Sophia’s Visions, Part 13. India and the Greek world: Ashoka’s edicts in Greek, King Menander’s questions to the monk Nagasena, the Kushans and Gandhara, and the legend of Thomas. A C1 English lesson on advanced question forms, with a gamebook.
Alexandria · the 754th year since the founding of Rome · 1 CE
Sophia’s Visions, Part 13 · Advanced questions: embedded, negative, tags and rhetorical · C1
Think first. What is “you”? If every part of your body changes over the years, are you still the same person?
While you read, watch how the questions are asked: politely, sharply, or without expecting an answer at all.
Philo: “An Indian holy man came to the agora that week. Marcos asked him a rude question, and got a better answer than he deserved. Read it.”
He sat on the steps of the old Gymnasium with almost nothing on, as still as a statue, while the whole of Alexandria walked past him. He had come with the merchants on the monsoon ships, people said; he did not want money; he answered questions in Greek, for anyone who asked.
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