Reading in English

· What languages can you read books in?

· Do you like reading in English?

· Are there any English books apart from textbooks in your

home?

· Does anybody in your home read to you in English?

· Do you find English books easy to understand?

· Do you have your own English dictionary?

· How often do you make use of an English dictionary?

· Is there an English dictionary in the classroom?

Genres

· What are your favourite genres – novels, plays,

detective stories, adventure stories, travelogues, biographies,

science fiction, horror stories, ghost stories, spy stories, westerns?

· Give some examples of works belonging to different

genres.

· Can you name/give me the titles of some novels,

plays, poems, detective novels, adventure stories?

· What do you think the difference between a detective

story and an adventure story is?

· How would you define the genre of science fiction?

· Do you like sci fi? Why(not)?

· What are history books about?

· Why do many people enjoy detective stories?

· What do you think is the appeal of space fiction/historical

fiction?

· What are some of the things that make a story a fantastic

one?

· What novels or stories can you think of that were based

on real life events?

· Are fairy tales only meant for children?

· What do all fairy tales have in common?

· What genre does this story probably belong to?

(What kind or genre of story is this?

· How would you classify this type of the story?)

· Is this a children’s story/ a newspaper article/science

fiction?

· What is fantastic about this story?

· For what reason could this story be considered fantastic?

· Do you think the story may be biographical?

· What is the moral of this fable?

· What human qualities do the animals have in this fable?

· Do you know any other fables?

· The story of the Golden Fleece is one of the many

legends of ancient Greece.

· Are there legends in our literature similar to that legend?

Author’s life

· What do you know about the author of the story?

· Do you know anything about this writer?

· Can you tell me something about him?

· In what century did he live?

· What year was he born in?

· Where was he born?

· What first names did he have besides ….?

· Where did he live?

· Where did he spend his childhood?

· What kind of people were his parents?

· What kind of person was his father?

· What did he do for a living?

· Describe the circumstances in which the family lived

when N. was a child.

· What changes took place in the family over the years?

· How old was N. when his …. died?

· When did N.’ family move to London?

· Did his family remain close over the years?

· How did it happen that N. was sent to work in the factory?

· What job did he do for a time?

· Did he leave the job when the family circumstances i

mproved?

· Where did he go to school/college?

· Why did he have few friends?

· Why did he hate going to school?

· Why was he taken away from school?

· Who in your opinion played the most important

role in N.’ s upbringing?

· Who was an important influence in his early life?

· What was the first conflict between N. and his father over?

· Where did N. live for the greater part of his life?

· What kind of woman did he marry?

· Did she encourage his literary ambitions?

· Did he describe …. later in one of his books?

· Do you think N’s childhood and youth had a great

influence on his personality?

· Explain your answer.

· Which event in his youth was most significant/important?

· Summarize the history of N’s life.

Author’s creative activity

· When did N start writing?

· Which name did he take as his pen name (pseudonym)?

· Is Twain his real name or his pseudonym?

· Did he begin his literary career as a

poet/playwright/fiction writer/essayist/journalist/novelist/short story

writer/travel writer/memoirist?

· Did he begin as a writer for children?

· Did he write for children or adults or both?

· Did he write poetry or prose?

· When did write/publish his first book?

· What did his first published book describe?

· Under what pseudonym did his book appear?

· Who is this book dedicated to?

· What is the theme of the novel?

· How was his first work received?

· Did N write any short stories besides novels?

· How many novels did he write?

· What is his most recent novel?

· Has he written any other books?

· What is N attacking in “……………..”.?

· In what novels does he criticize ……..?

· Do we find any descriptions of ….. in N’s novels?

· Which of his stories is autobiographical, do you think?

· Do you know any other writers whose work is

autobiographical?

· What is his best-known play?

· Which of his novels became a bestseller?

· How long did he work on it?

· This novel made him an immediate success, didn’t it?

· Did N’s novels win any major awards?

· What did the author receive the Nobel Prize for?

· Was N famous in his lifetime?

· Why were his stories so popular with everybody?

· Why is he famous?

· What is he best known for?

· What is he chiefly remembered for?

· Have you read any other books by the same author?

· Can you name any of the characters of this writer?

· Why do you like this writer?

· What is there about this writer that you like?

· What is there in his novels and plays that you find

interesting?

· Do you think he was influenced by ….’ ideas?

· What do you think were N’s faults as a writer?

· Are there any writers in our country’s literature that can

be compared to N.”