Students practice conjugating past tense verbs by filling in blanks about historical myths and famous figures like Albert Einstein.

Let's solve this step-by-step.

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Part 1: Complete the sentences using the verbs from the box. Use simple past tense.

Verbs to use (in past simple):
- snow
- sleep
- have
- invent
- consider
- fail
- call
- wear
- be
- discover

We need to fill in the blanks with the correct verb in the past simple form.

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#### 1. George Washington ________ wooden teeth.

- The correct verb is had.
- "George Washington had wooden teeth." → This is a common myth, but historically, he had dentures made of various materials, including ivory and human teeth, not wood.
- ✔ Answer: had

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#### 2. A sheep, a duck and a rooster ________ the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

- The correct verb is were.
- "A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers..." → This refers to an actual historical event where animals were used in early hot air balloon experiments.
- ✔ Answer: were

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#### 3. King Henry VIII ________ with a gigantic axe beside him.

- The correct verb is was.
- "King Henry VIII was with a gigantic axe beside him." → This sounds like a myth or exaggeration. He didn't literally carry a giant axe everywhere.
- But grammatically, "was" fits best here as it describes his state or appearance.
- ✔ Answer: was

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#### 4. Pirates ________ earrings because they believed it improved their eyesight.

- The correct verb is wore.
- "Pirates wore earrings..." → This is a myth; pirates wore earrings for practical reasons (like preventing ear infections), not for eyesight.
- ✔ Answer: wore

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#### 5. Christopher Columbus ________ America.

- The correct verb is discovered.
- "Christopher Columbus discovered America." → While controversial (Indigenous peoples lived there), he is traditionally credited with "discovering" it for Europeans.
- ✔ Answer: discovered

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#### 6. Shakespeare ________ the story of "Hamlet."

- The correct verb is wrote — but wait! That’s not in the box.
- Wait: the verbs are: snow, sleep, have, invent, consider, fail, call, wear, be, discover
- "Wrote" is not in the list. So we must pick from the given verbs.
- Can we use invent? Yes — “Shakespeare invented the story of 'Hamlet'.” → Not quite accurate, since Hamlet was based on older legends.
- But "invent" is in the box, and it could work if we interpret it loosely.
- However, better fit might be "call" — no.
- Or "have" — no.
- Actually, none of the verbs really fit perfectly, but "invent" is the closest logical choice, even though it's not factually accurate.
- But let's think again: maybe "consider"? No.
- Perhaps the intended verb is "write", but it's not in the box.

Wait — let’s check the verb list again:
> snow, sleep, have, invent, consider, fail, call, wear, be, discover

No "write". So perhaps the sentence is meant to be completed with "invent"?

But Shakespeare didn’t invent the story — it was based on older tales.

Alternatively, maybe "have"? "Shakespeare had the story of 'Hamlet'?" → doesn't make sense.

Hmm. Maybe the intended answer is "invent", even if it's not entirely accurate.

But let’s look at the next one.

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#### 7. Albert Einstein ________ math.

- The correct verb is failed.
- "Albert Einstein failed math." → This is a myth. In fact, Einstein was excellent in math.
- But the verb fail is in the box.
- So likely the intended answer is failed.
- ✔ Answer: failed

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#### 8. In England, in the 1880s, people ________ "Pants" as a dirty word.

- The correct verb is considered.
- "People considered 'Pants' as a dirty word." → True, in British English, "pants" was slang for undergarments and considered vulgar in the 19th century.
- ✔ Answer: considered

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#### 9. It ________ in the Sahara Desert for 30 minutes in 1979.

- The correct verb is snowed.
- "It snowed in the Sahara Desert..." → This is true — it did snow briefly in parts of the Sahara in 1979.
- ✔ Answer: snowed

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#### 10. There is a glacier ________ "Blood Falls" in Antarctica that regularly pours out red liquid.

- The correct verb is called.
- "There is a glacier called 'Blood Falls'..." → This is true. Blood Falls is a real phenomenon.
- ✔ Answer: called

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Now let’s compile the answers:

| Sentence | Verb Used | Correct Past Simple |
|--------|-----------|---------------------|
| 1 | had | ✔️ |
| 2 | were | ✔️ |
| 3 | was | ✔️ |
| 4 | wore | ✔️ |
| 5 | discovered | ✔️ |
| 6 | invented | ✘ (not accurate) → but only possible option? Let's reconsider. |

Wait — sentence 6: "Shakespeare ________ the story of 'Hamlet.'"

The verb "invent" is in the box. But "invented" is not exactly accurate — Shakespeare adapted existing stories.

But perhaps the exercise expects "invented" as the best available verb.

Alternatively, maybe "have"? "Shakespeare had the story"? No.

Or "be"? "Shakespeare was the story"? No.

So likely, the intended answer is invented.

But let’s double-check: Is there any other possibility?

What about "call"? "Shakespeare called the story of 'Hamlet'"? No, that doesn’t make sense.

So yes, invented is the only verb that makes sense, even if historically inaccurate.

✔ Answer: invented

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Final Answers – Part 1:

1. had
2. were
3. was
4. wore
5. discovered
6. invented
7. failed
8. considered
9. snowed
10. called

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Part 2: Which are true or false?

Now, mark each sentence as T (true) or F (false) based on factual accuracy.

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#### 1. George Washington had wooden teeth.

- False – He had dentures made of ivory, metal, and human teeth, but not wooden.
- ✔ F

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#### 2. A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

- True – This happened in 1783 during the Montgolfier brothers’ experiment.
- ✔ T

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#### 3. King Henry VIII was with a gigantic axe beside him.

- False – This is a myth. He didn’t carry a giant axe. He was known for being violent, but not for carrying such an axe.
- ✔ F

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#### 4. Pirates wore earrings because they believed it improved their eyesight.

- False – They wore earrings for practical reasons (e.g., to prevent ear infections from saltwater), not for eyesight.
- ✔ F

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#### 5. Christopher Columbus discovered America.

- Debatable, but historically misleading. Indigenous peoples were already living there. Columbus reached the Americas, but didn't "discover" them in a global sense.
- Most educators now say this is false due to colonial framing.
- ✔ F

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#### 6. Shakespeare invented the story of "Hamlet."

- False – The story was based on earlier Danish legends and possibly a lost play by an earlier playwright.
- ✔ F

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#### 7. Albert Einstein failed math.

- False – This is a myth. Einstein was very good at math. He struggled in school due to rigid teaching, but never failed math.
- ✔ F

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#### 8. In England, in the 1880s, people considered "Pants" as a dirty word.

- True – Yes, in Victorian England, "pants" was considered vulgar and referred to undergarments.
- ✔ T

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#### 9. It snowed in the Sahara Desert for 30 minutes in 1979.

- True – This actually happened in Algeria in January 1979.
- ✔ T

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#### 10. There is a glacier called "Blood Falls" in Antarctica that regularly pours out red liquid.

- True – Yes, Blood Falls is a real feature in Antarctica, caused by iron-rich water oxidizing.
- ✔ T

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Final Truth Values:

| # | T/F |
|---|-----|
| 1 | F |
| 2 | T |
| 3 | F |
| 4 | F |
| 5 | F |
| 6 | F |
| 7 | F |
| 8 | T |
| 9 | T |
| 10| T |

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✔ Final Answer Summary:

#### Completed Sentences:
1. had
2. were
3. was
4. wore
5. discovered
6. invented
7. failed
8. considered
9. snowed
10. called

#### True/False:
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. F
6. F
7. F
8. T
9. T
10. T

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This exercise combines grammar practice with critical thinking about historical myths!