The War of Jenkins' Ear: Reading Adventure & Quiz

The car stayed outside the front door all that afternoon. There was only one way Toby was going to find out what was going on and he was determined to try. His classroom opened into the oak-panelled hall that was the heart of the school. It served variously as an assembly hall every morning, a cinema on Sunday evenings, and a library. The wide steps that led from the hall were known as the Bloody Steps. Carpeted in deep crimson, with polished brass stair rods, they led to Rudolph's apartment. Rudolph's study. To be summoned up those dreaded steps meant only one thing – the cane. Everyone knew that if you stood at the bottom of the Bloody Steps, by the bookcases, and pretended to be looking for a book, you could often hear what was going on inside the study.

"The car stayed outside the front door all that afternoon": The very first sentence creates curiosity straight away. Why is the car still there? What is happening inside? This hooks the reader and makes us want to find out more, just like Toby does.
"the oak-panelled hall that was the heart of the school": The word 'heart' is a metaphor (describing something as if it were something else). The hall is not literally a heart, but it is the centre of school life, just as a heart is the centre of a body. The oak panelling suggests a grand, traditional, old-fashioned school.
"It served variously as an assembly hall... a cinema... and a library": The hall has many different uses, which tells us this is a boarding school where one room has to serve many purposes. This is realistic detail that helps us picture the setting.
"The Bloody Steps": The boys have given the steps a dramatic, frightening nickname. The word 'Bloody' connects to the deep crimson carpet (crimson is a dark red, the colour of blood). This nickname tells us the boys are genuinely afraid of being called to the headmaster's study.
"To be summoned up those dreaded steps meant only one thing – the cane": The words 'summoned' and 'dreaded' create a sense of fear. 'Summoned' sounds formal and powerful, like being called before a judge. 'Dreaded' means deeply feared. The dash before 'the cane' creates a dramatic pause, building tension before the punchline.

Oak-panelled: Lined with flat pieces (panels) of oak wood on the walls, giving a grand, old-fashioned appearance.
Variously: In several different ways; serving different purposes at different times.
Crimson: A rich, deep red colour, like the colour of blood.
Summoned: Called or ordered to come somewhere, often by someone in authority.
Dreaded: Greatly feared; causing a feeling of dread or terror before it even happens.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the school hall?

2. Why are the steps called the 'Bloody Steps'?

3. What does the description of the Bloody Steps suggest about the relationship between the boys and Rudolph?

4. How does the writer create a sense of mystery in the opening paragraph?

But how was he going to manage to bluff his way into the hall in the first place? Mr Cramer may have looked doddery but he was wily, and you couldn't get out of his maths class that easily. He wasn't going to be fooled by the usual lame excuses – they might prove effective with the younger, greener teachers, especially with the French mistress, Madame Lafayette who taught art too and wore sandals and long flowery skirts. Either she believed anything she was told or she didn't mind half the class being absent at the same time. Mr Cramer wasn't like that. It took Toby half an hour to think up his scheme. It had risks but it was worth it. He would try it. He put up his hand.

'Please, sir,' he coughed and sniffed as best he could. 'Please, sir, it's my hay fever.'

'I didn't know you had hay fever, Jenkins.'

'Only sometimes, sir. Matron says that if I feel it coming on I've got to take my tablets.' He hoped he needn't say any more. Matron was the key that opened most doors with teachers. Just the mention of her name was often enough, and so it proved this time.

'Very well, Jenkins. Two minutes.'

"bluff his way into the hall": To bluff means to trick or deceive someone into believing something untrue. Toby needs to fool Mr Cramer into letting him leave class. This word tells us Toby is being deliberately sneaky.
"Mr Cramer may have looked doddery but he was wily": This is a wonderful contrast. 'Doddery' means shaky and old-looking, but 'wily' means clever and cunning. The word 'but' signals that appearances are deceiving — Mr Cramer might look frail, but he is sharp-minded and hard to fool.
"lame excuses" and "greener teachers": 'Lame' here means weak or unconvincing (not the physical meaning). 'Greener' means newer and less experienced, like a green, unripe fruit. These expressions show that experienced teachers like Mr Cramer can see through the boys' tricks, while newer teachers cannot.
Madame Lafayette: She is described as easy-going — wearing sandals and flowery skirts, believing anything she is told, not minding if pupils are absent. She is the opposite of Mr Cramer. Morpurgo uses this contrast to show why Toby needs a particularly clever plan.
"Matron was the key that opened most doors with teachers": This is a metaphor. Matron is not literally a key, but mentioning her name 'unlocks' permission from teachers, just as a key opens a locked door. The boys have learned that teachers do not question anything connected to Matron, because she is in charge of health matters.
Short sentences build tension: "It had risks but it was worth it. He would try it. He put up his hand." These short, punchy sentences speed up the pace and create excitement as Toby puts his plan into action.

