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“Coram Boy”
By
Jamila Gavin

Workbook Structure

This workbook is divided into three sections:

Unit 1 – Keeping Track Questions

Unit 2 – General text based work
Unit 3 – Critical Evaluation

Unit 1 should be completed at home by the students as they are

reading the text. This will be their ongoing homework. However,
additional homework tasks can also be found in the second unit
of work.

Unit 2 provides a selection of work from which the class teacher

can select the most appropriate for the needs of their class. The
tasks will enable students to achieve level F, but will also prepare
them for the progression to Standard Grade. Homework tasks in
this section may be used as extension work for those who are
making the most progress. Those worksheets not attempted may
also prove useful for teacher absence.

Unit 3 covers critical evaluation. This is aimed more specifically

at Standard Grade requirements to prepare the students for this
“jump”.

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This resource by Eleanor Bell was found free at www.englishresources.co.uk

© 2003 English Resources. The FREE resources website.
 www.englishresources.co.uk
The FREE resources website

KT Questions

KT (Keeping Track) questions should be completed at home whenever you have read
more of the novel. It is a complex story and so it’s important that you do keep track.
Answer fully and in sentences.

Prologue

1) What was the gypsy’s prophecy?

2) What happened when the fine lady gave birth?
3) What did she ask the midwife to do?
4) Who did the midwife meet?
5) What did he do?
6) What did the couple do to celebrate their daughter’s seventh birthday?
7) What happened in the church?
8) What fate befell the fine lady?
9) Who was telling the story?

Chapter One – The Coram Man

1) Who were the first characters we met and what was their relationship?
2) Where were they going?
3) What sort of man was Otis?
4) Who was Jester?
5) What were Meshak’s terrors?
6) What were the squeals from the sacks on the mules?
7) Why was Otis called the “charity man”?
8) What had happened to Meshak’s mother?
9) Why was Meshak surprised to hear his father called “the Coram man”?
10) What was his transaction with the gentlewoman?

Chapter Two – The Black Dog

1) Where were they at the start of the chapter?

2) What was the weather like?
3) Why did Otis tell Meshak to dig in a ditch?
4) Explain what was happening with the bundles and why.
5) What was the Black Dog?
6) What did Meshak have to do when they arrived?
7) With whom did Otis want to meet?
8) Who was Captain Coram?
9) What was the transaction in the lane at four in the morning?
10) What did Mrs Peebles say when Mrs Lynch asked her about what had
happened?

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Chapter Three – Meshak’s Angel

1) Why did Otis go to find a press gang?

2) Why did Otis deal with children?
3) Where were they taking the young children?
4) Where did Meshak head off to?
5) What did he show Jester?
6) Who would Meshak have loved to stay with?
7) Who would he have died for?
8) What did he feel about death?
9) What was a “dead day”?
10) What did Meshak wish he were able to do?

Chapter Four – Thomas and Alexander

1) Who were Thomas and Alexander?

2) What was Alexander afraid of?
3) What might he still have been able to do in the cathedral?
4) Where was Thomas going to spend the month of August?
5) Why was this important for him?
6) When had Thomas become a chorister?
7) Why was Alexander put in charge of him?
8) What advice did Alexander give Thomas to stop the bullying?
9) Before the cathedral, where had Thomas sung?
10) What was unusual about Alexander?
11) Why didn’t the others give him a hard time?
12) Why did Thomas’ littler sister Lizzy turn up at the cathedral?
13) How did Thomas and Alexander get to Ashbrook?
14) Who did they pass stuck in a deep rut?
15) Why did Alexander dislike him?
16) What two places did Alexander show Thomas from the top of the hill?
17) What made Thomas want to run away?
18) What was Thomas’ home like?
19) To whom was Thomas introduced and what were their relationships to
Alexander?
20) What made Thomas remember why he had felt nervous about going to
Ashbrook?

Chapter Five – Dawdley Dan

1) How did Thomas’ first day go?

2) What did Mrs Morris do to make him feel more at home?
3) Who came to get Thomas during the night and where did he take him?
4) What story did Thomas tell the others?
5) How did this time come to an end?

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Chapter Six – The Orphanage

1) Why was Lady Ashbrook anxious?

