People, Places, and Things
Landlady
Elements of Plot
Grammar
Vocabulary
100
Christopher Mulholland and Gregory W. Temple.
What are the names in the Landlady's guestbook?
100
This is the way Billy believes successful businessmen walk and act.
What is brisk?
100
This is the point in a story with the greatest suspense, a turning point.
What is the climax?
100

"And now a queer thing happened to him. He was in the act of stepping back and turning away from the window when all at once his eye was caught and held in the most peculiar manner by the small notice that was there."

What does "queer" mean?

What is strange?

100
These are the fronts of buildings.
What are facades?
200
The town Billy arrives in at the beginning of the story.
What is Bath?
200
This is the only thing the Landlady asks Billy to do before going to bed.
What is sign the guestbook?
200
When Billy arrives in Bath and begins searching for a place to stay, The Landlady is in this plot stage.
What is the exposition?
200

“ Please come in,” she said pleasantly. She stepped aside, holding the door wide open, and Billy found himself automatically starting forward. The compulsion or, more accurately, the desire to follow after her into that house was extraordinarily strong."

What does "Compulsion" mean?

What is a strong urge/ need?

200
Someone who is respectful or agreeable.
What is a congenial?
300
Billy Weaver stays at the Bed and Breakfast rather than this hotel.
What is The Bell and Dragon?
300
The Landlady's perfect guest is like this.
What is handsome?
300
When the Sneetches learn to live together whether they have stars on their bellies or not, Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches is in which stage of the plot?
What is the resolution?
300

“How much do you charge?” 

“Five and sixpence a night, including breakfast.” 

It was fantastically cheap.

What could "pence" mean?

What is an amount of money?

300
A peculiar smell seemed to ______ from her person.
What is emanate?
400
These two common household pets at first comfort Billy, then point to the fate he will share with them.
What are the dachshund and parrot? (Dog and Bird)
400
The Landlady is described as being like this common childhood toy because of the way she answers the door when Billy rings the bell.
What is a jack-in-the-box?
400
This stage of plot occurs in The Landlady between the times when Billy signs the guestbook and when he realizes the dog and bird are stuffed.
What is the falling action?
400

“I should’ve thought you’d be simply swamped with applicants,” he said politely. 

“Oh, I am, my dear, I am, of course I am. But the trouble is that I’m inclined to be just a teeny-weeny bit choosy and particular—if you see what I mean.” 

What does "swamped" mean?

What is busy?

400
Ebenezer Scrooge of A Christmas Carol is an example of this kind of person.
What is rapacious?
500
The tea Billy drinks has this taste, which avid mystery readers will recognize as a characteristic smell and flavor of cyanide.
What is bitter almonds?
500
These two WWII world leaders are described as being linked like the two men in the Landlady's guestbook. (Hint: One is a U.S. President, the other a British Prime Minister.)
Who are Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill? (FDR, Roosevelt, Churchill ok)
500
When Billy decides to stay at the Bed and Breakfast the story is in this plot stage.
What is the rising action?
500

There were only two other entries above his on the page, and as one always does with guest books, he started to read them. One was a Christopher Mulholland from Cardiff. The other was Gregory W. Temple from Bristol. 

We can infer that Cardiff is...

What is the name of a town or city?

500
This word originates in Greek mythology with a king who was condemned to eternally stand in water he could never drink under a tree with fruit just out of his reach.
What is tantalizing?
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