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Read this passage carefully, then answer the questions that follow.

How Minerva Saved A City

1. The sea that broke in surf on the shore of Attica became suddenly as smooth
2. as a floor of crystal. Over it, as if he had leaped from the caverns of rock in its
3. depths, dashed Neptune, the god of the sea, his trident held high, his horses'
4. golden manes flowing in the wind, and their bronze hoofs scarcely touching
5. the water as they galloped toward the shore.
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6. At the same moment a war-like goddess appeared on the edge of the land.
7. She was as tall and strong as Mars, the destructive god, but her armour shone
8. like gold while his was often tarnished. She held the storm shield of her father,
9. Jupiter and carried a dart of lightning for her spear. Minerva, the other god of
10. war, she was, as fearful and powerful as a storm, but also as gentle and
11. peaceful as the warmth of the sky when it shines down on the fields when the
12 storm is over.
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13. "Why have Neptune and Minerva met?" the fishermen and sailors who
14. crowded the beach asked.
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15. "They have come together for a contest to see which shall have the honour of
16. building a City," some of the wise men told them, and then these Greeks drew
17. aside and waited to see what would happen, for with them was to rest the
18. judgment in the matter.
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19. Neptune drove his chariot up onto the land, dismounted, and blew a mighty
20. blast on his trumpet to call the nymphs of the waters and the spirits of the
21. winds to his aid. Then he ascended to a barren rock that lifted its head above
22. the surrounding hills, bleak and without a single blade of grass to soften it.
23. The Greeks watched Neptune breathlessly as he stood on its top, a mighty
24. figure in his cloak of dripping seaweed and the white of sea salt in his flowing,
25. dark green hair. He raised his trident, struck the rocks with it, and the age-old
26. stone cracked in a deep fissure. Out of the crack in the rock burst a spring of
27. water where there had been not a drop through all the centuries before.
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28. "Neptune wins! None of the gods can excel this feat of bringing water out of
29. bare rock," the cry went up from the people.
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30. But Minerva ascended now to this rock of the Acropolis and took her place
31. beside Neptune. She, also, touched the barren stone with her spear that was
32. forged and tempered by the gods. And as she did so, a marvel resulted to her
33. honour as well.
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34. The green shoot of a tree suddenly appeared, pushing its way up through the
35. hard stone. The shoot grew tall and broadened to form a trunk and branches,
36. and then covered itself with grey-green leaves that made a pleasant shade
37. from the brilliancy of the sun. Last, this wonder tree was hung on every
38. branch with a strange new fruit, green balls of delicious flavour and full of oil
39. that was healthful and healing and needed by the whole world.
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40. The Greeks broke their ranks and gathered about the tree to taste and enjoy
41. the fruit.
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42. "Minerva wins!" they shouted. "Neptune's spring here in the Acropolis is like
43. the sea, brackish in flavour, but Minerva has given Greece the olive tree.”
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44. That is just what had happened. Minerva had given the people something
45. that they really needed, and the fair city of Athens was raised and awarded to
46. this goddess of war as the prize of her kindness to the people.
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47. But Neptune proved himself a very poor loser. He was a blustering, boastful
48. old god, used from the days of his father Saturn, when the waters were first
49. separated from the land, to having his own way. He had wanted to own
50. Athens himself, to be able to go and come in it whenever he liked. Neptune
51. stormed down to the shore, blew another blast on his trumpet, and called all
52. the mystical deities of the sea and of tempests to come to his aid and destroy
53. the city.
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54. What an army they made as they obeyed his summons! Triton, a son of
55. Neptune, led the hosts and sounded the horn of battle as they approached
56. the land, and all around him flew the Harpies, those birds as large as men
57. with crooked claws and a hunger for human flesh. There were sea serpents
58. that could crush a man with a single coil, and Boreas, the North Wind, drove
59. the regiment of the high tides up on the coast. With these powers of the sea
60. came a mighty rushing of water, and it seemed as if neither Athens or its
61. people would be able to survive this arising of the sea.
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62. But Minerva, the goddess of righteous, defensive war was there and on the
63. side of the Greeks. She presided over battles, but only to lead on to victory
64. and through victory to peace and prosperity. Few could withstand the straight
65. glance of Minerva's eyes, valiant, conquering and terrifying, or the sight of her
66. gloriously emblazoned shield. As the powers of Neptune advanced, Minerva
67. raised her shield, and the tides rested and the waters receded. Then she
68. drove the forces of Neptune back at the point of her spear, and Athens was
69. saved.
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© English Weekly Worksheet 2

Answer the following questions based only on the information in the passage.
You should look back in the passage and select the best answer by marking it on
your answer sheet.
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1
“The sea that broke in surf on the shore of Attica became suddenly as
smooth as a floor of crystal.” (lines 1-2)
In this sentence, there is an example of:

A metaphor
B juxtaposition
C similie
D personification
E alliteration
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2
How did Minerva differ from Mars?

