Reading

Napoleon Bonaparte

Ways with Words

A. Choose the correct meaning of the underlined word.

a. Many portraits of Napoleon show him with his right hand placed inside his coat.
Ans: sketch

b. Napoleon won one victory after another, defeating the Austrians in eighteen battles.
Ans: beating

c. Portrait painters thought this pose made men look more dignified.
Ans: good-looking

d. They announced France a republic.
Ans: official declared

e. Napoleon conquered Austria in 1805.
Ans: triumphed over

f. There was no place to house his soldiers in the bitter Russian winter.
Ans: cold

g. Napoleon was humiliated when he was defeated.
Ans: shamed

B. Guess the meanings to these words from the text. Check in your dictionary and make sentences of your own.

Words	Meaning	Sentence
violent	causing hurt	She thought the film far too violent to show to children.
execute	kill somebody as a legal punishment	The prisoners were executed by firing squad.
ancient	very old	This philosophy dates back to ancient Greece.
alliance	a group of countries, political parties, or people who have agreed to work together because of shared interests or aims	NATO is sometimes called the Atlantic Alliance.
brilliant	very intelligent or skillful	His brother is brilliant at football.
genius	very great and rare natural ability or skill	Einstein was a mathematical genius.
consul	an official appointed by a state and is the representative of his or her country in a foreign city	His mother was a confidential secretary to the Russian Consul.
invading	entering a country by force with large number of soldiers in order to take control of it	Arthur tried to seize Poitou while Philip Augustus was invading Normandy.

D. Find the meanings of the following noun phrases and use them in sentences. 

Words	Meaning	Sentence
Vice-President	an official or executive ranking below and deputizing for a president	Vice-President resigned office at the restoration.
Editor-in-Chief	publication’s editorial leader	The editor in chief embroidered the original story beyond recognition.
Deputy Editor-in-Chief	editing professional who may work in print, Internet, or video media	Jones was named editor in chief of HarperCollins Publishers four months ago.
Deputy-Mayor	an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.	The power to appoint the deputy mayor from the assembly gives the mayor unacceptable patronage.
Joint-secretary	a person elected as Joint Secretary of the Alumni, under the constitution.	Joint-secretary has been arrested due to bribary.
Under-Secretary	a subordinate official, in particular	She served as under-secretary of state for health and social care
Deputy-Prime Minister	a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent.	The deputy prime minister presides and chairs the cabinet in the absence of prime minister.
Vice-Chancellor	a deputy chancellor who discharges most of its administrative duties.	Two years later he was appointed vice-chancellor, in which capacity he served until his death.
Attorney-general	the principal legal officer who represents the Crown or a state in legal proceedings and gives legal advice to the government.	He was elected state attorney general in 1932, and served until becoming governor in 1937.
Ex-president	a former president	The ex president invested in it all his available property, but paid no attention to the management of the business.
Sub-editor	a person who checks and makes changes to texts, especially for a newspaper	Vaughan came to know him at St Bede’s and had invited him to become sub-editor of The Tablet in 1895.
co-author	a joint author	He is also co-author of a recent book on critical thinking for students of medicine.

Comprehension

Answer these questions.

a. Where was Napoleon from?
Ans: Napoleon was from France.

b. Why did poor and middle-class people declare France a republic?
Ans: They were tired of paying heavy taxes for the luxurious life of the king and his nobles so, poor and middle-class people declare French a republic.

c. When did Napoleon declare himself emperor of France?
Ans: Napoleon declared himself emperor of France in 1804.

d. What did he do when he ruled France?
Ans: He restored law and order after the revolution. He recognized the French government and the Bank of France. He built many fine roads and improved the old ones. He turned Paris into a beautiful city with wide streets, fine bridges, and beautiful buildings and monuments, such as the Arc de Triomphe. More importantly, he improved the laws.

e. Which countries did he rule when he was the emperor?
Ans: He ruled Italy, Switzerland and Germany, when he was the emperor.

f. What was the main cause of his destruction?
Ans: The main cause of his destruction was Invasion of Russia.

g. How did his rule as emperor end in Europe?
Ans: His rule as emperor end in Europe by gathering the Armies.

h. How could Napoleon have been an even greater ruler?
Ans: If he hadn’t been driven by his love of power Napoleon has been an even greater ruler.

Critical Thinking

a. What can be the qualities of a great leader? Can a great leader remain in power for long in a country? Discuss
Ans: The world is full of successful political leaders but unfortunately, very few live up to the leadership ideals. In fact, many political leaders lack the most important leadership qualities. History – and present day – shows that there are still a few who came closer to the leadership ethics, and are good examples of an impressive political leader.

Qualities of a good political leader:

1. accountability
2. Honesty
3. Compassion
4. Integrity
5. Flexibility
6. Confidence   

b. The 16th of the USA, Abraham Lincoln said democracy is government of the people for the people and by the people. Do you think it is perfectly applicable in the present context of Nepal? Explain.
Ans: Nepal is still immature in terms of practicing democracy. Though the constitution ensures the idea of collective-decision making which lets all the people participate equally, isn’t practically applied. In the present contact, the political system Abraham Lincoln imagined isn’t applicable in Nepal as corruption, paralyzed constitutional and governmental institutions, illiteracy and poverty are the major threats to it.

Democratic norms and values depend on the proper function of constitutions organs and governmental institutions. They have been crippled by a certain group of people. The role of bureaucracy is important to run the administration smoothly so that the development strategies could be easily executed. But the corrupt bureaucracy don’t do their jobs without bribe and they are supported by the political leaders. Nepalese people have never experienced a responsible, accountable government. The government institutions have been the victims of nepotism and favoritism.

Illiteracy and poverty are long standing problems in our country. Recent data reveals that Nepal is improving its literacy rate. However, the remarkable population is illiterate. They are more likely to follow the crowd and get on bandwagon. Due to this incapability, they can be easily influenced by the political leaders. Ultimately, the leaders are able to hold the power and misuse it. On the other hand, people’s hunger presents an opportunity for opportunist parties to exploit poor people’s political freedom. They offer monetary help or promise to uplift the standard of living in exchange for a vote. The election then goes to the hand of such leaders.

Even developed countries are facing the challenges for the application of democratic principles. In the countries like Nepal, it has been more difficult for institutionalization of democracy. To strengthen democratic principles, all the constitutional bodies, government institutions and citizens should be responsible.  

Grammar

B. Fill in the blanks with may, must or can’t.

a. Matthew must be at home. I can see his bike in front of his home.

b. They may be coming tomorrow.

c. She can’t speak French very well. She’s only lived in Paris for two weeks.

d. My key is not in my pocket or on my desk so it must be in the drawer.

e. I saw him yesterday. He can’t be abroad.

f. You got the job? That’s great. You must be very delighted.

g. I may finish it by tomorrow if I stay at work all night, but I’m not sure.

h. Somebody is knocking on the door. It must be Sabina – she promised to come today.

C. Rewrite the following sentences using may/might, must or can’t.

a. I’m sure he’s not going to the cinema today.
Ans: He can’t be going to the cinema today.

b. Perhaps she knows the answer.
Ans: She may know the answer.

c. I’m sure he has a car.
Ans: He must have a car.

d. I doubt if it rains later on.
Ans: It may rain later on.

e. Perhaps she wants to be alone.
Ans: She may want to be alone.

f. I’m sure Harina is in her office.
Ans: Harina must be in her office.