People in Bengaluru, a big city in India, are fighting about signs. Some people want signs in English, but others want them in the local language, Kannada. A group called KRV is very upset and took down English signs. They want a new rule that says most of the sign has to be in Kannada. Some people agree with KRV, but others do not like the fighting.

The KRV group says that the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru. They think that because many people from other places are moving to the city, the local people and their language might not be as important. The KRV wants signs to be in Kannada first. They have fought about this before with other languages in India.

A big business group in Bengaluru says that changing the signs to Kannada won’t hurt the city’s work. They want businesses to use more Kannada on their signs. They have until the end of February to do this. The KRV says that if other countries can have signs in their languages, then Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka, where many people speak it.

Original news source: Bengaluru: Why English is dividing people in India’s Silicon Valley (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. They can then share their summaries with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The rest of the team must guess the word based on the drawing.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom and label one end “Agree” and the other end “Disagree”. Read out statements related to the article (e.g. “Signs should be in the local language”) and ask students to stand at the point on the line that represents their opinion. Give them a chance to explain their position to the class.

– Charades
Instructions: Write down key words or phrases from the article on small pieces of paper. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the word or phrase without speaking. The rest of their team must guess what it is.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and make predictions about what they think will happen in Bengaluru regarding the language of signs. They should use the future tense and give reasons for their predictions. After discussing, they can share their predictions with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why are people in Bengaluru fighting about signs?
2. What language do some people want the signs to be in?
3. What did the group KRV do to the English signs?
4. Why does the KRV group want a new rule about signs?
5. Why does the KRV group think the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru?
6. What does the big business group in Bengaluru want businesses to do with their signs?
7. Why does the KRV group think Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

People in Bengaluru, a big city in India, are fighting about signs. Some people want signs in (1)______, but others want them in the (2)______ language, Kannada. A group called KRV is very upset and took down English signs. They want a new rule that (3)______ most of the sign has to be in Kannada. Some people agree with KRV, but others do not like the (4)______.

The KRV group says that the Kannada (5)______ is not being (6)______ enough in Bengaluru. They think that because many people from other places are moving to the city, the local people and their language might not be as important. The KRV wants (7)______ to be in (8)______ first. They have fought about this before with other languages in India.

A big (9)______ group in Bengaluru says that changing the signs to Kannada won’t hurt the city’s work. They want (10)______ to use more Kannada on their signs. They have until the end of February to do this. The KRV says that if other countries can have signs in their (11)______, then Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka, where many people (12)______ it.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the KRV group upset about?
2. How do you think the people who want signs in English feel about the situation?
3. Do you think it’s important for signs to be in the local language? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if signs in your city were changed to a different language?
5. Do you like seeing signs in different languages when you visit other countries? Why or why not?
6. What do you think the big business group wants to happen with the signs?
7. Do you think changing the signs to Kannada will affect the city’s work? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the people from other places who moved to Bengaluru feel about the sign issue?
9. What is the KRV group’s argument for having signs in Kannada?
10. Do you think it’s fair for the KRV group to take down English signs? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the city can make sure both English and Kannada are represented on signs?
12. Do you think it’s important to preserve and promote local languages? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Bengaluru
2. signs
3. English
4. local
5. upset
6. rule
7. agree
8. important
9. fought
10. business
11. changing
12. countries

Meanings:
(A) Feeling sad or angry
(B) A big city in India
(C) From the area you are in
(D) Companies that sell things or services
(E) Places where people live and have their own government and rules
(F) A guide for how you are supposed to act
(G) To have the same opinion as someone else
(H) Making something different than it was before
(I) A language spoken in many parts of the world
(J) Something that matters a lot
(K) To have a disagreement or argument
(L) Boards or pieces of metal or plastic that give information
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🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are people in Bengaluru fighting about?
(a) Food
(b) Signs
(c) Sports
(d) Music

2. What language do some people want the signs to be in?
(a) Kannada
(b) English
(c) Hindi
(d) Tamil

3. What group took down the English signs?
(a) Business group
(b) Local people
(c) KRV
(d) Government

4. Why does the KRV group want signs to be in Kannada first?
(a) They think the language is not being used enough in Bengaluru.
(b) They want to make it difficult for people from other places to understand.
(c) They want to show their power and control over the city.
(d) They want to make the city more international.

5. What does the business group in Bengaluru want businesses to do?
(a) Use only English on their signs.
(b) Use more Kannada on their signs.
(c) Use signs in multiple languages.
(d) Use signs in the local language of each business.

