4000 Essential English Words 4 Unit 22: The Scribe’s Warning
Question 1
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
The other children were _____ him about how funny his new shoes looked, and it didn’t take long for him to develop a bad _____.
Mocking someone means laughing at them in an unkind way, which fits 'about how funny his new shoes looked'. A bad temper is a tendency to get angry easily, and that is what the boy develops.
Question 2
The _____ realized that they could copy more books if they stopped arguing and worked in _____.
Scribes are people who copy books and documents by hand, so they are the ones copying books. To work in unity means to work together as one group, the opposite of arguing.
Question 3
The young man _____ in the cold without getting a ride for such a long time. When a car finally picked him up, the soft seat and warm air were very _____.
To hitchhike means to travel by getting free rides from passing cars, which fits 'without getting a ride'. Cozy means warm and comfortable, like the soft seat and warm air.
Question 4
The _____ they received was not only money but also several _____ such as food and clothing.
Charity is help, such as money, given to people in need. Goods are things that people buy and use, such as food and clothing.
Question 5
The senators _____ the warning from the countries’ leaders and decided to stay _____ in the war.
To heed a warning means to pay attention to it and follow it. To stay neutral in a war means not to support either side.
Question 6
The ancient _____ that we studied in class today was very important because it spread _____ and trade throughout the world.
An empire is a group of countries ruled by one leader, and you can study it in class. Commerce means buying and selling, which goes naturally with 'and trade'.
Question 7
The king’s two sons had to fight to see who would become the next king. Whoever was the _____ would get to sit upon his father’s _____.
The victor is the person who wins a fight. A throne is the special chair a king sits on, so the winner would sit on his father's throne.
Question 8
The cold and dirt had _____ the poor man’s clothing to almost nothing, and the mayor felt _____ for him and took him home to his house.
To reduce something means to make it smaller or less, so his clothing was reduced to almost nothing. To feel pity for someone means to feel sorry for them.
Question 9
The businessmen _____ the student because they didn’t agree with his opinions concerning the _____.
To persecute someone means to treat them cruelly or unfairly, often because of their beliefs or opinions. The economy is the system of money, trade and business in a country, a topic people can have opinions about.
Question 10
The men had _____ the small lake of all its fish and were _____ to going without fish for many years.
To deplete something means to use up most or all of it, so the lake had no fish left. To be condemned to something means to be forced to suffer it, here going without fish for many years.
Question 11
Choose the answer that best fits the question.
Who is someone who would NOT sit on a throne?
A throne is the special chair of a ruler. Kings, queens and emperors sit on thrones, but a chef is a cook, not a ruler.
Question 12
All of the following describe something that’s cozy EXCEPT _____.
Cozy means warm, comfortable and relaxing. It does not mean large; in fact, cozy places are often small.
Question 13
What is something that you might heed?
To heed something means to pay attention to it and follow it. You heed advice or a warning, e.g. She heeded her doctor's advice.
Question 14
If someone can’t control their temper, then they are likely to easily become _____.
A temper is a tendency to become angry. Someone who can't control their temper quickly becomes upset or angry.
Question 15
Which of the following is something a scribe would use?
A scribe is a person who writes or copies books and documents by hand, so a scribe would use a pen.
Question 16
(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, available solely before the first question. Remember, referring back to the reading text while answering the questions may be helpful to ensure accuracy.)
THE SCRIBE’S WARNING
A great and powerful empire needed the wood from its western areas to build palaces and homes for the emperor and his friends. However, the empire had depleted many of the forests. The trees were important to the western areas’ economy. With no trees to sell, the commerce in that area was reduced. Citizens could no longer purchase the goods that they needed to survive. Their life became difficult.
A poor scribe from the area wanted to help. He hitchhiked to the capital to ask the emperor for charity. He was invited to the palace. It was large and cozy. Tables were loaded with food, and fires burned warmly in every fireplace.
The emperor sat upon his throne, and the scribe stood in front of him.
“I’ve come to ask for help,” the scribe said. “We’re all very poor and hungry. You’ve used up all of the forests, and now we have nothing to sell.” Then he added a warning. “If we don’t receive help, I’m afraid that the entire empire will suffer. We must establish some unity.”
Upon hearing the scribe’s request, the emperor’s bad temper surfaced. He mocked the scribe. “You think I should help,” he said and laughed. “You should just be happy to belong to this great empire. You will get nothing from me.”
The emperor felt no pity for the citizens of the western area. They were condemned to starve. The scribe returned home with nothing.
Not long after, an enemy invaded the empire from the west. They were marching to the capital. Because the citizens felt persecuted by the emperor, they remained neutral. They didn’t fight the invaders but allowed them to march freely to the capital.
The emperor was defeated. If he had heeded the words of the scribe, then the citizens might have been the victors. But because he had treated them badly, they treated him badly in return.
