use the network to help you write a paragraph about your character. An example for the character of Count Philippe is given below. elegant 41 years old aristocratic loves his brother

brave wants to stop his brother doing something silly

Philippe

opera-lover worried

4. Act out the scene in which Raoul and Christine meet in the graveyard in Pellon. 5. Make the mask that the Ghost wore in the story. 6. Imagine that you see Erik for the first time. How do you feel? What do you do? What do you tell other people? Act out what you say and do. 7. In pairs, make up and act out the conversation between the policeman and one of the people he asked to leave Box Five. 8. Pretend that you are the Persian. Write the letter he sends to one of his friends in which he describes what happened when he and Raoul tried to rescue Christine. 9. Use an encyclopedia to write about the Paris Opera House and other famous buildings in Paris which were built at the same time. 10. Make a wanted poster for the Opera Ghost. Describe what he looks like or draw a picture of him, write about his crimes and offer a reward for his capture. 11. Write a different ending for the story.
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The Phantom of the Opera

AFTER READING: GROUP WORK

TO
THE

TEACHER:

Hand out the list of statements below to the groups. The groups discuss the statements and provide examples from the text to support each statement. The group spokesperson reports the groups ideas to the whole class.

TO

THE

STUDENTS:

Find examples from the story to support the following pairs of statements. 1. (a) The new managers do not take the Opera Ghost seriously. Examples: (b) The Opera Ghost proves that his threats to the new managers are serious. Examples:

2. (a) Christine is friendly to Raoul and wants to speak to him. Examples:

(b) Christine is unfriendly to Raoul and tells him she wants to be alone. Examples:

3. (a) Raoul feels hopeful about his relationship with Christine. Examples:

(b) Raoul feels despair about his relationship with Christine. Examples:

4. (a) Christine shows fear or horror of Erik. Examples:

(b) Christine shows sympathy for Erik. Examples:

5. (a) The Ghost interferes with the performances at the Opera House. Examples:

(b) The Ghost does not cause problems during the performances at the Opera House. Examples:

6. (a) Christine is happy to meet with Raoul. Examples:

(b) Christine tells Raoul not to try to see her. Examples:

7. (a) Erik shows his good side. Examples:

(b) Erik shows his bad side. Examples:

8. (a) The Persian helps and understands Raoul and Christine. Examples:

(b) The Persian helps and understands Erik. Examples:

See the Burlington Reader Series general information leaflet, pages 13-15, for more After Reading activities.

Group Work

POSSIBLE ANSWERS
1. (a) The new managers do not take the Opera Ghost seriously. They laugh when the old managers tell them about the Ghost. They think the Ghosts letters are a joke. They ignore the Ghosts two requests not to sell his box. They plan to watch an opera from Box Five. 1. (b) The Opera Ghost proves that his threats to the new managers are serious. Carlotta croaks like a frog. The chandelier falls and kills Madame Girys replacement. 2. (a) Christine is friendly to Raoul and wants to speak to him. She smiles when he walks into the hotel in Pellon. She arranges to meet him at the masked ball. When Raoul visits her in her home, she begs him not to ask more about Erik. At the Opera House the next day, she agrees to get engaged to him. She kisses him on the roof of the Opera House. 2. (b) Christine is unfriendly to Raoul and tells him she wants to be alone. She asks everyone to leave the first time he speaks to her in her dressing-room. In Pellon, when he makes fun of her story about the Angel of Music, she shouts at him to leave her alone. When he tries to speak to her in her carriage, she closes her window. 3. (a) Raoul feels hopeful about his relationship with Christine. Christine tells him to meet her in Pellon. They meet every day at the Opera House. On the roof of the Opera House. Christine kisses him and says she loves him. She agrees to go away with him. 3. (b) Raoul feels despair about his relationship with Christine. He is very worried when she disappears for two weeks. After he hears Christine talking to Erik in her dressing-room, he cries, Who is this Erik? When she disappears the second time, he desperately tries to find her. He calls out to her when he thinks he is going to die in the torturechamber. 4. (a) Christine shows fear or horror of Erik. Her face becomes pale when Raoul tells her he had heard her conversation with Erik. She does not want to go down through the trap-door with Raoul. Raoul asks her to tell him the secret of the mans voice. She tells Raoul that she is frightened of going down to the Ghost. She fainted when she first saw the Opera Ghost. She talks about the horror when she saw the four black holes Erik has for his eyes, nose and mouth. 4. (b) Christine shows sympathy for Erik. In her dressing-room when she says, Poor Erik! She agrees to return to him. She feels sorry for him when he agrees to let her go from his house. She cries for Erik after saying that she will marry him. She takes his hand when he pulls off his mask. 5. (a) The Ghost interferes with the performances at the Opera House. He causes a disturbance in the box and the police have to be called. He insists on three conditions in his second letter to the managers. He writes a letter to Carlotta, telling her she must not sing. Carlotta croaks like a frog and the chandelier falls on Madame Girys replacement. 5. (b) The Ghost does not cause problems during the performances at the Opera House. When Christine sings, he thanks her. 6. (a) Christine is happy to meet with Raoul. She sends him a letter telling him to come to Pellon. She sends him a letter telling him to come to the masked ball. She agrees to go away with him. 6. (b) Christine tells Raoul not to try to see her. She tells him not to come to her room unless she asks him to. 7. (a) Erik shows his good side. He always gives Madame Giry at least two francs at the end of a performance. He sometimes gives her English sweets as well. He loves to hear Christine sing. He teaches her how to sing. He fills Christines room in his house with flowers. He cries for Christine when she sees his face. In the end, he saves Raoul and the Persian because Christine begs him to. He lets Christine marry Raoul. He gives Christine the wedding ring as a wedding present. 7. (b) Erik shows his bad side. He releases the chandelier that kills Madame Girys replacement. He kept Christine a prisoner in his house. He tortured people in Persia. He tries to force Christine to marry him. He knows Raoul and the Persian are at his house and tries to kill them. He finds this situation funny. He kills Count Philippe. 8. (a) The Persian helps and understands Raoul and Christine. He tells Raoul not to tell Eriks secrets to anyone. He tries to help Raoul to rescue Christine. 8. (b) The Persian helps and understands Erik. He helped Erik to escape from the sultan in Persia. He feels sorry for Erik at the end of the story.

