The Penny Black: Multiple Choice Vocabulary Test

The Penny Black is the name of the world's first postage stamp. It was (0)        C        by the U.K. in 1840 and is perhaps the most (1)________ stamp ever issued. It has a (2)________ of the young Queen Victoria and because of its colour, and its (3)________ of one penny, it is known as the 'Penny Black'.

(4)________ 1840, postage rates for delivery of letters in the U.K. depended on the (5)________ the letter had to travel and the number of sheets of paper used. Furthermore, (6)________ that time it was not possible to pay for your letter before you sent it. The postage had to be paid by the receiver (7)________ than the sender of the letter. The Penny Black changed everything: at the rate of one penny, letters that did not (8)________ more than half an ounce could be sent to any (9)________ in the U.K.

Nowadays, Penny Black stamps are not that rare although they are (10) ________ regarded by stamp collectors. About 68 million of these stamps were issued (11)_______ 1840 and 1841, and it is thought that about 1.5 million of these 12 _______ today. The price of the stamp today varies according to whether it has been used or not and its condition. A fine used copy can be bought for around $77 or less, while unused examples are quite rare and sell for $2,000 or more. To13 ________ the U.K. for having issued the world’s first postage stamp, the Universal Postal Union has made an exception regarding its14 _______ that the name of the country must15 _______ on a stamp to date has ever had the country name on it.