1. Give the names of the main characters.

Two characters are present in this passage : the narrator, whose name is not mentioned and his friend Chris.

2. The area where the adventure starts has been abandoned for about 100 years. Tick the right answer and justify it by quoting from the text.
Yes

" A century before the upper valley had been well populated"
"derelict huts"

3. When do the main characters find themselves in the following places ?
Fill in the grid.

4. Who or what do the underlined pronouns refer to ?
"Chris and I went to the valley" : the narrator
"the boat he was planning" : Chris
"we came upon" : the narrator and Chris
"sail in her to the west" : the boat
"we uncovered more of it" : the skeleton

5.What do the main characters find ? Tick the right answer.

the skeleton of a great bird

6. a. The two characters do not agree on what to do with their discovery. Justify this statement by two quotations. (Focus on the sentences from "We scraped [...] " to " [...] for a thousand years.").

The narrator thinks they must not move the skeleton, as if he were on a murder scene, ("We shouldn't move it") whereas Chris points out that they needn't be that careful, as no one is around (that is to say, neither police officers nor archaeologists) "Who is there to show it to?"

b. What decision is finally made ? Answer in your own words. (20 words).

They decide to pick up the bones and carry them to their house, to arrange them more easily and safely.

7. Are the two characters scientists ? Justify your answer by quoting from the text.
No

" The way we imagined scientists did"

8. "We worked on the moa late into the evenings".
What does this sentence imply about their task?
Explain in your own words. (20 words).

It can't have been easy. It demanded painstaking attention and took them much time. They worked at it excitedly though.

9. Analyse the feelings of the two characters at the end of the extract.
Justify your answer by quoting the text. (30 words).

After so much effort, they felt frustrated and unsure about the result. They thought they had failed to fit the bones together properly, to give the bird its true shape.
Quotations : "We sat in front of the skeleton"
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake with the numbering ?"

10. Translate into French.
From "Are you sure..." to "I had said nothing".
Tu es sûr que tu n'as pas fait d'erreur de numérotation ? dis-je. Chris me fixa du regard un instant sans parler puis il se retourna vers l'oiseau. Si seulement je n'avais rien dit !