Unit 18: The Soldier’s Decision

4000 Essential English Words 5 » Unit 18: The Soldier’s Decision

Word List

aggressive [əˈgresiv] adj.

If someone is aggressive, then they constantly want to fight.

→ Nobody liked to play games with him because he was always too aggressive.
amnesty [ˈӕmnəsti] n.

Amnesty is a pardon given to prisoners of war.

→ She was denied amnesty for her involvement in the war.
arena [əˈriːnə] n.

An arena is a building where people can watch sports and concerts.

→ The new arena was all set to hold the championship match.
auditorium [ˌɔːdiˈtɔːriəm] n.

An auditorium is a large building used for public events.

→ People have gathered at the school auditorium to watch the play.
captive [ˈkæptiv] n.

A captive is a prisoner.

→ The guards told the captive that there was no way he could escape the prison.
combat [ˈkɒmbæt] n.

Combat is fighting between two people or groups.

→ The two warriors were locked in combat.
commonplace [ˈkɒmənpleis] adj.

If something is commonplace, then it is ordinary.

→ There is nothing commonplace about the way Morris dresses.
compound [ˈkɒmpaund] n.

A compound is an enclosed area such as a prison or factory.

→ The workers waited outside the compound for the gates to the factory to open.
corps [kɔːr] n.

A corps is a division of a military force.

→ The army had a corps of archers who trained apart from the regular soldiers.
distract [disˈtrækt] v.

To distract someone means to stop them from concentrating on something.

→ The phone call distracted him so much that he forgot all about his homework.
dumb [dʌm] adj.

If someone is dumb, they are unable to speak.

→ She did not share the secret. She remained silent as if she were dumb.
foe [fou] n.

A foe is an enemy or opponent.

→ It was hard to believe that anyone could be his foe.
hack [hæk] v.

To hack something means to cut it into uneven pieces.

→ My uncle used the ax to hack the tree into many logs.
meditate [ˈmedəteit] v.

To meditate means to focus or think deeply in silence.

→ She liked to meditate for several hours of each day.
nick [nik] v.

To nick someone means to cut them slightly with a sharp object.

→ While cutting the carrots, the cook nicked his finger with the edge of his knife.
provoke [prəˈvouk] v.

To provoke someone means to annoy them on purpose to cause violence.

→ The older boy provoked Paul by calling him mean names.
realm [relm] n.

A realm is any area of activity or interest.

→ He was not very active in the realm of business.
reign [rein] n.

A reign is the period of time in which a ruler rules.

→ The emperor’s reign lasted for only two years.
rust [rʌst] n.

Rust is a red and brown coating on iron objects caused by water and air.

→ The old metal gate would not swing because the hinges were covered in rust.
sacred [ˈseikrid] adj.

If something is sacred, then it is worshipped and respected.

→ One religion in India will not harm cows because it believes that they are sacred.

Exercise 1

Choose the answer that best fits the question.

Who would most likely serve in a corps?
- a. A teacher
- b. A baby
- c. A minister
- d. A soldier
What would you find near a compound?
- a. A fence
- b. A napkin
- c. A parade
- d. A computer program
Which would you most likely see in an auditorium?
- a. A shark
- b. A river
- c. A crowd
- d. Birds
Who would most likely be involved in combat?
- a. A warrior
- b. A teacher
- c. A swimmer
- d. A dancer
Which of the following is a dumb thing to do?
- a. To go swimming
- b. To chop wood
- c. To play with matches
- d. To trim your fingernails

Exercise 2

Choose the one that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

foe
- a. shovel
- b. friend
- c. room
- d. thumb
amnesty
- a. education
- b. prison
- c. energy
- d. highway
combat
- a. peace
- b. brush
- c. carpet
- d. bird
sacred
- a. brave
- b. better
- c. evil
- d. warm
distract
- a. increase
- b. pretend
- c. return
- d. focus
dumb
- a. kind
- b. wrong
- c. loud
- d. hurt
commonplace
- a. unusual
- b. fresh
- c. pleasant
- d. actual
hack
- a. mend
- b. sneeze
- c. blame
- d. dig
aggressive
- a. smart
- b. tall
- c. calm
- d. young
provoke
- a. mash
- b. burn
- c. tire
- d. soothe

