T E A C H E R ’ S M AT E R I A L

Burlington
International
Readers

Brewster’s B1+

Millions
George Barr McCutcheon

B U R L I N G T O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E A D E R

CONTENTS

To the Teacher 2

Before Reading 4

After Reading: Extra Challenges 5

Final Test 6

Answers to Final Test 8

Book Report 10

Answers to Activities in the Reader 11

Before using the following teacher’s material, we recommend that

you visit the Teacher’s Zone at www.burlingtonbooks.es
and consult the Burlington International Readers general
information leaflet. The Final Test in this teacher’s material
is also available in editable Word format from the website. The
Student’s Zone on the site offers audio MP3 recordings and a
printable book report form.
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 Brewster’s Millions
TO THE TEACHER
LIST OF MAIN CHARACTERS
Montgomery (Monty) Brewster: a rich young man who inherits from his grandfather and his uncle.
Margaret Gray: Mrs Gray’s daughter and Monty’s friend
Mrs Gray: the woman who took care of Monty when he was orphaned
Colonel Drew: one of the directors of Monty’s grandfather’s bank
Barbara Drew: Colonel Drew’s daughter who Monty falls in love with

PLOT SUMMARY

Monty Brewster inherits $1,000,000 when his grandfather, Old Man Brewster, dies. Even though his
grandfather wanted to take care of Monty when his parents tragically died, Monty preferred to live with
Mrs Gray, a friend of his mother’s. Her daughter, Margaret, is very good friends with Monty. Just after he
inherits the money, Monty is informed that he is also the heir to another larger fortune; that of his mother’s
brother, Mr James Sedgewick, who had left the USA and moved to Australia and who Monty hardly
remembers. Sedgewick hated Old Man Brewster, who had not approved of Sedgewick’s sister as a wife for
his son. Monty can inherit $7,000,000, but there is a condition. He must be penniless in a year’s time or
he can’t receive the money. Monty accepts the condition and proceeds to try to get rid of his grandfather’s
million dollars. Monty has to prove himself responsible, though, and cannot merely give it all away or waste
it. Also, he is forbidden to tell anyone about his uncle’s will. Monty’s uncle’s friend, Sylvester Jones, will
decide whether Monty is worthy of the fortune at the end of the year. In an effort to meet the conditions of
his uncle’s will, Monty buys a big house, employs servants and throws lavish dinner parties.
Monty is in love with Barbara Drew, the daughter of the president of his late grandfather’s bank. Although
she likes Monty, she is concerned that he is being extravagant and that he will soon have no money left. All
this is reported in the gossip column of the newspaper and people begin to laugh at Monty behind his back.
From time to time, Monty goes back to the Grays’ house to escape from the pressures of his new life. One
time, he confides his love for Barbara to Margaret, who then realises that she herself is in love with him.
Despite this, Margaret tries to patch things up between Monty and Barbara – without success. Barbara
says that she couldn’t marry someone who is poor, which is what Monty will be because he is wasting his
money. In contrast, Margaret says she would marry him even if he had no money.
When Monty sees that he is not spending his money quickly enough, he hires a yacht and invites 25 of
his closest friends to go with him on a cruise to Europe and the Mediterranean. There, they have many
adventures and Monty finds ways to spend his money. While on the cruise, Monty realises that he is
actually in love with Margaret and a relationship begins to develop between them.
They return to New York just before Monty’s deadline is up. Monty hears that Sylvester Jones has vanished.
Monty knows that without Jones’ decision, all his efforts will have been in vain and he will be completely
penniless, having managed to spend all of his grandfather’s money. Despite this, he proposes to Margaret,
who agrees to marry him even though she knows they will be poor. Just as they are about to leave for
the church, a man comes to the Grays’ house. It is one of Monty’s friends, Harrison, who left Monty’s
employment out of shame, when it turned out that he had put a large sum of Monty’s money into a bad
investment. Harrison had gone out west to seek his fortune and ended up working for Sylvester Jones.
Jones has been in New York for a month following Monty’s progress and Harrison tells him that Jones has
now decided that Monty is worthy to inherit his uncle’s vast fortune. So Monty is going to marry Margaret,
inherit all the money his uncle had left him, and is extremely content.

