1. PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Activity worksheets LEVEL 4
Teacher Support Programme
About a Boy Photocopiable
While reading b Will didn’t understand why Marcus liked
Chapters 1–2 Joni Mitchell. c
c Will didn’t want to sit with the adults
1 Write the names to finish the sentences.
at the picnic because he didn’t want to
Will Marcus John and Christine Fiona
answer any difficult questions.
Angie Suzie Marcus’s dad c
d Marcus was on his own when he found
a ………………… would like Will to be
his mother next to a pool of sick.
godfather to their new daughter. c
e In her letter, Fiona said she had nothing
b ………………… had a normal life until he
to look forward to.
was eight, and then a confused one after that. c
f When Fiona got back from the hospital,
c ………………… lives in Cambridge with his
she was in a strange, calm mood.
girlfriend, Lindsey. c
g Marcus wanted Will to go out with Suzie.
d ………………… doesn’t like having c
complicated relationships with women. Chapters 5–6
e ………………… had moved to London 5 Underline the wrong word and put the right
because of a new job. one.
f ………………… said she wasn’t ready for a a Marcus thought that Countdown was the
serious relationship yet. most interesting programme in the history of
g ………………… is a single mum to a television. ………………
daughter called Megan. b Marcus’s face is strange because he hates going
2 Put a word on the left with a word on the to the hairdresser’s. ………………
right. c Three ugly boys were throwing sweets at
simple innocent Marcus. ………………
lovely pull d When Marcus arrived home from school, he
shallow generous wasn’t wearing any socks. ………………
weird complicated e Will and Fiona met in a quiet restaurant to
lost horrible talk about Marcus. ………………
push normal f Will said you should never trust a woman
guilty won talking about feelings. ………………
selfish deep 6 Circle the extra word in the sentences.
Chapters 3 –4 a Marcus thought he wouldn’t hadn’t want
pictures like Will’s on his wall.
3 Put the underlined letters in the right place to
b Every day now, Marcus felt a horrible
make a word.
frightened fear.
a Suzie was annoyed when Will told her about
c When Will answered the door, Marcus was
Paula’s veorhibau ……………… .
standing in on the doorstep.
b Suzie’s daughter, Megan, was sitting in a
d Will thought Marcus needed to look more
hurphcsia ……………… in the park.
most like the other kids at school.
c Marcus threw a piece of his dihnsacw
e Fiona usually argued with Marcus until he
……………… at a duck.
was agreed with her.
d The park-keeper thought Marcus had thrown
f Ellie didn’t want to put take off her sweatshirt.
enormous oelavs ……………… at the duck.
g Will didn’t know how to help Marcus to
e Fiona was wearing a hairy jumper and some
coping cope with a depressed mother.
trgylhib ……………… coloured earrings.
f Will hadn’t cpdetexe ……………… anyone Chapters 7–8
to break into his world. 7 Answer the questions.
4 Are these sentences right (3) or wrong (7)? a What did Will buy Marcus for Christmas?
a Will said that he couldn’t take Ned to the ………………………………………………
picnic because he was ill. c b What did Will help Megan to do?
………………………………………………
About a Boy - Activity worksheets of 2
c Pearson Education Limited 2008

2. PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Activity worksheets LEVEL 4
Teacher Support Programme
About a Boy Photocopiable
c When did Will first meet Rachel? b ‘I’d like a quiet girlfriend who likes reading
……………………………………………… and computer games.’ …………………
d What did Will think was the most interesting c ‘I thought you were a shallow person but now
thing about his life? I know that you’re not.’ …………………
d ‘I’m in love and I want to be deeply involved
………………………………………………
e What did Marcus want Ellie to be? with this person.’ …………………
e ‘I didn’t really want to be a mother and
………………………………………………
f What was Marcus wearing when he went to sometimes I hate my son.’ …………………
Rachel’s house? Chapter 11
……………………………………………… 11 Put these words into the right sentences.
g What did Ali have on his bedroom walls? shook off advice effects down speech
……………………………………………… troublemaker
h Why didn’t Marcus want to go back to a Ellie explained to the police that she wasn’t a
Rachel’s after he had run away? ………………… .
……………………………………………… b Ellie explained that she had got
8 Find words in Chapters 7–8. ………………… the train and Marcus had
a sad and unhappy (p. 54) ……………… followed.
b something funny (p. 55) ……………… c Marcus’s father sat ………………… on a seat
c something that children play with (p. 56) on one side of the room.
……………… d Marcus made a very cool ………………… in
d something you say which isn’t true (p. 59) the police station.
