The Carver House: Reading Adventure & Quiz

The Carver family have just moved to a very large, old, rambling house by the sea.

At last, the whole family gathered on the porch and sat on the steps of their new home for a well-deserved rest, gazing at the red sun that was settling over the sea as the afternoon came to an end.

'That's enough for one day,' Mr Carver announced. He was covered in soot and cobwebs.

'It will take us a couple of weeks to get the house in shape,' Mrs Carver added. 'At the very least.'

'There are spiders upstairs,' Alice said. 'They're enormous.'

'Spiders? Wow!' cried Emma. 'What did they look like?'

'They looked just like you,' replied Alice.

'Let's have a peaceful evening, please,' their mother interrupted them, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 'Don't worry about the spiders, Alice. Max will kill them.'

'There's no need to kill them; Max can collect them and put them outside in the garden,' said Mr Carver. 'They're nature's creatures and deserve their day in the sun like the rest of us.'

'I always end up with the heroic missions,' muttered Max sarcastically. 'Can the extermination, I mean, relocation, wait until tomorrow?'

'Alice?' his mother pleaded.

'I'm not sleeping in a room full of spiders and goodness knows what else,' Alice declared. 'No matter how deserving they are.'

'Oh, you're such a baby,' said Emma.

'And you're a monster,' replied Alice.

'Max, before your two sisters start scratching each other to death, will you get rid of the wretched spiders?' said their father in a tired voice.

"rubbing the bridge of her nose" — This small gesture tells us Mrs Carver is stressed, tired and frustrated. It's a realistic detail that shows how exhausting the move has been and that the children's arguing is making it worse.
"the extermination, I mean, relocation" — Max is being sarcastic. He corrects himself from 'extermination' (killing) to 'relocation' (moving), mocking his father's view that the spiders should be gently carried outside rather than squashed. It shows Max has a dry sense of humour.
"They're nature's creatures and deserve their day in the sun like the rest of us" — Mr Carver treats the spiders with respect, as if they have rights. This is a gentle, philosophical attitude that contrasts sharply with Alice's horror and Mrs Carver's practical approach of simply killing them.

rambling — (of a building) spreading out in many directions; large and irregularly shaped
soot — black powder produced by burning wood or coal, often found in chimneys
sarcastically — in a mocking, ironic way that means the opposite of what is said
extermination — the complete destruction or killing of something
relocation — the act of moving something to a new place
wretched — used to express annoyance or irritation about something
pleaded — asked urgently or desperately

1. How many people are in the Carver family?

2. What do the parents disagree about when it comes to the spiders?

3. Give two quotations that show Alice and Emma are hostile towards each other.

4. What does Max's line 'the extermination, I mean, relocation' reveal about his character?

Max went inside the house, ready to wipe out its previous lodgers by all means possible. As he climbed the stairs to the upper floor, he saw the glittering eyes of a cat watching him steadily from the top step. Perhaps it had been left behind by the previous owners. It certainly seemed to be at home, guarding the upper floor like a sentinel. He stopped for a second, then resumed his climb. He was not going to be afraid of a stray cat; he would not give it the satisfaction. As soon as Max went into one of the bedrooms, the cat followed him.

The wooden flooring creaked softly under his feet. Max began his spider hunt in the room facing south-west. He examined the floor carefully. After the cleaning session, the room was reasonably dirt free and it took Max only a couple of minutes to locate his first target – a fat spider marching from one of the corners in a straight line towards him. The creature must have been about three centimetres long and had eight black, bristly legs, with a golden mark on its body. No wonder Alice had panicked. There was no way in the world he was going to pick up that thing and carry it to the garden.

Max reached out his hand to grab a broom that was leaning against the wall and got ready to slam it down on the spider. He was steadying himself for the kill, when suddenly the cat pounced, opened its jaws and devoured it. Max let go of the broom and looked at the cat in astonishment. It threw him a malicious look, swallowed the spider and left the room, presumably in search of its next course.

