4000 Essential English Words 4 Unit 28: Thucydides and the Plague of Athens
Question 1 |
Choose the right word for the given definition.
to ask someone to come
A | worsen |
B | scribble |
C | linger |
D | summon |
Question 2 |
Choose the right word for the given definition.
basic
A | verse |
B | riot |
C | avail |
D | fundamental |
Question 3 |
Choose the right word for the given definition.
to get bigger
A | expand |
B | define |
C | stark |
D | organism |
Question 4 |
Choose the right word for the given definition.
to be afraid
A | dread |
B | shrine |
C | random |
D | horrifying |
Question 5 |
Choose the right word for the given definition.
not believing
A | solitude |
B | presently |
C | incredulous |
D | plague |
Question 6 |
Choose the right definition for the given word.
plague
A | a violent reaction |
B | different |
C | a disease |
D | without reason |
Question 7 |
Choose the right definition for the given word.
solitude
A | being alone |
B | success |
C | afraid |
D | right now |
Question 8 |
Choose the right definition for the given word.
define
A | to last a longtime |
B | to get bigger |
C | to explain clearly |
D | to make easier |
Question 9 |
Choose the right definition for the given word.
organism
A | a religious building |
B | a living thing |
C | not believing |
D | to send for |
Question 10 |
Choose the right definition for the given word.
horrifying
A | to get worse |
B | basic |
C | to write quickly |
D | very unpleasant |
Question 11 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
There was a _____ in the city yesterday, but the _____ was not damaged.
A | shrine / riot |
B | riot / shrine |
Question 12 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
For the book report, I _____ the book and clearly _____ the author's purpose for writing it.
A | paraphrased / defined |
B | defined / paraphrased |
Question 13 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
There are 15 members in the group _____, but I expect that number to _____.
A | expand / presently |
B | presently / expand |
Question 14 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
His attempt to catch the train was to no _____ . He spent hours in _____ waiting for the next one.
A | avail / solitude |
B | solitude / avail |
Question 15 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
The _____ point of my speech was to show that people need to act. If we don’t do something, things will _____.
A | fundamental / worsen |
B | worsen / fundamental |
Question 16 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
I tried to _____ the information as fast as I could because I didn’t have time to _____.
A | linger / scribble |
B | scribble / linger |
Question 17 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
After seeing that _____ plane crash, I _____ flying.
A | dreaded / horrifying |
B | horrifying / dreaded |
Question 18 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
She was _____ that there could be such a _____ contrast between boys' and girls' grades.
A | incredulous / stark |
B | stark / incredulous |
Question 19 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
We should _____ scientists from around the world to study this new _____.
A | organism / summon |
B | summon / organism |
Question 20 |
Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.
At first, we thought _____ people were getting sick. Then we realized that a _____ was spreading.
A | plague / random |
B | random / plague |
Question 21 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
Presently, a horrifying plague has broken out in Athens.
A | TRUE |
B | FALSE |
Question 22 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
At first, people thought the spread of the disease was random.
A | TRUE |
B | FALSE |
Question 23 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
The people summoned doctors to no avail.
A | TRUE |
B | FALSE |
Question 24 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
Thucydides was incredulous that the plague was caused by an organism.
A | TRUE |
B | FALSE |
Question 25 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
By gathering in shrines, people made the plague worse.
A | TRUE |
B | FALSE |
Question 26 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
Thucydides luckily survived the plague.
A | TRUE |
B | FALSE |
Question 27 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
Why did Athens’ population expand?
A | Because the army moved into the city |
B | Because people were hiding from the army |
C | Because the army told people to enter |
D | Because people dreaded the plague |
Question 28 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
Thucydides scribbled quickly because ______.
A | there were so many riots |
B | he had to define the disease |
C | he thought he’d die soon |
D | there were too many sick people |
Question 29 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
What fundamental lesson did the people learn?
A | The plague was a punishment |
B | The plague was ended in the shrines. |
C | The plague was from the army. |
D | The plague was spread between people. |
Question 30 |
THUCYDIDES AND THE PLAGUE OF ATHENS
Thucydides was the world’s first historian. Presently, we get most of our knowledge about ancient Greece from his writing. But Thucydides didn’t just write about history, he lived through it. However, he almost didn’t survive one historical event: the Plague of Athens.
