In Sri Lanka, a big power outage happened on Sunday, leaving many people without electricity. It started around 11 in the morning and affected 22 million people on the island. The blackout was caused by a monkey that touched a part of the power system near Colombo. This caused a problem in the electrical system, according to the Energy Minister.

Engineers worked hard to fix the problem and got power back to some places in a few hours. But this event showed that Sri Lanka has ongoing problems with its electricity system. Last year, in 2022, the country had big blackouts and had to save electricity during an economic crisis. People are worried about how reliable the power grid is.

Local news found the monkey incident unusual and even a bit funny. Jamila Husain from the Daily Mirror joked that only in Sri Lanka could a monkey cause such a big blackout. Reports say engineers have been asking the government to improve the power system. They warn that the power grid is weak and can easily have problems.

Original news source: Nationwide power outage in Sri Lanka blamed on a monkey (Sky News)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out words or phrases related to the article (e.g., “power outage,” “monkey,” “engineer,” “blackout”). The other groups will guess the word or phrase being acted out. This will help students practice vocabulary and improve their speaking skills.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Conduct a quick survey in class. Ask students how they feel about power outages. Provide them with a few options: “Very worried,” “Somewhat worried,” “Not worried.” After they choose, have them discuss their answers in pairs and share their thoughts with the class. This encourages speaking and listening skills.

– VOCABULARY PICTIONARY
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., “electricity,” “blackout,” “system,” “engineers”) on the board. Have students take turns drawing one of the words while the rest of the class guesses what it is. This is a fun way to reinforce vocabulary understanding.

– TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Instructions: Have students think of two true statements and one false statement about the power outage incident. For example, “The power outage affected 22 million people,” “The outage was caused by a cat,” “Engineers worked to fix the problem.” Students will share their statements with a partner, and the partner will guess which one is the lie. This activity encourages critical thinking and speaking.

– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article, such as, “What do you think could be done to improve the power system in Sri Lanka?” Have students think about their answers individually, then discuss their ideas with a partner, and finally share their thoughts with the whole class. This helps develop their speaking and listening skills while engaging with the topic.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in Sri Lanka on Sunday?
2. How many people were affected by the power outage?
3. What caused the blackout according to the Energy Minister?
4. How long did it take for engineers to fix the power in some places?
5. Why are people worried about the electricity system in Sri Lanka?
6. What did Jamila Husain from the Daily Mirror think about the monkey incident?
7. What do engineers want the government to do about the power system?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In Sri Lanka, a big power outage happened on Sunday, leaving many (1)______ without electricity. It started around 11 in the morning and (2)______ 22 million people on the (3)______. The blackout was caused by a monkey that touched a part of the power system near Colombo. This caused a problem in the electrical system, according to the Energy Minister.

Engineers worked hard to fix the problem and got (4)______ back to some (5)______ in a few hours. But this (6)______ showed that Sri Lanka has ongoing problems with its electricity (7)______. (8)______ year, in 2022, the country had big (9)______ and had to save electricity during an economic crisis. People are worried about how reliable the power grid is.

Local news found the monkey incident unusual and even a bit funny. Jamila Husain from the (10)______ Mirror joked that only in Sri Lanka could a monkey cause such a big blackout. Reports say engineers have been (11)______ the government to improve the power system. They (12)______ that the power grid is weak and can easily have problems.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a power outage?
2. How would you feel if you had no electricity for a whole day?
3. Do you think monkeys are funny? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever experienced a blackout? What happened?
5. What is your favorite thing to do when the power goes out?
6. Do you think it is important to have a strong electricity system? Why?
7. How would you feel if a monkey caused a problem where you live?
8. Do you like telling jokes about funny events? Why or why not?
9. What is a problem you think many countries have with electricity?
10. How do you think people can save electricity?
11. Do you think engineers should work harder to fix power problems? Why?
12. What would you do if you were in charge of fixing the power system?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. outage
2. blackout
3. affected
4. incident
5. reliable
6. grid
7. unusual
8. economic
9. crisis
10. engineers
11. improve
12. weak

Meanings:
(A) When something changes or has an impact on someone or something
(B) Not strong or easily broken
(C) Not common or rare
(D) To make something better
(E) A very bad and difficult situation
(F) When something stops working, like electricity
(G) An event or something that happens
(H) Related to money and how it’s used
(I) A network or system that connects things, like electricity
(J) When all the lights go out because there’s no power
(K) People who design and build things, like machines or structures
(L) Something you can trust to work well
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What caused the power outage in Sri Lanka?
(a) A storm
(b) A car accident
(c) A tree falling
(d) A monkey

