Notes

The Umbrella Man By Roald Dahl
Answer the questions:
1. Who are the main characters of the story?
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2. Where did the event take place?
3. What did the girl and her mother do there?
4. How does the narrator describe the old man? What details are given to
characterize him?
5. What was the first reaction of the girl’s mother to the old man’s request and
why?
6. What were the mother’s golden rules of social behaviour?
7. What made the woman and the girl follow the old man?
8. What was the end of the old man’s trick?
Give arguments from the text supporting the following statements:
1. The girl didn’t want to leave the cafe.
2. The girl and her mother needed a taxi.
3. The old man looked respectable.
4. The girl’s mother didn’t trust strangers.
5. The girl didn’t approve of her mother’s manner to speak to the old man.
6. The old man’s trick was a complete surprise to the girl and her mother.
Answer the questions:
1. Which of the characters do you like (dislike, feel sorry for)? Why?
2. What words and phrases does the author use to create the comic situation in the
story?
3. What message does the author want to convey to his readers?
4. Find in the story some details that describe the British way of life?
5. How far do you agree with the girl’s mother who said: “The nicer the man seems
to be, the more suspicious you must become”, “You can always spot a gentleman by the
shoes he wears”?
6. What would you do if the old gentleman asked you for help?