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TO THE TEACHER (continued)
BACKGROUND

• Gossip columns: These appear in newspapers and inform readers about what is happening in high society.
They report on social events like balls and parties which the rich and famous attend. They also start and
spread rumours, for example rumours about romances between well-known people. Gossip columns can
often make or break people. Today, social media is often used instead of newpapers.
• ‘Instant’ communication: At the begining of the 20th century, instant communication was limited to
telephones, which had been around for almost half a century, and the telegraph. Not everyone had a
telephone and it was difficult to call someone long distance. The quickest way of getting a message to
someone in another city or state was to send a telegraph. An operator would send the message using
Morse code and an operator in the other city would decode the message and give it to a messenger, who
would deliver it personally to the house of the recipient.
•T
 he value of money: Since the time this book was written, inflation has meant that the amounts of money
mentioned in the story are worth far less today than they were at that time. In 1902, $1,000,000 would be
worth almost $30,000,000 in today’s money, meaning that Monty’s uncle’s fortune would be worth around
$210,000,000 nowadays.
•G
 oing out west: Historically, the western region of the United States was far less developed than the
eastern region. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many people went out west to seek their fortunes
as they believed that there were many opportunities there.
•N
 ew World: As late as the first part of the 20th century, people from Europe referred to North America
as the ‘New World’, as it was ‘only’ discovered in the late 15th century.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George Barr McCutcheon (1866-1928) was born near Lafayette, in Indiana, USA. As a child, he enjoyed
writing stories and drawing. He attended Purdue University in Indiana, but he left to become a newspaper
reporter. From 1893 to 1901, he was the city editor of the Lafayette Daily Courier, but he resigned when
his book about a fictional country, Graustark, the Story of a Love Behind a Throne became successful.
He published nearly 40 novels in his lifetime including several more about Graustark. McCutcheon wrote
Brewster’s Millions in 1902. Since then it has been adapted into films 13 times.

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 Brewster’s Millions
BEFORE READING
SUGGESTIONS FOR LEAD-IN ACTIVITIES

Ask the questions and elicit the answers from the whole class. Some possible answers are provided in italics.
If you prefer, the students can work in pairs or small groups.
1. What are the most important things that a person needs in life? (food, a home, money, love, friends, family,
health.)
2. What would you do if you suddenly found yourself with a large sum of money? (I would give much of it to
charity. I would buy my parents a new house. I would buy things that I want. I would invest some of it to make
more money.)
3. Do you care about other people’s opinion of you? (Yes, I need other people’s approval to feel OK with myself. /
No, I don’t care – they should accept me for who I am.)
4. What are the most important factors in a romantic relationship between two people? (love, trust, sharing the
same interests, sharing the same values, tolerance, etc.)
5. Should we always forgive the people who have wronged us or is it OK in some cases to stay angry at
someone? (Yes, there is no situation in which we shouldn’t forgive – staying angry is bad for us. / No, we can’t
forgive people who have done something very bad.)
6. If you were given the chance to invest all of your money in a company knowing that, in the end, you could
be incredibly rich or completely penniless, would you be willing to take the risk? (Yes, I would take the risk –
after all, you only live once. / No, I wouldn’t risk it because it’s better to be sure that you will always have
money to live off.)
7. What can make a person popular in society? (looks, character, being honest, being brave, being generous)

