Pippi Goes to Circus
by Astrid Lindgren
How much do you know about life at sea? Take this short quiz to find out.
- What is a room on a ship called: a booth or a cabin? = Cabin;
- How would you walk on board a ship: on a gangplank or on an escalator? = Gangplank;
- What do we call the wheel for steering a ship or a boat: the helm or the joystick? = Helm;
- How would you look out of a room on a ship: through a porthole or through a window? = Porthole;
- Who commands a ship: a general or a captain? = Captain;
Making connections
Quick answers
1. Match the columns to get complete sentences.
=
|
a. When Tommy and Annika invited Pippi to go to the circus, she wasn’t
sure because |
i. there were horses and clowns, and people that walked the
tightrope. [b] |
|
b. Tommy told Pippi a circus was fun because |
ii. she didn’t know what a circus was. [a] |
|
c. When Annika told Pippi that a circus costs money |
iii. she thought that even looking at things around her cost money.
[d] |
|
d. When Tommy explained to Pippi that it costs money to look at a
circus |
iv. she thought that someone had been careless to leave sawdust on
the ground. [e] |
|
e. When Pippi was at the circus |
v. Pippi said that she was as rich as a troll. [c] |
Reference to context
2."Clutching it tightly in their hands, they rushed over to Pippi's."
a. Who rushed over to Pippi's?
= Tommy and Annika rushed over to Pippi's.
b. What were they clutching?
= They were clutching the some money given by their father.
c. What word you use to describe how they were feeling?
= I would use the word 'excited' and 'eager' to describe how they were feeling.
3. "On a platform nearby, the circus band suddenly began to play a thundering march."
a. Who had gone to the circus?
= Pippi, Tommy, and Annika had gone to the circus.
b. Where were they sitting?
= They were sitting on some beautiful red chairs right next to the ring.
c. What happened as soon as the march started?
= As soon as the march started, the curtain in front of the performers' entrance was drawn aside, and the ring master in a black frock coat came running into the ring, followed by a coal-black horse. On it's back stood a beautiful lady dressed in green silk tights. Her name was Miss Carmencita.
4. "But the ringmaster didn't laugh."
a. Who laughed?
= The audience laughed.
b. Why do you think that the ringmaster didn't laugh?
= I think the ringmaster was angry with the unexpected incident. He was in charge of the total performance. If the performance gets spoilt anyhow, it will be his duty to show cause for that. So he was trying to take control over the situation as quickly as he could.
c. What did the ringmaster do next?
= Next, the ringmaster turned towards an attendant in a red uniform and made a sign to him to go and stop the horse on which Miss Carmencita held against her will by a little red-headed youngster Pippi stood there on the horse's back.
Read, reflect and write
5. Why did Pippi jump onto the horse? Did she realize that she was doing something wrong? Give a reason for your answer.
= Pippi wanted have fun by riding the horse as she has also paid while entering into the circus. She had grown up in the sea. She didn't know much about the life on land. She was innocent.
She had no idea about if she was doing something wrong or not. At first, Miss Carmencita began to push Pippi with her hands behind her back to make her jump off. But that didn't work. Then Miss Carmencita tried to jump off herself, but that didn't work either, because Pippi was holding her tightly around the waist.
6. If you were a friend of Pippi's and you had taken her to the circus, how would you have felt seeing her standing on the horse?
= First of all I would have been astonished after watching her swift action and the way she rode on the horse. Then I might have laughed seeing the fun moment she created instantly.
Then I would have felt ashamed as the who show was being spoilt because of my friend. I would have got up and went to Pippi to understand her that she was doing something wrong and that is not good manners.
7. Why did the guards shrug their shoulders and walk away at the end of the story?
= As the ringmaster asked Pippi to get off the horse and she annoyingly skipped off the horse and went back to her seat. Then two huge guards came to remove her from the circus.
They took hold and tried to lift her up. They couldn't do it. Pippi sat absolutely still, and it was impossible to budge her although they tried as hard as they could. At last they shrugged their shoulders and went off.
8. In what way do you think is Pippi different from most children and in what way do you think she is the same as most other children?
= Pippi had grown up at sea. She didn't know much about life on land. She didn't know whether circus was to see or to buy. She was even pronouncing circus as 'surkus'. She is a red-headed youngster. She is brave and straight forward.
On the other hand, she has also same kind of excitement about going to circus. She is curious to know about all the unknown things which she did not knew.