A Minerva was more savage than Mars

B Minerva did not possess a weapon
C Minerva was a deity
D Minerva's armour had greater polish
E Minerva was known for war
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3
What do you think Minerva's storm shield symbolises?

A her stormy personality

B her mystical power
C her desire to protect people
D her compassion for others
E her determination to win

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4
Which of the following statements best describes Minerva's nature?

A She was calm yet frightening

B She was impatient and temperamental
C She was merciless and bloodthirsty
D She was timid and reserved
E She was deceitful and vengeful
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5
Why did Minerva and Neptune meet on this occasion?

A so that the they could debate

B so that the new city could be built in their honour
C to provide aid to the people of the city
D to engage in a bloody battle
E they happened to meet by chance
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6
Which of the following best describes the rock on which Minerva and
Neptune met?

A desolate, low-lying flat-rock

B large with little vegetation
C imposing with ample flora
D fertile with a single fruiting tree
E towering, exposed lump of rock

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How did the fishermen and sailors react to Neptune’s presence?

7 A They were uninterested as they were awaiting Minerva
B They were moderately entertained by his tricks
C They were lacklustre as he did not fulfil any of their needs
D They were tense as they did not know what he would do
E They were awe-inspired by his fearsome stature
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8
Which of the following statements about Neptune is NOT true?

A He was an upright god

B He had a son
C He has a great physical presence
D He possesed a seaweed cloak
E He was egotistical
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9
Which of the following statements is true?

A Neptune is son of Jupiter

B The horses galloped just above the water
C The horses had flowing bronze manes
D The goddess of war rode in on a horse
E Minerva was goddess of destructive war

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Why did the people choose Minerva as the winner?

10 A They thought that she was friendlier than Neptune
B Neptune had been far too arrogant
C They needed someone who could defend the city from Neptune
D They saw greater value in her gift than Neptune's
E Minerva looked more physically impressive that Neptune
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What type of tree did Minerva grow?
11 A apple
B avocado
C olive
D lime
E It is not mentioned
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12
"strange new fruit, green balls of delicious flavour..." (line 38)
What is this an example of?

A metaphor
B foreshadowing
C alliteration
D similie
E repetition

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13
What do you think it means when the Greeks "broke their ranks" (line 40)

A They failed to remain in line

B They hurt their backs
C They were extremely excited
D They broke the silence
E They broke their promise
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If Saturn is Jupiter’s father, then what is Minerva’s relation to Neptune?
14 A She is Neptune's daughter
B She is Neptune's aunt
C She is Neptune's niece
D She is Neptune's sister
E She is Neptune's daughter-in-law
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15
Why did Neptune blow his trumpet?

1. To announce his arrival

2. To call for military back-up
3. To create a fissure
4. To intimidate his opponent

A 1 and 2
B 1 and 3
C 1, 2 and 3
D 1, 2 and 4
E Only 2

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English Weekly Worksheet 2

16
Roughly, how tall are the Harpies?

A 3 feet tall
B 4 feet tall
C 5 feet tall
D 6 feet tall
E 7 feet tall
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17
Who came to Neptune’s aid to destroy Athens?

1. The Harpies
2. The sea serpents
3. Saturn
4. Boreas
5. Triton
A 1 and 2
B 1, 2 and 3
C 1, 2 and 5
D 1, 2, 4 and 5
E Only 3
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18
prosperity tempests brilliancy
What type of words are these?

A adverb
B noun
C adjective
D verb
E determiner

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19
Which of these is closest in meaning to "fissure"? (line 26)

A thud
B crevice
C power
D sound
E fusion
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20
Which of these is closest in meaning to "valiant"? (line 65)

A chilling
B calm
C viscious
D virtuous
E heroic

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