Alice in Wonderland

This extract comes from Chapter 1. Alice has been falling down a well
for a very long time and doesn’t seem to be stopping.

The well was either very deep or Alice was falling very slowly. Either way,
she had plenty of time to look around and to think about what was going to
happen next. First, she looked down to see if she could see the bottom but it
was too dark. All Alice could see was blackness. Next, she decided to look at the
walls and noticed that they were covered in cupboards and bookshelves. As she
continued falling, Alice took a jar of orange marmalade from one of the shelves.
Disappointed that the jar was actually empty, Alice put it back inside a different
cupboard as she fell past.

“Well,” Alice thought to herself, “after a fall this long, I won’t even mind falling
down the stairs any more! In fact, I don’t think I’d even mind falling from the
top of a house!”

Down, down, down. Alice continued to fall and she

was starting to think that it might never end. As she
continued falling, she wondered how many miles she had
travelled and whether she would soon reach the middle of
the Earth. Then, she wondered whether she would fall
straight through the Earth and come out in a different
country altogether. “When I land, I shall have to
ask whether I am in Australia or New Zealand,”
Alice decided out loud.

Down, down, down. The fall continued and, as

there was nothing else to do, Alice began to talk to
herself again. “Dinah will be missing me tonight,”
she thought. Dinah was the name of her pet cat.

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 Alice in Wonderland

Dinah was a ginger ball of fluff who was

probably asleep on Alice’s bed. “I hope
someone will remember to feed her tonight,”
she continued.

“Dinah, I wish you were with me right now.

There are no mice to catch in the air but we
might find you a nice bat during this fall.” She paused for a second and then
added, “Do cats eat bats?” She liked this question so much that she continued
repeating it. “Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?”

Before long, the question that Alice was asking had become, “Do bats eat
cats?” but Alice hadn’t noticed because she had started to fall asleep. She
was just starting a dream in which she was asking a confused Dinah, “Do
cats eat bats?” when there was suddenly a large thump! She had finally
landed on a pile of leaves and twigs.

Alice was not hurt and immediately jumped to her feet. Ahead of her was a
long passage with a white rabbit running along it. She began to chase the
rabbit along the corridor. However, as soon as she turned a corner, the rabbit
disappeared. Alice looked around and noticed that she was now in a long,
low hall which was lit by many lanterns.

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 Alice in Wonderland Questions
1. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened.
One has been done for you.
Alice lands on a pile of leaves and twigs.
Alice misses her cat.
1 Alice starts falling.
Alice thinks about falling straight through the Earth.
2. Who is Dinah? Tick one.
a jar of marmalade
Alice’s pet cat
Alice’s pet bat
a white rabbit
3. After finding out that it is empty, what does Alice do with the
jar of marmalade? Tick one.
She drops it.
She puts it in her pocket.
She puts it in a cupboard.
She offers it to her cat.
4. Draw three lines to match each question to the correct answer.
One has been done for you.

Where does Alice think that

many lanterns
she will land?

What is the hall lit with? ginger

What colour is Dinah? a white rabbit

What is running along Australia or New

the passage? Zealand

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 Alice in Wonderland

5. Why does Alice get confused and say, “Do bats eat cats?”

6. Look at the first paragraph beginning The well was either…

Find and copy one word which shows that Alice had wanted the
marmalade jar to be full.

7. Alice was not hurt and immediately jumped to her feet.

This might be seen as unusual and unexpected. Explain why.

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 Alice in Wonderland Answers
1. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened.
One has been done for you.
4 Alice lands on a pile of leaves and twigs.
3 Alice misses her cat.
1 Alice starts falling.
2 Alice thinks about falling straight through the Earth.
2. Who is Dinah? Tick one.
a jar of marmalade
Alice’s pet cat
Alice’s pet bat
a white rabbit
3. After finding out that it is empty, what does Alice do with the
jar of marmalade? Tick one.
She drops it.
She puts it in her pocket.
She puts it in a cupboard.
She offers it to her cat.
4. Draw three lines to match each question to the correct answer.
One has been done for you.
Where does Alice think that
many lanterns
she will land?

What is the hall lit with? ginger

What colour is Dinah? a white rabbit

What is running along Australia or New

the passage? Zealand

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 Alice in Wonderland
5. Why does Alice get confused and say, “Do bats eat cats?”
Accept answers which refer to Alice getting tired/falling asleep,
such as: Alice gets confused because she is becoming tired.

6. Look at the first paragraph beginning The well was either…

Find and copy one word which shows that Alice had wanted the
marmalade jar to be full.

disappointed

7. Alice was not hurt and immediately jumped to her feet.

This might be seen as unusual and unexpected. Explain why.
Pupils’ own responses providing that they make reference to Alice
not being injured by a long fall, such as: It is unusual and unexpected
because Alice has fallen a really long way yet she is not hurt.