6. When do businesses have to change their signs to include more Kannada?
(a) By the end of March
(b) By the end of April
(c) By the end of May
(d) By the end of February

7. Where does the KRV group think Kannada should be on signs?
(a) Bengaluru
(b) India
(c) Other countries
(d) Karnataka

8. What is the main reason the KRV group wants signs to be in Kannada?
(a) They want to make the city more diverse.
(b) They want to make it difficult for tourists to understand.
(c) They want to preserve the importance of the local language.
(d) They want to show their dominance over other languages.

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. KRV wants a new rule that says most of the sign should be in Kannada.
2. People in Bengaluru are agreeing about whether signs should be in English and Kannada.
3. A group called KRV is upset and has taken down English signs.
4. KRV believes that the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru.
5. Some people agree with KRV, but others like the fighting.
6. The KRV says that if other countries cannot have signs in their languages, then Kannada should not be on signs in Karnataka.
7. The KRV group has fought about language issues before in India.
8. A small business group in Bengaluru supports not using more Kannada on signs.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What are people in Bengaluru fighting about?
2. What language do some people want the signs in?
3. Why is the KRV group upset?
4. What does the KRV group want to happen with the signs?
5. What does the big business group in Bengaluru want businesses to do?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why are people in Bengaluru fighting about signs?
People in Bengaluru are fighting about signs because some people want the signs to be in English, while others want them to be in the local language, Kannada.

2. What language do some people want the signs to be in?
Some people want the signs to be in Kannada.

3. What did the group KRV do to the English signs?
The group KRV took down the English signs.

4. Why does the KRV group want a new rule about signs?
The KRV group wants a new rule about signs because they think that the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru.

5. Why does the KRV group think the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru?
The KRV group thinks the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru because many people from other places are moving to the city, and they think that the local people and their language might not be as important anymore.

6. What does the big business group in Bengaluru want businesses to do with their signs?
The big business group in Bengaluru wants businesses to use more Kannada on their signs.

7. Why does the KRV group think Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka?
The KRV group thinks Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka because they believe that if other countries can have signs in their languages, then Kannada should also be on signs in the state where many people speak it.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) English
(2) local
(3) says
(4) fighting
(5) language
(6) used
(7) signs
(8) Kannada
(9) business
(10) businesses
(11) languages
(12) speak
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Bengaluru
Answer: (B) A big city in India

2. signs
Answer: (L) Boards or pieces of metal or plastic that give information

3. English
Answer: (I) A language spoken in many parts of the world

4. local
Answer: (C) From the area you are in

5. upset
Answer: (A) Feeling sad or angry

6. rule
Answer: (F) A guide for how you are supposed to act

7. agree
Answer: (G) To have the same opinion as someone else

8. important
Answer: (J) Something that matters a lot

9. fought
Answer: (K) To have a disagreement or argument

10. business
Answer: (D) Companies that sell things or services

11. changing
Answer: (H) Making something different than it was before

12. countries
Answer: (E) Places where people live and have their own government and rules
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are people in Bengaluru fighting about?
Answer: (b) Signs

2. What language do some people want the signs to be in?
Answer: (a) Kannada

3. What group took down the English signs?
Answer: (c) KRV

4. Why does the KRV group want signs to be in Kannada first?
Answer: (a) They think the language is not being used enough in Bengaluru.

5. What does the business group in Bengaluru want businesses to do?
Answer: (b) Use more Kannada on their signs.

6. When do businesses have to change their signs to include more Kannada?
Answer: (d) By the end of February

7. Where does the KRV group think Kannada should be on signs?
Answer: (d) Karnataka

8. What is the main reason the KRV group wants signs to be in Kannada?
Answer: (c) They want to preserve the importance of the local language.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. KRV wants a new rule that says most of the sign should be in Kannada. (Answer: True)
2. People in Bengaluru are agreeing about whether signs should be in English and Kannada. (Answer: False)
3. A group called KRV is upset and has taken down English signs. (Answer: True)
4. KRV believes that the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru. (Answer: True)
5. Some people agree with KRV, but others like the fighting. (Answer: False)
6. The KRV says that if other countries cannot have signs in their languages, then Kannada should not be on signs in Karnataka. (Answer: False)
7. The KRV group has fought about language issues before in India. (Answer: True)
8. A small business group in Bengaluru supports not using more Kannada on signs. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