Text 6 to answer question.

“The advances achieved in Italy and its environs show that, in terms of cultural and economic development, Europe was already diverging from the rest of the world before the end of the fifteenth century. However, the decisive breakthrough that prefigured the age of European domination was not the Italian Renaissance so much as the Iberian age of exploration. Beginning in the reign of Henrique the Navigator (1415-60), sailors from Portugal began to venture further away from Europe—first southwards, following the West African coast, and then all the way across the Atlantic, Indian and finally the Pacific oceans. These extraordinarily ambitious and hazardous voyages created a network of new oceanic trade routes that would rapidly transform the global economy from a patchwork of regional markets into a single world market.

[…].

The Portuguese did not arrive with many products of their own to offer Asian consumers (though they did bring some slaves and gold from West African outposts). That was not the point. Nor did they come as conquerors, intent on acquiring territory or new subjects for their king. What the Portuguese had was a series of technological advantages that made their bid to establish a new and superior trade
network viable. […].

The Portuguese were not wrong that China presented a genuine economic opportunity. […]. Yet the Portuguese overplayed a weak hand. Simão de Andrade showed a crass disregard for local sensibilities. Without the consent of imperial officials, he built a fort at Tunmen, hanged a Portuguese sailor in violation of Chinese law, excluded non- Portuguese ships from the harbour and, when challenged, knocked a mandarin’s hat off. […].

Why then did the Portuguese ultimately prevail, to the extent of establishing Macau as a part of their network in 1557—an acquisition they proceeded to retain in their possession for more than 400 years? […]. First, the Chinese prohibition on trade proved unenforceable. New men arrived from Portugal—Leonel de Souza and Simão d’Almeida—who succeeded in establishing a foothold in the Guangdong trade. With the right incentives, officials […] could be turned from foes into business partners. Second, while the Chinese had won the early naval encounters, they had appreciated the superiority of Portuguese ships and cannon. Crucially, as compared with indigenous East Asian pirates, the Portuguese came to be regarded as the lesser evil. […]. After 1601, Portuguese and Chinese forces would fight together to repel new interlopers, from the Netherlands”.

FERGUSON, Niall. The square and the tower: Networks and power, from the Freemasons to Facebook. New York: Penguin, 2017, pp. 71-76, with adaptations.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary presented in the text, mark the following item

The expansion of the trade network designed by the Portuguese was enabled by the range of technical solutions they offered, rather than by the nature of the products transacted.

Text 6 to answer question.

“The advances achieved in Italy and its environs show that, in terms of cultural and economic development, Europe was already diverging from the rest of the world before the end of the fifteenth century. However, the decisive breakthrough that prefigured the age of European domination was not the Italian Renaissance so much as the Iberian age of exploration. Beginning in the reign of Henrique the Navigator (1415-60), sailors from Portugal began to venture further away from Europe—first southwards, following the West African coast, and then all the way across the Atlantic, Indian and finally the Pacific oceans. These extraordinarily ambitious and hazardous voyages created a network of new oceanic trade routes that would rapidly transform the global economy from a patchwork of regional markets into a single world market.

[…].

The Portuguese did not arrive with many products of their own to offer Asian consumers (though they did bring some slaves and gold from West African outposts). That was not the point. Nor did they come as conquerors, intent on acquiring territory or new subjects for their king. What the Portuguese had was a series of technological advantages that made their bid to establish a new and superior trade
network viable. […].

The Portuguese were not wrong that China presented a genuine economic opportunity. […]. Yet the Portuguese overplayed a weak hand. Simão de Andrade showed a crass disregard for local sensibilities. Without the consent of imperial officials, he built a fort at Tunmen, hanged a Portuguese sailor in violation of Chinese law, excluded non- Portuguese ships from the harbour and, when challenged, knocked a mandarin’s hat off. […].

Why then did the Portuguese ultimately prevail, to the extent of establishing Macau as a part of their network in 1557—an acquisition they proceeded to retain in their possession for more than 400 years? […]. First, the Chinese prohibition on trade proved unenforceable. New men arrived from Portugal—Leonel de Souza and Simão d’Almeida—who succeeded in establishing a foothold in the Guangdong trade. With the right incentives, officials […] could be turned from foes into business partners. Second, while the Chinese had won the early naval encounters, they had appreciated the superiority of Portuguese ships and cannon. Crucially, as compared with indigenous East Asian pirates, the Portuguese came to be regarded as the lesser evil. […]. After 1601, Portuguese and Chinese forces would fight together to repel new interlopers, from the Netherlands”.