The Phantom of the Opera

WORKSHEET 1: CHAPTERS 1-8

A. Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with a word from the box. audience smiled success hides frightened alone refused mirror

1. Everyone was very ........................ of the Opera Ghost. 2. When Christine sang at the Opera House, she was a great ........................ . 3. Christine told Raoul to go away because she wanted to be ........................ . 4. The ........................ was very surprised when Carlotta began to croak like a frog. 5. Christine ........................ when Raoul arrived in Pellon because she was happy to see him. 6. Christine ........................ to explain everything to Raoul. 7. Raoul ........................ in Christines dressing-room to try to discover her secret. 8. Christine is looking at herself in the ........................ in her dressing-room. B. Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with one of the prepositions in the box. You can use the same preposition more than once. of for in about at out

1. Raoul is ........................ love with Christine. 2. The room at the masked ball was full ........................ people. 3. Raoul waited ........................ Christine outside her dressing-room. 4. Everyone talked about the Ghost ........................ a trembling voice. 5. The two managers were busy and forgot ........................ the Ghosts letter. 6. The church in Pellon was ........................ the bottom of the hill. 7. There was a lot ........................ noise in Box Five. 8. Christine ran ........................ of the room quickly. C. Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct form of the verb in brackets. 1. The Ghost often (comes / is coming) to the performances at the Opera House. 2. At the moment, M. Richard (reads / is reading) a letter from the Ghost. 3. Christine explains to Raoul that she cant (tell / to tell) him about the Angel of Music. 4. The managers (not believe / dont believe) that the Ghost is dangerous. 5. (Is / Does) Christine love Raoul? 6. Raoul is on the train now. He (travels / is travelling) to Pellon. 7. Can Christine (sings / sing)? Oh yes, she sings beautifully. 8. The Ghost tells the managers that they (can / mustnt) sell his box. D. Match A to B to form sentences. A 1. The chandelier fell down 2. There was a special performance 3. Christine had a wedding ring on her finger 4. The police asked the people in Box Five to leave 5. Raoul heard a mans voice 6. While Raoul was in Pellon, 7. Christine and Raoul met every day 8. Raoul hid behind the curtain,
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B .... a. when Raoul visited her at home. .... b. he saw a shadow near the church. .... c. and killed a woman in the audience. .... d. after they decided to get engaged. .... e. during one of the performances. .... f. when the managers decided to retire. .... g. then he heard Christine say, Poor Erik! .... h. when he was outside Christines room.

Worksheet 1: Chapters 1-8

ANSWERS
A. 1. frightened 2. success 3. alone 4. audience 5. smiled 6. refused 7. hides 8. mirror B. 1. in 2. of 3. for 4. in 5. about 6. at 7. of 8. out C. 1. comes 2. is reading 3. tell 4. dont believe 5. Does 6. is travelling 7. sing 8. mustnt D. 1. c 2. f 3. a 4. e 5. h 6. b 7. d 8. g

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The Phantom of the Opera

WORKSHEET 2: CHAPTERS 9-16

A. Match the words in column A with their correct definitions in column B. A 1. roof 2. afraid 3. scream 4. disappearance 5. rescue 6. thirsty 7. effort 8. alive B ....... a. a loud cry of fear ....... b. save someone from a dangerous situation ....... c. frightened ....... d. trying very hard to do something ....... e. the top part of a house or building ....... f. needing to drink something ....... g. living ....... h. a situation where no one can find a person