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES

The Before Reading Tasks in the Burlington International Readers general information leaflet, pages 9-13, can
be applied to Brewster’s Millions.
1. Read the last paragraph on page 8. What do we learn about Monty Brewster? (He is well-respected and
works hard. He wants to be independent. He got a job at his grandfather’s bank, but requested no special
favours.)
2. Look at the picture on page 9. What can you say about the people in the picture? (They are rich and
elegant. They are celebrating a birthday. They are having a party. They are from the early 20th century.)
3. Look at the picture and read the caption on page 10. What is the reaction of the young man on the left to
what is being told to him by the older man? (The young man is distressed.) What has the other man said to
him? (The older man has told him that his grandfather has just died.)
4. Read the first paragraph on page 11. What has Monty inherited? (one million dollars)
5. Read the last four lines on page 15. What has happened? (Monty’s uncle has died. As his uncle’s only living
relative, Monty is now the sole heir to his uncle’s seven million dollars.)
6. Read the last seven lines on page 16. What must Monty do in order to inherit Mr Sedgewick’s money? (He
must be penniless by his 26th birthday.)
7. Look at the picture and read the caption on page 18. What was Monty doing before he fell asleep?
(He was making calculations.)
8. Read the paragraph and look at the picture on page 27. What is the expression on Monty’s face? (Monty
looks angry and jealous.) Why does he feel this way? Monty obviously likes Barbara, but she is sitting next
to an English duke. He realises he can’t compete for Barbara with an English aristocrat.)
9. Look at the picture and read the caption on page 35. What is happening to Monty? (He is being robbed.)
What is unusual about his reaction? (He is delighted about it.)

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AFTER READING: EXTRA CHALLENGES
MAKE YOUR STUDENTS THINK

Here are some points that more advanced students can be asked to consider after reading the book.
1. When Monty inherits his grandfather’s money, his life comes under the scrutiny of the press. Everything
he does is published in the gossip column of the newspaper. Do you think that celebrities should have
privacy, or is the price of fame a lack of privacy?
2. Can a person be too generous with his money? Explain your answer.
3. In the story, Monty ends up helping many people. For example, he pays for the opera concert for poor
people of Milan. Many rich people are admired for their charity work. As they can clearly afford it, do
you think that it is right to praise them for what they do? Explain your answer.
4. How are women portrayed in Brewster’s Millions? Are they helpless creatures who rely on men to help
them, or are they independent? Bearing in mind that this book was written in 1902, do you think that
things are different today? Explain your answer.
5. 
Brewster’s Millions can be considered a work of satire in some ways. Who or what is the author satirising?
How does he do this?

DRAMA ACTIVITIES AND PROJECT SUGGESTIONS

1. W
 ork in pairs. One of you is Monty’s uncle, James Sedgewick, and the other is Sylvester Jones. Write
the conversation they have where James asks Sylvester to take care of his will when he dies and explains
what he wants Sylvester to do. Act out the conversation in front of the class.
2. Imagine you are Margaret Gray. Write a page in your diary the day you realise you are in love with
Monty.
3. Work in pairs. One of you is Barbara Drew and the other is her friend. Write the conversation you have
about whether Barbara should marry Monty or not. Act out the conversation in front of the class.
4. Imagine you are Mrs DeMille. Write a plan for one of Monty’s dinner parties. Make a list of the guests,
entertainment ideas and select the menu. Use your imagination.
5. Work in pairs. You were both guests at Monty’s dinner party when the vase broke. Write the conversation
about the food, the atmosphere and about Monty’s reaction to the accident. Use your imagination. Act out
the conversation in front ot the class.
6. W
 rite an article for the gossip column of a New York newspaper that reports, in an insulting way, on
Monty’s Mediterranean cruise.
7. Work in pairs. One of you is a newspaper reporter and the other is the sailor that Monty rescues. Explain
how Monty saved his life. Write the interview and read it to the class.
8. Imagine you are one of the poor people who goes to see the opera that Monty arranges in Milan. Write
a letter to a friend describing the evening at the opera.
9. W
 ork in pairs. It is 15 years after the end of the story. One of you is Monty and the other is one of
Monty’s children. Write the conversation you have where Monty explains how they came to be so rich.
Act out the conversation in front of the class.
10. Search the Internet for information about life in New York at the beginning of the 20th century. Write
a paragraph about your findings and read it to the class.

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 Brewster’s Millions
FINAL TEST

A Complete the following sentences with the names of the characters.

