Penguin Readers Factsheets
Level 3 – Pre-Intermediate
Teacher’s Notes
Jim Smiley and his
Jumping Frog and
other stories
This book contains eight short stories written by Mark Twain. All but
two of the stories are set in North America during the second half
of the nineteenth century and they tell the tales of ordinary
American people at this time. The stories are often funny, but there
is also a serious message in each one.
The first story is about Jim Smiley, an obsessive gambler who
plays tricks on both friends and strangers. He does not think about
the consequences of his actions and he often treats animals cruelly
to win money. Finally, another man plays a clever trick on Jim who
learns how it feels to lose money unfairly.
‘The Other Side of War’ tells of a group of young confederate
soldiers in the American Civil War who spend their time trying to
avoid fighting, but end up killing an innocent man. The men are so
sickened that they leave the war and return home.
‘Is He Living or Is He Dead?’ is about a group of struggling
artists in France who trick the public into paying high prices for their
artwork. In an unjust world they find that it is the only way to make
a living.
In ‘Passport to Russia’ an old gentleman persuades a student,
Alfred, to travel with him to Russia. He promises to take care of the
travel arrangements, but the friends he claims will help cannot be
found. Alfred ends up in Russia with no passport and the threat of
a prison sentence. He is saved only by a strange coincidence.
‘A True Story’ tells of the dreadful life of Twain’s own family
servant, Aunt Rachel. Despite always seeming jolly and content,
we learn that Rachel was beaten, sold and separated from her
family. People’s appearances can often hide great hardships.
‘Murder in Connecticut’ is a clever story in which a writer’s
conscience appears as a monster in his own home. After trying
unsuccessfully to reason with it, he decides to trick the monster and
eventually he kills his own conscience. As a result he becomes a
monster himself, living cruelly and selfishly the rest of his life.
In ‘Ed Jackson Meets Cornelius Vanderbilt’ Ed’s friends give him
a fake letter of introduction to the richest businessman in the
country as a practical joke. But Cornelius Vanderbilt welcomes Ed
to his home and soon gives him a management job in his new
tobacco company. When Ed rewards his friends with jobs in the
company they can’t believe their good luck!
‘A Dog’s Life’ tells the sad story of Aileen, a faithful and
intelligent pet dog who always strives to do the right thing. Despite
saving his son from a fire, Aileen’s owner, Mr Gray, kills Aileen’s
puppy in a cruel experiment. Aileen pines for her puppy and
eventually dies of a broken heart.
© Pearson Education Limited 2005
About Mark Twain
In 1835 Samuel Clemens was born in a small town on the
Mississippi river. He grew up with a love of storytelling that would
lead him to become one of America’s best-loved writers, under the
adopted name of Mark Twain.
Mark Twain started writing at an early age, taking a job with a
local newspaper before his curiosity took him further afield. He
experienced life as a soldier, gold-miner and riverboat pilot before
his first successful story, ‘Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog’ was
published in 1865.
Further short stories and writings of his many travels abroad
soon established him as a leading humorist. His greatness as a
writer became apparent with the publication of his most famous
novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1875) and The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Both books are heavily influenced by
Twain’s own Mississippi childhood. Today these books are
considered to be two of the finest novels in the English language.
Despite being popular and influential as a writer, Twain’s
publishing business collapsed and his later years were plagued by
financial worry. This, as well as the deaths of three of his children,
brought a tone of bitterness and cynicism to his later writing. To
earn money, he went on extensive lecture tours around the United
States, which made him even more popular with the American
public. He continued to write until his death in 1910. Today Mark
Twain is credited with helping to shape America’s vision of itself
and he is regarded as a national treasure.
Background and themes
Mark Twain believed passionately in the right of freedom for all
men. This was an issue of much debate in the United States when
he was writing. The American Civil War (1861-65) was fought
between the north (who opposed slavery) and the south (who
fought to defend their way of life, including keeping slaves). In ‘The
Other Side of War’ Twain shows us that people’s motives were less
clear-cut than history teaches. In ‘A True Story’ he uses the life
story of Aunt Rachel to demonstrate the terrible cruelty of slavery.
