Unseen Reading Passage II

 4.  Read the following passage and do the activities that follow:                                                      15

The Trojan War is one of the most famous wars in history. It is well known for the 10-year duration, for the heroism of a number of legendary characters, and for the Trojan horse. What may not be familiar, however, is the story of how the war began.

According to Greek myth, the strife between the Trojans and the Greeks started at the wedding of Peleus, King of Thessaly, and Thetis, a sea nymph. All of the gods and goddesses had been invited to the wedding celebration in Troy except Eris, goddess of discord. She had been omitted from the guest list because her presence always embroiled mortals and immortals alike in conflict.

To take revenge on those who had slighted her, Eris decided to cause a skirmish. Into the middle of the banquet hall, she threw a golden apple marked “for the most beautiful.” All of the goddesses began to haggle over who should possess it. The gods and goddesses reached a stalemate when the choice was narrowed to Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Someone was needed to settle the controversy by picking a winner. The job eventually fell to Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, who was said to be a good judge of beauty. Paris did not have an easy job. Each goddess, eager to win the golden apple, tried aggressively to bribe him.

“I’ll grant you vast kingdoms to rule,” promised Hera. “Vast kingdoms are nothing in comparison with my gift,” contradicted Athena. “Choose me and I’ll see that you win victory and fame in war.” Aphrodite outdid her adversaries, however. She won the golden apple by offering Helen, daughter of Zeus and the most beautiful mortal in the land, to Paris. Paris, anxious to claim Helen, set off for Sparta in Greece.

Although Paris learned that Helen was married, he nevertheless accepted the hospitality of her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta. Therefore, Menelaus was outraged for a number of reasons when Paris departed, taking Helen and much of the king’s wealth back to Troy. Menelaus collected his loyal forces and set sail for Troy to begin the war to reclaim Helen.

A. Match the words in column 'A' with their meanings in column 'B':                                         7

Column 'A'                       Column 'B'

(a)    strife                          (i)    caused someone to become involved in an argument

(b)    embroiled                   (ii)   a fight between a small number of people

(c)    slighted                      (iii)  a situation in which nothing can change

(d)    skirmish                     (iv)  an enemy or opponent

(e)    haggle                        (v)   angry disagreements between groups of people

(f)     stalemate                    (vi)  small in amount

(g)    adversaries                 (vii) insulted someone by ignoring them

                                  (viii) to argue about the price of something

B. Answer the following questions:                                                                                                8

(a)   How long did the Trojan War last?

(b)   What is the Trojan War famous for?

(c)   What was the root cause of Trojan war?

(d)   Why did Eris throw a golden apple into the middle of the banquet hall?

(e)   What role did Paris get in this story?

(f)   Name the three beautiful goddesses mentioned in the story.

(g)   Who won the golden apple? And how?

(h)   How can the Trojan War be stopped? Give your personal opinion.