FERGUSON, Niall. The square and the tower: Networks and power, from the Freemasons to Facebook. New York: Penguin, 2017, pp. 71-76, with adaptations.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary presented in the text, mark the following item

The Portuguese contributed to lure invaders to Chinese shores.

Text 6 to answer question.

“The advances achieved in Italy and its environs show that, in terms of cultural and economic development, Europe was already diverging from the rest of the world before the end of the fifteenth century. However, the decisive breakthrough that prefigured the age of European domination was not the Italian Renaissance so much as the Iberian age of exploration. Beginning in the reign of Henrique the Navigator (1415-60), sailors from Portugal began to venture further away from Europe—first southwards, following the West African coast, and then all the way across the Atlantic, Indian and finally the Pacific oceans. These extraordinarily ambitious and hazardous voyages created a network of new oceanic trade routes that would rapidly transform the global economy from a patchwork of regional markets into a single world market.

[…].

The Portuguese did not arrive with many products of their own to offer Asian consumers (though they did bring some slaves and gold from West African outposts). That was not the point. Nor did they come as conquerors, intent on acquiring territory or new subjects for their king. What the Portuguese had was a series of technological advantages that made their bid to establish a new and superior trade
network viable. […].

The Portuguese were not wrong that China presented a genuine economic opportunity. […]. Yet the Portuguese overplayed a weak hand. Simão de Andrade showed a crass disregard for local sensibilities. Without the consent of imperial officials, he built a fort at Tunmen, hanged a Portuguese sailor in violation of Chinese law, excluded non- Portuguese ships from the harbour and, when challenged, knocked a mandarin’s hat off. […].

Why then did the Portuguese ultimately prevail, to the extent of establishing Macau as a part of their network in 1557—an acquisition they proceeded to retain in their possession for more than 400 years? […]. First, the Chinese prohibition on trade proved unenforceable. New men arrived from Portugal—Leonel de Souza and Simão d’Almeida—who succeeded in establishing a foothold in the Guangdong trade. With the right incentives, officials […] could be turned from foes into business partners. Second, while the Chinese had won the early naval encounters, they had appreciated the superiority of Portuguese ships and cannon. Crucially, as compared with indigenous East Asian pirates, the Portuguese came to be regarded as the lesser evil. […]. After 1601, Portuguese and Chinese forces would fight together to repel new interlopers, from the Netherlands”.

FERGUSON, Niall. The square and the tower: Networks and power, from the Freemasons to Facebook. New York: Penguin, 2017, pp. 71-76, with adaptations.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary presented in the text, mark the following item

Despite setbacks in handling the relations with China, the Portuguese have been able to maintain a commercial presence in some parts of the Chinese territory.

Text 6 to answer question.

“The advances achieved in Italy and its environs show that, in terms of cultural and economic development, Europe was already diverging from the rest of the world before the end of the fifteenth century. However, the decisive breakthrough that prefigured the age of European domination was not the Italian Renaissance so much as the Iberian age of exploration. Beginning in the reign of Henrique the Navigator (1415-60), sailors from Portugal began to venture further away from Europe—first southwards, following the West African coast, and then all the way across the Atlantic, Indian and finally the Pacific oceans. These extraordinarily ambitious and hazardous voyages created a network of new oceanic trade routes that would rapidly transform the global economy from a patchwork of regional markets into a single world market.

[…].

The Portuguese did not arrive with many products of their own to offer Asian consumers (though they did bring some slaves and gold from West African outposts). That was not the point. Nor did they come as conquerors, intent on acquiring territory or new subjects for their king. What the Portuguese had was a series of technological advantages that made their bid to establish a new and superior trade
network viable. […].

The Portuguese were not wrong that China presented a genuine economic opportunity. […]. Yet the Portuguese overplayed a weak hand. Simão de Andrade showed a crass disregard for local sensibilities. Without the consent of imperial officials, he built a fort at Tunmen, hanged a Portuguese sailor in violation of Chinese law, excluded non- Portuguese ships from the harbour and, when challenged, knocked a mandarin’s hat off. […].

