HE, in fact, Dr Smith told me, loved the people of this country and understood their language and manners in a very unusual degree. He was on terms of close friendship with Zalim Singh of Kotah, and has left a name there as honourable as in Udaipur.* His misfortune was that, in consequence of his favouring the native princes so much, the Government of Calcutta were led to suspect him of corruption, and consequently to narrow his powers and associate other officers with him in his trust, till he was disgusted and resigned his place. They are now, I believe, well satisfied that their suspicions were groundless. Captain Tod is strenuously vindicated from the charge by all the officers with whom I have conversed, and some of whom have had abundant means of knowing what the natives themselves thought of him.*
Spelling modernised
This friendship was a source of controversy, when Kishah Singh rebelled against Zalim, and accused Tod of playing favourites. Tod’s superior, the colourful Massachusetts-born Major-general Sir David Ochterlony (1758-1825), British Resident to the Mughal court at Delhi, took the complaint as an opportunity to strip Tod of some of his responsibilities — the dislike was mutual, fuelled in part by Ochterlony’s idolising of the Mughal Emperors and Tod’s conviction that they had oppressed the Rajputs. As a consequence, Tod tended to appeal over Ochterolony’s head to Calcutta, which made things worse.
Reginald Heber was the Church of England’s Bishop of Calcutta from 1822 to his sudden death in 1826. He is best known today as the author of the hymns ‘Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning’ (1811) and ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty’ (1826).
Précis
Heber explained that he had heard less than favourable accounts of Tod from the Government back in Calcutta, but that what he was hearing in Udaipur confirmed what he had already come to believe, that the rumours of corruption were unfounded, and revealed more about those who resented Tod’s enduring popularity with Indians than about Tod himself. (57 / 60 words)
Heber explained that he had heard less than favourable accounts of Tod from the Government back in Calcutta, but that what he was hearing in Udaipur confirmed what he had already come to believe, that the rumours of corruption were unfounded, and revealed more about those who resented Tod’s enduring popularity with Indians than about Tod himself.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, despite, just, may, otherwise, ought, unless, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Narrow. Other. Subsequent.
2 Quiet. Society. Thought.
3 Favor. Grind. Poor.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
scrs (6+2)
saucers. scares. scars. scores. scours. secures.
screes. sucrose.
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