The rats on trial in 16th century France

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The rats on trial in 16th century France

Warm-up

Have you ever seen a rat?

Vocabulary Match

summoned -   - called
accused -   - blamed
barley -   - grain
perspectives -   - hunters
legal -   - views
predators -   - lawful

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In the early 16th century, in Autun, France, a court case involved a group of rats ________ of eating ________ crops. The court ________ the rats to explain themselves, but they never appeared.

Their lawyer argued that the rats did not attend because they had not been properly informed of the court date and were afraid of ________ like cats. This story highlights how people in the past sometimes applied human laws to animals, even expecting them to participate in ________ processes.

It invites us to think about historical ________ on animals and justice. It's a fascinating example of how differently people used to interact with the natural world and the laws they lived by.

Quiz

  1. Where did the court case take place?
  2. Who were accused in the court case?
  3. Why did the rats not attend the court?
  4. What does the story highlight about people in the past?

True or False

  1. The court case happened in autumn.  T  |  F
  2. The rats were accused of eating wheat crops.  T  |  F
  3. The rats were represented by a lawyer.  T  |  F

Conversation

A: Can you believe we're representing rats in court?
B: It's a first for me too! But everyone deserves a fair trial.
A: They didn't even show up. What's our defense?
B: We'll say they were scared of the cats. It's a valid point.
A: You think the court will buy that?
B: Well, it's worth a try. It's not like we can ask the rats!

Discussion

  1. Should animals follow human rules? Why or why not?
  2. In what ways do we treat animals like humans in modern times?
  3. How would things change if animals could understand us?
  4. What punishment would you give a pet for breaking house rules?

True Story Answers

In the early 16th century, in Autun, France, a court case involved a group of rats accused of eating barley crops. The court summoned the rats to explain themselves, but they never appeared.

Their lawyer argued that the rats did not attend because they had not been properly informed of the court date and were afraid of predators like cats. This story highlights how people in the past sometimes applied human laws to animals, even expecting them to participate in legal processes.

It invites us to think about historical perspectives on animals and justice. It's a fascinating example of how differently people used to interact with the natural world and the laws they lived by.

Vocabulary Answers

summoned → called
accused → blamed
barley → grain
predators → hunters
perspectives → views
legal → lawful

Quiz Answers

  1. The court case took place in Autun, France.
  2. A group of rats were accused in the court case.
  3. The rats did not attend the court because they were not properly informed of the court date and were afraid of predators like cats.
  4. The story highlights that people in the past sometimes applied human laws to animals.

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Further Reading

https://bearistotle.substack.com/p/the-trial-of-the-rats-of-autun

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ESL Lessons: True Stories