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Fairy tales

1. '__________' is almost always the first line in a fairy tale.

a) One time…
b) In a galaxy far, far away…
c) They lived happily ever after.
d) Once upon a time…

2. In fairy tales, characters sometimes use a __________ to fly around on.

a) wand
b) brush
c) broomstick
d) cauldron

3. Cinderella's fairy godmother __________ to turn a pumpkin and mice into a carriage and
horses so Cinderella can go to the ball.
a) casts a spell
b) makes a spell
c) magics a spell
d) makes a magic

4. A lot of stories have a wicked __________ who tries to use her evil magic to cause trouble
for everyone.
a) which
b) witch
c) wich
d) wish

5. Which of the following is a fairytale character with magical powers?

a) A magician
b) A wizard
c) A sorcerer/sorceress
d) all of the above

6. My children love being read __________ but they always choose the longest fairy tales so
they can put off going to sleep.
a) dreamtime stories
b) bedtime stories
c) sleeptime stories
d) naptime stories

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ANSWERS:

1. '__________' is almost always the first line in a fairy tale.

a) One time… – 'One time' is not the first line in fairy tales.
b) In a galaxy far, far away…– You might recognise this line but it's not from a fairy tale. It's
the first line in the George Lucas film 'Star Wars'.
c) They lived happily ever after. – 'They lived happily ever after' is often the last line of a
fairy tale.
d) Once upon a time… – This is the correct answer. It means a fictional story with
characters that lived a long time ago.

2. In fairy tales, characters sometimes use a __________ to fly around on.

a) wand – A 'wand' is the magic stick that some characters use to help them with magic and
spells.
b) brush – Although what some characters fly around on is a kind of brush, you need another
word.
c) broomstick – This is the correct answer. We use a broomstick (a wooden brush with
twigs at the end) for sweeping, but in fairy tales sometimes a character flies on a
magic broomstick.
d) cauldron – A 'cauldron' is a big metal cooking pot that fairytale characters sometimes use
to cook magic potions and medicines.

3. Cinderella's fairy godmother __________ to turn a pumpkin and mice into a carriage and
horses so Cinderella can go to the ball.
a) casts a spell – This is the correct answer.
b) makes a spell – You don't 'make' a spell in English.
c) magics a spell – We don't use 'magic' as a verb. You need a verb that collocates with 'spell'.
d) makes a magic – The expression makes a magic' doesn't exist English. Here you need an
expression with 'spell'.

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4. A lot of stories have a wicked __________ who tries to use her evil magic to cause
trouble for everyone.
a) which – 'Which' is the spelling for the question word e.g. Which coat will you wear today?
Try again.
b) witch – This is the correct answer. A 'wicked witch' is a character with magical
powers which she uses for evil.
c) wich – The word 'wich' doesn't exist in English but it comes at the end of the word
'sandwich'. Try again.
d) wish – A 'wish' is something you want and hope for. Try again.

5. Which of the following is a fairytale character with magical powers?

a) A magician – Although 'a magician' has magical powers, there are other correct options.
b) A wizard – Although 'a wizard' has magical powers, there are other correct options.
c) A sorcerer/sorceress – Although 'a sorcerer' is a man with magical powers and 'a sorceress'
is a woman with magical powers, there are other correct options.
d) all of the above – This is the correct answer.

6. My children love being read __________ but they always choose the longest fairy tales so
they can put off going to sleep.
a) dreamtime stories – The expression 'dreamtime stories' doesn't exist in English.
b) bedtime stories – This is the correct answer. These are stories we tell children before
they go to sleep.
c) sleeptime stories – The expression 'sleeptime stories' doesn't exist in English.
d) naptime stories – The expression 'naptime stories' doesn't exist in English.

You can try this quiz online at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/worldservice/quiznet/quizengine?ContentType=text/html;quiz=1412_fairytales

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