Mrs DeMille Barbara Drew Margaret Gray Colonel Drew Sylvester Jones
1. tried to give Monty financial advice.
2. helped Monty with his social life.
3. worried about what people in society thought of him / her.
4. needed to judge Monty’s actions and character.
5. realised that his / her feelings towards Monty had changed completely.
5 points (1 point each)

B Write T(true) or F (false) next to each sentence. Then give evidence based on the
story to support your answer.
1. Monty’s grandfather regretted the way he had treated his son and daughter-in-law.

2. Monty enjoyed his grandfather’s company.

3. Margaret’s mother hoped that Monty could help her financially.

4. Monty knew he was going to inherit his uncle’s money.

5. Colonel Drew didn’t like Monty.

6. Barbara was angry that Monty helped save the Manhattan Island Bank.

18 points (3 points each)

C Complete the chart according to the story.

Cause Effect
1. Monty began receiving begging letters.
2. Monty started spending a lot of money.
3. Monty bought shares in a failing business.
4. A
 t the charity bazaar, Monty told Barbara that
Rodney Grimes’ father had been in prison.
5. Monty had to cancel the ball.
6. M
 argaret found out that Barbara Drew was also
in Florida.

12 points (2 points each)

D Put the following events in the correct order.

a. The sheik’s bodyguards kidnapped Margaret.
b. Margaret told Monty she wanted to go with the sheik.
c. The sailor rescued Margaret.
d. Monty angered Margaret with his attitude.
e. A visiting sheik was attracted to Margaret Gray.
5 points (1 point each)

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 Brewster’s Millions
FINAL TEST (continued)
E Find evidence in the story to prove that the sentences below are true.
1. Monty minded what people thought of him even though he had no choice but to spend money
quickly.

2. Barbara Drew wasn’t interested in Monty.

3. Margaret thought Monty was being irresponsible with his money.

12 points (4 points each)

F Answer the questions.

1. Why had Monty’s uncle insisted on Monty’s being penniless so that he could inherit his fortune?

2. Why were people surprised by Monty’s reaction when the priceless vase was broken?

3. How did Monty save Colonel Drew’s bank?

4. Why did Monty decide to get away from New York and go on a Mediterranean cruise?

5. Why did the people of Milan think Monty was a hero?

6. Why was Monty certain near the end of the story that he would be poor when he married Margaret
Gray?

18 points (3 points each)

G Write a paragraph about one of the following topics. The paragraph should be at
least 100 words long.
1. 
Brewster’s Millions was written in 1902. There have been many technological changes since then.
Choose two and explain the differences they would have made to the story.
2. Margaret Gray was secretly in love with Monty, yet she encouraged his relationship with Barbara
Drew. Why do you think she did this? Do you think that she was right in doing so?
3. Monty didn’t actually fulfil the terms of his uncle’s will, so why did Sylvester Jones decide to give
him the fortune?
30 points

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 Brewster’s Millions
ANSWERS TO FINAL TEST

A 1. Colonel Drew
2. Mrs DeMille
3. Barbara Drew
4. Sylvester Jones
5. Margaret Gray

B 1. T – He wanted to look after Monty and treat him well.

2. F – He wanted to stay with Mrs Gray and Margaret.
3. F – She was very proud and wouldn’t accept help.
4. F – He had almost forgotten that he had an uncle; they had never been in contact.
5. F – He wanted him to marry Barbara.
6. T – She thought he had done it to win her heart.

C 1. Monty inherited a million dollars from his grandfather.

2. Monty accepted the terms of his uncle’s will.
3. Other people also bought shares in the business.
4. Barbara got angry with him.
5. Monty had appendicitis.
6. She arranged a meeting to persuade Barbara to meet Monty.

D 1. d 2. e 3. b 4. a 5. c

E Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers that relate to the story. Possible answers:
1. M
 onty didn’t want people, especially Barbara, to think he was careless with money. He was upset when
the newspapers wrote that he would soon be poor.
2. She didn’t want to marry Monty if he was poor.
3. She made remarks that he couldn’t save anything.

