Introduction
In 1821, the people of Greece rose up against the Ottoman Empire that had conquered the ailing Roman Empire and its dependent territories in 1453. Life under the Turkish yoke had been hard, and John Kapodistrias, the man chosen by the Greeks in 1827 to lead their newly liberated nation, faced daunting problems of industry and education, but on his first arrival he had a more pressing issue: food.
SIR Walter Raleigh is said to have introduced potatoes to Elizabethan England, and Antoine-Augustin Parmentier is synonymous with their cultivation in 18th century France. In the case of Greece, the credit must go to John Kapodistrias, the country’s first Head of State following the revolution of 1821.1
When he arrived in his temporary capital, Nafplion, in 1828, after a distinguished career in the Russian diplomatic service, he found a country that four centuries of Turkish occupation had left dispirited, bankrupt and hungry.
Following Parmentier’s lead, the new Governor saw potatoes as the answer, and left piles of them for Greek farmers to take away and plant in their empty fields. The farmers, however, suspecting some trick, would not touch them.
So Kapodistrias placed the piles of unwanted potatoes under armed guard.
The farmers now suspected the potatoes were a delicacy reserved for the rich, and began to steal them while the guards pretended not to notice. Soon, not a single one was left.
1 See posts tagged Greek War of Independence (11). The Greeks were aided in their bid for independence by both Russia and the United Kingdom.
Précis
After the Greek revolution, the new Governor of Greece, John Kapodistrias, issued free potatoes to the farmers to help the starving nation, but potatoes were new to them and they were distrustful. However, when Kapodistrias placed an armed guard on the stores, the farmers concluded the potatoes must be a delicacy and greedily took them, just as Kapodistrias had hoped. (60 / 60 words)
After the Greek revolution, the new Governor of Greece, John Kapodistrias, issued free potatoes to the farmers to help the starving nation, but potatoes were new to them and they were distrustful. However, when Kapodistrias placed an armed guard on the stores, the farmers concluded the potatoes must be a delicacy and greedily took them, just as Kapodistrias had hoped.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, besides, may, not, ought, since, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
1Sevens 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.
2Jigsaws 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.
3Spinners 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 Delicacy. Go. Leave.
2 Capital. Governor. Would.
3 Country. Credit. However.
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.)
4High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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