Answer keys
LEVEL 4
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
The Mosquito Coast
Book key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Open answers
South
Open answers
a current dock lagoon
b missionary savage
c snake mosquito vulture
d jungle clearing shelter
e refrigerator shelter tank
f explode nod
Open answers
a 5 b 4 c 1 d 6 e 2 f 3
a Allie Fox is an inventor.
b Mr Polski is a farmer.
c Charlie Fox is the oldest child.
d Jerry Fox is ten years old.
e The twins are five years old.
Open answers
Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua. La Ceiba is on the
north coast.
10 a Baltimore
b Guampu
c Mosquito
d La Cieba
e Jeronimo
11–13 Open answers
14 a strong
b coast
c missionaries
d rock
e Allie
f mosquitoes
g US
15 –16 Open answers
17 a 5 b 7 c 1 d 6 e 3 f 8 g 4 h 2
18 –20 Open answers
21 a 7 b 3 c 7 d 7 e 3 f 3 g 3 h 7
22–23 Open answers
24 a bags
b Spanish
c white
d Nicaragua
e guns
f finger
g locked
h kills
25 –27 Open answers
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
28 likes: c a small, muddy, smelly lake; f engines;
i the boat-house
doesn’t like: a The United States;
b Mr Haddy’s village; d ill people; e church;
g sea-birds; h Mr Haddy
29 a Chemicals from Fat Boy go into the river.
b He says that everything is poisoned there.
c Small fish and seabirds.
d He says the family can look after themselves.
e He thinks that if he doesn’t stay and help his father,
they will all die.
f Because if it isn’t true, their life in the jungle is a big
mistake.
30 Open answers
31 a April to her father/Allie/Mr Fox.
b Mrs Fox to Mr Fox.
c Clover to her father/Allie Fox
d Jerry to Charlie.
e Charlie to Allie Fox.
f Charlie to his father/Allie Fox.
g Allie Fox to Charlie.
32– 43 Open answers
Discussion activities key
1–2 Open answers
3 We meet Charlie (13), Father Allie Fox, Mother,
twins April and Clover (5). Charlie’s father is a bossy,
difficult man.
4 Charlie’s life: no school, no toys, no television, old
clothes.
5 The family goes shopping to Northampton. Charlie’s
father hates America. The family leaves for Honduras.
6 –7 Open answers
8 Possible answers: Emily goes to school. She seems to
know more than Charlie and enjoys school. Charlie
wonders if his father has been lying to him about
school.
9–13 Open answers
14 Open answers: however, Allie likes to be in control
and even seems to think of himself as a little god.
15 Possible adjectives: unkind, bossy, controlling, cruel,
unpleasant.
16 Possible answers: Allie realises that the white men
were probably not prisoners but were threatening the
Indians. Allie tells them to sleep inside Fat Boy for
their own safety. He gets Charlie to close the door and
then switches the machine on in order to freeze them
to death.
The Mosquito Coast - Answer keys
of 2
Answer keys
PENGUIN READERS
Teacher Support Programme
LEVEL 4
The Mosquito Coast
17 Open answers
18 Possible answer: The family are the real savages.
19 Open answers
20 Allie crawls to a small hill where he dies and is eaten
by vultures.
Activity worksheets key
1 Possible answers: cross, bossy, nasty, controlling,
complaining
2 a They have no TV, no games and don’t go to school.
b Choose from: Coca Cola, TV, poison from the
factories, fat people, schools, business.
c They grow their own vegetables, mend their own
clothes and shoes and use things from other people’s
rubbish.
3– 4 Open answers
5 a It’s very hot. The Spellgoods live in Guampu on a
river and have a motor boat. Emily goes to school
there.
b It’s called the mosquito jungle. Some people have
never seen a white man and don’t know what the
wheel is; they live on fruit and some don’t wear
clothes.
6–9 Open answers
10 a on the coast > on a river / on the Aguan
b a great place to live > finished
c has > hasn’t
d Mr Haddy > Father
e it’s not on the map > he doesn’t want to meet any
missionaries
11 Open answers
12 Possible answers:
a In Hatfield they did what they wanted to do all day.
Here they have to work all day.
b They have a shower and wash their clothes.
c Because Mr Struss is a missionary and Father hates
missionaries. Perhaps he wants to be ‘a little like
God’ and doesn’t want another white man in the
village.
d Because he is in total control. Everyone listens to
him and obeys him.
13 a 3 b 6 c 2 d 4 e 1 f 5
14 Open answers
15 a 7 b 6 c 3 d 1 e 8 f 4 g 5 h 2
c Pearson Education Limited 2008
16 –18 Open answers
19 Possible answers:
They come round the bend in the river and find a
large clearing with houses and a church. They hear
music coming from the church and they find Indians
inside watching TV. Father hates what he sees and
decides to teach them a lesson. They take their boat
to the opposite bank of the river. Father disappears in
the pipanto. Jerry and Charlie swim across the river.
They find Emily. She tells them that America is still
there. Then the village lights go out. Suddenly there is
an explosion in the church. Father comes back to the
pipanto and there is the sound of a shot. The whole
family gets into the pipanto. The current takes the
pipanto back down the coast.
20 –22 Open answers
Progress test key
1 b, d, f, h need to be ticked
2 a working on the land
b Mr Polski
c his father doesn’t believe in school
d one of Father’s/Allie’s inventions
e hates
f Baltimore
g Unicorn
h the Spellgoods
3 a mosquito
b block
c brilliant
d bike
e delighted
f banana
g dock
4 a 7 b 4 c 2 d 6 e 3 f 5 g 1
5 a are washing
b have never seen
c has turned
d will bring
e can
f has
g couldn’t believe
6 a T b F c T d F e T f T g F h T
i F j T
The Mosquito Coast - Answer keys of 2