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Alexander Maxwell cites a student as committing an exam howler for confusing Pavlik Morozov, ¡°the Soviet youth murdered by his family after informing on his parents¡± with ¡°a?Russian explorer who discovered the true meaning of Christmas¡± (¡°Protectorate was a?¡®piranha state¡¯?¡±, 18?July).

I?would have rewarded the student for ingenuity because G.?F. Morozov (1867-1920) was a?pioneer Russian expert in forestry, and the surname contains ¡°moroz¡±, the Russian for ¡°frost¡±. Ded moroz (Grandfather Frost), the equivalent of our Father Christmas, defines, if not the true, then at least a partial meaning of this festive season.

R. E. Rawles
Honorary research fellow in psychology
University College London