B. Complete the following sentences using the words from column A in Exercise A above. 1. Erik wanted Christine to love him. He did not want her to be ........................ of him. 2. The Persian and Raoul try to ........................ Christine from Eriks house. 3. The heat in the torture-chamber made Raoul and the Persian feel ........................ . 4. Christine made a great ........................ to love Erik, but it was impossible. 5. Raoul and Christine had a wonderful view of Paris from the ........................ of the Opera House. 6. The police questioned Raoul about Christines ........................ . 7. The Persian and Raoul do not die. They are still ........................ after the torture. 8. Raoul can hear Christines loud ........................ , but he cannot find her. C. Complete the following sentences using will, wont or the correct form of be going to. 1. Christine decides that she ........................ go away with Raoul after the opera the following day. 2. Raoul ........................ escape with Christine. He is making all the plans. 3. Raoul ........................ stop looking until he finds Christine. 4. Raoul tells Christine that they ........................ rescue her. 5. Erik knows that the two men ........................ be able to escape from the torture-chamber. 6. Christine promises Erik that she ........................ marry him. D. Fill in the Past Simple form of the verb in brackets. Then match the questions to the answers. Follow the example.

woke 1. Who ........................ (wake) up and found a note from Erik?

2. Who ........................ (shoot) at a pair of eyes in the bedroom? 3. Who ........................ (tell) the audience about Christines disappearance? 4. Who ........................ (not see) the shadow on the roof of the Opera House? 5. Who, in the inspectors opinion, ........................ (take) Christine away from Paris in a carriage? 6. Who ........................ (ask) the people in the theatre about Christines disappearance? 7. Who ........................ (know) Erik from the past? 8. Who ........................ (give) Christine two minutes to make an important decision?
11

....... a. the police inspector ....... b. Christine and Raoul

1 ....... c. Christine
....... d. Erik ....... e. the Persian ....... f. Raoul ....... g. Count Philippe ....... h. Monsieur Richard

Worksheet 2: Chapters 9-16

ANSWERS
A. 1. e 2. c 3. a 4. h 5. b 6. f 7. d 8. g B. 1. afraid 2. rescue 3. thirsty 4. effort 5. roof 6. disappearance 7. alive 8. scream C. 1. is going to / will 2. is going to 3. wont 4. are going to / will 5. wont 6. will D. 1. woke, c 2. shot, f 3. told, h 4. didnt see / did not see, b 5. took, g 6. asked, a 7. knew, e 8. gave, d

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The Phantom of the Opera

FINAL TEST
A. Choose the correct answer. 1. The two new managers of the Opera House a. did not take the Opera Ghost seriously at first. b. gave Madame Giry two francs. c. listened carefully to the advice of the two retiring managers. 2. Raoul met Christine for the first time a. in the foyer of the Opera House after the opera. b. in her dressing-room after the opera. c. in Pellon many years before. 3. The first time Raoul heard the Ghosts voice was a. when he hid behind the curtain in Christines dressing-room. b. while he was outside Christines dressing-room. c. outside the church in Pellon. 4. The Opera Ghost lived in a. a house near a lake. b. one of the cellars under the Opera House. c. a secret room behind Christines dressing-room. 5. Erik killed a. Madame Giry. b. Raouls brother, Count Philippe. c. the Persians servant. 6. Erik allows Christine and Raoul to get married because a. Christine cried for him. b. the Persian asked him to let them get married. c. Erik knows he is going to die soon. B. Choose the correct answer. Christine Daa is a great (1. scream / success) at the Paris Opera House and the (2. audience / crowds) loves her performances. But Christine has got a secret: the Opera Ghost (3. teached / taught) her to sing. Raoul de Chagny is (4. at / in) love with Christine and hopes that one day she (5. will / going to) marry him. At first, when he (6. tries / is trying) to talk to her, she tells him to go away because she wants to be (7. alive / alone). She (8. retires / refuses) to answer all his questions, but finally, on the (9. roof / rope) of the Opera House, she tells him the (10. truth / entire) story. She is (11. afraid / shocked) of Erik, but also feels pity for him. Erik keeps Christine in his house and she knows that she (12. cant / mustnt) escape from him; he is too clever for her. Raoul and the Persian finally (13. safe / rescue) her. In their (14. noises / efforts) to save Christine, Raoul and the Persian suffer many (15. tortures / noises), but eventually they are successful. Raoul and Christine get married and the unhappy Erik dies. 45 points (3 points each) C. Choose one topic and write a paragraph. Your paragraph should be at least 30 words long. 1. Does Leroux make the Opera Ghost seem like a real person? 2. Choose one of the incidents in the story and write about it from the point of view of someone who was there. Who are you and what happened? 3. Which character in the story do you think is the most realistic? Explain why this character is convincing. 25 points

