Car won't start
There are three basic items that make a car engine run - ignition, fuel and timing/compression. If any of these are missing or bad, the engine wont start.
To check for ignition, pull out a plug wire (any one) and place a metal object such as a smallish screwdriver into the plug cap, hold the metal part of the object near a metal part of the engine then have someone (the trouble and strife will do) turn the engine over.
If the ignition is OK, a nice blue spark should pop from the metal object to the engine. Keep your hands away, the spark reaches upwards of 26 000 volts, not enough to kill you, but it can spoil your moment.
To check for fuel, remove the fuel line from the carburettor and turn on the ignition for a second. A good stream of petrol should spurt from the pipe if you have an electric fuel pump, otherwise crank the engine to let the mechanical pump work.
Finally, check for compression. Remove a spark plug, block the plug hole with a finger if possible, then have someone crank the engine. The compression should attempt to blow your finger out of the hole. Compression is dependent on good timing. If the compression is bad, you could have a broken timing belt, a blown head gasket or a number of other nasties.