PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Activity worksheets LEVEL 4
Teacher Support Programme
Secret Codes Photocopiable
While reading Chapters 5 6
Chapters 1 2 4 Complete the sentences with one word from
1 Read this message. Can you write the words the box. Careful! There are two words you
correctly? don t need.
People use EDOCS in their lives. We usually
bury clue email hobos pattern raise
write full XSTTE but in Internet messages, a lot
secret slave trade
of MSYLSBO are used. They EEEPRNTRS
different meanings. Our friends can IEECDPRH
a Once, a king hid a message on the head of a
our messages quite well.
& & & & .
b I ve sent you an & & & & message with
Sometimes, SANGG use their own EAABTHPL
information about the company.
because they don t want people to understand
c Tom couldn t decipher the code, and he asked
what they are saying. they also write messages
for a & & & & .
using OWRS and ULMONCS.
d It s not necessary to & & & & the book. I can
see it from here.
Chapters 3 4
e That table over there has a lovely & & & &
2 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
on it.
a Mary s mother was from France. c
f Some thieves & & & & their stolen
b Mary married the King of France. c
possessions for gold.
c Henry VIII attacked Scotland although it
g If you & & & & those gold coins in the
was part of England. c
garden, you may not find them again.
d Mary s second husband died of an illness. c
5 Match the name and the correct words.
e Mary was a Catholic. c
a Baden Powell: c
f Henry VIII was Mary s father. c
b Leonard Dawes: c
g Many English people wanted Mary to be
c Braille: c
their queen because she was younger than
d The Underground Railroad: c
Elizabeth. c
e The Ku Klux Klan: c
h Elizabeth helped Mary. c
1 was not born blind.
i When Mary was in prison, her life was
2 used blankets for communication with
very difficult. c
hobos.
j Elizabeth was the first queen to use spies. c
3 spent many years in India and Africa.
3 Complete the diagram with the words in the
4 hated freed slaves.
below.
5 taught at a school.
Mary Elizabeth
Chapters 7 8
6 Match the name and the right words.
a Arthur Conan Doyle & c
b Edgar Allan Poe & c
queen c Somerset Maugham & c
d Dalton Trumbo & c
e Dan Brown & c
1 was against war.
2 could speak three languages.
3 wrote stories for the newspaper.
4 was a doctor.
got married had a son was a Catholic
5 loves ciphers.
was a Protestant her father was a king
developed a cipher had a secretary
was killed at the age of 24
c Pearson Education Limited 2007 Secret Codes - Activity worksheets 1 of 2
PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Activity worksheets LEVEL 4
Teacher Support Programme
Secret Codes Photocopiable
7 Rewrite these sentences with the words given. Chapters 9 10
a Somebody has murdered the man with the 10 Rewrite these two sentences as one sentence.
light. a Cockney is a form of English. It s spoken in
The man & & & & & & & & & & & & & . England.
b Somebody burnt a box full of papers. b Pig Latin is easy to learn. It can be spoken in
A box & & & & & & & & & & & & & & .. . two different ways.
c Somebody was sending secret information to c Phillip Johnson knew a lot about Navajo. He
Paris. had an unusual idea.
Secret information & & & & & & & & & & . d Body language is not easy to understand. It is
d Somebody has built several stations. a secret language.
Several stations & & & & & & & & & & & . e The Masons are a large international group.
8 Rewrite the characters words. Begin with They have a secret handshake.
& said / asked & .
Chapters 11 12
a  I want to have information immediately, said
11 Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?
Clytemnestra.
a Chapter 11 is about languages which
& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
people still use. c
b  How can we make money? asked Claude
b There are only a few symbols in
Chappe.
hieroglyphics. c
& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
c The Rosetta stone was made of clay. c
c  Have you heard about electrical magnets?
d Cuneiform did not last for a very long
asked Morse.
time. c
& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
e Codes have always been broken because
d  Have you broken the code? asked the British
they weren t very difficult to decipher. c
government.
f The Mayan language was as old as
& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
Egyptian hieroglyphics. c
e  Would you like to see Enigma? asked
g Scientists are still interested in
Scherbius.
communicating with people from another
& & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & & &
world. c
9 Choose the correct name.
After reading
a Musgrave / Doyle / Trevor was a friend of
12 Write one sentence about each of the stories.
Holmes .
13 Make cover for the book.
b Poe / Conan Doyle / Maugham wanted his
Include the title, the writer s name and the name
readers to send him coded messages.
of the publisher.
c Poe / Conan Doyle / Maugham did spy work
for Britain.
d Poe s / Brown s / Maugham s book was translated
into 44 languages.
e Clytemnestra / The Greeks / The Chappe
brothers invented a mechanical semaphore.
f Enigma was invented by Turing / Morse /
Scherbius.
c Pearson Education Limited 2007 Secret Codes - Activity worksheets 2 of 2
PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Progress test LEVEL 4
Teacher Support Programme
Secret Codes Photocopiable
d In China, a stamp upside down on a letter
Chapters 1 2
means &
1 Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)?
1 the sender didn t have enough time.
a A symbol and a cipher are the same. c
2 there s a love letter inside.
b Codes are only letters and numbers. c
3 there s a secret message inside.
c Red represents the same meaning all over the
e Many years ago, hobos in the United States &
world. c
1 decorated houses with drawings.
d Ciphers are always very complex and difficult. c
2 had a special alphabet.
e Language is a code. c
3 used drawings to communicate with other
f The VigenŁre cipher was invented in the
hobos.
1500 s. c
g Babbage created a code. c
Chapters 7 8
h The Crimean war was fought in the Black Sea
4 Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)?
area. c
a Johnny Got His Gun is a spy story. c
i Julius Caesar s cipher was developed by his
b There are clues to solve The Da Vinci Code on
soldiers. c
the cover. c
j Flags were completely useless without a
c Kryptos is a spy who worked for the CIA. c
telescope. c
d The cipher tube was Dan Brown s invention. c
k A wrong message is a message that cannot be
e Clytemnestra was a queen. c
deciphered. c
f The Greeks used signal fires. c
g SOS is a Morse code signal. c
Chapters 3 4
2 What happened first? Put the sentences in order
Chapters 9 10
and number them, 1 10.
5 Match the two parts.
a c King James married a French lady.
a Cockney & c
b c King James died.
b Pig Latin & c
c c Mary became Elizabeth s prisoner.
c Navajo & c
d c Mary became the Queen of the Scots.
d Body language & c
e c Mary got married to Francis.
e American Sign Language & c
f c Mary got married to Stewart.
1 has no written form.
g c Mary married Lord Bothwell.
2 is only understood in America.
h c Mary was born.
3 is an invented language.
i c Mary was sent to France.
4 is easy to understand in children.
j c Mary s second husband was killed.
5 is spoken in England.
Chapters 5 6
Chapters 11 12
3 Which is correct? Circle 1, 2 or 3.
6 Choose the correct answer.
a To hide messages, people can use &
a It was easy to understand old Greek / Demotic /
1 milk.
hieroglyphics.
2 ink.
b Ptolemy / Champollion / Ramses discovered how to
3 slaves.
read hieroglyphics.
b A circle with a dot means &
c The languages on the rock in Behistun and the
1 Baden Powel is dead.
Rosetta stone are similar / the same / different.
2 a person is buried here.
d The French helped / killed / liked Mata Hari.
3 gone home.
e The Mayan language didn t have gods / tools /
c The Mogols &
numbers.
1 were slaves.
2 hid messages in food.
3 didn t eat mooncakes.
c Pearson Education Limited 2007 Secret Codes - Progress test 1 of 1