Introduction
On this website you will find exercises based on the texts you have read on Brush up Your Idiots.
Contents
Magical Magazine
English Course I
English Course II
English Course III
Magical Mammals
The Origin of the Witch
The Domestication of the House Elf
Magical History
The Lascaux Caves
The Legend of the Plague Virgin
Muggle Magic
Fly high, up in the sky…
Rise like a rocket, fall like a stick…
Fly high, up in the sky…but, what’s if there is no sky?
Why muggles clean the universe…
Muggle Magniloquence
broom in Style
Magical Magazine
English Course I
Exercises
1. Look up any unknown words and write them down. There’s no use in new words when you don’t keep them in mind. Maybe Brian will test you next time…
2. Excuse us, we’ve temporarily forgotten our names and those of our staff – and what we do. You’ll get, let’s say, a Knut for your help. If we don’t forget.
3. broom – cool or uncool? Your opinion is asked for. (Note: We don’t mind open flattery but we do mind being called stupid!)
4. There is one part of broom called BBN (broom Breaking News). Below is one of them. What is the basic stylistic device used there? Underline the examples. Now try to write a BBN yourself. If it’s good, we might even publish it.
Dragon Dung as Drug?
(Wizarding World) Violet Vainglory, gossip and gifted writer, has been on a long
tour through the sublime society of the haves and have-mores.
What she found out in her rare research was that teenagers with too much money
have found a new pervy pastime: they are smoking dragon dung! Apparently, the
dear dullards think that this will heighten their (inactive) inner-eye activity.
Violet claims to have tried it herself, and faithfully forwarded the following
foreboding:
“While vile wizards verify villainous word that vicious V. has returned, my
dragon-dung stimulated senses say that this is pure nonsense. Actually, aware
that he has never been away, I am sure that his many minions are at their work
right now.”
The editors would like to thank Violet for her amazing ability to state the
obvious. So, fair folks, if you are keen on smoking dried dragon dung, feel free
to do so – but do not expect evil or good gains from it.
English Course II
Exercises
Today’s lesson will start with the awful, abysmal BBT. That’s Brian’s Boring Test for you. Let’s see what you remember…
1. basic stylistic device of a BBN
example
2. staff is …
3. something you don’t really know but everybody is talking about.
4. broom stands for _________________ ___________________ ______________
________________________ _______________________, which means…
Right, that wasn’t too hard, we hope.
Now, to the text-based tasks of today (hm... what stylistic device was that???):
1. As said before, new words need to be momorized. Try something new and write
them down - without looking up the exact meaning in a dictionary. Try to find
out for yourself, and only when you are completely at a loss, check. That's
called inferring words, and it's a helluva help when you're not
allowed a dictionary in an exam!
2. Okay. Now. Did you understand the
interview? Sum up what information you gathered about Geronimo and broom's
editors.
3. As to the Editor's Corner - surely you have an opinion yourself.
Perhaps you want to answer Brian? Please, please, do write him a letter and tell
him what you think!
4. Come to think of it, we should like to gather some of
your favourite recipes for yet another section of our famous magazine -
Cooking & Slicing. Translate your favourite recipe into English and send
it to us. Thanks a galleon!
English Course III
Exercises
BBT
And here we go again – students are stupid enough to think they WON’T get tested
when it’s so obvious they will. Never mind, straighten your shoulders, take a
deep breath and get started:
1. what gives you the colour on your paper (comes in different colours, with
scent and without…)
2. Please explain what an editor is. Not who. What.
3. something people wear to look like the others around them (schools, army,
airplanes…)
4. the opposite of female
Fine. Really good of you to do this. The next exercises will be harder. And we
mean harder. Not hardly harder, much harder. Oh well, adjectives are the next
lesson, most probably. Anyway, tenses.
1. Underline all verb forms (yes, all of them, even the abbreviations) in the
Editors’ Corner of your second lesson. Write them down and give them their
proper names.
2. Dustin Dulles has mixed up almost all of his tenses or verb forms. Help him
get them right!
a. It’s ten o’clock, Saturday. Violet
Vainglory started woken up.
b. The girl watch TV when her dad
came in.
c. No doubt, Muggles is the funniest
creatures.
3. Damn that old printer Geronimo. Where have all the participles gone??? Put
them in, you find them tumbled down below the sentences.
a. With a __________________ smile,
she walked down the hall.
b. The articles _________________ for
next month’s magazine are abysmal.
c. _______________ the world’s
greatest nerd, John King got sorted into Hufflepuff.
d. The woman _______________ next to
the Dark Lord must be Bellatrix Lestrange.
standing chosen being delighted
4. Finish the following conditional clauses with your ideas and write three new
ones, one in each type of clause.
a. If we are allowed to go to
Hogsmeade this weekend, …
b. If Brian and Mike were not so
stupid, …
c. If Professor Snape had not given
us so much homework, ...
Magical Mammals
The Origin of the Witch
Exercises
1. Provide a timeline and insert the most important dates given in the text.
2. What do the names of the witches mean and why, do you think, were they given to them?
3. What was special about maga sapiens neandertalensis?
4. When did the first potions come up and why?
The Domestication of the House Elf
Exercises
1. Provide a timeline and insert the most important events.
2. Who practiced flat-sharing with the cave elf and why?
3. What was the reason for taking the cave elf to the new dwelling place?
4. How would you have convinced the cave elf to go with you?
5. Why does the house elf stick to one house?
6. Describe the relationship between the elf and the witch?
7. What would you call your organisation to protect the rights of the elves and what would you do?
Magical History
The Lascaux Caves
Now you learned about the true origins of the paintings in pre-historical caves, broom thinks it best to make you realize what you learned in answering a few questions. Please answer in full sentences.
1. What, according to Muggles, do the paintings show?
2. What is a painting of a human figure with a beast’s head?
3. Who created the cave paintings?
4. Why did giants lose all their cultural abilities?
The Legend of the Plague Virgin
As gruesome as the history of epidemics can be, this incident was particularly nasty. Try to answer the following questions:
1. Who was persecuted during the Black Death?
2. Did wizards and witches also die of the plague?
3. How did the Killing Curse work, and why did it stay undetected?
Muggle Magic
Fly high, up in the sky…
Exercises
1. What is the difference between a broom, a bird and a plane?
2. What makes a broom fly?
3. What makes a plane fly?
Rise like a rocket, fall like a stick…
Exercises
1. What are the differences between a rocket and a plane?
2. Why does a rocket start vertically?
3. Why wouldn't it work with wings?
Fly high, up in the sky…but, what’s if there is no sky?
Exercises
1. What is a vacuum?
2. How does a rocket move in outer space?
3. What effect do planets have on the rocket?
4. What is a shuttle used for?
Why muggles clean the universe…
Exercises
1. What is a vacuum cleaner?
2. What are among the things you can clean with a vacuum cleaner?
3. How does a vacuum cleaner work?
Muggle Magniloquence
broom in Style
Exercises
1. Who inspired us to do this section?
2. Which stylistic devices can be found in broom?
3. Give one example for each of the mentioned above!