Much of the forest had been depleted by the empire.
Paragraph 1 says the empire had depleted many of the forests, so the statement is true.
Question 17
The sheep were important to the western areas’ economy.
Paragraph 1 says the trees were important to the western areas' economy. Sheep are not mentioned, so the statement is false.
Question 18
The scribe hitchhiked to the capital to ask the emperor for charity.
Paragraph 2 says the scribe hitchhiked to the capital to ask the emperor for charity, so the statement is true.
Question 19
The scribe sat upon his throne, and the emperor stood in front of him.
The text says the emperor sat upon his throne and the scribe stood in front of him. The statement swaps them, so it is false.
Question 20
The emperor condemned the citizens of the western areas to hard work.
The text says the citizens were condemned to starve, not to hard work, so the statement is false.
Question 21
If the emperor had heeded the scribe’s warning, the citizens might have been the victors.
The last paragraph says: If he had heeded the words of the scribe, then the citizens might have been the victors. So the statement is true.
Question 22
Why were the citizens hungry?
Paragraph 1 says that with no trees to sell, citizens could no longer purchase the goods they needed, so they were poor and hungry. Not 'Commerce was high': the text says commerce was reduced.
Question 23
The emperor’s palace was all of the following EXCEPT _____.
The text says the palace was large and cozy, with fires burning warmly in every fireplace, so it was not cold and dark. Palaces were built with wood, and the scribe went to the capital to visit it.
Question 24
When the emperor heard the scribe’s request, how did he behave?
The text says that when he heard the request, the emperor’s bad temper surfaced and he mocked the scribe. Not 'He felt pity': the text says he felt no pity.
Question 25
At the end of the story, what happened to the emperor?
The last paragraph begins: The emperor was defeated. The citizens did not fight the invaders, so the enemy reached the capital.
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Word List
- charity [ˈtʃӕrəti] n.
Charity is an act of giving help, usually money, to those who need it.
→ Thanks to his friends’ charity, he had enough money to pay the rent.
- commerce [ˈkɒmərs] n.
Commerce is the activity of buying and selling things.
→ The new shopping mall increased the commerce in that section of town.
- condemn [kənˈdem] v.
To condemn someone means to give them a specific punishment.
→ The judge condemned the criminal to five years in prison.
- cozy [ˈkouzi] adj.
If something is cozy, then it is comfortable, warm, and relaxing.
→ The thick blanket made the bed very cozy.
- deplete [diˈpliːt] v.
To deplete an amount of something means to use up all of it.
→ All the driving he was doing was depleting his car’s fuel supply.
- economy [iˈkɒnəmi] n.
An economy is the money and businesses of a country or region.
→ The factory was good for the economy because it brought jobs to the area.
- empire [ˈempaɪər] n.
An empire is a large group of countries ruled by an emperor or empress.
→ The emperor built roads to make travel easier throughout the empire.
- goods [gudz] n.
Goods are anything that can be bought or sold.
→ Shoes, hats, dresses and purses were the goods she wanted to buy.
- heed [hiːd] v.
To heed something means to obey or follow it.
→ You should heed the advice on the sign and not drive so fast.
- hitchhike [ˈhitʃhaik] v.
To hitchhike means to travel by asking for rides from passing vehicles.
→ She didn’t have a car, so she hitchhiked several miles to her brother’s home.
- mock [mɒk] v.
To mock someone means to tease them in a cruel way.
→ The girls mocked Nancy because she was a new student.
- neutral [ˈnjuːtrəl] adj.
If someone is neutral, then they do not help either of the two fighting sides.
→ The girl’s friend remained neutral while the couple was arguing.
- persecute [ˈpəːrsikjuːt] v.
To persecute means to treat someone badly.
→ Dan felt persecuted because he was smaller than the other boys at school.
- pity [ˈpiti] n.
Pity is the feeling of sadness and kindness for those who are suffering.
→ Because she had pity for the lost boy, she helped him find his parents.
- reduce [riˈdjuːs] v.
To reduce something means to make it less in size or number.
→ When the store reduced its prices, people wanted to shop there.
- scribe [skraib] n.
A scribe was a person whose job was to copy written works.
→ In Ancient Egypt, scribes recorded important events.
- temper [ˈtempə:r] n.
A temper is someone’s mood or a chance that they might get angry.
→ She has a temper. Even the slightest mistakes make her angry.
- throne [θroun] n.
A throne is the special chair in which a ruler sits.
→ Nobody except the king and queen sat in the thrones in the great hall.
- unity [ˈjuːnəti] n.
Unity is the state of people working together for a certain purpose.
→ The project was finished early, thanks to the unity of the workers.
- victor [ˈviktər] n.
A victor is a group or person that wins in a contest.
→ At the end of the game, the blue team was the victor.