I. [ВОШ ДВИ МГУ, Ломоносов] Write an Essay on the Quotation

Quotation: Benjamin Franklin — “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Give at least two reasons for your answer and include at least one relevant example from your own knowledge and experience.

Write at least 250 words. Your essay should consist of an introduction, a body of paragraphs and a conlcusion.

Tips to generate ideas:

First, guess what the quote means, rephrase it in your own words.

Then, think of things that we must prevent not to pay a bigger price later. (public health, risk management, environmental issues, etc.)

Use the template in this exercise: 

II. [ВОШ регион] Presentations. Work in pairs

Student A (3–4 minutes): Set 1 — Benjamin Franklin

At the English Club, present key points about Benjamin Franklin for the project “Landmarks of American History.” Use the fact file headings:

  • Franklin’s Legacy
  • Franklin’s Social Origins and Rise
  • Franklin and the Large Landowners
  • His Social Identity

[Task for non-olympiad-takers] Make up a summary on Benjamin Franklin, using the fact file in set 1 below, send o for a check. Write about 20-25 sentence.

Use: was, is known to have been =известен тес, что был... , became, owing to ... =благодаря чему-либо, by =к ( какому-то времени), made him famous, renowned=famous

Use the template for summaries: 

Summary (150–180 words)

Paragraph 1 – What the text is about (2–3 sentences).
The interview discusses [topic] with [name/role]. The speaker explains that [central idea] and outlines [2–3 key areas]. Overall, the aim is to show [purpose/insight].

Paragraph 2 – Main points (4–6 sentences).
First, the interviewee [reports/argues/explains] that [point 1] because [reason/evidence].
Next, they [add/point out] that [point 2], which [effect/implication].
They also [illustrate/describe] [example or practice], showing how [result].
In addition, [point 3] is mentioned to demonstrate [why it matters].
Finally, the speaker [concludes/suggests] that [general conclusion].

Last sentence – One-sentence wrap-up.
Taken together, these ideas present [overall message/insight] about [topic].

Useful reporting verbs (B2): says, explains, argues, suggests, points out, notes, emphasises, adds, admits, concludes.
Paraphrasing moves: change word class (e.g., education → educated), use synonyms, change order of information, summarise examples in one clause, report speech (no direct quotes).

Set 1. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Franklin’s Legacy

  • Founding Father; polymath: printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, diplomat, philosopher.
  • Electricity experiments; lightning rod; bifocals; Franklin stove; civic innovations.
  • Helped draft the Declaration of Independence (1776) and U.S. Constitution (1787).
  • Ambassador to France; secured aid for the American Revolution.
  • Founded libraries, fire brigades, educational institutions—embodying prevention and public service.

Franklin’s Social Origins and Rise

  • Born 1706, Boston; 15th child of a candle-/soap-maker; 2 years formal schooling.
  • Apprenticed as a printer; self-made through industry and thrift.
  • By 1730s, a successful printer/publisher (Pennsylvania Gazette, Poor Richard’s Almanack).
  • Owned property in Philadelphia, but not a large land baron.

Franklin and the Large Landowners

  • Pennsylvania (Penn family): Criticized proprietors for avoiding fair taxation (esp. during French & Indian War); clashed in the Assembly.
  • In England: As colonial agent (1757–1775), disputed with the Penns and Parliament; distrusted hereditary privilege and monopolies.
  • Broad view: Respected productive farmers/smallholders; distrusted idle landlords; praised independent freeholders.

His Social Identity

  • Prototype of the middling urban class—trade, craft, science.
  • Merit and industriousness over birth and inheritance (Enlightenment ethos).
  • Appealed to ordinary colonists and European intellectuals alike.

2. Q&A (2–3 minutes)

Answer two questions from your partner, using the fact file. If not covered there, base your answer on a reasonable, clearly signaled assumption.

 

Student B (3–4 minutes): Set 2 — From Quitrents to Freeholds

Present the evolution of landownership in the American domain and its international impact. Use these headings:

  1. The Ownership Rights of American Proto-Oligarchs
  2. Land Distribution at Early Colonial Times and into the 18th Century
  3. What Helped Freelanders
  4. The Dutch Patroons System and How It Was Mitigated

Set 2. From Quitrents to Freeholds: Landholding in Early America

1) The Ownership Rights of American Proto-Oligarchs

  • Southern planters: vast enslaved-labor estates; local political dominance.
  • Northern merchants: control of shipping, trade, and urban finance.
  • British monopolies (e.g., East India Company): exclusive trade rights; opposed by Franklin.
  • British “proto-oligarchs”: Company directors, Bank financiers, landowning aristocracy investing in colonies.

