B2 : Jack the Pumpkin King
Below is a B2 English listening & reading task for kids about Jack the Pumpkin King.
Jack the Pumpkin King
Jack Skellington, also known as the "Pumpkin King", is the main protagonist of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and all Nightmare Before Christmas media.
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Jack is an extremely tall skeleton who wears a black pin-striped suit, complete with a bat bow-tie and black dress shoes.
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He has earned the title of Pumpkin King by being terrifying to humans (but never harming them), a clearly well-earned title as it appears he is even able to scare the monsters that occupy the town. He lives in Halloween Town, a world based solely on the holiday of Halloween. The holiday is on Oct. 31
Quiz 1.0
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- Jack's last name is __________.
a. Skrillington
b. Scalpington
c. Skellington
d. Wellington
e. Washington
f. None of the above
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- Jack is an extremely skinny __________.
a. Zombie
b. Monster
c. Skeleton
d. Vampire
e. Mummy
f. None of the above
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- He has earned the title of Pumpkin King by being terrifying to humans (but never harming them),
a. True
b. False
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- He lives in __________ Town. The holiday is on October 31st
a. Thanksgiving
b. Easter
c. Valentine's Day
d. St. Patrick's Day
e Christmas
f. Halloween
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The Pumpkin King
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Jack Skellington is first chronologically seen in The Pumpkin King, many years before the events of the film. He is a king noted as the king of Halloween Town, and its most frightening inhabitant. On Halloween Eve, Jack plans for his best Halloween tricks yet, while Oogie Boogie plots to seize control of Halloween Town, sending Lock, Shock and Barrel to kidnap him, though accidentally kidnapping Sally instead.
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Jack discovers this after seeing the Town Square deserted and with info from the Mayor. While the bugs attack the town, Jack also finds that Lock, Shock, and Barrel have been wreaking havoc. After defeating a massive spider in the Town Square, Jack returns to his own house, only to find it, too, under the control of bugs. Traveling through his house and bringing his pet dog, Zero alongside him, Jack is trapped by Lock, Shock, and Barrel, forced to use Zero to guide him out through the chimney. After the Mayor unlocks the door to Doctor Finkelstein's Lab after hearing a boom from it, where Jack discovers Dr. Finkelstein trapped by a Giant Snake. He defeats the snake and is given the task by Dr. Finkelstein to find his rag doll assistant, Sally.
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Jack travels through the Pumpkin Patch to search after the Corpse Kid, who ran away and finds him trapped by a Possessed Pumpkin. He frees him, but the Kid is kidnapped by Lock, Shock, and Barrel at once. Jack chases after the three kids, and frees the Corpse Kid one more time, but is baited into a trap by Lock, Shock, and Barrel, and forced to escape to the Graveyard.
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He returns to the Town Square to find the Wolfman being attacked. Jack confronts them, but they get his attention and run, trapping them. Jack manages to find another way out and returns to Dr. Finkelstein's Lab, where he finds that the Doctor is trapped out of his lab, with Igor having run off and the security system out of control. He finds Igor trapped, and the security panels under attack by a massive bug.
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Jack enters Boogie's lair and after defeating him, he expels Boogie forbidding him of departing his own lair ever again, saying if he even hears that the monster has left it will be "GAME OVER" for him. Jack finally frees Sally and introduces himself, Sally thanks the Pumpkin King only to be asked to just call him "Jack" without the formalities. Jack confesses he's glad to make a new friend. It is clear from this point on that Sally starts developing romantic feelings for Jack, especially when a worried Dr. Finkelstein calls out for Sally confessing he was troubled about her safety only to be neglected by the rag doll who is attending Jack. In the end, Halloween Town is finally able to celebrate Halloween one last time, but unbeknownst to them, Oogie is watching with a promise to come back wanting to get revenge on Jack.
