Sri Lankan anti-war thriller wins the Booker Prize

An EFL and ESL English Lesson

Lesson Collection
A photo of a book and a coffee.

Date: 20th October 2022

Level: B1 Intermediate

Grammar: Articles

Topics: Language & Literature, The Arts & Culture, Countries & Places

Printables: 10-Page Lesson, Single-Page Lesson

Lesson

Text

Sri Lankan anti-war thriller wins the Booker Prize

The Booker Prize has awarded its 2022 prize for the best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka. The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is a fictional thriller. It is about the spirit of a dead war photographer called Maali. Maali is on a journey to let the living discover his hidden photos. The photos show the horrors of war in the writer’s country.

Karunatilaka won £50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was presented with an award at a ceremony. In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”. He also said he hopes that in ten years it will be in the bookshop section next to the dragons and unicorns and not politics.

Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death”. The judges reached the same decision on the winner. They said the theme of the shortlisted entries this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of an individual life?”

Making a star guest appearance was Dua Lipa. She spoke about her passion for reading and the importance of books in her life. The singer-songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she “absolutely loved” Seven Moons. She recommends the books she reads on social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and feelings”.

Information sources (external links): bbc.com, edition.cnn.com

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Warm-up activities and vocabulary

Activities:

Writers, photographers, songwriters, or someone else — who are your favourite types of artists?

If you were a judge in a competition, what kind of competition would it be?

Finish this sentence so that it is true for you — “Reading helps me to...”

Vocabulary:

1. Scan the text and find a word or phrase that means:

  • a genre of fiction (paragraph 1)(t...)
  • scary (paragraph 1)(h...)
  • peace (paragraph 2)(a...)
  • choice (paragraph 3)(d...)
  • love (paragraph 4)(p...)
Answers
  • thriller, horrors, anti-war, decision, passion

2. What does the italicised word below mean — area, floor, or shelf?

  • in the bookshop section next to the dragons
Answer
  • area

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Reading comprehension questions

  1. What is the Booker Prize awarded for?
  2. What kind of book is The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida?
  3. What profession did the main character have in the book?
  4. What is the prize for the winner?
  5. Where in the bookshop does the author want his book to be?
  6. What is the book compared to?
  7. Do the book entries share a similar theme?
  8. What is important to Dua Lipa?
  9. Did Dua Lipa read all the Booker Prize entries?
  10. What does Dua Lipa post on social media?
  1. Books.
  2. War photographer.
  3. A rollercoaster ride.
  4. Yes, they do.
  5. Recommended books.
  6. Fictional thriller.
  7. £50,000.
  8. Yes, she did.
  9. Next to the dragons and unicorns.
  10. Best UK-published novel.
Answers
  • 1J, 2F, 3B, 4G, 5I, 6C, 7D, 8A, 9H, 10E

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Phrases, synonyms, and antonyms match-up

Match the words on the left to their endings to make phrases from the text.

  1. guest
  2. anti-
  3. absolutely
  4. the horrors
  5. passion
  6. bookshop
  7. presented
  8. shortlisted
  9. importance
  10. rollercoaster
  1. loved
  2. with
  3. of
  4. of war
  5. journey
  6. war
  7. appearance
  8. for
  9. entries
  10. section
Answers
  • 1G, 2F, 3A, 4D, 5H, 6J, 7B, 8I, 9C, 10E

Match the words on the left from the text to their synonyms.

  1. novel
  2. reach
  3. recommend
  4. songwriter
  5. passion
  1. artist
  2. get to
  3. story
  4. love
  5. speak well of
Answers
  • 1C, 2B, 3E, 4A, 5D

Match the words on the left from the text to their antonyms.

  1. journey
  2. discover
  3. writer
  1. hide
  2. rest
  3. reader
Answers
  • 1B, 2A, 3C

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Grammar gap-fill cloze: articles

For each answer, use one of the four following: a, an, the, or the zero article.

The Booker Prize has awarded its 2022 prize for 1._____ best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka.

The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is 2._____ fictional thriller.

It is about the spirit of 3._____ dead war photographer called Maali.

Maali is on a journey to let the living discover his 4._____ hidden photos.

The photos show the horrors of war in 5._____ writer’s country.

Karunatilaka won 6._____ £50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was presented with an award at 7._____ ceremony.

In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in 8._____ Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”.

He also said he hopes that in 9._____ ten years it will be in the bookshop section next to the dragons and unicorns and not 10._____ politics.

Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes 11._____ reader on a rollercoaster journey through 12._____ life and death”.

The judges reached 13._____ same decision on the winner.