2) Who was to make sure that Alexander saw sense?
3) Who made up the committee that dealt with the poor of the parish?
4) What was Mrs Ridley and Admiral Bailey’s attitude to abandoned children?
5) Who had instigated the fund to support the orphanage?
6) What had roused them into such action?
7) Who was Mrs Weaver?
8) What convinced Sir William to allow Lady Ashbrook to become involved
with the orphanage?
9) What did they find on an unexpected visit to the orphanage?
10) What decisions were taken as regards the orphanage?

Chapter Seven – The Cottage in the Woods

1) Who had arrived in the Ashbrook parish?

2) What happened to Thomas when out riding?
3) Describe the little play cottage.
4) Who was playing the virginal when they arrived?
5) What did the young children want Thomas to complete?
6) Who was looking in from outside?
7) What did he call Melissa?
8) What did he pledge to be to her?

Chapter Eight – Sir William Returns

1) Why did Lady Ashbrook thank Thomas?

2) How did they spend the early part of the evening?
3) What song did Alexander sing?
4) Why hadn’t Sir William wanted Alexander to go to the cathedral?
5) Whose arrival stopped the frivolity?
6) Why did Alexander think he wasn’t the son his father had hoped for?
7) What realisation did Thomas come to about his life and Alexander’s?
8) What did Thomas see in the garden?

Chapter Nine – The Ball

1) Why did Otis find it easy to get rid of children in the wild hills?
2) What was stuffed in the panniers?
3) Why did women approach the Coram man?
4) What was the ball to celebrate?
5) Who was in the carriage from the Black Bull?
6) Why did Mrs Lynch meet with Otis?
7) Why did Otis feel he should keep in with Mrs Lynch?
8) Why did Meshak end up at the play cottage?
9) What did he witness that made him howl?

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Chapter Ten – Jealousies

1) Why was Isobel upset with Melissa?

2) Had Melissa quarrelled with Alexander?
3) Who galloped past them?
4) With which member of the Ashbrook household was Otis acquainted?
5) Who helped Melissa when her period started?
6) Who had business at the orphanage?
7) Who was responsible for making the various items for playing mothers and
fathers?
8) Who did Alice want to marry?
9) Why couldn’t she marry Thomas?
10) Why did Melissa flee the room?
11) What frightened the children?
12) What did Meshak do to himself?

Chapter Eleven – The Coram Hospital

1) Why did women want their children taken to the Coram hospital?
2) How much time had passed since Meshak saw Melissa and Alexander kissing?
3) Who was chief nurse at Coram?
4) How was it decided which babies would gain admission?
5) What was Otis’ arrangement with Sarah Wood?
6) What was the Coram uniform?
7) Who was leading the choir practice?
8) Why was Otis pleased with his visit to the hospital?
9) What terrified Meshak?
10) Where did Otis and Meshak go and why?
11) What arrangement did Otis make?
12) Why does he make this deal?

Chapter Twelve – When the Voice Broke

1) Why did the whole Ashbrook family go to the Christmas concert at the
cathedral?
2) What made the family concerned when the concert was about to start?
3) What had happened to Alexander?
4) What did Sir William demand happen next?
5) What did Alexander discover when he got home?
6) Why had his father done this?
7) What was expected of a “future master of Ashbrook”?
8) Who turned up at Alexander’s room and why?
9) What did Alexander do when she left?
10) What decision did Alexander come to in mid-January?
11) For whom did he leave letters?
12) Where was the last place he visited on the estate?
13) With whom did he meet?

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Chapter Thirteen – A Quickening

1) Where did the search party look for Alexander?

2) What hampered their search?
3) Where had Alexander hidden his letter to Melissa?
4) What did he promise Melissa?
5) Who was first to appreciate the significance of Melissa’s sickness?
6) Why did Melissa think she’s possessed?
7) What did Tabitha say it is?
8) Who else knew?
9) With whom did Melissa share her secret?
10) What did this do for their relationship?
11) Who did Mrs Lynch arrange to meet?

Chapter Fourteen – Autumn Apples

1) What did Meshak discover at Waterside?

2) Who was present there?
3) What did Mrs Milcote fear would ruin her?
4) Who had told her about Melissa?
5) What did Mrs Lynch offer to do with the baby?
6) What would they have to tell Melissa and why?
7) What happened to the baby once it was born?
8) What gift did Mrs Milcote give the baby?
9) To whom did Mrs Lynch give the baby?
10) What did Meshak do with the baby?

