Roald Dahl - The Landlady

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 4

Today

Reading Comprehension

Roald Dahl 1916-1990

Week 14, Lesson 1 

Learning Targets

At the end of the lesson you will be able to understand the plot of the story and describe the characters in 'The Landlady' by Roald Dahl.

Important 

Mock listening test ( Week 15) & Listening test ( Week 16) Magister 

Assignments: Landlady

1. The character

a. Write an interview with your character

b. Describe and draw your character

2. The scene

a. Rewrite a scene of choice

b. Write a newspaper article of choice

3. The story

a. Create a timeline of all major events

b. Make a mind map of all major events

The story 

'The Landlady' is a short

story about a young man

who arrives in an

unfamiliar city one

evening and is looking for

a place to stay. He seems

irresistibly attracted to a

private house with yellow

flowers in the window

next to a notice: BED & BREAKFAST

The Landlady

Learning targets: To analyze the characters and understand the plot of the story 

The characters 

• Billy Weaver
• The Landlady
• ?

It it time to answer some questions (in English!) about 'The Landlady'

What was Billy doing in the city of Bath?

Why didn't Billy go to the Bell and Dragon Pub?

How many other guests were there before Billy?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

What did Billy find disturbing about the guestbook?

What do you think happened to Mr. Mulholland and Mr. Temple?

Thank you for staying... 

6. Who is a ‘bit choosy’ – Billy or the Landlady?

9. What do Billy and the Landlady drink whilst sitting on the sofa?

A cup of tea.

10. What final words does the Landlady say to Billy?

'No my dear, only you.'

4. What does Billy initially compare the Landlady to after she opens the door?

The mother of one’s best school- friend welcoming one into the house to stay for the Christmas holidays. 

7. What does the Landlady mistakenly call Billy?

8. Billy believes the Landlady is ‘slightly off her rocker’ – what does he mean?

7. What does the Landlady mistakenly call Billy?

Mr Perkins.

Which adaptation of The Landlady did you think was best?

1. The shorter one
2. The longer one
3. They were both good
4. idc

What is the main character's biggest reason for staying at the Bed and Breakfast?

1. It is the only place in town with a free room.
2. He has heard wonderful things about the Bed and Breakfast from friends.
3. He thinks the landlady is beautiful and hopes to date her.
4. It is fantastically inexpensive.

What legal formality does the landlady insist that Billy complete?

1. He signs her guest book.
2. He shows his I.D. and proves that he is at least 18 years old.
3. He has his fingerprints taken.
4. He pays the full amount of his bill upfront before being shown to his room.

How many guests are in the Bed and Breakfast in 'the Landlady'?

1. 0
2. 1
3. 2
4. 3

What prevents Billy from going on to the Bell and Dragon pub?

1. He is transfixed by the sign that says “Bed and Breakfast.”
2. The landlady opens the door and invites him in.
3. A passerby tells him the Bell and Dragon isn’t nice
4. He is too tired to keep walking.

Why did Billy choose to stay at the landladies

1. The place was recomended to him
2. He stayed there before
3. He knew the landlady
4. He saw the sign "Bed and breakfast"

The landlady explains that there are no other guests because

1. she has just opened her B&B
2. there is only one room available
3. she is very particular and choosy
4. she can’t stand too much commotion

The landlady likes

1. tea, young boys and cake
2. visitors, cleanliness, stuffed animals
3. young boys and taxidermy
4. music, youth, uncanny stories

Who was the ANTAGONIST in 'The Landlady'?

1. Billy Weaver
2. The Landlady
3. The parrot
4. The daschund

At first, Billy thinks that the landlady is

1. very suspicious
2. slightly dotty and off her rocker
3. lots of fun
4. old and feeble

What puzzles Billy about the landlady’s guest list?

1. He knows each of the previous guests.
2. All of the names on the guest list are men.
3. He is sure he has read the names in the newspaper.
4. He thinks that the guests were famous politicians.

How do we know that Billy got poisoned

1. it was written in the article about missing people
2. he saw a blue bottle on the table
3. his tea tasted weird
4. the landlady told him that

The point at which the reader can predict what will happen to Billy is when the landlady says

1. That both Billy and Mulholland were seventeen
2. Mulholland also liked his tea
3. That she stuffed her pets
4. Mulholland and Temple haven’t left the bed and breakfast

Themes in The landlady?

1. revenge
2. betrayal
3. innocence
4. supernatural

Write down 3 things you learned from the story.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Write down 1 thing you haven't understood yet.