News by Levels · Level 2 · For teachers
Teacher guide & answers
In this lesson: Connect the winning book’s length with the shortlist comparison.
An 81-Year-Old Writer Wins the Booker
How to use these two pages
Give learners the student worksheet. It contains the story and questions, without the answers. Keep this guide for yourself. Use it to lead the activity and explain the answers afterwards.
Student worksheetA simple 15–20-minute lesson
- Before reading · 2 minutes
Show the title. Ask: “What do you think this story is about?”
- Read and answer · 8–10 minutes
Give out the student worksheet. Learners read for the main idea, then reread to answer the 2 questions. They can compare answers with a partner.
- Discuss and write · 5–8 minutes
Check the answers below together. Ask learners to point to the clue in the story, then finish with the open question.
Adjust the support: Let learners use word help or Level 1 if needed. For a challenge, compare the wording in another level. This activity is not a proficiency test.
Answers to the 2 questions
The question numbers match the student worksheet. Each answer includes a reason and the clue learners can find in the story.
What does shortest compare?
Correct answer: A — The six shortlisted books
Why: The second paragraph limits the comparison to the six shortlisted books.
Clue in the story: The novel imagines life after a disaster on England’s coast. At 198 pages, it was the shortest of the six shortlisted books.
Where does the imagined post-disaster life take place?
Correct answer: C — On England’s coast
Why: The novel’s setting is England’s coast.
Clue in the story: The novel imagines life after a disaster on England’s coast. At 198 pages, it was the shortest of the six shortlisted books.
The open question: accept different answers
Ask learners: Explain what the two numbers 81 and 198 describe.
One possible answer: 81 is Harrison’s age when he won. 198 is the number of pages in his novel, which was the shortest of the six shortlisted books.
This is an example, not the only correct answer. Look for a relevant idea, a reason and the learner’s own words. Learners can answer aloud or write one or two sentences.
Grammar to discuss
A comparison within a group
the shortest of the six shortlisted books
The superlative shortest compares page length within the named six-book group. It makes no claim about all novels.