In seventeenth century France, a nobleman's education ... (think: P) to be incomplete until he ... (master) the art of carving.
was thought; mastered
From the sixteenth century, women seem to ... (carve) meat at British tables, though by the mid-nineteenth cantury, carving at formal meals ... (carry out: P) mainly by servants.
have carved; was carried out
The French _(insist+always) that salad _(tear:M+P) rather than cut with a knife, a rule which probably _(arise) in order to eliminate the taste of metal - lettuce _(dress:P) with oil and vinegar or lemon, which _(react:M) with some metals.
have always insisted; should be torn; arose; is/was dressed; may/might/can/could react
Arriving in Athens pursued by the Furies because he _(murder) his mother, Orestes _(give:P) dinner, but so horrified were the other diners that they _(eat) in silence and _(drink) from a separate pitcher.
had murdered; was given; ate; drank
Although live-in household staff _(continue) to be the norm in America until the 1920s, their numbers _(start) to decline in Europe much earlier.
continued; had started/had been starting
For the last hundred years, the separate tiers of a British wedding cake _(support:P) by pillars, although more recently, upturned champagne glasses _(choose:P) by some couples as a variant.
have been supported; have been chosen
