The railway worker and the monkey

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Elementary A2

PDF: The railway worker and the monkey

Warm-up

Do you have a pet? (Yes, I have...)

Vocabulary Match

friendship -   - crash
mistake -   - clever
together -   - train road
accident -   - error
railway -   - with each other
smart -   - good relationship

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In South Africa, in the late 1800s, there lived a man named James Wide. James worked at a ________ station but had lost his legs in an ________. One day, he met a ________ baboon named Jack at a market. He bought Jack to help him with his work.

James taught Jack how to push his wheelchair to the station. Soon, Jack learned to change the railway signals too. The signals told trains where to go. Jack was very good at this job. He never made a ________. People at the railway station were happy with Jack. They gave him a job and even paid him money.

Jack and James became a great team. They worked ________ for nine years. Jack helped James every day until he died. Their story shows a beautiful ________ and how smart animals can be.

Quiz

  1. Where did James Wide work?
  2. What job did Jack learn to do at the railway station?
  3. How many years did Jack and James work together?

True or False

  1. James Wide met Jack the baboon at a railway station.  T  |  F
  2. Jack made many mistakes while changing the railway signals.  T  |  F
  3. Jack and James worked together until Jack died.  T  |  F

Conversation

A: Hey James, who is this monkey with you?
B: This is Jack, my helper at the railway station.
A: Oh, what does Jack help you with?
B: He pushes my wheelchair and changes the railway signals.
A: Really? That's amazing! How did you teach him?
B: With patience and time, he learned quickly. He's really smart!

Discussion

  1. Can you think of any other stories where animals help people in special ways?
  2. Monkeys are known to be intelligent animals. What other animals do you think are smart?
  3. What kinds of jobs do you think animals can be trained to do?
  4. What animal helper would you choose and what kind of help would you want from it?

True Story Answers

In South Africa, in the late 1800s, there lived a man named James Wide. James worked at a railway station but had lost his legs in an accident. One day, he met a smart baboon named Jack at a market. He bought Jack to help him with his work.

James taught Jack how to push his wheelchair to the station. Soon, Jack learned to change the railway signals too. The signals told trains where to go. Jack was very good at this job. He never made a mistake. People at the railway station were happy with Jack. They gave him a job and even paid him money.

Jack and James became a great team. They worked together for nine years. Jack helped James every day until he died. Their story shows a beautiful friendship and how smart animals can be.

Vocabulary Answers

accident → crash
smart → clever
railway → train road
mistake → error
together → with each other
friendship → good relationship

Quiz Answers

  1. James Wide worked at a railway station.
  2. Jack learned to change the railway signals.
  3. They worked together for nine years.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Further Reading

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/559031/signalman-jack-baboon-worked-railroad-south-africa

More "True Story" Lessons

ESL Lessons: True Stories