Page 94 - English v1.indd

The British Quiz UNIT 15 INVESTIGATION (Reading comprehension)

1 How many countries does the UK 7 Which of these is not a river. On March 23, 1994 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he
died from a shotgun wound to the head. Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a ten-story building
Which one?
consist of?
A. 3 A. Trent intending to commit suicide. He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency. As he fell past
B. 4 B. Snowdon the ninth floor his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed
C. 5 C. Avon him instantly. Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been
installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus
would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned. "Ordinarily," Dr Mills
2 Robin Hood, the legendary folk hero, 8 The capital city of Wales is: continued, "Someone who sets out to commit suicide and ultimately succeeds, even though the
A. Camberra
lived in the ... century.
mechanism might not be what he intended, is still defined as committing suicide." That Mr. Opus
A. 11th B. Swansea was shot on the way to certain death, but probably would not have been successful because of
B. 12th C. Cardiff the safety net, caused the medical examiner to feel that he had a homicide on his hands. An
C. 13th elderly man and his wife occupied the room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated.
9 These characters come from Agatha They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun. The man was so upset
3 According to legend, Robin Hood A. Miss Marple that when he pulled the trigger he completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the
Christie’s books with one exception.
window striking Mr. Opus. When one intends to kill subject "A" but kills subject "B" in the attempt,
lived with his band of ‘merry men’ in
Sherwood Forest outside Nottingham, B. Mary Mead one is guilty of the murder of subject "B."
stealing from the rich and giving the poor. C. Poirot When confronted with the murder charge the old man and his wife were both adamant and both
said that they thought the shotgun was not loaded. The old man said it was a long-standing habit
He ... to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun. He had no intention to murder her. Therefore the
A. died in prison 10 These are isles around the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had been accidentally
B. was never captured British isles. Except one. loaded. The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading
C. was benighted A. Man the shotgun about six weeks prior to the fatal accident.
B. Wight It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the
4 Where can we find the Poets’ Corner C. Falkland propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that
his father would shoot his mother. Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of

in London?
A. Westminster Abbey 11 Which royal dynasty, ruling for the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger. The case now becomes one of murder
B. Hyde Park 335 years, had family relations on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus. Now comes the exquisite twist. Further
C. St. Paul’s Cathedral with a Hungarian royal dynasty on the investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. He had become increasingly
mother’s side? despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder. This led him to jump
off the ten-story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the
5 These ladies come from A. Plantagenet ninth story window. The son had actually murdered himself so the medical examiner closed the
B. Tudor
Shakespeare’s King Lear with one

exception. C. Stuart case as a suicide. (Wikipedia)
A. Goneril True or False. Why?
B. Ophelia 12 When was the Great Fire of T or F
C. Cordelia London destroying most of the 1. … R. Opus was shot dead and pushed down from the tenth
city’s old wooden buildings? 2. … When one intends to kill subject "A" but kills subject "B" in the attempt, one is guilty of the
6 The state of Virginia in the USA A. 1649 3. … The elderly man who shot R. Opus was found guilty and was condemned because of
murder of subject "B."
was named after a virgin queen ...
B. 1666
A. Elizabeth I. C. 1688 murdering him.
4. ... The elderly man who pulled the trigger of the gun was arrested but eventually released.
B. Victoria
C. Stuart Mary 5. … R. Opus would have survived the fatal jump despite of his intention of committing suicide.
6. … Having jumped from the top of a high building, R. Opus was shot dead through a window as
he passed the eighth floor of the same building.
7. … Someone killing another person who otherwise intends to commit a suicide cannot be
charged with the murder case; the person would have died anyway.
94 8. … R. Opus was arrested for his plot of attempting to kill his mother.
9. … The investigation was closed down and it was found that R. Opus was responsible for his
own death.

95