Exercise 3

Choose the one that is similar in meaning to the given word.

realm
- a. lunch
- b. area
- c. gown
- d. idea
auditorium
- a. market
- b. assembly hall
- c. music
- d. present
rust
- a. morning
- b. speed
- c. truth
- d. decay
corps
- a. basin
- b. troop
- c. pace
- d. image
meditate
- a. think
- b. bake
- c. swim
- d. sweep
compound
- a. garbage
- b. pasture
- c. kilogram
- d. camp
reign
- a. bath
- b. snow
- c. rule
- d. chalk
arena
- a. stadium
- b. boulder
- c. camera
- d. believable
nick
- a. scratch
- b. choice
- c. grain
- d. glove
captive
- a. challenge
- b. motor
- c. prisoner
- d. ticket

Exercise 4

Write C if the italicized word is used correctly. Write I if the word is used incorrectly.

______ The arena was filled with adoring fans.
______ The wooden fence was covered in a thick layer of rust.
______ His reign only lasted three years before he became sick and passed away.
______ You will like Jack. You both have so much commonplace together.
______ Her perfume was too strong. I was distracted by it during the meeting.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

d
a
c
a
c

Exercise 2

b
b
a
c
d
c
a
a
c
d

Exercise 3

b
b
d
b
a
d
c
a
a
c

Exercise 4

C
I
C
I
C

Answer Key

The Soldier’s Decision

A soldier was captured while fighting in an enemy king’s land. It was well known that this king would make captives fight one another. This was commonplace during his reign. For these fights, the king had built several large arenas. He often awarded the winners by setting them free or even having them join his elite army corps.

The soldier, however, decided he had seen too much violence. He now felt that all life was sacred. The night before his first match, he made a risky decision. He decided that he would not engage in combat. He knew he may never be set free, but it was a decision that he was willing to accept.

In the morning, he was led from the prisoners’ compound to one of the king’s arenas. A gate coated in rust stood between him and the auditorium’s floor. He was worried, but he knew what he had to do.

When the gate opened, he calmly walked to the center of the arena and sat. He started to meditate. His foe Darius, who was skilled in the realm of sword fighting and was typically not very aggressive, would not fight the quiet soldier until he attacked Darius first.

Darius tried to provoke him by hacking at the air close to his head with his sword. But the soldier was not distracted. He sat quietly, as if he were dumb, and looked calmly up at the sky. Even when Darius nicked him on the cheek with the edge of his sword, the soldier did not move.

At last he threw down his sword and shield and gave up. “I can’t fight someone who refuses to fight me!” Darius shouted to the king.

The king was very impressed with the soldier. Never in any battle had he seen someone so brave. As a result, he gave the peaceful soldier amnesty. The soldier’s actions proved to the king and everyone in the arena that peace was more powerful than fighting.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

_____ The gate between the soldier and the auditorium was coated with rust.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The prisoner was led from the arena to the compound.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ While he meditated, the soldier was distracted by his opponent.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The king gave the brave soldier amnesty and made him join his elite army corps.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The quiet soldier felt that all life was sacred.
- _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

Why did the captive seem like he was dumb?
_____________
What was commonplace during the reign of the enemy king?
_____________
In what realm did the soldier’s opponent Darius have skill?
_____________
Where did the soldier get nicked by his opponent?
_____________
What did the quiet soldier prove by refusing to engage his foe in combat?
_____________

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension

Part A

T
F / The prisoner was led from the compound to the arena.
F / While he meditated, the soldier was not distracted by his opponent.
F / The king gave the brave soldier amnesty.
T

Part B

The captive seemed like he was dumb because he was quiet.
Making captives fight one another was commonplace during the reign of the enemy king.
His opponent was skilled in the realm of sword fighting.
The soldier was nicked on the cheek.
The quiet soldier proved that peace can conquer violence.

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4000 Essential English Words 2

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4000 Essential English Words 3

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4000 Essential English Words 4

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4000 Essential English Words 6

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