……………… e The police thought that criminals would
e a material we can make jackets, shoes and understand the ………………… of their
belts from (p. 60) ……………… actions if they met their victims.
f a part of the body, at the top of your arm f When Fiona put her face in Marcus’s neck, he
(p. 61) ……………… ………………… her off.
g the bottom part of a house (p. 62) g Will thought Marcus was the only person
……………… who might be able to give him
Chapters 9–10 ………………… .
9 What happened first? Number the sentences, 12 Write questions for the answers.
1–7. a policewoman / ask / Marcus and Ellie?
a c Marcus asked Will to help him with his ………………………………………………
mother. Their ages and addresses.
b c Will tells Rachel about Fiona’s depression. b call / Ellie’s mum?
c c Will tells Rachel the truth about Marcus. ………………………………………………
d c Ellie breaks the glass window of a shop The police.
c shop owner / wear?
with her boot.
e c Ellie gets drunk on the train to ………………………………………………
Cambridge. A Kurt Cobain sweatshirt and black eye
f c Will took Marcus to get his hair cut and make-up.
d Ellie / do / Ruth?
bought him some new glasses.
g c Ellie tells Marcus that Kurt Cobain had ………………………………………………
tried to kill himself. She hugged her.
10 Who says or thinks these words? e Will / afraid?
Rachel Will Marcus Ellie Fiona ………………………………………………
a ‘I loved him. He understood me and he sang Losing Rachel.
about me.’ …………………
About a Boy - Activity worksheets 2 of 2
c Pearson Education Limited 2008

3. PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Progress test LEVEL 4
Teacher Support Programme
About a Boy Photocopiable
3 Write the names to finish the sentences.
1 Are these sentences right (3) or wrong (7)?
Will Marcus Fiona Rachel Clive Ellie
a At the beginning of the book, Will often does
Angie Suzie Ali Lindsey
half-hour activities to fill all the free time he
a ……………… cries a lot and has problems looking
has. c
after her son.
b Marcus’s life hadn’t changed very much since
b ……………… is beautiful and intelligent and does
his parents’ relationship ended and he moved
drawings for children’s books.
to London. c
c ……………… has long hair and an earring and
c Marcus was definitely responsible for the
wears fashionable clothes.
duck’s death. c
d ……………… feels afraid when he falls in love.
d Marcus found a note and was very angry with
e ……………… thinks he’s responsible for Marcus
his mother for trying to kill herself. c
getting into trouble with the police.
e Will thinks that musicians are probably cool
f ……………… goes out with Will for six weeks but
if they take drugs and die. c
then finishes the relationship.
f Ellie lied to Marcus about the picture on her
g ……………… is tall and nervous-looking and a
sweatshirt. c
good friend of Fiona’s.
g Will was proud of lying about having a kid
h ……………… lives in Cambridge and wants to
when Suzie arrived on Christmas day. c
have a baby.
h Rachel’s son, Ali, wanted his mum to find a
i ……………… is fifteen, has a friend called Zoe
boyfriend soon and thought Will would be
and loves Nirvana.
a good choice. c
j ……………… prefers to have lots of friends
i Marcus wanted Will to help solve his mum’s
around him than be part of a small family.
problems. c
4 Finish the sentences with the right word.
j Marcus didn’t want Ellie to know that Kurt
duck cardboard trainers pumped involved
Cobain had killed himself. c
truth fancied cope hugged weird
2 What happened first in the book? Number the
a In the end, Will was very ……………… with
sentences, 1–10.
Rachel and wanted to spend the rest of his life with
a c Will listened to stories about women’s problems
her.
with men at a single parents’ party.
b The kids at Marcus’s new school thought he was
b c Marcus planned to make his family bigger
……………… .
because he’s afraid his mum will kill herself.
c The park-keeper thought Marcus had killed a
c c The kids at Marcus’s school were surprised that
……………… .
Marcus had made friends with Ellie.
d Fiona had her stomach ……………… after she
d c Marcus and Fiona moved to London and
tried to kill herself.
started a new life.
e Eventually, Will told Rachel the ………………
e c Kurt Cobain tried to kill himself by taking a lot
about Marcus.
of pills.
f Will made Marcus happy by buying him a new pair
f c Will fell in love with a woman who he thinks is
of ……………… .
going to make him unhappy.
g Marcus found it difficult to ……………… with
g c Some bullies stole Marcus’s new trainers.
his mother and the kids at school.
h c Will started taking Marcus and Ali out together
h Will asked Marcus to help him because he
on Saturdays.
……………… Rachel.
i c A duck died in the park and the park-keeper
i Fiona ……………… Marcus at the underground
thought it was Marcus’s fault.
station.
j c Everybody ended up in the police station
j The figure of Kurt Cobain was made of
talking about what Ellie had done wrong.
……………… .
About a Boy - Progress test of
c Pearson Education Limited 2008