The Republic of Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It has 1199 islands that are clustered into 26 major atolls. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of closely spaced coral islands. The natural coral reefs of the Maldives are surrounded by the sea all around and stand out as a pearl in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is the eighth smallest country in the world with an area of only 300 square kilometers. It is the smallest Asian country in terms of population and size.

People have been living on the islands of the Maldives for nearly 3000 years. They set sail from different parts of the world-Asia, Arabia, Europe and America to come to these islands. The earliest settlers of the Maldives were probably from southern India and Sri Lanka who came to these islands in the fourth and fifth centuries BC. In the 12th century AD, sailors from East Africa and Arab countries came to the Maldives. As a result, the Maldivians who were originally Buddhists were converted to Sunni Islam in the mid-12th century. In 1344 Ibn Batuta, a famous Arab historian and scholar travelled around the Maldives.

In the 16th century, the Portuguese conquered the Maldives and ruled the country for 15 years. Although governed as an independent Islamic sultanate for most of its history from 1153 to 1968, the Maldives was a British colony from 1887 to 1965. Following independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate continued to operate for another 3 years. On November 11, 1968, the sultanate was abolished and replaced by a republic and the country assumed its present name.

1.

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives:

(a) The word 'clustered' means —.
(i) scattered
(ii) dejected
(iii) surrounded
(iv) bounded

(b) "The Maldives is an island country." How?
(i) It looks like an island.
(ii) It is just an island in the Indian Ocean.
(iii) It is an island having all the criteria of a country.
(iv) It is an independent country.

(c) Why is the 12th century remarkable in the history of the Maldives?
(i) Ibn Batuta visited the Maldives then.
(ii) The Americans came there.
(iii) Islam started to be flourish there.
(iv) The Europeans established colony there.

(d) What is the main purpose of the author of this text?
(i) to highlight the Sultanate of Maldives
(ii) to describe the British rule in Maldives
(iii) to give an introduction of the Maldives
(iv) to represent religious affairs of the people of Maldives

(e) Which of the following has the closest meaning of the word 'republic'?
(i) A state in which supreme power is held by the elected representatives.
(ii) A state which is governed by a Sultan.
(iii) A state in which supreme power is held by the King.
(iv) A state in which supreme power is held by the Emperor.

(f) The Maldives had been a British colony for ______ years.
(i) 78
(ii) 47
(iii) 92
(iv) 71

(g) Which of the following is not true?
(i) The Maldives is one of the smallest countries in the world.
(ii) Most of people of the Maldives are Muslims now.
(iii) The Maldives looks like a teardrop.
(iv) Ibn Batuta visited the Maldives.

2.

Answer the following questions.

(a) Why is the Maldives called a pearl in the Indian Ocean?

(b) From your reading of the first paragraph, give the geographical description of the Maldives.

(c) How can you describe the Muslim rule in the Maldives?

(d) Write a few sentences about early human habitation in the Maldives.

(e) Write 2/3 sentences about the colonial rule in the Maldives.

3.

Fill in each gap with a suitable word based on the information of the text.

People living on the islands of the Maldives (a) ______ from different parts of the world. Originally, the (b) ______ of the Maldivians was Buddhism. This country was (c) ______ by the Portuguese in the 16th century and was ruled for (d) ______ than a decade. The British (e) ______ the Maldivians from 1887 to 1965.

Alessandro Volta was a famous Italian physicist. He is well-known for the invention of the first battery in 1800. He was born in Como, Italy on February 18, 1745. In 1774, he became a Professor of Physics at the Royal School in Como. Volta studied the Chemistry of gases from 1776-1778. In November, 1777, he discovered methane in a lake. In 1779, he became a professor of experimental Physics at the University of Pavia. In 1794, Volta married an aristocratic lady. In honour of his work, he was made a count by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1801. In 1782, he travelled to France and Germany. In 1815, the Emperor of Austria made him the director of Philosophical Faculty of Padua. In 1819, he retired and settled in his native town where he died in March, 1827.

4.

Complete the following table with the information given in the passage.

Who/What	Event	Year/Time	Place/Country	Work field
Alessandro Volta	Professor	1774	(ii) ______	Physics
He	discovered	(iii) ______ methane in a lake
He	joined as a Professor	1779	(iv) ______	experimental Physics
(v) ______	made Alessandro Volta director	1815	University of Padua	experimental Physics

Note: (i) Born in 1745 and died in 1827 after (i) ______ years of his retirement.

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