Part 2

Chapter Fifteen – Mother Catbrain

1) How did Mother Catbrain get her name?

2) Why were Aaron and Toby watching her house?
3) What did Aaron do with the stone?
4) Who caught the two boys?
5) Who was present in the chapel?
6) Who was the music master?
7) Where were Aaron and Toby sent to work?
8) Who was there?
9) What news was there of Otis Gardiner?
10) Who was Aaron?
11) What had happened to him after he had been brought to the Coram Hospital?
12) What did people call Toby and Aaron and why?
13) What did Mother Catbrain say to Aaron?

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Chapter Sixteen – Meeting in the Chapel

1) What made Aaron wonder about his background?

2) With whom did he spend his first five years?
3) What did Mish tell him about his mother?
4) Where was Toby’s mother?
5) What did he plan to do?
6) Who was Philip Gaddarn?
7) Why did the other children envy Toby?
8) What was the reality?
9) Why couldn’t Toby tell the Coram governors?
10) Who was Mercy Bligh?
11) What did she have in common with Aaron?
12) What did the organist ask Aaron to do?
13) Who entered the chapel?
14) Who did the organist say he’d speak to?

Chapter Seventeen – Old Friends

1) Who was Thomas Ledbury meeting and why?

2) Who was playing the harpsichord?
3) What was the Coram organist called?
4) How did Ledbury know the harpsichord player?

Chapter Eighteen – Partings

1) Why was Toby sad?

2) What was bad about Philip Gaddarn?
3) Why did others like him?
4) Where was Aaron?
5) What was the choir going to perform?
6) What news did Thomas Ledbury have for Aaron?
7) What did Toby suggest they do?
8) What was Aaron’s dilemma?
9) What advice did Mercy have for Toby?

Chapter Nineteen – Mementoes

1) Whose portrait hung at the main staircase?

2) Who had brought Toby and Aaron to Coram Hospital?
3) What had Toby’s mother left him?
4) What was Aaron given?
5) What was to happen to Mish?

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Chapter Twenty – Apprenticed Out

1) Why did Aaron not want to leave Coram?

2) What did Mercy tell him he’d have to do for Mish?
3) What promises did Aaron make to Mish?
4) Who took Aaron to Mr Burney’s?
5) Who was Timothy Parfitt?
6) What did Aaron do in the morning?
7) What happened at four o’clock?
8) Who did Aaron meet there?
9) What song did Aaron sing?
10) What would his apprenticeship consist of?
11) How would he get the opportunity to visit Mish?
12) Why was Alexander contemplative?

Chapter Twenty One – A Face from the Past

1) What had Aaron’s departure meant for Mish?

2) What brought him out of being dead?
3) What did Aaron make Mish promise?
4) Why did Aaron like Timothy accompanying him?
5) What would Aaron do when Timothy was preoccupied?
6) What did Mrs Bellamy allow?
7) Why was Alexander going to Mr Gaddarn’s house?
8) Where was Mr Gaddarn from?
9) Why was he doing all the good deeds?
10) Why did Alexander wink at Toby?
11) What did Gaddarn intend doing with Toby when he’d served his usefulness in
that house?
12) What did Alexander realise at the end of the chapter?

Chapter Twenty Two – Discovery

1) Where did Toby go near the end of the evening?

2) What happened to him once he was there?
3) Who also entered the room?
4) What was going to happen to the girls Mr Gaddarn procured from Coram?
5) Why did he insist that £300 was a fair price for them?
6) What would happen to the boys?
7) What did Philip Gaddarn show his visitors?
8) What did Toby do when the others left the room?
9) What did he worry about when he returned to the kitchen?

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Chapter Twenty Three – Child Slaves

1) How long had it been since Toby and Aaron had seen each other?
2) Why was this?
3) Why was Aaron going to Coram?
4) What made Aaron want to see Toby?
5) How did Aaron now dress?
6) What news did Margery give him?
7) Describe how Toby now looked.
8) What did Toby tell Aaron about Mr Gaddarn?
9) What did Toby show Aaron?
10) What did Aaron tell Toby to do?