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 Alice in Wonderland
This extract comes from Chapter 1. Alice has been falling down a well
for what seems like a surprisingly long time.

The well was either very deep or Alice was falling very slowly. Either way, she
had plenty of time to look around and to wonder what was going to happen
next. First, she looked down to see if she could see the end but it was too dark to
see anything. Next, she decided to look at the walls and noticed they were filled
with cupboards, bookshelves, maps and pictures. As she continued falling, Alice
took a jar of orange marmalade from one of the shelves. Excitedly, she removed
the lid… only to discover that the jar was empty. Disappointed, Alice put it back
inside a different cupboard as she fell past.

“Well,” Alice thought to herself, “after a fall this long, I won’t even mind falling
down the stairs any more! In fact, I don’t think I’d even mind falling from the
top of a house!”

Down, down, down. As she continued falling, Alice wondered how many miles she
had fallen down and whether she would soon reach the middle of the Earth. Then,
she wondered whether she would fall straight through the Earth and emerge in
a different country altogether. “I shall have to ask whether I am in Australia or
New Zealand,” Alice decided out loud,
pleased with herself for having such
an excellent knowledge of geography.

Down, down, down. The fall continued

and, as there was nothing else to do,
Alice began to think out loud again.
“Dinah will be missing me tonight,”
she thought.

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 Alice in Wonderland

Dinah was the name of her pet cat: a ginger ball

of fluff who was likely to be asleep on Alice’s bed
without a care in the world. “I hope someone will
remember to feed her tonight,” she continued.

“Dinah, I wish you were with me right now. There

are no mice to catch in the air but we might find
you a nice bat during this fall.” She paused
for a second and then added, “Do cats eat
bats?” She liked this question so much that
she continued repeating it, “Do cats eat bats?
Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?”

Before long, the question had become, “Do bats

eat cats?” but Alice hadn’t noticed because
she had now become rather tired. She was just
slipping into a dream in which she was asking a
confused Dinah, “Do cats eat bats?” when there
was suddenly a large thump. Alice landed upon a
pile of sticks and dry leaves. At last, the fall was over.

Alice was not hurt and immediately jumped to her feet. Ahead of her was a
long passage. The same white rabbit that she had seen earlier was running
along it. She began to chase the rabbit along the corridor. However, the
moment Alice turned a corner, the rabbit could no longer be seen. Alice
looked around and noticed that she was now in a long, low hall which was
lit by faintly glowing lanterns.

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 Alice in Wonderland Questions
1. What does Alice do while she is falling? Tick two.
She talks to Dinah the cat.
She thinks about the rabbit.
Alice eats orange marmalade.
She wonders if she will fall through the Earth.
2. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened. 
Alice hopes that someone has fed Dinah.
Alice looks inside a cupboard.
Alice chases the rabbit.
Alice starts to fall asleep.
3. Which word best completes this sentence? Tick one.
When Alice lands, she is…
confused
uninjured
bewildered
hurt
4. Draw three lines to match each action to the character who completes it.

sleeps on Alice’s bed Alice

disappears when Alice

the rabbit
turns a corner

asks the same question

Dinah
several times

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 Alice in Wonderland

5. Why doesn’t Alice think that she will mind falling down stairs any more?

6. Look at the paragraph beginning Before long…

Find and copy one word or phrase which shows that Alice was beginning
to fall asleep.

7. What is strange about Alice’s reaction to her long fall?

Explain your answer.

8. Describe Alice’s character. Explain your answer.

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 Alice in Wonderland Answers
1. What does Alice do while she is falling? Tick two.
She talks to Dinah the cat.
She thinks about the rabbit.
Alice eats orange marmalade.
She wonders if she will fall through the Earth.
2. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened. 
2 Alice hopes that someone has fed Dinah.
1 Alice looks inside a cupboard.
4 Alice chases the rabbit.
3 Alice starts to fall asleep.
3. Which word best completes this sentence? Tick one.
When Alice lands, she is…
confused
uninjured
bewildered
hurt
4. Draw three lines to match each action to the character who completes it.

sleeps on Alice’s bed Alice

disappears when Alice

the rabbit
turns a corner

asks the same question

Dinah
several times

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 Alice in Wonderland

5. Why doesn’t Alice think that she will mind falling down stairs any more?
Accept answers which refer to Alice now being used to falling, such as:
Alice does not think that she will mind falling down stairs any more
because she has been falling for so long that she is now used to it.

6. Look at the paragraph beginning Before long…

Find and copy one word or phrase which shows that Alice was beginning
to fall asleep.
(just) slipping (into a dream)

7. What is strange about Alice’s reaction to her long fall?

Explain your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: It is strange that Alice is not scared
that she is falling. Instead of being scared, she is looking around and
taking jars of orange marmalade off the shelf.

8. Describe Alice’s character. Explain your answer.

Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think Alice is clever because she
knows about geography. I also think that she is brave because she
doesn’t seem frightened about falling a really long way.