F 1. B
 ecause Monty’s uncle had hated Old Man Brewster for the way he had treated his sister. So when he
made his fortune and realised that Monty would be the only heir, he decided that he did not want any
of his money to get mixed up with the grandfather’s money that Monty would also inherit.
2. They thought he would be angry that he would have to replace such an expensive vase, but he wasn’t.
3. H
 e didn’t withdraw all of his money from the bank. He withdrew all of his deposits from other banks
and put them in the colonel’s bank. When other people heard that he was doing this, they stopped
withdrawing their money from the bank and in this way, it was saved.
4. B
 ecause he was fed up with people in New York’s high society talking behind his back. It was a way of
spending a lot more money.
5. Because Monty arranged for all the poor people to go to the opera.
6. B
 ecause Mr Grant, the lawyer, told him that Sylvester Jones had disappeared and that the police
suspected that he had been murdered by his new secretary. Without Jones, there was no one to confirm
that Monty had fulfilled the terms of the will. By this time, Monty had spent all of his grandfather’s
money, so without his uncle’s fortune, he would be poor.

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ANSWERS TO FINAL TEST (continued)

G Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers. Possible points for inclusion:
1. I f the story were written today, all of the characters would have had mobile phones, making
communication much easier. For instance, Monty would have received a text message at the
beginning of the story telling him that his grandfather was ill. He would have known immediately
and gone to see him before he died. Also, the gossip about Monty wouldn’t have to be spread by
newspapers’ gossip columns. People would have read about him on social media on their phones.
In addition, transport has developed a lot. If written today, Monty may have hired a private jet to
take him and his friends on their trip. In this way, they would have been able to travel around more
quickly and see more countries.

2. M
 argaret encouraged the relationship between Monty and Barbara because she was a good person
and she wanted the best for Monty, whom she had grown up with. She realised that she could not
compete with Barbara, who had much more to offer Monty both materially and socially, so there
was no point in trying. Also, she knew that Monty liked her as a friend and even regarded her as his
sister as he had grown up in her house after his parents had died. Maybe she did not want to ruin the
relationship that she valued so much by professing her love for him. It can be said that in the end, she
was right in doing so. By helping Monty, it brought them closer together and it made Monty realise
that he would always need her.

3. M
 onty didn’t spend his money in a responsible way. But Sylvester Jones decided to give him his
uncle’s fortune anyway. He did this because during this time, Monty proved that he had other positive
traits. He was brave, he was kind and he was generous. He always thought of his friends and, in the
end, he was prepared to be penniless and marry for love. This is probably what convinced Jones that
Monty was eligible to inherit the fortune.

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BURLINGTON INTERNATIONAL READER B1+/B2

Write a book report. Include in your report the following information:
1. The title, author, genre, characters and setting.
2. Summarise the plot and describe the characters.
3. Give your opinion of the book and a recommendation.

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 Brewster’s Millions
ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES (pages 6-7) 4. J ones had to see the receipts for all of
Monty’s transactions.
1 1. amount 8. investment
5. M
 onty told them that he was planning on
2. trust 9. hire doubling his wealth within a year, but they
3. Despite 10. in charge of didn’t like the way in which he was going
4. delighted 11. succeeded about it.
5. wealth 12. increased 6. B
 ecause the vase broke, so while he was busy
6. realised 13. grateful with that he missed the opportunity to talk to
her.
7. sensible

2 1. Charming 4. pleasure CHAPTERS 4-6 ACTIVITIES (pages 40-41)