Why then did the Portuguese ultimately prevail, to the extent of establishing Macau as a part of their network in 1557—an acquisition they proceeded to retain in their possession for more than 400 years? […]. First, the Chinese prohibition on trade proved unenforceable. New men arrived from Portugal—Leonel de Souza and Simão d’Almeida—who succeeded in establishing a foothold in the Guangdong trade. With the right incentives, officials […] could be turned from foes into business partners. Second, while the Chinese had won the early naval encounters, they had appreciated the superiority of Portuguese ships and cannon. Crucially, as compared with indigenous East Asian pirates, the Portuguese came to be regarded as the lesser evil. […]. After 1601, Portuguese and Chinese forces would fight together to repel new interlopers, from the Netherlands”.

FERGUSON, Niall. The square and the tower: Networks and power, from the Freemasons to Facebook. New York: Penguin, 2017, pp. 71-76, with adaptations.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary presented in the text, mark the following item

Italian Renaissance decisively contributed to usher in the age of European domination.

I look about the room where I have been at work for almost a quarter century. Proofs of unread novels accumulate on the coffee table. I sit at a large table that was in the house when I bought it. Everything since Burr has been written at this table. Lately we have acquired a television set to watch the news on CNN and old movies. Videocassettes are beginning to crowd out the books. To the left of the fireplace, a chiaroscuro Neapolitan painting by Viola. “Typical of early eighteenth-century South German painting”, boomed the journalist Joe Alsop. As Joe was an expert on everything, he was generally wrong on almost everything, particularly his subject, politics. For thirty years we were losing to Communism, according to Joe; he was a romantic goose, but endearing.
[...].

Ordinarily, I don’t think much about the past. A friend was surprised to hear me say that there was not one moment of my past that I would like to relive. Apparently, I am unlike others in this. In fact, everyone I’ve put that question to has a list of times and places and people to be revisited. I am only at home in the present, and view with dislike the numerous letters from biographers. On my desk there are now two new requests for recollection — of Alec Guinness and Terry Southern. Who next? I like both, but what on earth has one got to say about either that will be interesting? Little anecdotes are not my style. Of course, I could review their life work, but I charge for writing reviews.

VIDAL, Gore. Palimpsest — a memoir. London: Penguin, 1996, pp. 147-8.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary of the text above, decide whether the statements below are right (C) or wrong (E).

In the last paragraph, Vidal admits that, unlike himself, Alec Guinness and Terry Southern are not nostalgic.

I look about the room where I have been at work for almost a quarter century. Proofs of unread novels accumulate on the coffee table. I sit at a large table that was in the house when I bought it. Everything since Burr has been written at this table. Lately we have acquired a television set to watch the news on CNN and old movies. Videocassettes are beginning to crowd out the books. To the left of the fireplace, a chiaroscuro Neapolitan painting by Viola. “Typical of early eighteenth-century South German painting”, boomed the journalist Joe Alsop. As Joe was an expert on everything, he was generally wrong on almost everything, particularly his subject, politics. For thirty years we were losing to Communism, according to Joe; he was a romantic goose, but endearing.
[...].

Ordinarily, I don’t think much about the past. A friend was surprised to hear me say that there was not one moment of my past that I would like to relive. Apparently, I am unlike others in this. In fact, everyone I’ve put that question to has a list of times and places and people to be revisited. I am only at home in the present, and view with dislike the numerous letters from biographers. On my desk there are now two new requests for recollection — of Alec Guinness and Terry Southern. Who next? I like both, but what on earth has one got to say about either that will be interesting? Little anecdotes are not my style. Of course, I could review their life work, but I charge for writing reviews.

VIDAL, Gore. Palimpsest — a memoir. London: Penguin, 1996, pp. 147-8.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary of the text above, decide whether the statements below are right (C) or wrong (E).

In Vidal’s opinion, Joe Alsop was not likeable.

I look about the room where I have been at work for almost a quarter century. Proofs of unread novels accumulate on the coffee table. I sit at a large table that was in the house when I bought it. Everything since Burr has been written at this table. Lately we have acquired a television set to watch the news on CNN and old movies. Videocassettes are beginning to crowd out the books. To the left of the fireplace, a chiaroscuro Neapolitan painting by Viola. “Typical of early eighteenth-century South German painting”, boomed the journalist Joe Alsop. As Joe was an expert on everything, he was generally wrong on almost everything, particularly his subject, politics. For thirty years we were losing to Communism, according to Joe; he was a romantic goose, but endearing.
[...].