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EXTERNAL lINKS :
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Quiz 2.0
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- He is a king noted as the king of Halloween Town, and its most __________ inhabitant.​
a. Friendly
b. Frightening
c. Lovely
d. Ugly
e. Intelligent
f. None of the above
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- On Halloween Eve, Jack plans for his best Halloween tricks yet
a. True
b. False
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- Jack's dog is named __________.
a, Hero
b, Nero
c, Zero
d, Yero
e, Kero
f, Mero
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- Jack discovers Dr. Finkelstein trapped by a Giant Snake. He defeats the snake and is given the task by Dr. Finkelstein to find his rag doll assistant, __________.
a. Hailey
b. Sally
c. Dolly
d. Polly
e. Wally
f. Holly
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- Jack travels through the Pumpkin Patch to search after the Corpse Kid,
a. True
b. False
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- He returns to the Town Square to find the Wolfman being attacked.
a. True
b. False
- Jack enters Boogie's lair and after defeating him
a. True
b. False
- Jack finally frees Sally and introduces himself, Sally thanks the Pumpkin King only to be asked to just call him "Jack" without the formalities.
a. True
b. False
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- Jack confesses he's glad to make a new friend. It is clear from this point on that Sally starts developing romantic feelings for Jack,
a. True
b. False
​
- Oogie is watching with a promise to come back wanting to get revenge on Jack.
a. True
b. False
​
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The story begins with the next surprise of Halloween Town's Halloween celebration, which is hailed by the return of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. When Jack sneaks away from the adoring citizens, it is revealed that he longs for something different and even admits he would give up his place as the Pumpkin King if he could, but no one would understand. He wanders off to the Graveyard to lament over his unfulfilled desires, which is heard by Sally, hiding behind a tombstone. Sally understands how Jack feels, but before she can reveal herself, he enters the Hinterlands with Zero.
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Accidentally sleepwalking through the Hinterlands, Jack stumbles upon a place in the forest he has never been before. What he finds is a grove of trees with colorful doors leading to other Holiday Worlds. Jack is drawn toward the Christmas door and opens it, finding Christmas Town.
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Inspired by and infatuated with the holiday, he attempts with little success to explain it to the citizens of Halloween Town.
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After obsessively researching it, he decides that this year the citizens of Halloween Town will manage Christmas, in the hopes of "improving" it. On the other hand, Sally has a premonition that his plans for Christmas will be a disaster. She attempts to warn him, but Jack is too wrapped up in "his" Christmas to recognize her warnings and courteously dismisses her fear.
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Sally's premonition proves to be right: Not really understanding the "spirit" of Christmas, the citizens of Halloween Town create a celebration of the macabre rather than of joy. Jack, dressed as Santa Claus ("Sandy Claws" as Jack calls him) unintentionally brings horror rather than joy to the children of the world. Wanting "Sandy Claws" to rest, Jack ordered a trio of trick-or-treaters, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, to bring Santa to Halloween Town. However, after Santa is first brought to Jack and greeted warmly by him, the three of them take him to their master, Oogie Boogie, who ridicules, tortures, and plans to eventually slaughter Santa with his heartless games. Sally attempts to rescue Santa Claus after discovering that military forces are planning to defeat Jack, but she is captured too.
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Upon realizing the error of his ways, Jack overcomes his identity crisis and reaffirms himself as the Pumpkin King, stating that although he enjoyed his run and never meant any harm, he is ready to get back to where he truly belongs.
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Determined to set things right, Jack returns to Halloween Town, where he discovers that Santa has been taken to Oogie's Lair and that Sally is there in addition. He manages to rescue Santa and Sally, and defeat Oogie Boogie. Jack asks Sally how she ended up in his lair and realizes her feelings for him, while also possibly realizing his own feelings for her. Before being able to say anything to her, they are interjected. Santa Claus returns to the real world to save Christmas and as a sign of no hard feelings, gives Halloween Town a taste of true Christmas spirit, fulfilling Jack's former desire to a limited extent. Jack sees Sally heading for the graveyard and realizes that what has been missing from his life might have just been someone who understood him, like Sally did. He finds her on the Spiral Hill blanketed in snow and reveals his own affections for her.
At the film's end, the two embrace and share a kiss while Zero looks on.
Quiz 3.0
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- The story begins with the next surprise of Halloween Town's Halloween celebration, which is hailed by the return of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King.
a. True
b. False
- When Jack sneaks away from the adoring citizens, it is revealed that he longs for something different and even admits he would give up his place as the Pumpkin King if he could, but no one would understand.
a. True
b. False
​
- Accidentally sleepwalking through the Hinterlands, Jack stumbles upon a place in the forest he has never been before. What he finds is a grove of trees with colorful doors leading to other Holiday Worlds.
a. True
b. False
​
- Jack is drawn toward the Christmas door and opens it, finding Christmas Town.
a, True
b. False
​
- Inspired by and infatuated with the holiday, he attempts with little success to explain it to the citizens of Halloween Town.
