ESL resources - a poem & zoological quiz

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Professor Assessor's School Day Trip To The Zoo

Posted by Jacqueline Richards

Language point: a poem & zoological quiz

Professor Assessor was asked by the Head,
To take a class in the zoo instead.
You wouldn't believe what the Professor said ...
That he would much rather be in bed !

Professor Assessor told his class,
To go and get a picnic, some lemonade
Oh ! And not to forget a glass !
If they had one, they could bring a flask.

Without further fuss,
Professor Assessor booked a bus.
He made sure everyone had tickets ...
And brought a ball and bat for cricket.

Off they set, with a screech of the wheels,
Professor Assessor said turn right at the field.
Around the roundabout ... and over the hill.
The last I heard, they were driving still.

Inevitably, the bus got lost ...
Because the Professor had not brought a map, of course.
They paused in a lay - by,
So the bus - driver could take some coffee,
And fill up with petrol for the long journey.

As Professor Assessor quenched his thirst,
Suddenly a tyre on the wheels burst !
He changed his gears from fifth to first gear.
And told a mechanic to telephone Goodyear.

From his kit, he brought a spanner ...
A screwdriver, some nails and a very big hammer.
Professor Assessor's school trip was going with a "BANG !" ...
Inside on the coach, the school children sang.

The bus driver honked his horn ...
He accelerated to get there before Dawn.
From the exhaust billowed out clouds of smoke,
No wonder the Professor was such an unhappy bloke !

By the time they'd all got to the zoo,
They'd eaten half their sandwiches,
Just like an elephant, too.
Professor Assessor carried the bags ...
And told the school children to put away their mags !

They really did have a fantastic time,
Feeding the orang - u - tans lemon and lime.
Before the bubbles in the lemonade had all fizzed,
Professor Assessor asked the children a zoological quiz ...

Can you help the Professor's pupils get the answers right ?

Comprehension Exercise

Read the passage ...

1. When did the Professor and the bus driver want to get to the zoo ?
2. What did the Professor carry ?
3. What had they eaten before they got to the zoo ?
4. What burst ?
5. Name two of the four things Professor Assessor told his class to bring ?
6. What was going to fizz when the Professor asked the pupils a zoological quiz ?
7. Why was the the Professor was such an unhappy bloke ?
8. Why did they pause in a lay - by ?
9. Where would the Professor much rather have been ?
10. What did the Professor bring from his toolkit ?

Zoom Into Professor Assessor's Zoological Quiz

1. Name a type of road crossing named after a zoo animal.
2. Name two zoo animals with horns.
3. Name two continents where elephants originate.
4. Name as many members of the cat family that you can.
5. The place where an animal or an organism lives is called a h __ b __ t __ t. Fill in the missing vowels.
6. In the animal kingdom, animals are classified. What is an vertebrate ?
7. Different classes of animals are called genus or s __ eci __s.
8. External fertilisation, like tadpoles, occurs in either amphibians, reptiles, mammals or birds ?
9. Homo sapien is the scientific name for what ?
10. "Leo" is the species name for which animal ?

© Jacqueline Richards 2007

Answers :
1. Before Dawn
2. The bags
3. Half of their sandwiches
4. a tyre
5. a picnic, some lemonade, a glass and a flask
6. the lemonade
7. From the exhaust billowed out clouds of smoke
8. So the bus - driver could take some coffee
9. In bed
10. kit, a spanner, a screwdriver, some nails and a very big hammer

Answers :
1. penguin or zebra.
2. rhinocerous, elephant.
3. Africa and India
4. cheetah, lion, tiger, jaguar
5. habitat
6. an animal with a spine or backbone
7. species
8. amphibians
9. man
10. lion

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