Bluff (verb): To trick or deceive someone by pretending something is true when it is not.
Doddery: Shaky, unsteady, and frail-looking, usually because of old age.
Wily: Clever and cunning; good at tricking people or seeing through tricks.
Lame (informal): Weak, unconvincing, not good enough. A 'lame excuse' is one that nobody would believe.
Greener: Newer and less experienced. Like a green (unripe) fruit that has not fully developed yet.
Scheme: A clever plan, often one that involves some trickery or deception.

5. How does the writer show the differences between Mr Cramer and Madame Lafayette?

6. What is the metaphor 'Matron was the key that opened most doors' telling us?

7. Why does Toby mention Matron when asking to leave class?

8. How does the writer use sentence length in this section to build excitement?

Toby closed the classroom door behind him and found himself alone in the hall. He was quite confident that Mr Cramer wouldn't check his story with Matron. He could already hear voices. He stole across the polished floor, unable to stop his sandals squeaking as he went. He peered round the corner. Christopher was sitting on the settle, motionless, his hands on his knees like the statue of an Egyptian pharaoh. The study door opened suddenly and Christopher's mother was coming out. Toby had just enough time to back out of sight along the bookcase. He crouched down and crawled under, backwards. There was nowhere else to hide.

'One thing I'm sure of, Headmaster,' he heard Christopher's mother say, 'is that once he has made a promise he keeps it. He has promised me and he has promised you that he will never again try to run away. Isn't that right dear?'

'Yes, Mother.' Christopher's voice was quite calm.

"He stole across the polished floor": Here, 'stole' does not mean to take something that does not belong to you. It is an old-fashioned way of saying he moved very quietly and carefully, like a thief sneaking through a building. This word choice perfectly captures Toby's stealth.
"unable to stop his sandals squeaking": This is a brilliant detail that builds suspense. Despite trying to be silent, Toby's sandals betray him on the polished floor. The reader worries he will be caught, which creates tension.
"like the statue of an Egyptian pharaoh": This is a simile (a comparison using 'like'). Christopher is sitting so still and upright that he looks like a stone statue. This suggests he is either very controlled and calm, or perhaps frozen with fear or resignation. The image of a pharaoh also suggests someone who is dignified and unmoved.
"He crouched down and crawled under, backwards": The detail of Toby crawling backwards under a bookcase is both tense and slightly comical. Morpurgo shows us exactly how desperate Toby is not to be caught, making the scene vivid and realistic.
"Christopher's voice was quite calm": After all the suspense about what is happening to Christopher, his calm voice is surprising. The word 'quite' emphasises how composed he is. This makes us wonder: is Christopher genuinely calm, or is he hiding his real feelings? This ambiguity is a clever way to end the extract.
Suspense throughout: Morpurgo builds suspense by making us wait. We follow Toby through his scheme, across the hall, round the corner, under the bookcase — all before we finally hear what is being said. The reader is kept in suspense just as Toby is.

Stole (past tense of 'steal' in the sense of moving): Moved quietly and secretly, trying not to be noticed. Not theft — a different meaning of the word.
Peered: Looked carefully or with difficulty, often by leaning forward or squinting to see around something.
Settle (noun): A long wooden bench with a high back and arms, often found in old or traditional buildings.
Motionless: Completely still; not moving at all.
Pharaoh: An ancient Egyptian king or ruler, often shown in statues sitting rigidly upright with hands on their knees.

9. What does 'stole across the polished floor' mean?

10. Why does the writer compare Christopher to 'the statue of an Egyptian pharaoh'?

11. How does the writer create suspense as Toby crosses the hall?

12. What does the ending of the extract suggest about Christopher's character?

Reading: The War of Jenkins' Ear

Vocabulary & Phrases Quiz

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