اسطورة الملح والاميرة والخاتم

🧂 The Legend of Princess Kinga and the Wieliczka Salt Mine

(1)
According to a 700-year-old legend, a princess called the Blessed Kinga threw her ring into a salt mine at Marmaros in Hungary. While travelling from Marmaros to Cracow, she stopped at the neighbour and her servants were told to dig a well. Instead of water, the salt was discovered—and in the first lump of salt which was taken out, Kinga's ring was found!

(2)
The legend is just a story—but it is true that for over seven centuries salt has been mined from the rock below the town of Wieliczka. The salt used to be dug out by hand, and until 1620 it was carried up to the surface by the miners. After the chamber was destroyed by fire in 1697, the miners were not allowed to take the wooden statue of the mine, so they began to carve sculptures of rock salt.

(3)
Nowadays visitors are shown how salt was mined long ago, and can see the enormous chambers which have been dug out of the solid rock. They can also see pretty green lakes, and chapels with beautiful carvings.

📝 Questions

1. The word legend in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to…
   ✅ A. a tale
   B. an epic
   C. an episode
   D. a mystery

2. According to paragraph 1, the legend states that princess Kinga asked her servants to…
   A. dig a mine
   B. bring her some salt
   C. bring her some water
   ✅ D. make a source of fresh water

3. According to paragraph 1, Kinga's ring was found in…
   A. Gold mine
   B. Sound lump
   ✅ C. Salt mine
   D. Water well

4. According to paragraph 2, the story about princess Kinga is…
   A. Romantic
   ✅ B. Fictitious
   C. Religious
   D. Real

5. According to paragraph 2, what happened in 1697?
   A. Some miners were fired
   B. The mine was destroyed
   ✅ C. A chamber burned
   D. A chamber broke

6. According to paragraph 2, miners made their statues from the rock salt because it is…
   A. Easier to burn
   B. Easier to make
   ✅ C. Safer than wood
   D. Heavier than wood