Trust is another important theme of Mark Twain’s work. Often,
the characters who trust others are cheated and suffer dreadfully
(e.g. Aileen in ‘A Dog’s Tale’). This might be seen as a more cynical
side of Twain’s writing, but in other stories we see how trust and
optimism can be rewarded in the right company (e.g. Ed Jackson’s
trusting nature is rewarded by the similarly trusting
Cornelius Vanderbilt.)
Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog and other stories
Summary
Penguin Readers Factsheets
Humour is an important element of many of these stories, and
of Mark Twain’s writing in general. In ‘A Passport to Russia’ Twain
creates an unusual and funny character – Professor Jackson – who
cheerfully pulls his new friend, Alfred Parrish, into stranger and
stranger situations. Only when Parrish is faced with ten years in
prison does the dangerous side of the story’s humour become
apparent. Similarly, ‘Murder in Connecticut’ begins humorously,
with a funny-looking little monster floating around the writer’s office.
But ultimately the story tells a very serious story about the ease
with which many people can commit horrific acts of cruelty.
Communicative activities
The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text
as the exercises at the back of the Reader, and supplement those
exercises. For supplementary exercises, see the photocopiable
Student’s Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily for
use with class Readers but, with the exception of discussion and
pair/group work questions, can also be used by students working
alone in a self-access centre.
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
1 Ask students to read the blurb on the back of the book. It
describes Mark Twain as ‘one of North America’s most
famous and best-loved writers.’ Ask students to tell the rest of
the class about a famous writer from their own country. They
should explain why the writer is famous as well as give some
background about the types of books and the period in which
they were written.
2 Put students into pairs. Then, each pair chooses a picture
from the book and looks at it carefully for three minutes. After
three minutes, student A takes the book and asks student B
questions about the picture. Student B should answer as
many questions as possible without looking at the book.
2 Students work in small groups. They should imagine that they
are different members of Aunt Rachel’s family (including
Rachel and her husband) and they have been reunited after
the war. They should ask and answer questions about their
different experiences since they were separated. Students
use their imaginations to make a different story for each
family member.
‘Murder in Connecticut,’ ‘Ed Jackson Meets Cornelius
Vanderbilt,’ and ‘A Dog’s Life’
1 These three stories are linked by the themes of honesty, trust
and kindness, but each story has a different conclusion. Ask
students to write down what they think the moral of each
story is. How are they different or similar?
2 Write these situations on one side of the board (pre-teach
any vocabulary you need to):
buying a present for grandmother
going on holiday
celebrating a birthday
And write these characters’ names on the other side:
The writer (from ‘Murder in Connecticut’)
Ed Jackson
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Mr Gray
In groups, students work together to decide what each of the
characters would do in each of the three circumstances. Give
them 5–10 minutes to decide and then the groups should ask
each other questions such as ‘What will Ed Jackson buy his
grandmother?’ or ‘Where will Mr Gray go on holiday?’
Students should give reasons for their answers.
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
1 Ask students to write a list of the practical jokes and tricks in
the book. Which ones are funny? Which ones are clever? Are
any of them unkind?
2 Ask students to look at the Contents page (page iii). Working
individually they should then think of a new title for each of
the eight stories. Ask some students to read out their titles
and write the best ones on the board.
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION
‘Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog,’ ‘The Other Side of War,’
and ‘Is He Living or Is He Dead?’
1 Ask each student to copy one sentence from each story on to
three separate pieces of paper. Then the students fold the
papers so they can’t be read and put their papers in a box at
the front of the class. Pin the title of each story on to the
classroom wall (or a pinboard) and ask a few students to
come to the front, choose a piece of paper, and pin it under
the correct heading. Students keep coming up until all the
papers are pinned on the wall. Finally, read out the sentences
under each column to make sure they are in the right places.
Word list
It will be useful for your students to know the new words found on the
inside back cover of the Reader. They are practised in the ‘Before you read’
sections at the back of the book. (The definitions are based on those in the
Longman Active Study Dictionary.)
2 Students work in groups of four or five. They should look at
the picture on page 9 and imagine the conversation between
the young soldiers. Some of the soldiers want to attack the
house and some of the soldiers don’t want to. What do they
do? Students prepare and act out their own story (it should
be different to the conversation in the book.)
