Set 1

Giulia Tofana

Giulia Tofana was a 17th-century professional poisoner who sold her signature concoction to
wives that wanted to kill their husbands. Once she was caught, Tofana guessed that she
was responsible for having provided the poison in 600 deaths which, in a way, made her one
of the most prolific assassins in history. She even purportedly managed to synthesize her
own tasteless and untraceable poison that she packaged covertly in a makeup bottle. Her
secret reign of terror lasted nearly 20 years by some estimates and ended when she was
turned in by a guilty party. In many ways, Giulia Tofana’s sinister business was simply a
product of the times.

In 17th-century Italy, women were auctioned off like objects to loveless and often abusive
marriages. These women had no financial or social power and really only had three options
at their disposal: to get married, to stay single and rely on sex work to survive, or to become
a respected and well-off widow (which itself required option one). For many women, the third
option was the most attractive. Luckily for them, 17th-century Rome had a flourishing
“criminal magical underworld” that provided the services to make this possible.

This underground community was found in other large European cities and was made up of
alchemists, apothecaries, and experts in “black magic.” In reality, these experts didn’t so
much as dabble in the dark arts as they did solve problems that doctors or priests of the time
could or would not, like provide abortions. Even in Versailles, between 1677 and 1682, King
Louis XIV faced a series of murders by poisoning at his court in a scandal called the Affair of
the Poisons. The Affair would end with the expulsion of his powerful royal social companion,
named Madame de Montespan, and the execution of a powerful potion maker named
Madame Monvoisin. This would follow on the heels of Tofana’s own macabre demise.

While not much is known about Giulia Tofana’s background, it is believed that she was born
around 1620 in Palermo, Sicily, to Thofania d’Amado. D’Amado had her own dark history
and, in 1633, was executed for the murder of her husband. Her alleged weapon of choice?
Poison.

Giulia Tofana also became a widow and moved with her daughter, Girolama Spara, to
Naples and then Rome. Following in her mother’s footsteps, and maybe even using her
recipe, Tofana allegedly began selling a lethal concoction of her own. With the help of her
daughter and a group of reliable women, Tofana gained a reputation as a friend to troubled
women. Her group of poisoners may have also recruited a local Roman priest, Father
Girolamo, to secretly take part in their criminal network, but again, information is spotty on
Tofana’s actual business.

It is generally believed that Girolamo supplied the arsenic for the poison and Tofana and her
colleagues disguised it as a cosmetic for their customers. If anyone were to ask about
Tofana’s booming business, all she had to do was show them her bottles of “Aqua Tofana,”
a covetable face cream or oil for women — looking to be single again. Guilia Tofana
packaged her poison so that it could easily blend in on a woman’s vanity beside her makeup,
lotions, and perfumes. Although it was known to her customers as Aqua Tofana, the glass
bottle itself was labeled “Manna of St Nicholas of Bari,” which was actually a popular healing
oil at the time for blemishes. Despite its subtlety, Aqua Tofana was powerfully lethal. The
colourless and tasteless concoction could kill a man with just four to six drops in just several
day. But the real genius behind the poison was how undetectable it was even after death. It
would kill a victim over days, mimicking a disease.

1. What was Giulia Tofana’s occupation?

A. A professional killer C. A professional poisoner
B. A professional thief D. A professional murderer

2. Why did Tofana’s reign of terror last nearly 20 years and not noticed by anyone?
A. because she had political support
B. because the poison was efficacious
C. because the poison was tasteless and untraceable
D. because she was a professional witch who practices black magic

3. Which of the following are the three options that women in Italy had back then at their
disposal?
I. to get married
II. to be a respected and well to do widow
III. to be a very successful person in career
IV. to remain single and make a living out of sex work
A. I, II and III C. I, III and IV
B. I, II and IV D. II, III and IV

4. The word flourishing can be replaced with

A. prospering C. remaining
B. decreasing D. deteriorating
5. Based on the passage, which of the following services was offered by the underworld
experts to women?
A. delivery C. education
B. abortion D. financial support

