Print

Major-General's Song by Gilbert And Sullivan

...
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
I've (1)______________________ vegetable, animal, and mineral
I know the kings of England
And I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical
I (2)____________________ equations, both the (3)____________ and quadratical
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news
(Hmm, lot of news.... Got it!)
With many cheerful facts
About the (4)____________ of the hypotenuse
...
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
...
I (5)________ our mythic history
King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's
I answer hard acrostics, I've a (6)____________ taste for paradox
I quote in elegiacs all the (7)____________ of Heliogabalus
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous
I can tell undoubted
Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies
I know the croaking chorus
From The Frogs of Aristophanes
Then I can hum a fugue
Of which I've heard the music's din afore
(Ooh, din afore, din afore... Got it!)
And whistle all the airs
From that infernal nonsense Pinafore
...
Then I can write a washing bill in (8)__________________ cuneiform
And tell you every (9)____________ of Caractacus's uniform
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
...
In fact
When I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin"
When I can tell at sight a Mauser (10)__________ (11)________ a javelin
When such affairs as sorties
And surprises I'm more wary at
And (12)________ I (13)________ precisely
What is meant by "commissariat"
When I have learnt
What progress has been made in modern gunnery
When I know more of (14)______________ than a novice in a nunnery
In short, (15)________ I've a (16)____________________ of elemental strategy
(Oh, that's a hard one, strategy... Got it!)
You'll say a (17)____________ Major-General has never sat a-gee
...
For my military knowledge
Though I'm plucky and adventury
Has only been brought down
To the beginning of the century
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General
...
(One more time?!)
...
In fact
When I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin"
When I can (18)________ at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin
When such (19)______________ as sorties
And surprises I'm (20)________ wary at
And when I know precisely
What is meant by "commissariat"
When I have learnt
What progress has (21)________ made in modern gunnery
When I know (22)________ of tactics than a (23)____________ in a nunnery
In short, when I've a (24)____________________ of elemental strategy
You'll say a better Major-General has (25)__________ rode a horse!
...
For my military knowledge
Though I'm (26)____________ and adventury
Has (27)________ (28)________ brought down
To the beginning of the century
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral
I am the very model of a modern Major-General!
...
Answers:
(1) information(2) understand(3) simple(4) square(5) know(6) pretty(7) crimes(8) Babylonic(9) detail(10) rifle(11) from(12) when(13) know(14) tactics(15) when(16) smattering(17) better(18) tell(19) affairs(20) more(21) been(22) more(23) novice(24) smattering(25) never(26) plucky(27) only(28) been