EXTEND – The temptation of Eve #603256 - Prove ed esercizi Zanichelli

STEP 4 Focus on the language

The poet highlights Eve's growing desire to taste the forbidden fruit through a series of expressions, which mostly rely on the language of the senses. Read the quotes and select the ones that reveal her desire.

A: Fixed on the fruit she gazed, which to behold / Might tempt alone

B: An eager appetite, raised by the smell / So savoury of that fruit

C: Solicited^{her longing eye}

D: yet first / Pausing a while

E: Forbids us then to taste

Extend

Scelta multipla

STEP 5 Think further and prepare for your test: Eve's personality

Match the features of Eve's character (1-5) with the quotes from the passage (A-E). Write the correct letters in the gaps. Then look at the prompts to research further and draft her personality description to use as revision material for your test.

1 She is easily persuaded. ________
2 She is driven by sensory desires. ________
3 She is intellectually curious and desires knowledge. ________
4 She is subject to rationalisation and self-justification. ________
5 She tends to question authority. ________

A Fixed on the fruit she gazed, which to behold / Might tempt alone
B naming thee the Tree / Of Knowledge, knowledge both of good and evil
C Into her heart too easy entrance won
D Such prohibitions bind not
E Forbids us then to taste! but his forbidding / Commends thee more

Eve is a character that is given little space in the book of Genesis, yet in Paradise Lost Milton links her to Satan as she, too, disobeys.
The way she is easily persuaded by the serpent could be motivated by the fact that, as it is clearly stated in Paradise Lost, she is intellectually inferior to Adam and, therefore, more vulnerable. On the other hand, it might be that she has already the seeds of vanity or ambition or both within her soul.

Extend

Completamento aperto

STEP 2 Scan the passage and focus on details

Read the passage again and choose the correct alternative.

1 The phrase 'longing eye' suggest that Eve ________ .
2 When rationalising about her desire for the fruit in the second part of the text, she focuses on ________ .
3 In the lines 'Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused', the word 'mused' tell us that Eve is ________ .
4 The ability the fruit provides is the ability to ________ .
5 In her reasoning, if God forbids something, it must be ________ .
6 The final words contained in the last line suggest that Eve ________ .

Extend

Completamento chiuso

STEP 1 Skim for gist and find out how Eve reacts to the serpent's temptation

Read the passage and reorder the events and Eve's thoughts. Write the correct numbers (1-4) in the gaps.

She remembers the serpent's words and believes them to be true. ________
Reflecting on God's prohibition, she begins to persuade herself to eat the forbidden fruit. ________
The serpent's words have easily persuaded Eve. ________
She is attracted by the fruit and its scent. ________

Extend

Completamento aperto

STEP 3 Get more practice on paraphrasing

Complete the text with the words given to obtain a paraphrased version of the passage.
The serpent finished speaking, and his words easily ________ Eve. She stared at the tempting fruit while thinking how ________ the serpent's words sounded to her. As midday approached, Eve's ________ grew because of the fruit's sweet smell, and she wanted to touch and taste it. However, she stopped and reflected to herself. 'You are truly the ________ fruit, even though we are not allowed to have you. You taught those who could not ________, and taught them to praise you. Even God, who forbids us from eating your fruit, calls you the Tree of ________. So, why does he forbid us? His forbidding actually makes you seem more ________ because it shows you offer something good that we ________. If we don't know something is good, it is as if we don't have it at all. So, really, God is just forbidding us to ________ and be wise? These rules don't ________ us.'

Extend

Posizionamento