The Fall of Troy
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
PART – I
1. Read the passage and name the following.
(a) He composed the Iliad and Odyssey:
- Homer (b) He persuaded Helen to elope with him:
- Paris (c) She was wife of the King Menelaus:
- Helen (d) He led the defence of Troy for nine years:
- Hector (e) He was killed by a poisoned arrow that entered his heel:
- Achilles
2. Find antonyms of the following from the passage.
(a) barren 🞨
- fertile (from “The valleys among the hills were well-watered and fertile”) (b) offended 🞨
- pleased (from “people could go to the seashore outside and come in as they pleased”) (c) cowardly 🞨
- brave (from “strongly defended by its brave soldiers”) (d) peace 🞨
- war (from “all the kings and heroes of Greece had declared war against the Trojans”) (e) surrender 🞨
- resist (from “Achilles, whom none could resist”) (f) exposed 🞨
- protected (from “protected by the walls surrounding it”) (g) defenceless 🞨
- strong (from “Troy was a strong city”)
3. From other sources find synonyms of the following words used in the story.
(Answers here are based on general English knowledge as the instruction allows external sources.) (a) great (hero)
- noble (b) beautiful (woman)
- lovely (c) fight (verb)
- battle (d) rich (city)
- wealthy (e) safe
- secure (f) strong (city)
- powerful (g) brave
- courageous
4. Correct the following sentences using facts from the passage.
(a) Troy traded in cattle and grass, with other cities.
- Troy traded in goods and grain with other cities.
(b) During war, Trojans jumped over the fort gates to fight the enemy.
- During war, Trojans came out of their gates to fight the enemy.
(c) Helen eloped with Menelaus.
- Helen eloped with Paris.
(d) Troy was attacked because it was a strong, rich city.
- Troy was attacked because Paris persuaded Helen, wife of Menelaus, to elope with him.
(e) The Greek armies and heroes always defeated the Trojans.
- Sometimes the Trojans had the better of it, and sometimes the Greeks did.
(f) Both the enemies were eager to continue fighting.
- The Trojans were tired of being shut up, and the Greeks longed to see their homes again.
(g) The great heroes avoided one another.
- The great heroes fought in single combats and great battles.
(h) Achilles was killed by an arrow that pierced his heart.
- Achilles was killed by a poisoned arrow that entered his heel.
5. State the counter-action for the following actions.
(a) Helen eloped with Paris.
- Counter-action: The Greeks declared war on Troy to take revenge. (b) The Greeks sailed to Troy and attacked it.
- Counter-action: The Trojans fought hard and defended their city for ten years. (c) Hector was killed by Achilles.
- Counter-action: Achilles was later killed by a poisoned arrow. (d) The siege continued for ten long years.
- Counter-action: Odysseus devised a trick with the wooden horse to end the siege.
6. From either of our two Indian epics, find out which battle/war lasted the longest? Write down about its cause, the enemy armies, its heroes, its duration and the final outcome.
(Using the Mahabharata as an example, based on general knowledge as the text mentions it but doesn’t provide details.) (a) Cause
- The war was caused by a dispute over the throne of Hastinapur between the Pandavas and Kauravas, fueled by rivalry and Draupadi’s humiliation. (b) The enemy armies
- The Pandavas (led by Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula, Sahadeva) versus the Kauravas (led by Duryodhana). (c) Heroes
- Pandavas: Arjuna, Bhima, Krishna (as advisor); Kauravas: Bhishma, Drona, Karna. (d) Duration
- The war lasted 18 days. (e) Final outcome
- The Pandavas won, Yudhishthira became king, but both sides suffered heavy losses.
7. Complete the following sentences with reference to the passage.
(a) Epics are long poems that relate the deeds of a great national hero or a great national war.
(b) They may be composed and sung or recited for many years before they are actually written down.
(c) Nobody knows for certain who the author of these early epics is.
(d) It is believed that Homer, who composed and recited The Iliad and The Odyssey, and who wandered from one Greek city or village to another, singing his poems
to all who would receive him in their homes and give him hospitality.
(e) At the back rose the high peak of Mount Ida, from which flowed many rivers and streams.
● Underline the clauses in the above sentences and also the words that link or connect the clauses: (a) Epics are long poems that relate the deeds of a great national hero or a great national war.
Linking word: that
(b) They may be composed and sung or recited for many years before they are actually written down.
Linking word: before
(c) Nobody knows for certain who the author of these early epics is.
Linking word: who
(d) It is believed that Homer, who composed and recited The Iliad and The Odyssey, and who wandered from one Greek city or village to another, singing his poems to all who would receive him in their homes and give him hospitality.
Linking words: that, who, and who
(e) At the back rose the high peak of Mount Ida, from which flowed many rivers and streams.
Linking word: from which
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