"guarding the upper floor like a sentinel" — This is a simile. A sentinel is a soldier standing guard. By comparing the cat to a sentinel, the writer makes it seem powerful, territorial and almost military in its watchfulness. It suggests the cat considers the upstairs to be its domain.
"he would not give it the satisfaction" — Max talks about the cat as if it can feel triumph over scaring a human. This is personification, giving the cat human-like cunning and intelligence. It hints that the cat is more than just an ordinary stray.
"It threw him a malicious look" — 'Malicious' means intending harm or evil. The cat doesn't just look at Max; it gives him a look full of spite, as though it is deliberately trying to unsettle him. This makes the cat seem sinister and intelligent.
"presumably in search of its next course" — The word 'course' (as in a course of a meal) adds dark humour. The cat treats the spider like a starter at dinner, coolly moving on to find more prey. This makes the cat seem calculating and predatory.

sentinel — a soldier or guard keeping watch over a place
lodgers — creatures (or people) living in a place that isn't really theirs
resumed — started again after a pause
bristly — covered in short, stiff hairs or spines
devoured — ate something quickly and greedily
astonishment — great surprise or amazement
malicious — intending to do harm; full of spite or ill will

5. Why does Max decide to kill the spider with a broom instead of carrying it outside?

6. Give two details that make the cat seem sinister or frightening. Explain why each is effective.

7. The cat is described as 'guarding the upper floor like a sentinel.' What literary technique is this, and what does it suggest?

Max walked over to the window. Beyond the yard, behind the fence that surrounded the house, was a field of wild grass, and about a hundred metres further on was what looked like a small enclosure bordered by a wall of pale stone. The vegetation had invaded the grounds, transforming the enclosure into a jungle from which emerged what seemed to be figures: human figures. In the twilight, Max had to strain his eyes to make out what he was seeing. It appeared to be an abandoned garden. A garden of statues.

Max was hypnotised by the strange vision of the figures trapped in the undergrowth, locked inside a walled garden that reminded him of a village graveyard. A huge, metal gate locked with chains secured the entrance. In the distance, beyond the enclosed garden, was a thick forest that seemed to extend for miles.

'What a place to explore!' thought Max.

"The vegetation had invaded the grounds" — This is personification. Plants cannot literally 'invade' — that's a word we use for armies or hostile forces. By saying the vegetation 'invaded,' the writer makes the plants seem aggressive and threatening, as if nature is reclaiming the garden by force.
"Max was hypnotised" — The word 'hypnotised' means Max was so fascinated he couldn't look away, as though the garden had cast a spell on him. It suggests the garden has an almost magical, irresistible pull.
"figures trapped in the undergrowth" — The statues are described as if they are real people who have been imprisoned by the wild plants. This creates a slightly eerie, unsettling image — as if the garden has captured them.
"a walled garden that reminded him of a village graveyard" — This is a simile (comparison). By linking the garden to a graveyard, the writer creates an atmosphere of death, silence and forgotten things. The walled enclosure, the stillness of the figures, and the overgrown neglect all echo a burial ground.

enclosure — an area surrounded by a wall, fence or barrier
vegetation — plant life; the plants growing in a particular area
undergrowth — thick bushes and plants growing beneath trees or in wild areas
hypnotised — completely fascinated; unable to look away, as if under a spell
twilight — the dim light just after sunset, before full darkness
abandoned — left empty and no longer cared for
emerged — came out from; appeared from within something

8. What word suggests the garden is overgrown, and what word suggests Max is extremely interested in it?

9. Why does the writer compare the statue garden to 'a village graveyard'? Give three features of a graveyard this comparison evokes.

10. Give two details from the passage that suggest the statue garden is a private, closed-off place.

11. Describe three different emotions Max goes through in the whole passage, and explain what causes each one.

Reading: The Carver House

Vocabulary & Phrases Quiz

Reading test complete

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