Question: Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.

"I'll be the first millionaire in Coleford!" Richard used to boast.

"And you'll be sorry that you knew me," George would reply "because I'll surely be the best lawyer in our town!"

After graduation, George never became a lawyer and Richard was anybody but a millionaire .... Instead, it happened that both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street, while it was hard to make much money from books then, which made the competition between them worse. Eventually, Richard closed down his, dreaming of making a fortune elsewhere.

Now, with only one bookshop in the town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival . Perhaps he missed him?

George was very interested in old dictionaries, and he had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was quite delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished -- the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading: "Bookends Company has bought ten bookstores from its competitors. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in this country." 1. Who always competed?
2. Was it healthy?
3. What did George find great interest in?
4. Did he ever find someone who collected them?
5. From where?
6. What did he have?
7. A common one?
8. Who thought they would have millions of dollars?
9. Did he?
10. How many of them ended up with a bookstore?
11. Where were they located?
12. Were they very successful?
13. Why not?
14. Who quit first?
15. Did this make the other one very happy in the long run?
16. What was the uncommon package he received covered in?
17. What did he notice was on it?
18. Of whom?
19. Was it his obituary?
20. What was it then? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. George and Richard
2. no
3. old dictionaries
4. yes
5. Australia
6. a first edition
7. No
8. Richard
9. no
10. Both
11. Coleford High Street
12. no
13. hard to make much money from books
14. Richard
15. Yes
16. newspaper
17. a photo
18. Richard
19. No
20. A story about a bookseller.

Question: Maryland () is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. The state's largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are "Old Line State", the "Free State", and the "Chesapeake Bay State". The state is named after the English queen Henrietta Maria of France.

One of the original Thirteen Colonies, Maryland is considered to be the birthplace of religious freedom in America, when it was formed by George Calvert in the early 17th century as an intended refuge for persecuted Catholics from England. George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore and the first English proprietor of the then-Maryland colonial grant. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution, and played a pivotal role in the founding of Washington, D.C., which was established on land donated by the state.

Maryland is one of the smallest U.S. states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, with around six million residents. , Maryland had the highest median household income of any state, owing in large part to its close proximity to the nation's capital and a highly diversified economy spanning manufacturing, services, and biotechnology. 1. What state is talked about?
2. How many states/cities does it border?
3. Which one borders it to the east?
4. Is it large?
5. Who was its namesake?
6. Who founded the colony?
7. When?
8. What was it known for starting?
9. What was located on donated space from the state?
10. Are there a lot of people per area?
11. How many people live there?
12. How many nicknames does it have? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. Maryland
2. 5 altogether
3. Delaware
4. no
5. Old Line State
6. George Calvert
7. in the early 17th century
8. religious freedom in America
9. Washington, D.C
10. yes
11. around six million residents
12. Three

Question: El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador (, literally "Republic of The Savior"), is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. El Salvador's capital and largest city is San Salvador. , the country had a population of approximately /1e6 round 2 million, consisting largely of Mestizos of European and Indigenous American descent.

El Salvador was for centuries inhabited by several Mesoamerican nations, especially the Cuzcatlecs, as well as the Lenca and Maya. In the early 16th century, the Spanish Empire conquered the territory, incorporating it into the Viceroyalty of New Spain ruled from Mexico City. In 1821, the country achieved independence from Spain as part of the First Mexican Empire, only to further secede as part of the Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. Upon the republic's dissolution in 1841, El Salvador became sovereign until forming a short-lived union with Honduras and Nicaragua called the Greater Republic of Central America, which lasted from 1895 to 1898.

From the late 19th to the mid-20th century, El Salvador endured chronic political and economic instability characterized by coups, revolts, and a succession of authoritarian rulers. Persistent socioeconomic inequality and civil unrest culminated in the devastating Salvadoran Civil War (19791992), which was fought between the military-led government and a coalition of left-wing guerrilla groups. The conflict ended with a negotiated settlement that established a multiparty constitutional republic, which remains in place to this day. 1. which other nations did it form a union with?
2. what is the capital?
3. is this also the largest city?
4. what was the union with the two countries called?
5. between what years was it unstable?
6. when did it get independence from Spain?
7. what happened in 1823?
8. what is the official name?
9. meaning what?
10. when was it in war?
11. what is the war called?
12. who was the war between?
13. what the approx population?
14. what was established when the war ended?
15. how many years did the union with the two countries last?
16. who were the original dwellers?
17. such as?
18. what started the civil war?
19. when did the Spanish conquer it?
20. which people live there now? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. Honduras and Nicaragua
2. San Salvador.
3. yes
4. Greater Republic of Central America,
5. 19th to the mid-20th century
6. 1821
7. It further seceded as part of the Federal Republic of South America
8. Republic of El Salvador
9. Republic of The Savior
10. 19791992
11. Salvadoran Civil War
12. the governemt and left-wing guerilla groups
13. 2 million
14. multiparty constitutional republic
15. 3 years
16. several Mesoamerican nations
17. the Cuzcatlec
18. socioeconomic inequality and civil unrest
19. the early 16th century
20. mostly Mestizos of European and Indigenous American descent.