They said the theme of 14._____ shortlisted entries this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of 15._____ individual life?”

Making 16._____ star guest appearance was Dua Lipa.

She spoke about her passion for reading and 17._____ importance of books in her life.

18._____ singer-songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she “absolutely loved” Seven Moons.

She recommends the books she reads on 19._____ social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and 20._____ feelings”.

Answers
  1. 1 the, 2 a, 3 a, 4 -, 5 the, 6 -, 7 a, 8 a, 9 -, 10 -, 11 the, 12 -, 13 the, 14 the, 15 an, 16 a, 17 the, 18 The, 19 -, 20 -

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Vocabulary multiple-choice cloze

The Booker Prize has 1._______________ its 2022 prize for the best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka. The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is a 2._______________ thriller. It is about the spirit of a dead war photographer called Maali. Maali is on a journey to let the living 3._______________ his hidden photos. The photos show the horrors of war in the writer’s country.

Karunatilaka won £50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was 4._______________ with an award at a ceremony. In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”. He also said he hopes that in ten years it will be in the bookshop 5._______________ next to the dragons and unicorns and not politics.

Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death”. The judges 6._______________ the same decision on the winner. They said the theme of the shortlisted 7._______________ this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of an individual life?”

Making a star guest appearance was Dua Lipa. She spoke about her 8._______________ for reading and the importance of books in her life. The singer-songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she “9._______________ loved” Seven Moons. She 10._______________ the books she reads on social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and feelings”.

1.
A. awarded
B. awards
C. prizes
D. prized
2.
A. fiction
B. fictional
C. fictions
D. fictionalized
3.
A. discover
B. remove
C. lifted
D. covered
4.
A. presents
B. given
C. gave
D. presented
5.
A. place
B. section
C. zone
D. cashier
6.
A. reached
B. arrived
C. went
D. arrival
7.
A. enters
B. ends
C. entries
D. entrances
8.
A. interest
B. desire
C. creation
D. passion
9.
A. fantastic
B. absolutely
C. fantastically
D. absolute
10.
A. recommends
B. reads
C. realizes
D. replies
Answers
  1. 1A, 2B, 3A, 4D, 5B, 6A, 7C, 8D, 9B, 10A

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Writing cloze

  1. has r a w d a e d its 2022 prize(awa...)
  2. the spirit of a dead war g p o r h o t r a h e p(pho...)
  3. Maali is on a y o r j e n u(jou...)
  4. was t e r e s p e n d with an award(pre...)
  5. it will be in the e t s i n c o next to(sec...)
  6. on a r l s e r l e r c a o t o journey(rol...)
  7. the judges e a e r c h d the same decision(rea...)
  8. the theme of the s n i e r e t this year(ent...)
  9. her i a s p o n s for reading(pas...)
  10. she had read all six h d t s r i l o s e t books(sho...)
Answers
  1. AWARDED
  2. PHOTOGRAPHER
  3. JOURNEY
  4. PRESENTED
  5. SECTION
  6. ROLLERCOASTER
  7. REACHED
  8. ENTRIES
  9. PASSION
  10. SHORTLISTED

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Fill-in punctuation

The text below is missing its capital letters, commas, full stops, apostrophes, and quote marks, and specifically 3 hyphens and 1 question mark.

the booker prize has awarded its 2022 prize for the best UK published novel to sri lankan author shehan karunatilaka the book titled the seven moons of maali almeida is a fictional thriller it is about the spirit of a dead war photographer called maali maali is on a journey to let the living discover his hidden photos the photos show the horrors of war in the writers country

karunatilaka won £50,000 for his anti war ghost story and was presented with an award at a ceremony in his speech he said I hope its written in a sri lanka that learns from it stories he also said he hopes that in ten years it will be in the bookshop section next to the dragons and unicorns and not politics

head judge neil macgregor said the book takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death the judges reached the same decision on the winner they said the theme of the shortlisted entries this year was one question and that is whats the point of an individual life

making a star guest appearance was dua lipa she spoke about her passion for reading and the importance of books in her life the singer songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she absolutely loved seven moons she recommends the books she reads on social media and that reading helps her to understand emotions and feelings

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Cool-down discussion, game, and keywords

Discussion questions:

  • Can you name a film that was a book first? Have you read the book?
  • Do you have a favourite soundtrack? Why is it your favourite?
  • What three artforms are you most passionate about?
  • Do you ever recommend books, music, movies, or other types of art?
  • Which artist or artform best represents your culture to the world?

CEFR B1 10 keywords revision list:

absolutely award discover entry fictional passion present reach recommend section

Beginning with each letter below, think of a word that describes reading.