30 points (5 points each)

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Final Test

ANSWERS
A. 1. a 2. c 3. b 4. a 5. b 6. a 9. roof 10. entire 11. afraid 12. cant 13. rescue 14. efforts 15. tortures

B. 1. success 2. audience 3. taught 4. in 5. will 6. tries 7. alone 8. refuses

C. Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers. Possible points for inclusion: 1. Leroux makes the Opera Ghost seem like a real person when he writes about his personality. The Ghost wants love, which is a very human quality, and the fact that he cant find it causes all his bad actions. He is also embarrassed about his appearance, something which a real person might also feel. At the end of the story, he allows Christine and Raoul to get married because Christine was kind to him. On the other hand, his physical appearance having holes for his eyes, mouth and nose and the terrible incidents he causes are not true of a real person. 2. (A member of the audience who saw the incident with Carlotta and the chandelier) I was in the audience, enjoying the performance. Carlotta had the main part and she sang beautifully. Christine Daa had a smaller part and she also sang beautifully. After the interval, a strange thing happened Carlotta began to croak like a frog! Then it happened again. Everybody was shocked and looked at each other. Whats happening? we asked. Suddenly, there was a terrible noise. The big chandelier fell from the ceiling and crashed on the head of a woman in the audience. She died immediately. The performance stopped and everybody left the theatre. It was a terrible experience for all of us. 3. (3 characters: Raoul, Christine, Philippe) I think Raoul is the most realistic character in the story. We can understand what he feels for Christine. He is in love with her and is unhappy that she wont marry him. Sometimes he feels love and sometimes despair. All he wants is to get rid of his rival, the Opera Ghost, so he can marry Christine. He does everything he can to save her from the Ghost. I think Christine is the most realistic character in the story. She is ambitious and wants to sing well. She is capable of feeling love, despair and also pity. She knows that Raoul is in danger if she leaves the Ghost for him. She misses her father and often thinks of her happy childhood. She does everything she can to save Raouls life at the end of the story and her ability to feel pity for Erik finally gives the story a happy ending. I think Philippe, Raouls brother, is the most realistic character in the story. He understands immediately that Raoul is in love with Christine. He seems to be a very responsible person and cares very much about his brother. He does not want Raoul to run away with Christine or to do anything foolish. But when he realises his brother is in danger, Philippe tries to find him and help him. He even goes to Eriks house to find Raoul, but Erik kills him as a result.

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The Phantom of the Opera

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN THE READER

These answers relate to the questions on pages 43-45 of the reader itself.

Chapter One
1. It was an enormous building with hundreds of rooms, doors and staircases. 2. People thought there was a ghost because accidents occurred. 3. He had a private box.

Chapter Twelve
1. He thought that Raouls brother took Christine in his carriage and left Paris.

Chapter Thirteen
1. Erik hates people because they are frightened of him. 2. The Persian gave Raoul one of his pistols.

Chapter Two
1. It said, Box Five must be empty for the Opera Ghost for every performance.

Chapter Fourteen
1. They cant enter the room because they cant find the door. 2. Christine cant open the door because Erik tied her up.

Chapter Three
1. They thought it was a trick by Debienne and Poligny. 2. People got angry and called the police because there was a lot of noise in Box Five. 3. He gave her two francs, sometimes more. Sometimes, he gave her English sweets as well.

Chapter Fifteen
1. They saw barrels all around them. 2. There was gunpowder inside the barrels. 3. The gunpowder was to blow up the Opera House when it was full of people if Christine said she wouldnt marry Erik.

Chapter Four
1. Raoul went to Pellon because Christine sent him a letter about her plans to go there. 2. He saw Christine go to the church.

Chapter Sixteen
1. Erik killed him. 2. Erik didnt kill the Persian and Raoul because Christine begged him to save them. 3. He decided to let Christine marry Raoul and he gave her the wedding ring as a wedding present. 4. The Persians message said, Erik is dead.

Chapter Five
1. The ghost will put a curse on the theatre.

Chapter Six
1. Raoul wore a white costume and a mask. 2. He hid behind a curtain.

Chapter Seven
1. Raoul went to Christines home because he was very worried about her.

Chapter Eight
1. They met every day. 2. He wanted to see the lower part of the Opera House.

Chapter Nine
1. The Opera Ghost took Christine to the lake under the Opera House. 2. They are both a man called Erik. 3. Erik tells Christine he cannot let her go because she will never return. 4. She loves Raoul.

Chapter Ten
1. Raoul saw two strange eyes in the dark.

Chapter Eleven
1. When the stage went dark, Christine disappeared. 2. Raoul felt a hand on his shoulder.

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