| Reading Comprehension 2
The Second Anglo-Afghan War II.
Paragraph 5)
Everyone in Europe expected a swift Russian victory for her armies were larger, better trained and equipped and marched with the zeal of liberators. They were rudely surprised at the siege Plevna in Bulgaria where a determined Turkish army held out against a combined Russo-Rumanian force. Five months and 40,000 Russian and Rumanian lives later, the defences of Plevna were breached and the town fell. The Russian armies pushed south and Turkish resistance rapidly fell away. In the late winter of 1877 the Tsar's troops halted a mere two days march from Constantinople and as the Russian advance guard looked down into the waters of the Dardenelles, they saw to their horror, the masts of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet. It had been sent by Disraeli to protect the capital of the Ottoman's and therefore British interests in the Levant. The message was stark and simple, "Go no further, or risk war with Great Britain."
Paragraph 6)
The Russians, having been beaten by the British just over twenty years before in the Crimean War, climbed down and brought the fighting with Turkey to an end. They had, however, in the discussions which ended the war, secured large parts of Eastern Anatolia for themselves and forced the Turks to recognize the independence of Bulgaria. This was unacceptable to Britain who feared that an independent Bulgaria would become, in effect, a Russian satellite and provide the Tsar's armies with a direct land route to the Mediterranean and the ability to menace Britain's communications with India. The British government moved troops from India to Malta and with the support of Austria-Hungary (who had her own reasons for opposing Russian influence in the Balkans) prepared for a war to force Russian withdrawal. War was only averted by the calling of a great congress that was held in Berlin in 1878 under the supervision of the German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. The Congress of Berlin swiftly revised the treaty Russian power had earlier imposed on the Turks and everyone seemed to be happy with the new revisions - everyone but the Russians. Most of the territory the Turks had lost was returned to them, Austria-Hungary was given control of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Britain awarded Cyprus. Russia made limited territorial gains. The Russians, understandably, felt cheated.
Paragraph 7)
A thousand miles to the east of Constantinople General Kaufman, the Russian military governor of Turkestan, had found both his anglophobia and ambition stimulated by the events in the Balkans. As the war against Turkey proceeded, Kaufman had foreseen the possibility of British intervention and had begun to gather his forces. He assembled an army of over 30,000 men, the largest force ever assembled by the Russians in Central Asia, and planned to lead it in an invasion of British India as soon as war broke out between Russia and Britain. His planned invasion route was to advance into Afghanistan, march to Kabul and then over the Khyber pass into the valley of the Indus and the fertile plains of the Punjab. In order to facilitate the passage of his troops through Afghanistan a military mission commanded by Major-General Nikolai Stolietov was to proceed to Kabul and if not induce the Amir of Afghanistan into signing a treaty, to at least get his co-operation in the Russian attack on India.
Paragraph 8)
With the end of the Russo-Turkish War, Kaufman's planned invasion was cancelled but, even as the Congress of Berlin was debating the future of the Balkans, he allowed Stolietov's mission to go ahead anyway. Why he did this is uncertain. Perhaps he felt such a venture would provide information that might prove useful in the future. More likely he simply wished to irritate the British, who had just shown once again their ability to thwart Russian ambitions. Whatever the reason, Stolietov and his staff set off with an escort of 250 cossack cavalrymen and after an uneventful journey reached Kabul, capital of Sher Ali, the Amir of Afghanistan. The Afghans later claimed to have tried to halt Stolietov at the border, but had been threatened with dire consequences if they refused him permission to enter. Sher Ali's favourite son had just died, another unfavoured son, Yakub Khan, was under house arrest in Kabul and a nephew, Abdur Rahman, was living under Russian protection in Turkestan. The Amir was bluntly told that if he refused to accede to Russian demands, they would actively support Abdur Rahman's claim to the throne. Stolietov stayed in Kabul until August, concluded his business and then returned to Taskhent, leaving behind a promise that 30,000 Russian troops would come to the Amir's aid if he experienced 'difficulties' with the British.