Chapter Twenty Four – Messiah

1) Who did Aaron see in the audience for Messiah?

2) Who did Aaron want to see there?
3) What did Aaron notice about Alexander when he was singing?
4) Who broke the silence inappropriately at the end of the song?
5) What did this outburst reveal to Alexander?
6) Who did Alexander believe Philip Gaddarn to be?
7) What reason did Thomas give him to prove he was wrong?
8) What did Thomas tell Alexander about Otis Gardiner’s crimes and activities?
9) What was Admiral Bailey’s involvement?
10) What happened to him?
11) What did Thomas and Alexander realise about Mish/Meshak?
12) What did they plan to do?

Chapter Twenty Five – There Came Six Boys

1) What was Melissa remembering and why?

2) What had happened to the Ashbrook children?
3) Why was Melissa annoyed with her mother?
4) What did Thomas bring Melissa?
5) Why didn’t Melissa like Mrs Lynch?
6) What was Mrs Milcote now doing?
7) What was Melissa’s role?
8) Why did Melissa go to Waterside?
9) Why was she happy that day?
10) How had Isobel persuaded her father to have Thomas and the Coram boys
visit?
11) Why was Mrs Milcote upset at the prospect of this visit?
12) Who did Melissa and Isobel meet in the chapel?
13) Where was Meshak and why had he come?
14) Why didn’t he reveal Aaron’s identity to Melissa?

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Chapter Twenty Six – The Coram Boy

1) What did Thomas hope to gain from the Coram boys’ visit?
2) What song did Aaron sing?
3) What effect did it have?
4) What wakened Mrs Milcote?
5) Where did she go?
6) Why did she then visit Melissa’s room?

Chapter Twenty Seven – Recognition

1) How did Sir William look at the concert?

2) What had he told Thomas after breakfast?
3) What did Thomas notice about Isobel, Melissa and Mrs Milcote?
4) What was Melissa thinking about during the concert?
5) Who was the coach guard?
6) What did Mrs Milcote do when she saw him?
7) Why was Mish concerned?
8) Who was Matthew Parks and why was he there?
9) What had happened to Meshak?

Chapter Twenty Eight – On the Run

1) What did Mish tell Aaron was the reason for them running away?
2) Where were they going?
3) How were they going to get there?

Chapter Twenty Nine – Everything is Time

1) What was happening that day?

2) What did Melissa see in the mirror?
3) What did she think when she saw Mrs Lynch?
4) Who was waiting outside the chapel?
5) Summarise what Melissa and Isobel told Alexander.
6) What conclusion do they come to?

Chapter Thirty – “Save him, Sir!”

1) Why wasn’t Philip Gaddarn happy?

2) How did he go about finding out about Meshak?
3) What had happened to Mrs Lynch?
4) How had Otis escaped the noose?
5) Who did Toby spot in the hall?
6) Where did Mr Gaddarn instruct they were to be taken?
7) What did Toby decide to do?
8) Why did he go to Mr Burney’s?

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Chapter Thirty One – The River Flows to the Sea

1) What surprising information did Mish share with Aaron?

2) At whose house did they end up?
3) Where did Mr Gaddarn take them?
4) What did Mish and Aaron hear?
5) What did Aaron realise about this room?
6) Why did Mish apologise to Mr Gaddarn?
7) Where did Mr Gaddarn lead Mish and Aaron?
8) What was the name of the ship?
9) Whose voice did Aaron hear?
10) Why did Alexander and Thomas stop?
11) What did Alexander shout to Meshak?
12) What did Meshak do to Alexander?
13) What did Mr Gaddarn start to do and who stopped him and how?
14) What was Buckley to do with Meshak, Toby and Aaron?
15) What happened to Mr Philip Gaddarn?
16) What happened to Toby and Aaron when they got out of the hold?

Chapter Thirty Two – The Crying Wood

1) Who was visiting the graveyard?

2) Who was buried there?
3) Why was Otis Gardiner’s shadow still menacing?
4) Who arrived at Ashbrook?

Epilogue

1) Who was the old man and where had he been?

2) Why was that place called the Crying Wood?
3) Why had the man come back?
4) How does the story end?

This resource by Eleanor Bell was found free at www.englishresources.co.uk

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