A Summary of Mr. Know All

Master 'Mr. Know All' with our summary worksheet!

1. Choose the best word from the word bank below to write a summary of the first part of the story. The story takes place on a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Yokahama, Japan. Since the war had just ended and it was difficult to get a single room, the NARRATOR has to share a cabin with Mr. Max Kelada, a complete stranger. The journey lasts two weeks. Even before meeting him, the narrator doesn't like Mr. Kelada. He wishes his name was more English sounding. He doesn't like the look of his luggage, which is too big and has too many labels on it and he doesn't like Mr. Kelada's expensive toiletries. 2. Choose the best word from the word bank below to continue writing a summary of the first part of the story. When the narrator meets Mr. Kelada, his dislike gets even stronger. He tells him how to play solitaire and he shows him three card tricks, which he doesn't like at all. He also books a table in the dining room without asking him and he follows him everywhere! One the other hand, when Mr. Kelada manages to find alcohol, even during Prohibition , when it's illegal, the narrator drinks the cocktail happily. Even though Mr. Kelada has a British passport, he is definitely not considered British by the narrator. His physical appearance as well as his behavior and name suggest that he was probably born in the MIddle East. He's very sociable : he organizes all of the activities and gets to know everyone on the ship quickly. He's also informal ("familiar") : he calls the narrator by his first name, speaks with his hands and he talks a lot (=chatty).Most importantly, Mr. Kelada is a Mr. Know All and dominates every conversation. He behaves as if he knows everything better than everyone else. The possibility that he can be mistaken never occurs to him! 3. Choose the best word from the word bank below to write a summary of the second part of the story. During mealtimes, the narrator and Mr. Kelada share a dining room table with Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey. Mr. Ramsey is an American who works at the American Consul Service and is stationed in Kobe, Japan. He's overweight and has a low-paying job at the consulate. He flew to New York to fetch (bring back) his wife who had been staying there without him for one year. Mr. Ramsay is as argumentative as Mr. Kelada: he expresses his beliefs as if they were facts, he thinks he's always right. The narrator says Mrs. Ramsay is a "pretty little thing", has a sense of humor and dresses simply. She's very modest. One evening, the subject of pearls comes up by chance at dinner. Mr. Kelada says he is a pearl expert and he claims that Mrs. Ramsey's necklace is genuine (real) and probably costs up to thirty thousand dollars. Mr. Ramsey, who doesn't like to miss out on a "sure thing", bets Mr. Kelada one hundred dollars that the pearls are fake. His wife told him she had bought them at a store in New York for eighteen dollars. 4. Choose the best word from the word bank below to write a summary of the continuation of the second part of the story. Mrs. Ramsay blushes (turns red) and tries to prevent the bet by saying that she can't open the clasp, and that Mr. Kelada will have to take her word for it. But her husband doesn't want to give up the opportunity (chance) to earn an easy $100. He hands the chain to Mr. Kelada who examines the pearls with a magnifying glass. He knows for sure that the pearls are genuine (real) but... At this point he notices Mr. Ramsay's desperate appeal: her face is white and her eyes are wide. He decides to risk his reputation and LIES for her. He says the pearls are a good imitation (חיקוי) but not genuine (real). His hands are trembling (shaking) as he hands back the pearls. 5. Choose the best word from the word bank below to write a summary of the ending of the story. When the other passengers find out that Mr. Kelada lost the bet, he becomes the joke of the ship and everyone laughs at him. The next morning, while the narrator and Mr. Kelada are in the cabin, an envelope is pushed under the door. It contains$100! The narrator asks Kelada if the pearls were real and he answers: "if I had a pretty little wife I shouldn't let her spend a year in New York while I stayed in Kobe." At that point, the narrator discovers the true character of Mr. Kelada and he says he "didn't entirely dislike" him. It seems that Mr. Kelada earns the narrator's respect.