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The Major-General song

Can you complete the lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan's Major-General song from Act I of The Pirates of Penzance?
Answer must correspond to the yellow box
Quiz by crespipal
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Last updated: December 13, 2022
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First submittedMay 1, 2022
Times taken219
Average score23.5%
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I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information 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 understand equations,
both the simple
and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square 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 know our mythic history,
King Arthur's
and Sir Caradoc's;
I answer hard acrostics,
I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in elegiacs all the
crimes 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,
And whistle all the airs
from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.
 
 
 
 
Then I can write a washing bill
in Babylonic cuneiform
And tell you ev'ry detail 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 rifle
from a javelin,
When such affairs as sorties
and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat",
 
 
 
 
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery –
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy –
You'll say a better 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.
NapoleonBonaparte
+3
Level 65
Oct 26, 2022
Nominated! This is very good, I really like this format. I'm in a Gilbert and Sullivan phase at the moment and recently just memorised the lyrics to the entire song so it felt quite satisfying to write them all out. Just got the animalculous one wrong, could you accept the spelling animalculus please. Thanks for that.
DrWhoFanJ
+1
Level 62
Oct 26, 2022
Unfortunately, I only know the Doctor Who cover of the original song, and I doubt this quiz would accept those as answers. 😔
FamousRob
+3
Level 85
Oct 26, 2022
Could you please add in a few more spellings and a slight bit more time? Some of the more creative spellings need some grace. Speaking of creative spellings, the lyrics are 'Gineral' not 'General' in the first line. They were rhyming it with mineral. Just absolutely accept General as well.
crespipal
+1
Level 63
Oct 31, 2022
Yes, I will add some time! For the spellings: I am not a native English speaker so I am unsure of which spellings could be more natural. If you can suggest some, I'll be glad to add them. About General/Gineral: modern editions of the libretto have "General" (with a note that it must be pronounced as "Gineral"), indeed I checked on the first printed edition of the score and there's "Gineral", so I'll add the spelling for sure.
Dimby
+1
Level 77
Jul 12, 2023
I love this song. It might be a good idea to have multiple blanks for answers with more that one word.
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