2) Land Distribution into the 18th Century

  • Granted by: Crown (charters), proprietors (Penn/Calverts), governors/assemblies.
  • Forms: large estates; smaller freeholds; leaseholds; symbolic quitrents.
  • Legal frame: patents/charters required; squatting contested; native treaties/purchases existed.

3) What Helped Freelanders

  • Land abundance vs. labor scarcity → attractive freehold terms.
  • Weak enforcement of quitrents; resistance common.
  • Immigrant recruitment (Germans, Quakers, etc.).
  • Assemblies backed freeholders; frontiers/squatting later legalized.
  • Outcome: freehold dominance; egalitarian political culture.

4) The Dutch Patroons System & Mitigation

  • Origins: WIC patroon grants (1620s) in Hudson Valley; tenants, manorial courts, dues.
  • After 1664: English confirmed titles for stability; estates persisted.
  • Tenant resistance; Anti-Rent War (1840s) ended remnants.
  • Why no Dutch punishment: WIC (not crown) control; weakness; Treaty of Breda (1667); mercantile pragmatism.

2. Q&A (2–3 minutes)

Answer two questions from your partner, using the fact file; otherwise, state your assumptions explicitly.

Practice Practice asking/answering questions (topic sample: Saint Petersburg). Use the polite formulas below.

Which two explanations of why quitrents were not collected by force are NOT mentioned in the text of the second presentation above?

 








 

Total Questions: 0

Incorrect Answers: 0

III. [ВОШ] Read the text below, then cover it and watch the video beneath. Take notes. After that, do the test on both the sources. 

Test

The Boston Tea Party is considered one of the most iconic events in American history. From covert plans to dramatic actions, the Boston Tea Party forever altered the course of American history. Here are ten fascinating facts surrounding this pivotal moment that happened in 1773 .
Fact 1. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the British Parliament’s Tea Act of 1773. The act granted a monopoly to the British East India Company, making it the only company allowed to sell tea in the American colonies. This angered colonists, who saw it as taxation without representation.
Fact 2. The event took place on the evening of December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston. Disguised as Native Americans, approximately 30 to 130 colonists boarded three British tea ships—the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver.
Fact 3. Contrary to popular belief, the protesters did not wear their disguises to mimic or mock Native Americans. They did so to conceal their identities and avoid reprisals from British authorities. Fact 4. The participants were careful not to damage the ships or other private property—aside from the tea itself. They completed their mission without a single casualty or arrest.
Fact 5. The estimated value of the tea destroyed during the Boston Tea Party was about £9,659—roughly $1.7 million in today’s currency—an extraordinary act of defiance by the colonists.
Fact 6. The Boston Tea Party was a significant catalyst for the American Revolution. It further fueled colonial discontent with British rule and contributed to the formation of the Continental Congress.
Fact 7. In response, the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts—also known as the Intolerable Acts—designed to punish the colonies for their defiance. These measures heightened tensions between Britain and the American colonies.
Fact 8. The Boston Tea Party inspired similar acts of resistance across the colonies. Tea ships were turned away or had their cargo destroyed in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston.
Fact 9. The Boston Tea Party did not involve teabags as we know them today. Instead, the tea was stored in wooden chests—often called tea chests—which were heaved overboard into Boston Harbor. Fact 10. The Boston Tea Party endures as a symbol of American resistance to unjust rule. It continues to inspire people worldwide to stand up for their rights and resist oppression.
There you have it—ten captivating facts about the Boston Tea Party. Remember, history has shaped the world we live in today, and by understanding the past, we gain a deeper appreciation for the present. If you enjoyed this exploration, consider liking and subscribing for more journeys into the past. And if you have historical events or topics you’d like us to cover in future videos, let us know in the comments. Don’t forget to ring the notification bell to stay updated with our latest uploads. Until next time, keep unraveling history!

