English Language School Olympiad

VILNIAUS ALEKSANDRO PUŠKINO GIMNAZIJA

December, 2020

Name: __Zygimantas_________Smilgys___________________
Grade: ________7G__

I. Read the text.

AMAZING POLYGLOTS IN HISTORY
Polyglots can speak at least three languages fluently, and throughout history, there are
numerous examples of notable people being fluent in many various languages, often using
this skill to their advantage. Sometimes they needed different languages in order to rule a
country, or to understand the latest scientific thinking or political arguments. In a few cases,
they just loved languages and became polyglots through passion rather than necessity.
Among the most notable polyglots in history there are:
Cleopatra
Cleopatra spoke Greek as her native tongue, and was the first of the rulers of Egypt to learn
the local language, never done by Egyptian rulers before. Speaking the local tongue was
what a modern-day politician would call an excellent PR exercise, keeping the populace on
her side. And such a politics-first view was most probably the reason Cleopatra learned to
speak another six languages. Interestingly, she didn’t speak Latin, and the language she used
to give her orders, will forever remain a mystery.
Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I faced many struggles being a woman in a man’s world, but she was a
keen linguist. In fact, it was claimed that the future queen was fluent in six languages by the
age of 11. Speaking English and Welsh fluently, she had daily lessons in French, Greek and
Latin. It is believed that her knowledge of Spanish helped Elizabeth gain victory over the
Spanish Armada in 1588, still regarded as one of the most significant military victories in all
of English history.
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was not just an engineering genius but a polyglot who traveled the world,
learning languages as he went. One of the engineering geniuses of recent history, he also
was a hyper-polyglot, having mastered more than five languages. The young Nikola grew up
speaking German and Serbo-Croatian, while French was part of the formal education then.
By the time he reached the age of 10, he was fluent in three languages. After school, he
moved to Budapest to work and learned Hungarian there, as well as he mastered English
when he moved to the United States. He pushed himself to master Italian and Czech, even
though there was no real need for them in his everyday life.
Materials from https://historycollection.com/20-amazing-polyglots-in-history-that-most-people-didnt-know-
about/8/
English Language School Olympiad
II.Complete the tasks.
1. Write if the statements are true (T) or false (F). Correct what is wrong.
1) If one can speak Lithuanian, English and Russian fluently, he/she is a polyglot.
______T_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
_

2) Polyglots sometimes learn new languages because of interest.

____T_______________________________________________________________
_
____________________________________________________________________

3) Before the 16th century everybody spoke Latin.

__________________________________F_The writer stated that Cleopatra did not
speak Latin, however, she managed to rule the country.
_________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

4) It is said that one of the most important battles in the history of England was won due
to the knowledge of Spanish language.
__T_________________________________________________________________
_
____________________________________________________________________

5) Scientists can’t be polyglots.

___F. The text informs the reader that, for example, Nikola Tesla, the engineer,
travelled around the world and was fluent in a numerous foreign languages.
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

6) All polyglots mentioned started learning languages when they were children.
F. The texts mentioned Elizabeth I and Nicola Tesla as young learners of the foreign
languages, but we do not have information about Cleopatra’s early foreign language
education.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
__/12 points
2. Name all languages mentioned in the text.
English, Greek, Latin, French, German, Czech, Welsh, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian,
Spanish, Egyptian,
 English Language School Olympiad
Italian._______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
__/5 points
3. Find synonyms in the text.
different –various challenge –struggle
famous –notable important –significant
learn – master necessity –need
people – populace
__/7 points
4. Think about the advantages and disadvantages of being a polyglot. Name at least
two.
Advantages: _1.Being multilingual helps people to communicate with foreign people,
understand their culture and traditions.
2. Fluency in several foreign languages can help find an interesting and profitable job
abroad.
3. In addition, according to some scientists, if a person is a polyglot, he or she might have a
better critical thinking or a better memory. When people learn languages, they need to
remember a lot of words, phrases, grammar or even cultural knowledge. These learning
processes stimulate the work of our brain and we can be more intelligent.
___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Disadvantages:
Learning is a long and difficult task. In my opinion, polyglots might be very
determined and motivated to learn a new language. Needless to say, it takes a lot of
time to learn a non-native language . Therefore, it might be difficult for some people
to sacrifice time and to find a persistence to learn a language.
What is more, probably not all people are capable to learn foreign languages,
because their brain is mathematical rather than linguistic. As a result, some people
can face challenges with the foreign languages learning._
In conclusion, even though there might be some problems to master a foreign
proficiency, it is highly recommended to learn even one foreign language.
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
__/6 points
English Language School Olympiad

III. Would you like to be a polyglot? Why?

Write 5-7 sentences.
__/10 points
Being a multilingual person is a necessity of our lives. To be honest with you, I consider
myself being a polyglot as I can fluently speak Lithuanian, English, and German. I am
also doing my best to learn a Russian language as I see it might be very beneficial for my
future. My experience has shown me a variety of advantages of being a polyglot.
First, I was able to live and attend schools in England and Germany , because I knew
English and German. Being there, I have found a lot of friends and had fun.
Secondly, it is easier to learn other school subjects when you know other languages. For
example, I can read in several foreign languages different books if I need to prepare a
project at school. I can find interesting information.
Moreover, it is fun to have friends in Germany, Russia or England when you know the
their languages.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that I am a polyglot and I will keep learning foreign
languages in the future. It is fun and lots of joy.