In 430 BCE, an army attacked the city of Athens, where Thucydides lived. Thousands of people hid from the army behind Athens’ large walls. The city became very crowded as the population expanded. Then a horrifying disease broke out. People summoned doctors. But it was to no avail because no one understood how the disease spread. It seemed random. They didn’t know that it was an organism. Instead, they defined disease as a punishment from their gods. Thucydides was incredulous that gods caused the plague, but he explained why others believed it. There was an old, long verse which predicted the disease. To paraphrase it, the verse said the gods would send a disease during a war. As a result, large crowds gathered at shrines to ask the gods to stop the plague. But the situation only worsened because these people were so close to each other they became sick. That’s how they learned a fundamental lesson about the plague: it spread from person to person.
People wanted to leave the crowded city, but they dreaded what the army outside would do to them. At this time, Thucydides got sick, too. He quickly scribbled down notes because he thought he would soon die. His writing shows a stark contrast between people’s behavior before and during the plague. There were riots, and people ignored laws. They didn’t think they’d live long enough to be punished. Many sick people were left to die in solitude because no one wanted to be near them. The plague lingered for two years. But luckily, Thucydides survived. Without his writing, we would know much less about ancient Greece and the Plague of Athens.
What is NOT true of Thucydides?
A | He was the world’s first historian. |
B | He thought gods caused the plague. |
C | He survived the Plague of Athens. |
D | He lived in the city of Athens. |
⇦ |
List |
⇨ |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
End |
Word List
- avail [əˈveil] n.
Avail is help. It is often used in the achievement of a goal.
→ His studying was to no avail because he failed the test.
- expand [iksˈpænd] v.
To expand is to become bigger in size.
→ A balloon will expand as you blow air into it.
- define [diˈfain] v.
To define means to clearly state, show, or explain what something is.
→ People define success in many different ways.
- dread [dread] v.
To dread is to be afraid of something that could, or is going to, happen.
→ I dread the idea that I will not get into college.
- fundamental [ˌfʌndəˈmentl] adj.
If something is fundamental, it is a basic part of something.
→ The fundamental rules of basketball are easy.
- horrifying [ˈhɔ:rəfaiŋ] adj.
If something is horrifying, it is frightening and very unpleasant.
→ There was a horrifying car accident today.
- incredulous [inˈkredjələs] adj.
If someone is incredulous about something, they do not believe that it is true.
→ She was incredulous that monkeys could ever drive a car.
- linger [ˈliŋgər] v.
To linger is to last for a long time.
→ The smell of fresh cookies lingered in the bakery.
- organism [ˈɔːrgənizəm] n.
An organism is a living thing, especially a very small one.
→ We studied the organism on the microscope.
- paraphrase [ˈpærəfreiz] v.
To paraphrase is to make someone else’s writing or speech shorter.
→ The students were asked to paraphrase the story they just heard.
- plague [pleig] n.
A plague is a serious disease that quickly spreads to many people.
→ A plague in Europe killed millions of people.
- presently [ˈprezəntli] adv.
If something happens presently, it is happening right now.
→ Presently, our profits are good, but by next year we can do even better.
- random [ˈrændəm] adj.
If something is random, it happens without any pattern or reason.
→ Young children often ask random questions.
- riot [ˈraiət] n.
A riot is a crowd that reacts to bad news by violently breaking laws.
→ A riot broke out after the candidate lost the election.
- scribble [ˈskribəl] v.
To scribble is to write something quickly without caring about how it looks.
→ I scribbled a rough diagram of our plan and gave it to him.
- shrine [ʃrain] n.
A shrine is a religious building built to honor a person, event, or god.
→ He prayed at the shrine for an hour.
- solitude [ˈsɒlitjuːd] n.
Solitude is the state of being totally alone.
→ John lives a life of solitude because he doesn’t get along well with people.
- stark [stɑːrk] adj.
If a contrast is stark, then the things being compared are utterly different.
→ There is a stark contrast between their test scores.
- summon [ˈsʌmən] v.
To summon a person is to ask them to come to you.
→ We summoned the doctor as soon as we noticed she was sick.
- worsen [ˈwəːrsən] v.
To worsen is to get worse.
→ The weather suddenly worsened, and we had to stay inside.