2. crashed 5. chance
1 1. Monty’s servants threatened to go on strike.
3. demanding
2. Monty bought a new vase.
3  ccept all logical and grammatically correct
A 3. Barbara was seated next to the Duke of
answers. Beauchamp at the Drews’ dinner.
4. Monty was angry / jealous that the Duke was
4  ccept all logical and grammatically correct
A
interested in Barbara Drew.
answers.
5. Monty sent a telegram to Sylvester Jones to
5  ccept all logical and grammatically correct
A ask if he could give his property to his wife.
answers.
2 1. angry 4. confused
2. shocked 5. disappointed
CHAPTERS 1-3 ACTIVITIES (pages 24-25)
3. worried
1 1. e 2. c 3. b 4. a 5. d
3 1. M
 onty wanted to prove that he could succeed
2  e came to the house to tell Monty that his
H in business.
grandfather was ill instead of sending a text 2. Monty invested in a company that was about
message or phoning him. to go bankrupt.
3. The company was saved.
3 1. H
 is conflict was whether to accept the terms
of his uncle’s will and risk losing everything 4. Monty’s reputation in society improved, but
he had, or to manage with his grandfather’s he earned more money that he didn’t want.
smaller fortune.
4 1. H
 e told her that Grimes’ father had been in
2. H
 is conflict was that he wanted to help them prison.
financially but they didn’t want to accept help.
2. H
 e wanted to persuade Monty to withdraw
So he didn’t really solve the conflict.
his money from other banks and deposit it in
4 1. Margaret 4. Colonel Drew his bank. When other people heard he was
doing this, they would stop withdrawing their
2. Mr Grant 5. Old Man Brewster
money from the bank.
3. Monty 6. James T. Sedgewick
3. Because he respected Colonel Drew.
5 1. B
 ecause he hated Old Man Brewster for the way 4. S he suspected something when her father
he had treated his sister and was afraid that he made her invite Monty to her party and when
would kill the old man if he stayed in New York. she heard people talking about how he had
2. H
 e would have to spend it quickly because put all his money in the bank.
otherwise, it would earn interest if it remained 5. To show that they were no longer friends.
in the bank for too long.
3. B
 ecause they called each other by their first
names.

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ANSWERS TO ACTIVITIES IN THE READER (continued)

CHAPTERS 7-9 ACTIVITIES (pages 56-57) CHAPTERS 10-12 ACTIVITIES (pages 74-75)

1 1. c 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. b 1 1. True 4. True
2. Don’t know 5. False
2 1. a. m
 oney was very important and that she
could not possibly marry someone who did 3. True
not have money
2 1. courageous 4. unsure of himself
 oney was less important and would have
b. m
2. modest 5. stubborn
been willing to marry Monty even if he did
not have any money at all 3. generous

2. Barbara told her that she could not marry 3 1. c 2. e 3. b 4. a 5. d

Monty as he was spending his money so
4 a person to be upset about having to spend so
carelessly. Margaret wondered why people put
much money, but Monty was happy
money before love.
5 1. H
 e read what was written about him in the
3 1. He was tired of New York’s high society
gossip columns of the newspaper – that he
constantly talking about him behind his back.
had acted irresponsibly and would soon be
2. He said that the cruise would cost a fortune poor.
and he would hate to see Monty spend his
2. H
 e thought it was someone asking for money
fortune carelessly.
for a charity.
3. Monty brought along a group of musicians
3. W
 hen Grant, the lawyer, told him that Jones
and singers to keep everyone entertained.
had disappeared and the police thought he
4. He dived into the ocean to save the sailor. had been murdered. Without Jones, there was
5. He won $40,000. no one to confirm that Monty had fulfilled the
terms of the will.
4 On page 48, she was referring to money. 4. H
 is friend Oliver Harrison, who had gone
On page 50, she was referring to the sailor whom
away after losing some of Monty’s money and
he rescued.
had become Jones’ personal secretary.
5 1. Because Monty gave the town the money to 5. ‘ Fortune’ can mean both ‘luck’ and ‘money’.
hold a carnival in honour of their patron He meant that they were going to be very
saint. rich, not just with money, but also in
2. He saved Margaret from a thief who was happiness.
trying to steal her handbag.
3. Because she didn’t like the way in which
Monty was interfering in her life, when he
thought that there was something going on
between her and his friend, Pettingill.
4. When she fell off her horse.
5. Because he had paid for the opera singers to
perform for the poor people of the city.

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