question: George had stolen some money, but the police had caught him and he had been put in prison. Now his trial was about to begin, and he felt sure that he would be found guilty and sent to prison for a long time. 

Then he discovered that an old friend of his was one of the members of the jury at his trial. Of course, he did not tell anybody, but he managed to see his friend secretly one day. He said to him, "Jim, I know that the jury will find me guilty of having stolen the money. I cannot hope to be found not guilty of taking it ---- that would be too much to expect. But I should be grateful to you for the rest of my life if you could persuade the other members of the jury to add a strong recommendation for mercy to their statement that they consider me guilty." 

"Well, George,"answered Jim. "I shall certainly try to do what I can for you as an old friend, but of course I cannot promise anything. The other eleven people on the jury look terribly strong-minded to me." 

George said that he would quite understand if Jim was not able to do anything for him, and thanked him warmly for agreeing to help. 

The trial went on, and at last the time came for the jury to decide whether George was guilty or not. It took them five hours, but in the end they found George guilty, with a strong recommendation for mercy. 

Of course, George was very pleased, but he did not have a chance to see Jim for some time after the trial. At last, however, Jim visited him in prison, and George thanked him warmly and asked him how he had managed to persuade the other members of the jury to recommend mercy. 

"Well, George," Jim answered, "as I thought, those eleven men were very difficult to persuade, but I managed it in the end by tiring them out. Do you know, those fools had all wanted to find you not guilty!"
1. Who stole some money?
2. Was he friends with any of the jury members?
3. What was the friend's name?
4. What was George asking Jim for?
5. How many other people were on the jury?
6. Did George react positively to Jim's answer?
7. How many hours did it take the jury to deliberate?
8. What was the verdict?
9. Did George get what he asked Jim for?
10. Did George ever see Jim again?
11. Was guilty the original verdict the jurors were going to give?
****
answer: 1. George
2. Yes.
3. Jim
4. mercy
5. eleven
6. Yes
7. five
8. guilty
9. Yes.
10. Yes
11. No


question: The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. The Red Sox have won eight World Series championships and have played in twelve. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox' home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, around , following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings", including the forerunner of the Atlanta Braves. 

Boston was a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by . However, they then went into one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history, dubbed the "Curse of the Bambino" after its alleged beginning with the Red Sox' sale of Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees two years after their world championship in 1918, an 86-year wait before the team's sixth World Championship in . The team's history during that period was punctuated with some of the most memorable moments in World Series history, including Enos Slaughter's "mad dash" in , the "Impossible Dream" of , Carlton Fisk's home run in , and Bill Buckner's error in . Following their victory in the 2013 World Series, they became the first team to win three World Series trophies in the 21st century, including championships in 2004 and . Red Sox history has also been marked by the team's intense rivalry with the Yankees, arguably the fiercest and most historic in North American professional sports.
1. Which team is mentioned here?
2. What sport do they play?
3. Where do they compete in?
4. as a member club of what?
5. Have they won any championship?
6. Which one?
7. how many?
8. out of how many games in total?
9. who chose the team'
10. Who did they defeat in 1903?
****
answer: 1. The Boston Red Sox
2. baseball
3. American League (AL) East division
4. Major League Baseball
5. yes
6. World Series
7. eight
8. twelve
9. the team owner, John I. Taylor
10. the Pittsburgh Pirates


question: CHAPTER XXIV. THE INTERRUPTED MASS 

The morning of that Wednesday of Corpus Christi, fateful to all concerned in this chronicle, dawned misty and grey, and the air was chilled by the wind that blew from the sea. The chapel bell tinkled out its summons, and the garrison trooped faithfully to Mass. 

Presently came Monna Valentina, followed by her ladies, her pages, and lastly, Peppe, wearing under his thin mask of piety an air of eager anxiety and unrest. Valentina was very pale, and round her eyes there were dark circles that told of sleeplessness, and as she bowed her head in prayer, her ladies observed that tears were falling on the illuminated Mass-book over which she bent. And now came Fra Domenico from the sacristy in the white chasuble that the Church ordains for the Corpus Christi feast, followed by a page in a clerkly gown of black, and the Mass commenced. 

There were absent only from the gathering Gonzaga and Fortemani, besides a sentry and the three prisoners. Francesco and his two followers. 

Gonzaga had presented himself to Valentina with the plausible tale that, as the events of which Fanfulla's letter had given them knowledge might lead Gian Maria at any moment to desperate measures, it might be well that he should reinforce the single man-at-arms patrolling the walls. Valentina, little recking now whether the castle held or fell, and still less such trifles as Gonzaga's attendance at Mass, had assented without heeding the import of what he said. 

And so, his face drawn and his body quivering with the excitement of what he was about to do, Gonzaga had repaired to the ramparts so soon as he had seen them all safely into chapel. The sentinel was that same clerkly youth Aventano, who had read to the soldiers that letter Gian Maria had sent Gonzaga. This the courtier accepted as a good omen. If a man there was among the soldiery at Roccaleone with whom he deemed that he had an account to settle, that man was Aventano. 
1. Who arrived at the church?
2. Who was followed by a clerk dressed in black?
3. Who was crying?
4. Who noticed it?
5. Did any others arrive with her?
6. What other group of people were in her group?
7. And who in the group was anxious?
8. Was she well-rested?
9. Who should be reinforced?
10. Who thought these measures were required?
****
answer:
1. the garrison first
2. Fra. Domenico
3. Valentina
4. her ladies
5. yes
6. her pages
7. , Peppe
8. no
9. the single man-at-arms patrolling the walls.
10. Gian Maria