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

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Interactive exercises

Reading comprehension interactive questions

Select the correct answers from the dropdown menus

Sri Lankan anti-war thriller wins the Booker Prize

The Booker Prize has awarded its 2022 prize for the best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka. The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is a fictional thriller. It is about the spirit of a dead war photographer called Maali. Maali is on a journey to let the living discover his hidden photos. The photos show the horrors of war in the writer’s country.

Karunatilaka won £50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was presented with an award at a ceremony. In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”. He also said he hopes that in ten years it will be in the bookshop section next to the dragons and unicorns and not politics.

Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death”. The judges reached the same decision on the winner. They said the theme of the shortlisted entries this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of an individual life?”

Making a star guest appearance was Dua Lipa. She spoke about her passion for reading and the importance of books in her life. The singer-songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she “absolutely loved” Seven Moons. She recommends the books she reads on social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and feelings”.

What is the Booker Prize awarded for?
What kind of book is The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida?
What profession did the main character have in the book?
What is the prize for the winner?
Where in the bookshop does the author want his book to be?
What is the book compared to?
Do the book entries share a similar theme?
What is important to Dua Lipa?
Did Dua Lipa read all the Booker Prize entries?
What does Dua Lipa post on social media?

lesson  |  top

Phrases, synonyms, and antonyms interactive match-up

Select the correct matches from the dropdown menus

Phrases
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Synonyms
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Antonyms
16.
17.
18.

lesson  |  top

Grammar gap-fill interactive cloze: articles

Select the correct answers from the dropdown menus

The Booker Prize has awarded its 2022 prize for
1.
best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka. The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is
2.
fictional thriller. It is about the spirit of
3.
dead war photographer called Maali. Maali is on a journey to let the living discover his
4.
hidden photos. The photos show the horrors of war in
5.
writer’s country.
Karunatilaka won
6.
£50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was presented with an award at
7.
ceremony. In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in
8.
Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”. He also said he hopes that in
9.
ten years it will be in the bookshop section next to the dragons and unicorns and not
10.
politics.
Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes
11.
reader on a rollercoaster journey through
12.
life and death”. The judges reached
13
same decision on the winner. They said the theme of
14.
shortlisted entries this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of
15.
individual life?”
Making
16.
star guest appearance was Dua Lipa. She spoke about her passion for reading and
17.
importance of books in her life.
18.
singer-songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she “absolutely loved” Seven Moons. She recommends the books she reads on
19.
social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and
20.
feelings”.

lesson  |  top

Vocabulary multiple-choice interactive cloze

Select the correct answers from the dropdown menus

The Booker Prize has
1.
its 2022 prize for the best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka. The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is a
2.
thriller. It is about the spirit of a dead war photographer called Maali. Maali is on a journey to let the living
3.
his hidden photos. The photos show the horrors of war in the writer’s country.
Karunatilaka won £50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was
4.
with an award at a ceremony. In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”. He also said he hopes that in ten years it will be in the bookshop
5.
next to the dragons and unicorns and not politics.
Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey through life and death”. The judges
6.
the same decision on the winner. They said the theme of the shortlisted
7.
this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of an individual life?”
Making a star guest appearance was Dua Lipa. She spoke about her
8.
for reading and the importance of books in her life. The singer-songwriter said she had read all six shortlisted books and she “
9.
loved” Seven Moons. She
10.
the books she reads on social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and feelings”.

lesson  |  top

Interactive writing cloze

Type the words correctly in the boxes

The Booker Prize has
1.
its 2022 prize for the best UK-published novel to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka. The book, titled The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, is a fictional thriller. It is about the spirit of a dead war
2.
called Maali. Maali is on a
3.
to let the living discover his hidden photos. The photos show the horrors of war in the writer’s country.
Karunatilaka won £50,000 for his anti-war ghost story and was
4.
with an award at a ceremony. In his speech he said, “I hope it’s written in a Sri Lanka that learns from its stories”. He also said he hopes that in ten years it will be in the bookshop
5.
next to the dragons and unicorns and not politics.
Head judge Neil MacGregor said the book “takes the reader on a
6.
journey through life and death”. The judges
7.
the same decision on the winner. They said the theme of the shortlisted
8.
this year was “one question, and that is what’s the point of an individual life?”
Making a star guest appearance was Dua Lipa. She spoke about her
9.
for reading and the importance of books in her life. The singer-songwriter said she had read all six
10.
books and she “absolutely loved” Seven Moons. She recommends the books she reads on social media and that reading helps her to “understand emotions and feelings”.

lesson  |  top

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