Revision Set 1: Tenses+Idioms: choose the correct option that fits the story.

Once upon a time, there lived a king who ruled over a small kingdom in India. His name was Nandavarman. His kingdom [blank_start]was[blank_end] prosperous and his subjects [blank_start]were[blank_end] happy.

However, the neighbouring kingdoms around his territory were larger and more aggressive. They always used to [blank_start]attack[blank_end] his borders and [blank_start]trouble[blank_end] the villagers.

So far, Nandavarman [blank_start]had been able to[blank_end] repel all the attacks successfully. But the battles [blank_start]were becoming[blank_end] more difficult.

So Nandavarman [blank_start]thought[blank_end] to himself: "How can I [blank_start]ensure[blank_end] that my kingdom and my people are safe from this constant threat?"

After a lot of thinking, he [blank_start]came up[blank_end] with a plan. He [blank_start]sent[blank_end] messengers to the three kingdoms neighbouring him.

The message he sent was: "Dear fellow kings! I [blank_start]respect[blank_end] you as my brothers. Why then do we keep fighting? Let us [blank_start]bury the hatchet[blank_end] and finish all enmity between our kingdoms. To resolve any problems regarding our border territories, I suggest the following solution:

Let us hold a competition with three separate events. Each kingdom [blank_start]will send[blank_end] their representatives to participate in these events, so there will be four participants in each event. Whoever [blank_start]wins[blank_end] the total event series will be considered superior to all the other kingdoms, and will receive tribute from the other kingdoms.

The first event will be a military competition, where each kingdom [blank_start]will send[blank_end] an archer to prove his skill. The second event will be a debate competition, where each kingdom will send a learned scholar who will [blank_start]try to get one over on[blank_end] the other kingdoms' scholars.

The final event will be a cooking competition, where skilled cooks from all our kingdoms will try to [blank_start]bowl the judges over[blank_end] with their wonderful recipes. Please [blank_start]accept[blank_end] this request. If we agree to this, then we can peacefully resolve our differences and save a lot of bloodshed."

Now, from among Nandavarman's neighbours, the northern kingdom was very well-known for its expert archers; the southern kingdom was famous for its renowned scholars; and the eastern kingdom [blank_start]was reputed[blank_end] to have the best cooks in that region. So, each of the neighbouring kings [blank_start]felt[blank_end] that they could win the challenge, and did not want to miss this opportunity to earn additional wealth without any battle or other efforts. So they quickly accepted the offer and agreed to send their representatives.