Ordinarily, I don’t think much about the past. A friend was surprised to hear me say that there was not one moment of my past that I would like to relive. Apparently, I am unlike others in this. In fact, everyone I’ve put that question to has a list of times and places and people to be revisited. I am only at home in the present, and view with dislike the numerous letters from biographers. On my desk there are now two new requests for recollection — of Alec Guinness and Terry Southern. Who next? I like both, but what on earth has one got to say about either that will be interesting? Little anecdotes are not my style. Of course, I could review their life work, but I charge for writing reviews.

VIDAL, Gore. Palimpsest — a memoir. London: Penguin, 1996, pp. 147-8.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary of the text above, decide whether the statements below are right (C) or wrong (E).

In the statement “Videocassettes are beginning to crowd out the books”, one could infer that tapes might outnumber books at some point.

I look about the room where I have been at work for almost a quarter century. Proofs of unread novels accumulate on the coffee table. I sit at a large table that was in the house when I bought it. Everything since Burr has been written at this table. Lately we have acquired a television set to watch the news on CNN and old movies. Videocassettes are beginning to crowd out the books. To the left of the fireplace, a chiaroscuro Neapolitan painting by Viola. “Typical of early eighteenth-century South German painting”, boomed the journalist Joe Alsop. As Joe was an expert on everything, he was generally wrong on almost everything, particularly his subject, politics. For thirty years we were losing to Communism, according to Joe; he was a romantic goose, but endearing.
[...].

Ordinarily, I don’t think much about the past. A friend was surprised to hear me say that there was not one moment of my past that I would like to relive. Apparently, I am unlike others in this. In fact, everyone I’ve put that question to has a list of times and places and people to be revisited. I am only at home in the present, and view with dislike the numerous letters from biographers. On my desk there are now two new requests for recollection — of Alec Guinness and Terry Southern. Who next? I like both, but what on earth has one got to say about either that will be interesting? Little anecdotes are not my style. Of course, I could review their life work, but I charge for writing reviews.

VIDAL, Gore. Palimpsest — a memoir. London: Penguin, 1996, pp. 147-8.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary of the text above, decide whether the statements below are right (C) or wrong (E).

In the sentence “look about the room”, about is used as adverb rather than a preposition

Withdrawal of a Diplomatic Mission

The recall of an entire diplomatic mission, whether on a temporary or on an indefinite basis, without breach of diplomatic relations between sending and receiving States, is now a relatively frequent procedure. Recall may take place for political, economic or security reasons. In all cases the two States remain formally in diplomatic relations and there are no constraints in their contacts at international conferences or organisations or in third States. Normally, it is hoped that a permanent diplomatic mission may be reestablished under more favourable circumstances, and this is more straightforward when no formal breach of relations has taken place. Formal breach is usually very difficult to reverse quickly, even if the reason for it has disappeared. In 1956, for example, Saudi Arabia broke relations with the United Kingdom and France on 6 November, one day before the cease-fire which brought an end to their intervention in Suez, but relations were not restored between Saudi Arabia and either State until 1962.

I. Roberts (org.). Satow’s Diplomatic Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 215, with adaptations.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary of the text above, decide whether the statements below are right (C) or wrong (E).

The word “breach” could not be replaced by severance in any of the situations without changing the meaning of the sentences.

Withdrawal of a Diplomatic Mission

The recall of an entire diplomatic mission, whether on a temporary or on an indefinite basis, without breach of diplomatic relations between sending and receiving States, is now a relatively frequent procedure. Recall may take place for political, economic or security reasons. In all cases the two States remain formally in diplomatic relations and there are no constraints in their contacts at international conferences or organisations or in third States. Normally, it is hoped that a permanent diplomatic mission may be reestablished under more favourable circumstances, and this is more straightforward when no formal breach of relations has taken place. Formal breach is usually very difficult to reverse quickly, even if the reason for it has disappeared. In 1956, for example, Saudi Arabia broke relations with the United Kingdom and France on 6 November, one day before the cease-fire which brought an end to their intervention in Suez, but relations were not restored between Saudi Arabia and either State until 1962.

I. Roberts (org.). Satow’s Diplomatic Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 215, with adaptations.

Considering the ideas and the vocabulary of the text above, decide whether the statements below are right (C) or wrong (E).

The passage “this is more straightforward when no formal breach of relations has taken place”, “more straightforward” could be replaced by less complex without changing the meaning of the sentence.