6. What is the meaning of the word demise?

A. death C. reincarnation
B. rebirth D. transformation

7. How did Tofana die?

A. she was murdered C. she died out of illness
B. she committed suicide D. she was given a death penalty

8. Who were Tofans’s targeted customers for her poison?

A. kings and emperors C. women with troubled marriage
B. children and married men D. people with severe illnesses and diseases

9. How did Tofana managed to disguise the poison that she was selling?

A. through make-up items C. through grocery items

B. packing and sending via mail D. selling from her house basement

10. Why was Aqua Tofana considered to be subtle but powerfully lethal?

A. because the smell is hazardous

B. because it could kill people in just one day
C. because it could kill a person with just four to six drops
D. because it could cause hallucinations and instant death

ANSWERS

1. C 2. C 3. B 4. A 5.B 6. A 7. D 8. C 9. A 10. C
Set 2

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the
world by land area, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1.626 km2; 402 acres). Originally
constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was
gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century, and as
such it is also described as a "Hindu-Buddhist" temple. It was built by the Khmer King
Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital
of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum.

Breaking from the Shaiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to
Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a
significant religious centre since its foundation. The temple is at the top of the high classical
style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national
flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain
and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in
Hindu mythology: within a moat more than 5 kilometres (3 mi) long and an outer wall 3.6
kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the
centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor
Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is
admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for
the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

Angkor Wat lies 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short
distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred at Baphuon. In an
area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures, it is the
southernmost of Angkor's main sites.

According to a myth, the construction of Angkor Wat was ordered by Indra to serve as a
palace for his son Precha Ket Mealea. According to the 13th-century Chinese traveller Zhou
Daguan, some believed that the temple was constructed in a single night by a divine
architect.

As with most other ancient temples in Cambodia, Angkor Wat has faced extensive damage
and deterioration by a combination of plant overgrowth, fungi, ground movements, war
damage and theft. The war damage to Angkor Wat's temples however has been very limited,
compared to the rest of Cambodia's temple ruins, and it has also received the most attentive
restoration. In 1992, following an appeal for help by Norodom Sihanouk, Angkor Wat was
listed in UNESCO's World Heritage in Danger (later removed in 2004) and World Heritage
Site together with an appeal by UNESCO to the international community to save Angkor.
Zoning of the area was set up to protect the Angkor site in 1994, APSARA was established
in 1995 to protect and manage the area, and a law to protect Cambodian heritage was
passed in 1996.

9. What is Angkor Wat?

C. It is the largest Buddhist centre C. It is the first religious monument
D. It is the largest religious monument D. It is the first Buddhist monument

10. What is the name of the ancient capital of the Khmer empire?
E. Angkor C. Siem Reap
F. Cambodia D. Yaśodharapura

11. Which of the following signifies Angkor Wat as its nation’s symbol?
V. Its appearance on its nation’s flag
VI. The rich historic values of the temple
VII. Its status of being the country’s primary attraction
VIII. Its unique colour, paintings and infrastructural design
C. I and II C. II and IV
D. I and III D. III and IV

12. Which of following were the basic plans of Khmer temple architecture?
I. the temple-mountain
II. the entrance fountains
III. the pillar at each corner
IV. the later galleried temple
A. I and II C. III and IV
B. II and III D. I and IV

13. The word grandeur can be replaced with

C. simple C. magnificence
D. exciting D. standardized
14. The following are city and towns in the country Cambodia except

A. Abu Dhabi C. Baphuon

B. Siem Reap D. Angkor

15. What is the meaning of the word myth?

C. legend C. short story
D. narrative D. sci-fi narrative

16. Zhou Daguan is a Chinese traveller who might have lived in between the years
C. 1101 to 1200 C. 1301 to 1400
D. 1201 to 1300 D. 1401 to 1500