© Pearson Education Limited 2005
Published and distributed by Pearson Education
Factsheet produced by Clare Gray Publishing Services Ltd
Factsheet series developed by Louise James
Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog and other stories
Mark Twain’s greatest gift to American literature is his ability to
write honestly and simply about all types of ordinary people. He
created wonderful characters and used them to portray every
aspect of human nature with amazing insight and sympathy. His
extraordinary range of characters show great courage, generosity
and honour as well as cruelty, weakness, stupidity and selfishness.
1 Alfred Parrish is saved by a coincidence – (the secretary of
the consulate lived in Alfred’s family home before him.) Preteach the word ‘coincidence’ to the class and ask them to
work individually to write about a strange coincidence in their
own lives. This can be done in class or as homework. Finally,
choose some students to read their story to the rest of the
class.
Level 3 – Pre-Intermediate
‘Passport to Russia’ and ‘A True Story’
Teacher’s Notes
Penguin Readers Factsheets
Level 3 – Pre-Intermediate
Student’s Activities
Jim Smiley and his
Jumping Frog and
other stories
By Mark Twain
ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK
1 Read the Introduction on pages iv–vi and then answer these
questions.
(a) Who was Jenny and why was she important to Mark
Twain?
(b) What was Mark Twain’s first job?
(c) Why did he stop working as a riverboat pilot?
(d) Where was Mark Twain’s first successful story
published?
(e) Was he rich or poor when he died?
2 Mark Twain’s most famous books are The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What do
you know about these books and the people in them?
ACTIVITIES WHILE READING THE BOOK
Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog
1 Complete these sentences. Use these words:
against exist interest often proud trick
2 Simon Wheeler gives his listener no sign about his story. Is it
funny or is it serious? What do you think? Give reasons for
your answer.
Is He Living or Is He Dead?
1 Are these sentences True (T) or False (F)?
(a) Mr Smith was a poor artist when he was young.
(b) Millet thinks of a plan to make the group of artists rich.
(c) Claude, Carl and Mr Smith travel together and sell
Millet’s paintings.
(d) François Millet taught Mr Smith how to paint and draw.
(e) Mr Smith sold eighty-five of Millet’s paintings and he
made 69,000 francs.
( f ) Famous people from around the world came to say
goodbye to François Millet after he died.
(g) Both Mr Smith and François Millet are millionaires.
(h) At the end of the story, we understand that Mr Smith and
François Millet are the same man.
2 You are a newspaper reporter. Write about the death of
François Millet. Who was he? Why was he famous? What
were his paintings like and why are they popular? Who came
to the church to say goodbye to Millet? Who carried the dead
man? What was the day like? (Look at the picture on page 19
to help you.)
Passport to Russia
1 Who says these things? Who or what are they talking about?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
‘I dreamed of seeing that city.’
‘The ticket office will change this for me.’
‘You can leave it with me, if you want to.’
‘They’ll send it by mail. You’ll get it tomorrow.’
‘I will give you exactly twenty-four hours to solve this
problem.’
( f ) ‘He is on his summer vacation for the next two weeks.’
(g) ‘White with a dark green door.’
(h) ‘It’s so ugly.’
2 Put these sentences in the right order from 1–9.
The Other Side of War
1 Who:
(a) only had one slave when he died?
(b) told the men of Missouri to throw out the Union soldiers?
(c) was looking for a war with fine uniforms, good weather
and beautiful women?
(d) gives the Hannibal Confederate Company some horses?
(e) thinks the soldiers should have a spy with them?
( f ) shoots the man on a horse?
© Pearson Education Limited 2005
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i )
Alfred and the professor leave the bar without paying.
Alfred and the professor visit Prince Bossloffsky.
Alfred and the professor go to the Russian consulate.
Alfred uses the professor’s passport to enter Russia.
Alfred and the professor go to the American consulate.
The professor crosses the border into Russia.
Alfred answers questions about his home.
Alfred writes a letter to his mother.
Alfred drinks beer with his friends.
Photocopiable
(a) Simon Wheeler doesn’t know Leonidas W. Smiley
because he doesn’t _________.
(b) Jim Smiley was always looking for someone to bet
_________.
(c) Andrew Jackson had a fighting _________ that helped
Jim Smiley to win lots of money.
(d) Jim Smiley was _________ of his frog because it was the
smartest frog along the west coast.