2. How many people were affected by the blackout?
(a) 22 million
(b) 10 million
(c) 5 million
(d) 50 million

3. Where did the power outage happen?
(a) Near Colombo
(b) In the mountains
(c) By the sea
(d) In the capital city

4. What did the Energy Minister say about the blackout?
(a) It was caused by a storm
(b) It was planned
(c) It was a joke
(d) It was a problem in the electrical system

5. How long did it take to fix the power in some places?
(a) A few days
(b) A few hours
(c) A few minutes
(d) A few weeks

6. What were people worried about after the blackout?
(a) The price of electricity
(b) The power grid’s reliability
(c) The weather
(d) The monkey’s safety

7. What did Jamila Husain from the Daily Mirror think about the monkey incident?
(a) It was sad
(b) It was scary
(c) It was funny
(d) It was boring

8. What do engineers want the government to do?
(a) Lower electricity prices
(b) Stop using monkeys
(c) Improve the power system
(d) Build more houses

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People are confident about how reliable the power grid is.
2. The blackout began around 11 in the evening.
3. Some places got their power back in a few hours.
4. Sri Lanka has had problems with its electricity system before.
5. The power outage impacted 20 million people.
6. A monkey avoided touching a part of the power system near Colombo.
7. A big power outage happened in Sri Lanka on Sunday.
8. Engineers worked hard to fix the electricity problem.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!

1. What happened in Sri Lanka on Sunday that affected many people?
2. How many people were without electricity because of the power outage?
3. What caused the power outage in Sri Lanka?
4. What did engineers do to help fix the problem?
5. Why are people worried about the electricity system in Sri Lanka?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in Sri Lanka on Sunday?
A big power outage happened, leaving many people without electricity.

2. How many people were affected by the power outage?
22 million people were affected by the power outage.

3. What caused the blackout according to the Energy Minister?
A monkey touched a part of the power system near Colombo, which caused the blackout.

4. How long did it take for engineers to fix the power in some places?
It took engineers a few hours to fix the power in some places.

5. Why are people worried about the electricity system in Sri Lanka?
People are worried because the power grid is weak and can easily have problems.

6. What did Jamila Husain from the Daily Mirror think about the monkey incident?
She thought it was unusual and funny, saying only in Sri Lanka could a monkey cause such a big blackout.

7. What do engineers want the government to do about the power system?
Engineers want the government to improve the power system.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) people
(2) affected
(3) island
(4) power
(5) places
(6) event
(7) system
(8) Last
(9) blackouts
(10) Daily
(11) asking
(12) warn
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. outage
Answer: (F) When something stops working, like electricity

2. blackout
Answer: (J) When all the lights go out because there’s no power

3. affected
Answer: (A) When something changes or has an impact on someone or something

4. incident
Answer: (G) An event or something that happens

5. reliable
Answer: (L) Something you can trust to work well

6. grid
Answer: (I) A network or system that connects things, like electricity

7. unusual
Answer: (C) Not common or rare

8. economic
Answer: (H) Related to money and how it’s used

9. crisis
Answer: (E) A very bad and difficult situation

10. engineers
Answer: (K) People who design and build things, like machines or structures

11. improve
Answer: (D) To make something better

12. weak
Answer: (B) Not strong or easily broken
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What caused the power outage in Sri Lanka?
Answer: (d) A monkey

2. How many people were affected by the blackout?
Answer: (a) 22 million

3. Where did the power outage happen?
Answer: (a) Near Colombo

4. What did the Energy Minister say about the blackout?
Answer: (d) It was a problem in the electrical system

5. How long did it take to fix the power in some places?
Answer: (b) A few hours

6. What were people worried about after the blackout?
Answer: (b) The power grid’s reliability

7. What did Jamila Husain from the Daily Mirror think about the monkey incident?
Answer: (c) It was funny

8. What do engineers want the government to do?
Answer: (c) Improve the power system
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People are confident about how reliable the power grid is. (Answer: False)
2. The blackout began around 11 in the evening. (Answer: False)
3. Some places got their power back in a few hours. (Answer: True)
4. Sri Lanka has had problems with its electricity system before. (Answer: True)
5. The power outage impacted 20 million people. (Answer: False)
6. A monkey avoided touching a part of the power system near Colombo. (Answer: False)
7. A big power outage happened in Sri Lanka on Sunday. (Answer: True)
8. Engineers worked hard to fix the electricity problem. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