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 Alice in Wonderland
This extract comes from Chapter 1. Alice has just fallen down a rabbit hole.
It has now turned into what looks like a well and Alice appears to be falling
for a surprisingly long time.

Either the well was very deep or Alice was falling very slowly. Either way,
she had plenty of time to look around and to wonder what was going to
happen next. First, she looked down to see if she could see the end but it was
too dark to see anything. Next, she decided to look at the walls and noticed
they were filled with cupboards, bookshelves, maps and pictures. As she
continued down the well, Alice took a jar of orange marmalade from one of the
shelves. Excitedly, she removed the lid only to discover that the jar was empty.
Disappointed, Alice put it back inside a different cupboard as she fell past.

“Well,” Alice thought to herself, “after a fall this long, I won’t even mind falling
down the stairs any more! In fact, I don’t think I’d even mind falling from the
top of a house!”

Down, down, down. Alice continued to fall. Would it

ever end? As she continued descending, she wondered
how many miles she had fallen and whether she would
soon reach the middle of the Earth. Then, she wondered
whether she would fall straight through the Earth
and come out in a different country altogether. “I
shall have to ask whether I am in Australia or
New Zealand,” Alice decided out loud, pleased
with herself for having an excellent knowledge of
geography.

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 Alice in Wonderland

Down, down, down; the fall continued. As

there was nothing else to do, Alice began
to think out loud again. “Dinah will be
missing me tonight,” she thought (Dinah
was the name of her pet cat: a ginger ball
of fluff who was likely to be asleep on
Alice’s bed without a care in the world).
“I hope someone will remember to feed her
tonight,” she continued.

“Dinah, I wish you were with me right now. There are no mice to catch in
the air but we might find you a nice bat during this fall.” She paused for a
second and then added, “Do cats eat bats?” She
liked this question so much that she continued
repeating it, “Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?
Do cats eat bats?”

Before long, the question had morphed into,

“Do bats eat cats?” but Alice hadn’t noticed for
she had now become rather tired. She was just
falling into a dream in which she was asking a confused Dinah, “Do cats eat
bats?” when there was suddenly a large thump. Alice landed upon a pile of
sticks and dry leaves. At last, the fall was over.

Alice was not hurt and immediately jumped to her feet. Ahead of her was
a long passage and the same white rabbit that she had seen earlier was
running along it. Alice began to chase the rabbit along the corridor. Yet, the
moment she turned a corner, the rabbit could no longer be seen. Alice looked
around and noticed that she was now in a long, low hall which was lit by
faintly glowing lanterns.

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 Alice in Wonderland Questions
1. As she continued descending, she wondered how many miles
she had fallen…
Tick one word which is closest in meaning to the word descending.
climbing
falling
flying
wondering
2. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened. 
Alice asks if bats eat cats.
Alice asks if cats eat bats.
Alice is in a long hall.
Alice is worried about Dinah.
3. List two surprising things which happen to Alice in the first paragraph.

1.

2.

4. Look at the paragraph beginning Before long…

Find and copy one word which means changed.

5. Fill in the missing words to complete the sentence.

Alice’s cat, who is called , is likely to be .

6. Do you think that this story could be based on real events?

Explain your answer.

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 Alice in Wonderland

7. Based on this extract, what do you think is going to happen next to Alice?
Explain your answer.

8. Summarise the main events from this extract in fewer than 30 words.

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 Alice in Wonderland Answers
1. As she continued descending, she wondered how many miles
she had fallen…
Tick one word which is closest in meaning to the word descending.
climbing
falling
flying
wondering
2. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened. 
3 Alice asks if bats eat cats.
2 Alice asks if cats eat bats.
4 Alice is in a long hall.
1 Alice is worried about Dinah.
3. List two surprising things which happen to Alice in the first paragraph.
Accept any two of the following: Alice is falling a long way/slowly;
the walls of the well are covered in cupboards/bookshelves/maps/
pictures; Alice finds an empty jar of orange marmalade.

4. Look at the paragraph beginning Before long…

Find and copy one word which means changed.
morphed

5. Fill in the missing words to complete the sentence.

Alice’s cat, who is called Dinah, is likely to be asleep .

6. Do you think that this story could be based on real events?

Explain your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I do not think that the story could be
based on real events because people don’t fall really slowly and put
orange marmalade back in cupboards at the edge of a well in real life.

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 Alice in Wonderland
7. Based on this extract, what do you think is going to happen next to Alice?
Explain your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think that Alice will find the rabbit
and that she will ask him to help her get back up the well.

8. Summarise the main events from this extract in fewer than 30 words.
Pupils’ own responses provided that they form an accurate summary
in 30 words or fewer, such as: Alice falls very slowly down a long well.
She worries about her cat not being fed. Finally, Alice lands on the
ground and starts to chase a white rabbit.

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