a. True
b. False
​
- After obsessively researching it, he decides that this year the citizens of Halloween Town will manage Christmas, in the hopes of "improving" it.
a. True
b. False
​
- On the other hand, Sally has a premonition that his plans for Christmas will be a disaster. She attempts to warn him, but Jack is too wrapped up in "his" Christmas to recognize her warnings and courteously dismisses her fear.
a. True
b. False
​
- Not really understanding the "spirit" of Christmas, the citizens of Halloween Town create a celebration of the macabre rather than of joy.
a. True
b. False
​
- Jack, dressed as Santa Claus ("Sandy Claws" as Jack calls him) unintentionally brings horror rather than joy to the children of the world.
a. True
b. False
​
- Upon realizing the error of his ways, Jack overcomes his identity crisis and reaffirms himself as the Pumpkin King, stating that although he enjoyed his run and never meant any harm, he is ready to get back to where he truly belongs.
a. True
b. False
​
- Determined to set things right, Jack returns to Halloween Town, where he discovers that Santa has been taken to Oogie's Lair and that Sally is there in addition.
a. True
b. False
​
- Jack asks Sally how she ended up in his lair and realizes her feelings for him, while also possibly realizing his own feelings for her.
a. True
b. False
​
- Santa Claus returns to the real world to save Christmas and as a sign of no hard feelings, gives Halloween Town a taste of true Christmas spirit, fulfilling Jack's former desire to a limited extent.
a. True
b. False
​
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Jack sees Sally heading for the graveyard and realizes that what has been missing from his life might have just been someone who understood him, like Sally did. He finds her on the Spiral Hill blanketed in snow and reveals his own affections for her.
At the film's end, the two embrace and share a kiss while Zero looks on.
a. True
b. False
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​Backstory
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During Jack's Lament, Jack claims that only few deny that he is indeed frightening and he is notorious throughout the world. Every Halloween, Jack has scared people of all ages, as well as being given the nickname "Mr. Unlucky" by a guy in Kentucky.
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The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge
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Disappointed with this year's theme on Halloween, Jack Skellington goes to Doctor Finkelstein, who gives him the Soul Robber, an invention that changes shape. Jack decides to leave Halloween Town to get new ideas for Halloween frights. When Jack comes back to town, he finds that Oogie Boogie has been resurrected. Now Jack has to set things right again. Jack dances, fights, and sings in this game to attack Oogie Boogie's minions. (Jack is portrayed as inept to some degree in this game.)
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Zero's Journey
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Jack Skellington appears as one of the main characters in the sequel comic book, Zero's Journey. He makes his first appearance in Edition #0, where he is featured with Zero on the front cover. He later appears on other covers of editions.
Jack is first seen in his home at a desk with various papers, struggling to get something "right". He mentions getting a portal up and running, but it is not navigating properly. After accidentally discarding a bunched-up paper onto Zero's head, the dog barks loudly, only to get shushed by Jack as he is attempting to concentrate.
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He then gets a call from the Mayor, who asks him about his progress and says he can't wait to see his scares. Jack ends up snapping at him and angrily hangs up. He then gets the idea to ask Dr. Finklestein for help, but before he can go, Zero starts tugging at his sleeve, wanting to play. Jack caves in and plays a short game of fetch with him using one of his rib bones. After the ghost dog accidentally falls into his work, Jack decides to end the game, lamenting how life is so easy for Zero.
After seeing his face, he decides to play one more round with him, and tosses the bone a final time. After failing to catch it, however, Jack accidentally bumps the remote for the portal out of his pocket. It causes the portal in the room shaped as the Halloween Town Door to turn on, which Zero unfortunately passes through chasing Jack's bone.
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The rest of the story includes Jack desperately trying to find where Zero went, and how he can get him back in time. It includes him lamenting his loss of his beloved pet and realizing he took Zero's presence for granted.
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Long Live the Pumpkin Queen
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Jack Skellington makes an appearance as Sally's husband in the sequel novel, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. He takes Sally to visit Valentine's Town for their honeymoon, where they meet the Holiday Leader, Queen Ruby Valentino.
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External Links :
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https://the-nightmare-before-christmas.fandom.com/wiki/Jack_Skellington
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This is Halloween
Jack Discovers Christmas Town
Santa Claus is Kidnapped
Jack Delivers Christmas Gifts
Jack is shot down by the Police
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