Paragraph 9)
The British were not amused. All their nightmares of Russian hordes pouring through the Khyber Pass and into India seemed to be coming true. To counter this new Russian influence in Kabul and secure India's vulnerable north-west frontier, the Viceroy of India, Lord Lytton, decided to send a similar British mission to Kabul and undo the supposed mischief of Stolietov. Major Louis Cavagnari was chosen to lead the mission and escorted by 250 troopers of the Corps of Guides set out for the Afghan border post of Torkham. Cavagnari was refused permission to enter Afghanistan and this rebuff confirmed the British in their belief that the Russians were intent on controlling Kabul as a prelude to an invasion of India. An ultimatum was sent to Sher Ali. It was ignored and in November three columns of British troops invaded Afghanistan for the second time in 40 years.
1) What is the topic of paragraph 5?
a) The Russian attack on Turkey.
b) A swift Russian victory.
c) The siege of Plevna.
d) The Mediterranean Fleet.
2) Choose the meaning closest to 'zeal' in paragraph 5.
a) happiness
b) great enthusiasm
c) cruelty
d) excitement
3) What does the word 'They' in sentence 2 of paragraph 5 refer to?
a) everyone in Europe
b) the Russian armies
c) the Turkish army
d) the Mediterranean fleet
4) What does the word 'they' in sentence 5 of paragraph 5 refer to?
a) everyone in Europe
b) the Turkish army
c) the Russian advance guard
d) the Mediterranean fleet
5) What does the word 'it' in sentence 6 of paragraph 5 refer to?
a) the Russian advance guard
b) the Turkish army
c) the British Government
d) the Mediterranean fleet
6) Choose the meaning closest to 'Levant' in sentence 6 paragraph 5.
a) the lands at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea
b) the lands at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea
c) the islands in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea
d) the far east
7) What is the main idea of paragraph 6?
a) The Russians had been beaten by the British in the Crimean War.
b) The Congress of Berlin was supervised by Bismarck.
c) The gains made by Russia in the war were taken away from her at the Congress of Berlin.
d) Britain was given Cyprus at the Congress of Berlin.
8) Choose the meaning closest to 'secured' in sentence 2 paragraph 6.
a) made safe
b) acquired
c) lost
d) discovered
9) Choose the meaning closest to 'satellite' in sentence 3 paragraph 6.
a) puppet state
b) moon
c) communications device
d) possession
10) What does the word 'them' in sentence 7 of paragraph 6 refer to?
a) the Russians
b) the British
c) the Turks
d) the Austrians
11) Choose the meaning closest to 'ambition' in sentence 1 paragraph 7.
a) greed
b) desire to conquer India
c) desire to improve one's position
d) desire to become rich
12) What is the main idea of paragraph 7?
a) Kaufman was an anglophobe.
b) Kaufman was an ambitious man who wanted to invade India.
c) Kaufman's anglophobia and ambition led him to plan an invasion of India in the event of war with Britian
d) Kaufamn assembled the largest army ever seen in Central Asia.
13) Choose the meaning closest to 'anglophobia' in sentence 1 paragraph 7.
a) hatred of Britain
b) love of Britain
c) jealousy of Britain
d) hatred of mathematics
14) What does the word 'he' in sentence 3 of paragraph 7 refer to?
a) Tsar Alexander
b) Disraeli
c) Constantinople
d) Kaufman
15) What does the word 'it' in sentence 3 of paragraph 7 refer to?
a) the Russian army
b) Turkestan
c) Britain
d) Kabul
16) Choose the meaning closest to 'pass' in sentence 4 paragraph 7.
a) go ahead of
b) a permit to enter
c) a season ticket
d) a way through the mountains
17) Choose the meaning closest to 'facilitate' in sentence 5 paragraph 7.
a) slow down
b) succeed
c) make easier
d) make more difficult
18) What does the word 'his' in sentence 5 of paragraph 7 refer to?
a) Kaufman
b) Stolietov
c) the Amir of Afghanistan
d) Disraeli
19) Choose the meaning closest to 'proceed' in sentence 5 paragraph 7.
a) move forward
b) move backward
c) go before
d) profit
20) Choose the meaning closest to 'induce' in sentence 5 paragraph 7.
a) come to a conclusion
b) lead
c) cause to do something
d) make smaller
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