9. Which of the following damages has not been face by Angkor Wat?

C. robbery and burglary C. tsunami and landslides

D. overgrown bushes and plants D. harms caused by battles

10. What is the purpose of the establishment of APSARA?

E. to renovate the monument C. to protect and manage the area

F. to paint and beautify the temple D. to allow more tourists into the site

ANSWER

1. B 2. D 3. B 4. D 5. C 6. A 7. A 8. B 9. C 10. C
Set 3
METAL DETECTORS

Have you ever been to the beach? Did you see a man with a headset pointing a long
pole at the ground? If so, you might have seen a person using a metal detector. People use
these devices to find metal.

Metal detectors make magnetic waves. These waves go through the ground. The
waves change when they hit metal. Then the device beeps. This lets the person with the
device know that metal is close.

The first metal detectors were meant to help miners. They were big. They cost a lot
of money. They used a lot of power. And worst of all, they didn't work well. People kept
trying to make them better.

Metal detectors got smaller. Now they are light and cheap. They also work better.
That is why people bring them to the beach. They can look for rings in the water. They can
look for phones in the sand. Metal detectors help them find these things. They usually just
find junk though.

Metal detectors also protect people. They help to keep guns out of some places.
They are in airports. They are in courthouses. Some schools use them. They help guards
look for weapons. Guards use special wands to find metal on a person.

These devices save lives in other ways too. During wars, people plant bombs in the
ground. When the war ends, they don't clean up their messes. This is unsafe for the people
who live in those places. Others use metal detectors to find bombs. They remove them and
help the people.

These devices also make clothes safer. It sounds funny, but it's true. Most clothes
are made in big factories. There are lots of needles in these places. Needles break from time
to time. They get stuck in the clothes. They would poke people trying them on. They don't
though. That's because our clothes are scanned for metal. Isn't that nice? Let's hear it for
metal detectors. They make the world a safer place.

1. Which was not one of the problems with the first metal detectors?
a. They were too big.

b. They were too expensive.

c. They didn't work well.

d. They were unsafe.

2. Which best describes the main idea of the second paragraph?

a. It describes the sounds of a metal detector.

b. It explains how metal detectors work.

c. It warns about the effects of metal detectors.

d. It explains how magnetic waves move.

3. How do metal detectors make clothing safer?

a. Metal detectors make sure factory machines are working the right way.

b. Metal detectors make sure workers don't bring weapons into factories.

c. Metal detectors make sure that broken needles don't get into clothing.

d. Metal detectors help people recover lost clothing at the beach.

4. Why were metal detectors first used?

a. To help miners

b. To help security guards

c. To help doctors

d. To help soldiers

5. According to the text, metal detectors have been used in all of the following except which?

a. schools

b. churches
c. courthouses

d. airports

6. How do metal detectors help soldiers?

a. They warn soldiers when bullets are coming.

b. They help soldiers find hidden bombs.

c. They find weaknesses in their armor.

d. They create a relaxing beeping noise.

7. Why do people bring metal detectors to the beach?

a. Metal detectors help people keep the sand clean and safe.

b. Metal detectors look cool.

c. Metal detectors help people find valuable items.

d. Metal detectors help guards keep weapons away from the beach.

8. Which happens first?

a. The metal detector beeps alarmingly.

b. The magnetic waves hit metal and change.

c. The magnetic waves go through the ground.

d. The metal detector creates magnetic waves.

9. How did metal detectors get better over time?

a. They became cheaper.

b. They became lighter.

c. They began working better

d. All of these
10. Which title would best describe the purpose of this text?

a. A Day at the Beach: Using Your Metal Detector to Find Things

b. Metal Detectors: a Complete the Story of Their Invention

c. Magnetism and More: How a Metal Detector Works

d. Metal Detectors: What They Do and How We Use Them

ANSWERS (METAL DETECTORS)

1. D

2. B

3. C

4. A

5. B

6. B

7. C

8. D

9. D

10. D