The man who sold the Eiffel Tower

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The man who sold the Eiffel Tower

Warm-up

Have you ever been to Paris?

Vocabulary Match

con artist •• illegal gift
bribe •• liar
scams •• acted
scrap •• ran away
fled •• old metal
pretended •• tricks for money

Vocabulary Answers

con artistliar
bribeillegal gift
scamstricks for money
scrapold metal
fledran away
pretendedacted

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1925, Victor Lustig arrived in Paris with a bold plan. He ________ to be a government official and told six ________ metal dealers that the Eiffel Tower would soon be taken down and sold as scrap. One businessman, André Poisson, believed him and paid a large ________ to win the deal. Lustig took the money and disappeared.

A year later, he tried the same trick again! This time, the police found out, and he ________ to America. Lustig was a brilliant ________ who spoke five languages and fooled many people. His story remains one of the most daring ________ in history.

In 1925, Victor Lustig arrived in Paris with a bold plan. He pretended to be a government official and told six scrap metal dealers that the Eiffel Tower would soon be taken down and sold as scrap. One businessman, André Poisson, believed him and paid a large bribe to win the deal. Lustig took the money and disappeared.

A year later, he tried the same trick again! This time, the police found out, and he fled to America. Lustig was a brilliant con artist who spoke five languages and fooled many people. His story remains one of the most daring scams in history.

Quiz

  1. What year did Victor Lustig arrive in Paris?
  2. Who believed Lustig's story about the Eiffel Tower?
  3. What did Lustig do after getting the money from André Poisson?
  4. How many languages could Victor Lustig speak?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. 1925
  2. André Poisson
  3. He disappeared.
  4. Five

True or False

  1. Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower to a businessman. T F
  2. Lustig was caught by the police in Paris. T F
  3. Lustig was able to speak five languages. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Hello, Mr. Poisson. I'm with the government.
B:Oh, really? What can I do for you?
A:We're selling the Eiffel Tower as scrap metal. Interested?
B:Wow! Yes, that sounds like a great opportunity.
A:Excellent. Of course, to make sure you get the deal, a little... extra payment is necessary. ;)
B:I understand. Here's the money. I can't wait to start!

Discussion

  1. Would you like to live in Paris?
  2. Has someone ever tried to scam you?
  3. What kind of scams have you heard about?
  4. Do you think there is bribery in politics in your country? Can you think of any examples?
  5. Do you think you could trick someone in your family? How?

Further Reading

https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-22/the-incredible-story-of-the-man-who-sold-the-eiffel-tower-twice.html

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