Read the text and answer the following questions below.
May Day or International Workers Day is observed on May 1 all over the world today to commemorate the historical struggle and sacrifices of the working people to establish an eight-hour workday. It is a public holiday in almost all the countries of the world. Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and the US, the workers in mills and factories had been working a long shift, fourteen or even more hours a day. On May 1st in 1886, inspired by the trade unions, half of the workers at the McCormic Harvester Company in Chicago went on strike demanding an eight-hour workday. Two days later, a workers’ rally was held near the McCormic Hervester Company and about 6000 workers had joined it. The rally was addressed by the labor leaders. They urged the workers to stand together, to go on with their struggle and not to give in to their bosses. Just at this moment some strikebreakers started leaving the meeting place. The strikers went down the street to bring them back. Suddenly about 200 policemen attacked them with clubs and revolvers. One striker was killed instantly, five or six others were seriously wounded and many of them were badly injured. The events of May 1, 1886 is a reminder that workers will continue to be exploited until they stand up and speak out to gain better working conditions, better pay and better lives.
1. Choose the best answer from the alternatives. 1×10=10
a) Which is the following best describes the workers during Industrial Revolution? i) deprived ii) hard working iii) privileged iv) honored
b) The police fired into crowd of strike in ——. i) 1886 ii) 186 iii) 1768 iv) 1986
c) May Day signifies ——-. i) the rights of working class people ii) the importance of day’s holiday iii) the inspiration of hardworking people iv) none of them
d) Workers were on strike in ——-. i) New York ii) Chicago iii) Florida iv) Washington
e) The sentence ‘workers will continue to be exploited until they stand up’ encourages us to —–.
i) protect others ii) take help iii) accept exploitation iv) celebrate May Day
f) The History of May Day is ———-. i) encouraging ii) popular iii) motivating iv) sad
g) The day reminds the historic —— of working people. i) attack ii) struggle iii) war iv) fight
h) What is the synonym of ‘inspire’? i) fight ii) struggle iii) motivate iv) struggle
i) The labor leaders ——- the workers. i) dissuaded ii) solicited iii) exploited iv) eulogized
j) May Day is a —– that the workers themselves have to fight for their rights.
i) denouncement ii) reminder iii) demand iv) memory
2. Answer the following questions in your own words. 2×5=10
a) What is May Day observed for?
b) What does May 1st stand for?
c) What were the demands of the workers?
d) Why did the police open fire at the crowd?
e) How did the policemen attack the workers?