Level
of difficulty:**
TO
THE STUDENT: The pupose of these questions is to
show you that reading the economist is not an impossible dream if you go about
it in the right way. The
questions will encourage you to focus on the main points while skimming the
details. When you reach the end, you will have a very good general idea of what
the text is about and therefore able to discuss it. There will, however, remain
some details that you will have overlooked. You will have understood the gist
of certain sentences despite not being able to analyze them and break them
down. Do not worry about them and let them be. Provided you are able to do
this, texts which are slightly over your head will present no problems.
THE MORAL OF ALL THIS: Don’t analyze to death if you wish to be able to
read.
WATCH, LISTEN AND CONSIDER
WATCH, LISTEN AND CONSIDER
A child in Africa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNXfnGTLOHc
QUESTIONS
1.
In
the first paragraph, find a single word meaning “that which can’t be foretold”.
____________________________________________________________________
2.
Write
any two of the duties girl and boy units performed.
____________________________________________________________________
3.
In
paragraph three, find a word meaning “fighter”.
____________________________________________________________________
4.
In
paragraph four find a word meaning “he who takes part in”.
____________________________________________________________________
5.
What
do “these figures underlined in paragraph five refer to?
____________________________________________________________________
6.
What
conclusion can we draw from the facts listed in paragraph five?
____________________________________________________________________
7.
A.
There is a major difference between past trends in recruiting children and
present ones. It is:
___________________________________________________________
B. There are three readily understandable reasons for
this. They are:
____________________________________________________________________
8. In paragraph nine, find
a word meaning” believing readily, naïve”.
____________________________________________________________________
9. State any three reasons
for children’s fearlessness in battle.
___________________________________________________________________
10. What makes child
soldiers economical for rebels?
___________________________________________________________________
11. In paragraph twelve,
find a word meaning “to rise sharply”.
____________________________________________________________________
12.What does” others”
underlined in the same paragraph refer to?
____________________________________________________________________
13. State any three
examples of physical hardship child soldiers suffer.
____________________________________________________________________
14. State any three
examples of practices that may have an emotional impact on children.
____________________________________________________________________
15. Mr. Ottinu states
that” groups that recruit children have a big problem on their hands
when Peace comes even when it doesn’t”. What
exactly does he mean?
____________________________________________________________________
16. How does the writer
reach the conclusion that “conflicts involving children are
particularly hard to
end”?
_____________________________________________________________________
17. What example can you
give of child soldiers who do not need to be rescued?
_____________________________________________________________________
18. What are the two
standard arguments for recruitment before eighteen?
_____________________________________________________________________
19. What inconsistency do the Australians point out in the above
standpoint?
_______________________________________________________________________
20. Are Denmark South Africa Leon Canada Burundi
their recruitment age
because they agree with Australia
________________________________________________________________________
21. In paragraph twenty five, find a single word meaning” dangerous”.
________________________________________________________________________
22 In paragraphs twenty seven and twenty eight, examples are given of
rebel groups recruiting
children. The conclusion is
reached that stopping this practice is hard. Why is this so?
_________________________________________________________________________
23. In paragraph thirty, find a single word meaning “to tear away or to
take away by force”.
________________________________________________________________________
24. What conclusion can we reach from the examples sated in paragraph
thirty one?
________________________________________________________________________
25. What led The Sudan people’s liberation Army and The Tamil Tigers to
promise not to use
child soldiers?
________________________________________________________________________
OPTIONAL FREE WRITING
There are child soldiers in many countries all over the world whose
lives have been blighted by unscrupulous warmongers. You can write about the
effects of war on these children using the text and your own ideas.
Alternatively you can write about how you think the problem can be solved.
Remember to discuss your views with your teacher and your friends first.
KALASHNIKOV KIDS; TEACHER’S NOTES
KALASHNIKOV KIDS; TEACHER’S NOTES
BEFORE YOU READ: Write the title of the text on the board, and elicit a
discussion about the probable content of the text. The issue is a very topical
one so there should be plenty of comment.
THEN, distribute the text and explain that they should read question
one, start reading the text, find the answer and underline it before reading
the next question and so on until the end. Explain that the questions are there
to help them find and focus on the main points while skimming the details and
that this procedure will help them read a text which would, under normal
circumstances, be too hard for them. Make sure that they understand that too
much analysis does not aid comprehension; quite the reverse; it prevents it. I
found this text in the Economist, in 1999 and have been using it since then so
it has had umpteen trial runs. I always present the students (intermediate in
my case) with the text around the middle of the first term; around the first
half of December at the very latest. This text and the accompanying worksheet
have never failed to go well. So enjoy …….
ANSWERS
1.
Unpredictable
2.
They
carried stolen goods, ammunition, water and food. They were taught to punish
and even kill other children who disobeyed and sought to escape. Stop while
checking this and ask them if they can express the logic behind this treatment
the children received. They should come up with something like” they wanted to
crush their spirits and turn them into killers” Do this throughout the text as
often as you can.
3.
Combatants
4.
Participants
5.
8000(have
been abducted…..), 15000(are said to ……), 300.000(children in over….)
6.
Children
have played an active part in wars since at least Spartan times.
7.
Children
were once recruited only when the supply of adult soldiers ran short, the
youngest are now often recruited first /
There are more children around , proportionally, in most of the relevant
places; Children are often easier to attract than adults; children can be
forced more easily than adults.
8.
Credulous
9.
Children
can be given alcohol, marijuana, or gunpowder to sniff; they can be told that a
magic incantation or membership to a secret society will protect them. They can
be given mirrors or a woolen toy to steer enemy bullets away. OR: they have no
sons and daughters.
10. They need less food than adult soldiers, take up less
space and can do without a wage.
11. Rocketed
12. Children
13. Some are punished or killed…, day to day injuries from
carrying loads, damage to ears and eyes from gunfire, drug addiction,
malnutrition, and sexually transmitted diseases.
14. Children see atrocities, they are made to commit
atrocities, abducted children are used to attack their own villages, the
youngest boy in the ranks of the attackers is ordered to execute the village
chief.
15. They find a generation of children carrying guns, who
know only the gun culture, who hang around on streets everywhere with guns.
16. Many rebel leaders, officers and co-coordinators turn
out to have taken part in war first as children.
17. Children who are recruited openly and legally into
international armies (where care is taken..)
18. If they left it later, young people would turn to
other employment/ Society benefits if lads without job prospects are taken off
the streets and into useful employment.
19. Governments that do not allow young people to vote,
buy alcohol, drive, marry without their parents consent or accept certain kinds
of civilian employment send them into mortal danger instead.
20. No ( many countries want to reduce their armed forces
anyway)
21. Hazardous
22. They are unlikely to be affected by international do-
gooders or voters.
23. Wrenched; they might come up with abducted if so
explain. Abducted is a synonym for kidnapped but it is not easy to eliminate
the word if you don’t know the meaning.
24. Children in such “guerilla” groups often learn as much
about crime as warfare and perpetuate it.
25. Recognition and aid will be harder
to win if the group has used child soldiers.
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