 

Video

Integrated Listening and Reading Test

For each statement, choose where it appears: the video, the text, both, or neither.

1. The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773.




2. 342 barrels of tea were dumped into the harbor.




3. The three ships were named Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver.




4. Colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans before boarding the ships.




5. Colonists bought smuggled tea even when it was more expensive than British tea.




6. About 30 to 130 colonists boarded the ships.




7. Britain responded with the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.




8. The protesters caused no damage to the ships or other property, only the tea.




9. The Coercive Acts closed Boston port, restricted town meetings, and forced colonists to house troops.




10. The event contributed to the formation of the Continental Congress.




11. Women such as Abigail Adams were active participants in the Boston Tea Party.




12. The tea was packed in wooden chests (not teabags) before being thrown into the harbor.




 

Total Questions: 12

Incorrect Answers: 0

 

IV. [Высшая Проба] 1. Below are dairy entries of three American of different social strata living at the time of the Boston TEa PArty. Who wrote each entry? Drag words into correct gaps

market
muskets
freedom
crown
prices
shoemaker
port
merchant
soldiers
pawn
americans
liberty
nation
ground
sovereign
cargo
bread
farmer
tide
taverns

  Diary of a Boston   — The   is shut and my   lies idle while the   calls the tune and would make me a mere  . Yet I begin to think we might be a   people at last—true  .

  Diary of a   near Concord — The roads shake under the boots of  , and the   groans as   climb. We gather with   and speak of  , praying the   will turn in our favor.

  Diary of a Boston   — Work is scarce and   is dear, but the talk in the   is all of  . We will stand our   together and help forge a new  .

 

Total Questions: 0

Incorrect Answers: 0

2. In the name of one of the characters above write a story about how the Boston tea party changed your life.

Attention! Remember to describe characters in your story, use direct speech at least once and show  how the characters changed over time, as well to narrate about your life prior the Roman conquest, your life during the conquest and your life after it. Write 250 words +- 10% 

 

Tip: Always include character description, direct speech, idioms and proverbs even if it is not mentioned in the task in the olympiad!

 

Here are ways to introduce character description into your story: 

Look through the lesson and try to use as many new words from it as possible!

To make sure your syntax in direct speech in your story is correct, watch my video about it. And give your thumbs-up👍):

Assessment and Scoring criteria in Higher Probe

V. Put the paragraphs of the parable below into chronological order

Put the paragraphs in the correct chronological order by dragging them from the left column to the numbered slots on the right.

Shuffled paragraphs (drag these) Chronological order (drop here)
Paragraph A. But brass has a way of tarnishing. Soon the merchants advised: “Tax their parchments, tax their goods, tax even the leaf they steep in their cups. Bind their trade so that only through our hands may wealth flow.”
Paragraph B. The merchants mocked. The king scoffed. Yet the provinces—long milked and muzzled—resolved to slip the yoke. They cast the king’s brass tokens into the sea, raised their own banners, and declared themselves free.
Paragraph C. There once was a king who wore a crown of brass. From afar it gleamed like gold, but to those beneath it, the weight was heavy. Around him circled shrewd merchants, whispering of schemes by which the king’s provinces across the ocean might be pressed for more tribute.
Paragraph D. Then a great unease took root. The loyal assistants, once proud to bear the king’s seal, saw their people burdened and unheard. Quietly, they gathered. “If the crown listens not, then we must fashion a new covenant,” they whispered.
Paragraph E. When the king sent ships and soldiers to bind them again, he found not obedience but defiance. His merchants lost their hold, his treasury bled, and his crown of brass, once burnished with pride, grew dull with loss.
Paragraph F. At first, the provinces prospered under the crown’s shadow. They tilled fields, built ships, and raised towns. In return they were told they enjoyed protection beneath the king’s banners. Many among them—assistants and governors appointed by the court—believed themselves honored to serve.
Paragraph G. And so the king commanded. Walls of law rose higher, doors of speech shut tighter. When the provinces cried, “Grant us a voice in your councils,” the king’s messengers replied, “You are but children—pay, and be silent.”
  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  
  6.  
  7.  

 

Total Questions: 0

Incorrect Answers: 0

VI. Write a more allegorical parable on the same topic relating to the british losing control over their American colony. Introduce such character as an ox and a goose that lay golden eggs.