Academic Reading 13

HOW TO BECOME A KING?
The boy who was to become a great military leader and king of Prussia began his career hating the life of a soldier. Frederick II was born on January 24, 1712, in Berlin. His father was King Frederick William I. His mother was Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, sister of George II of England. Frederick’s father insisted on-a practical, military education for his son. The boy preferred music, art and literature. He rebelled against tobacco, drinking and hunting, which his father believed were natural pleasures of royalty. The king forbade the prince’s tutors to teach him Latin, but he studied it and the classics in secret. As Frederick became older, the relationship between father and son grew worse. Frederick’s mother and his sister Wilhelmina sided with him against his father. This further enraged the stubborn king, who became more and more severe with his son, hitting him in public and even beating him with a cane in front of army troops. When Frederick was 18, he tried to escape the tyranny of his father by running away. Caught before he crossed the border, he was locked in solitary confinement for a time. From a window of his cell he was forced to watch the execution of his closest friend, who had accompanied him in his flight. After this incident, young Frederick was changed and became ruthless, crafty and cynical. Gradually the old king gave his son ever greater responsibilities.

1-The passage tells us that the turning point in the change of the personality of Frederick n came when ……….. .
A) his tutors refused to teach him Latin .
B) his father beat him severely
C) his closest friend was killed
D) his father threatened to put him in prison
E) he felt solitary away from his family

2- It’s obvious from the passage that young Frederick …………….. .
A) liked creative subjects better than practical ones
B) was too frail to become a king
C) was tempted to become an artist by his tutor
D) had no talents in anything other than in arts
E) did not get on with any member of the royal family

3- The passage informs us that, despite his father’s wishes, Frederick ………. .
A) ordered the execution of his closest friend
B) managed to escape Prussia accompanied by a friend
C) finally had his father placed alone in a prison cell
D) sided with his mother against his sister Wilhelmina
E) learnt Latin and the classics secretly

---

---

---

 

 

 

 

 

1. C

2. A

3. E