1950s-1990s: culture, art and society

Name No. Class Date

6 reasons why being a kid in the 80s was the best

1) The clothes
The 80s epitomized great (and a few not so great) clothing styles. The shorts
left little to the imagination, but kids today don’t appreciate the natural air
conditioning these provided. The same goes with the cut off half shirts that guys
5 sported to show how many abs they didn’t have.
Air Jordans, Vans, and L.A. Gear topped the shoe charts.

2) The hair bands

Hair spray and leopard print spandex were all the rage. I wasn’t allowed to listen to this “rock”
music, but thankfully my friends on the school bus introduced me to it. Guns
10 N’ Roses will always rule the decade for me.

3) The Epic Movies

This decade was a cornucopia for movies that will live on forever in 80s kids’ hearts. Arnold and
Stallone were at the top of their game. However, movies like The Goonies, The Karate Kid, Gremlins,
and Back to the Future won over every guy.

15 4) BMX Bikes
Every boy wanted a BMX bike, and the movie Rad made every kid think they could go off crazy
jumps and do flips in the air. I’m sure that movie alone contributed to half the preteen broken arms
in that decade. BMX bikes were at the top of the food chain. Extra points if you had a Mongoose
BMX bike.

20 5) The Walkman
The pinnacle of all 80s electronic devices — the Sony Walkman. This was the
go-to gadget of the decade and changed the way we thought about music. You
either needed a huge stereo boom box to carry on your shoulder, or a Walkman
with headphones on your ears. Side note: you always needed a pencil with you
25 in case you had to perform quick repairs on your cassette tapes.

6) The Arcade
What would a boy growing up in the 80s do without an
arcade to ride his BMX bike to? The arcade was where you
30 went in order to publicly show off your finely tuned skills.
Put the quarter up on the machine to demonstrate that
you meant business, and you were on your way to
stardom.
Beau Coffron,
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/beau-coffron-/10-reasons-why-being-a-kid-in-the-80s-was-the-best-guy-edition_b_5608191.html
(adapted and accessed in February 2018)

Link up to you! 12 1
 I
READING

A. Find the best definition for the following words as they appear in the text. There are two
extra definitions you do not need to use.

1. epitomized (line 2) a. a widespread temporary enthusiasm or fashion

2. rage (line 8) b. violent uncontrollable anger

3. cornucopia(line 12) c. the most successful point; the culmination

4. pinnacle (line 21) d. an abundant supply of good things of a specified kind

5. stardom (line 33) e. a covered area where there are shops

f. the state of being a very famous

g. were a perfect example of

B. Explain the following expressions from the text.

1. “The shorts left little to the imagination…” (line 2/3)

2. “Air Jordans, Vans, and L.A. Gear topped the shoe charts.” (line 6)

3. “BMX bikes were at the top of the food chain.” (line 18)

4. “Put the quarter up on the machine to demonstrate that you meant business…” (line 31/32)

C. Complete the sentences with ideas from the text. Use five words.

1. Nowadays, kids like to wear neither...

2. A young boy’s favourite sport in the...

II
WRITING THROUGH READING

Write a short explanation (around 150 words), of the reasons why the 80s have had such a great
impact on our times.

2 Link up to you! 12
 III
LANGUAGE USE

A. Complete the following text with the words or expressions from the box.
affinity theories art nostalgia digital era inspired
thanks to culturally pop-culture cultural

Why are we obsessed with the 80s

Why are the 80s so inescapable, still, after all this time? There are some practical reasons as
well as some (1.)______________________ that may explain it.
Let’s start with the practical. What we see on our screens and hear through our earbuds is
dictated in large part by what (2.)______________________ the creators and individuals who support
their visions, many of whom are in their 30s, 40s, and early 50s and may have a particular
(3.)______________________ for this time period.

The 80s, once remembered mostly as an “irredeemable” mullet joke, are now taken more
seriously, both as a time when some legitimate (4.)______________________ was being made and as
a setting that provides a rich foundation for storytelling, as is the case on a prestige spy thriller
like The Americans. The time-traveling powers of the (5.)______________________ — which,
(6.)______________________ YouTube and other internet rabbit holes, have given
(7.)______________________ nostalgia even more room to run rampant — disrupted the every-20-
years cycle that used to be the standard.

The 80s still matter because, either directly or indirectly, we feel (8.)______________________
connected to the decade. The 80s has become both (9.)______________________ rabbit hole and
(10.)______________________ mirror. We’ll likely be jumping down it and gazing backward into it for
a long, long time.
http://www.vulture.com/2016/10/2016-why-are-we-obsessed-with-the-80s.html
(adapted and accessed in February 2018)

B. Complete the sentences with it, they, or one.

1. ___________________ was in the 80s that popstars like Madonna had their debut.

2. ___________________ say that fashion in the 80s was a way to make a statement.

3. I think ___________________ must have been an amazing decade to grow up in.

4. When reading about the 80s, ___________________ might think that everything was glamorous.

5. Most people that grew up in the 80s say ___________________ had a great time!

Link up to you! 12 3
 C. Complete the following sentences with the expressions in the box.

come what may so be it suffice it to say heaven forbid far be it from me

1. If you want to dress up as a 1980s’ freak, _____________________.

2. _____________________ that the really tiny boys’ shorts should come back into fashion!

3. There are still radio stations dedicated to the music of the 80s. _____________________ that that
decade is still a landmark for several music genres.

4. If you think the 1960s changed mentalities more deeply than the 80s, _____________________
to tell you otherwise!

5. I was a teen in the 80s so I’ll always consider it the best decade, _____________________.

D. Form a suitable compound word to complete the sentences meaningfully.

baby break
super style
back star
hair sitters
day packs

1. You should see my mum’s _____________________ when she was young back in the 80s! All
permed and teased!

2. Teenage girls used to work part-time as _____________________ to get money for hairbands and
shiny bracelets.

3. We used to have garage parties that would last until _____________________.

4. Every young teen wanted to dress and look like a _____________________.

5. Both girls and boys carried colourful shiny _____________________ to school.

4 Link up to you! 12
 Answer key

I. READING (75 p) II. WRITING THROUGH READING (40 p)

A. (53 p) Open answers.
1. g
2. b III. LANGUAGE USE (85 p)
3. d A. (102 p)
4. c 1. theories; 2. inspired; 3. affinity; 4. art; 5. digital era;
5. f 6. thanks to; 7. pop-culture; 8. culturally; 9. nostalgia;
10. cultural
B. (410 p)
1. The shorts were really very short. B. (53 p)
2. These were the most sold shoe brands. 1. it; 2. they; 3. it; 4. one; 5. they
3. BMX bikes were the most important thing for a teenager
to have. C. (55 p)
4. You put a quarter on top of the machine to reserve your 1. so be it; 2. Heaven forbid; 3. Suffice it to say; 4. far be it
turn next, and this showed everyone that you were a really from me, 5.come what may
serious player.
D. (55 p)
1. hairstyle; 2. babysitters; 3. daybreak; 4. superstar; 5. backpacks
C. (210 p)
1. ... shorts nor cut off shirts.
2. ... 80s was riding a BMX.

Link up to you! 12 5