(e) Jim Smiley wanted to bet on Daniel Webster as
_________ as possible.
( f ) The story-teller leaves the bar because he doesn’t have
any _________ in Simon Wheeler’s next story.
2 The young soldiers learn little about the man they kill. Look at
the picture on page 13. Write about the dead man. Write
about his job, his name, his family and his life. Where was he
going and what was he doing when he was killed?
Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog and other stories
These activities can be done alone or with one or more other
students. Pair/group-only activities are marked.
Penguin Readers Factsheets
A True Story
1 Finish these sentences in your own words. Don’t look at the
book!
2 How does Henry know his mother when he sees her again?
How does Aunt Rachel know her son?
A Dog’s Life
1 Something in each of these sentences is wrong. Can you put
it right? Don’t look at the book!
(a) Aileen’s owner taught her to help others in danger.
(b) The baby screamed because Aileen pulled him along the
floor.
(c) Aileen hides for weeks in the closet, very hungry and
thirsty.
(d) Mr Gray does not think that Aileen saved his baby.
(e) Mr Gray makes Aileen blind in a laboratory test.
( f ) At the end of the story, Aileen is sleeping.
2 Choose one or more of these words for each person or dog.
Murder in Connecticut
1 Answer these questions.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i )
(j )
How does the writer feel before the monster walks in?
What lies does the writer tell the homeless man?
At the beginning of the story, the monster is light. Why?
Who comes into the writer’s room and sees the mess?
How much did the writer give for the poor people in
church?
When was the writer’s conscience tall and good-looking?
Why did the writer’s conscience become weak and ugly?
Does the writer feel bad about smoking? Why/why not?
Can Aunt Mary see the writer’s conscience?
How does the writer feel after he has killed the monster?
2 Think about somebody you know well. What does their
conscience look like? Is it strong or weak? Good-looking or
ugly? Heavy or light? Give reasons for your answers.
Ed Jackson Meets Cornelius Vanderbilt
1 Choose the right answer.
afraid clever famous kind popular
pretty rich sad trusting young
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Aileen
Mr Gray
Mrs Gray
Sadie
Robin
ACTIVITIES AFTER READING THE BOOK
1 Choose one of the pictures in the book. Write about the
picture and try to explain the story. Who are the people in the
picture? Where are they? What are they doing? Are they
good or bad? What happens next?
2 Which is your favourite story in the book? Why do you like it
best? Is it funny or sad (or both)? What are the characters
like? Was the story surprising in any way?
3 Who is the most interesting person in the book? Give reasons
for your answer.
(a) In the 1950s in Memphis many young men
(i) studied hard. (ii) sat around all day. (iii) played jokes.
(b) The letter to Mr Vanderbilt is
(i) rude. (ii) dangerous. (iii) friendly.
Photocopiable
(c) Mr Vanderbilt reads the letter
(i) quickly. (ii) carefully. (iii) angrily.
(d) Ed stays in New York
(i) for a week. (ii) at a hotel. (iii) to work.
(e) Mr Vanderbilt gives Ed a job in
(i) New York. (ii) his office. (iii) the tobacco business.
( f ) When Robert first saw Ed, he
(i) ran away. (ii) jumped in the river. (iii) shook his hand.
(g) Ed is not going to
(i) work hard. (ii) buy drinks. (iii) hate his friends.
© Pearson Education Limited 2005
Jim Smiley and his Jumping Frog and other stories
(a) Aunt Rachel’s parents were _________.
(b) Aunt Rachel was born in Virginia but her mother was
from _________.
(c) Mrs. O’Hara sells her farm and her slaves because she
loses all of her _________.
(d) Henry is the youngest of Aunt Rachel’s _________.
(e) After the Jeffersons disappear, Aunt Rachel works for
_________.
( f ) Henry escapes from his owner and moves to _________.
(g) Later, Henry becomes a soldier and works for _________.
(h) Aunt Rachel’s life has been very _________.
2 Why is Ed Jackson ‘the best man for the job’ in Cornelius
Vanderbilt’s new Memphis tobacco company? Think about his
nature and his actions in the story and list as many reasons
as possible.
Level 3 – Pre-Intermediate
Student’s Activities
Published and distributed by Pearson Education
Factsheet produced by Clare Gray Publishing Services Ltd
Factsheet series developed by Louise James