A) Read the text first. Then complete the gaps using the words below.

There are five extra words you do NOT need

The Untouchables
India’s caste system has kept the poor in their place for 3,500 years. There are four main
castes, each of which contains thousands of sub-castes …………. (1) on profession, clan and
customs. At the top there are the Brahmins, …………(2) are the priests and writers. Then come
the Kshatriya warriors and kings; the Vaishyas, the merchants and landowners; and finally the
Shudras, or labourers. But they are not the lowest of the low. There is another class of people
so despised that they are not even ……..… (3) a proper caste.
Untouchables are regarded as barbarians and made …………..((4) perform such tasks as
burning corpses and handling sewage and dead animals. There are 150 million Untouchables in
India – …………. (5) 20% of the population. Together with the Shudras and former
Untouchables who have escaped by converting to other religions – they form about 52% of the
population.
These days Untouchables call themselves Dalits, meaning “the oppressed” – and with
good reason. In ………….. (6) areas – where 80% of Indians live – the newly introduced laws
……….. (7) discrimination are seldom enforced, and Dalits are routinely denied access to state
aid, education and legal protection. In many areas, they are forced to live in segregated
ghettoes, they are not allowed ……… (8) use the same water taps, touch the same things,
enter the same temples or even, in some cases, use the same roads ………….(9) the higher
castes. Breaking these rules can ……… (10) to terrible punishment such as being stoned to
death.
The Indian government tried to improve the situation with a system of quotas to help
lower-caste people get jobs in education and the civil service. Approximately 30% of
government jobs are currently set aside for Dalits. Slowly, this positive discrimination is having
an effect. Kocherila Raman Narayanan, the country’s president, is a Dalit, as are several up-
and-coming politicians. Meanwhile, economic reforms, and the spread of information through
television and the internet, have encouraged Dalits to rebel against their status as cheap
labourers.
who roughly lead in to

which rural considered based again

as than to against bases

B) Decide if the statements are true or false

 The Untouchables can break free from their position. ……………….

 The Untouchables are regarded as a caste. …………….

 The laws against discrimination are effective ………………..

 Some forms of government support are often not available for Dalits. ……………..

C) Find the synonyms for the words below in the text

 Make better ~ ………………..

 Approximately ~ …………….

 Prohibited ~ ………………..

 Rarely ~ ……………..

 Churches ~ ……………..

 Not to follow the rules ~ ……………………

 Dead bodies ~ ……………….

 Workers ~ ……………..

D) Write the opposites of the following words. The solutions can be found in
the text. Read the text many times to find all the words.

Different <----------- …………………

Highest --------- ………………

Wonderful ------- …………….

Quickly -------- …………………

The rich --------- …………………..

 ANSWER Key

A)

1. based
2. who
3. considered
4. to
5. roughly
6. rural
7. against
8. to
9. as
10. lead

B)
 The Untouchables can break free from their position. ……True………….

 The Untouchables are regarded as a caste. ………False…….

 The laws against discrimination are effective ………False………..

 Some forms of government support are often not available for Dalits. ……True……

C)
 Make better ~ …improve……………..

 Approximately ~ …about………….

 Probited ~ ……are not allowed…………..

 Rarely ~ …seldom…………..
 Churches ~ temples……………..

 Not to follow the rules ~ …to break the rules ………

 Dead bodies ~ corpses……………….

 Workers ~ …labourers…………..

D)
Different <--------- …same………………

Highest --------- ……lowest…………

Wonderful ------- ……terrible ……….

Quickly -------- ……slowly ……………

The rich --------- ……the poor ……………..