A rich man in India, NR Narayana Murthy, said young people should work 70 hours a week to help the country grow. Some people agree with him, but others worry about low pay and health problems from working too much. This is happening when many people are thinking about how much they work because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
People in India already work a lot, but experts say working more hours is not the only way to do more work. They say it’s also important to learn new skills, have a good place to work, and get paid fairly. Some leaders in India agree with Murthy, but others say working five days a week is not right for a country like India that is growing fast. At the same time, some countries like Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks.
The argument about how many hours people should work in India is making people think about how much work is done, how work and life balance, and how workers are treated. It shows that it’s important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also things like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
Original news source: NR Narayana Murthy: Why Indians are debating a 70-hour work week (BBC)
Listen
Slow
Normal
Fast
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns acting out a job or occupation while the other groups try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. After a few rounds, discuss the importance of different occupations and how they contribute to society.
– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, ask each student to write a summary of the article in 3-4 sentences. After they finish, have them share their summaries with a partner and discuss any similarities or differences. Finally, have a class discussion about the main points of the article.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as “Working 70 hours a week is necessary for economic growth” or “Shorter work weeks are better for work-life balance.” Have the students stand on one side of the room if they agree with the statement, and the other side if they disagree. Then, ask a few students from each side to explain their opinions.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into small groups. Each group will take turns choosing a word and drawing it on the board while the other groups try to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly gets a point. After a few rounds, review the meanings of the words as a class.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a blank sheet of paper and ask them to create a catchy headline related to the article. Encourage them to be creative and use their knowledge of the topic. After they finish, have each group share their headline with the class and explain their reasoning behind it.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What did NR Narayana Murthy say young people should do to help the country grow?
2. Why are some people worried about working too much?
3. What are some other ways to do more work besides working more hours?
4. Do all leaders in India agree with Murthy about working 70 hours a week? Why or why not?
5. Which countries are trying shorter work weeks?
6. What are some things that people should think about besides the number of hours they work?
7. Why is it important to have a good place to work?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A rich man in India, NR Narayana Murthy, said young people should work 70 hours a week to (1)______ the (2)______ grow. Some people agree with him, but (3)______ worry about low pay and health problems from working too much. This is happening when many people are thinking about how much they work because of the (4)______ pandemic.
People in India already work a lot, but experts say working (5)______ hours is not the only way to do more work. They say it’s also important to learn new skills, have a good place to work, and get paid fairly. Some (6)______ in India agree with (7)______, but others say working five days a week is not right for a country like (8)______ that is (9)______ fast. At the same time, some countries like Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks.
The argument about how many hours people should work in India is making people (10)______ about how much work is done, how work and life balance, and how (11)______ are (12)______. It shows that it’s important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also things like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What do you think about working 70 hours a week? Why or why not?
2. How would you feel if you had to work long hours but didn’t get paid much?
3. Do you think it’s important to learn new skills at work? Why or why not?
4. What is a good place to work like? How would it make you feel?
5. Do you think it’s fair for people to work five days a week? Why or why not?
6. How do you think shorter work weeks could benefit workers?
7. What do you think about the idea of work-life balance? Why is it important?
8. How would you feel if you were treated unfairly at work? Why?
9. Do you think it’s important for workers to be paid fairly? Why or why not?
10. How would you feel if you had to work in a bad place? Why?
11. What are some skills you would like to learn at work? Why?
12. How would you feel if you had to work long hours and didn’t have time for other things you enjoy? Why?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. India
2. work
3. hours
4. pay
5. skills
6. balance
7. workers
8. pandemic
Meanings:
(a) The amount of time spent doing something
(b) The state of having an equal amount of work and personal life
(c) The money someone receives for their work
(d) Something people do to earn money
(e) People who have jobs
(f) Abilities or knowledge that someone has
(g) The global health crisis caused by Covid-19
(h) The country where NR Narayana Murthy is from
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Who said young people should work 70 hours a week in India?
(a) Bill Gates
(b) NR Narayana Murthy
(c) Mark Zuckerberg
(d) Jeff Bezos
2. What are some concerns about working too much?
(a) Low pay and health problems
(b) High pay and health problems
(c) Low pay and no health problems
(d) High pay and no health problems
3. What other factors are important besides working more hours?
(a) Taking breaks, having a good place to work, and getting paid fairly
(b) Learning new skills, taking breaks, and getting paid fairly
(c) Learning new skills, having a good place to work, and getting paid fairly
(d) Learning new skills, taking breaks, and having a good place to work
4. Which countries are trying shorter work weeks?
(a) India and China
(b) Russia and Germany
(c) Spain and Mongolia
(d) Belgium and the UK
5. What does the argument about how many hours people should work in India make people think about?
(a) How much work is done, work-life balance, and how workers are treated
(b) How much money is made, work-life balance, and how workers are treated
(c) How much work is done, work-life balance, and how workers are paid
(d) How much money is made, work-life balance, and how workers are paid
6. What is the main point of the article?
(a) Young people should work 70 hours a week in India
(b) It’s important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also factors like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work
(c) Working more hours is the only way to do more work
(d) Shorter work weeks are the best solution for every country
7. Who disagrees with NR Narayana Murthy’s idea of working 70 hours a week?
(a) All leaders in India
(b) Experts in India
(c) No one in India
(d) Some leaders in India
8. What is the concern about working five days a week in a fast-growing country like India?
(a) It may not be enough hours to work
(b) It may lead to health problems
(c) It may not be right for the country’s growth
(d) It may lead to low pay
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Some people disagree with the rich man, but others worry about high pay and health problems from not working enough.
2. Some leaders in India disagree with the rich man, but others say working five days a week is right for a fast-growing country like India.
3. Experts say it’s important to learn new skills, have a good place to work, and get paid fairly to do more work.
4. The agreement about how many hours people should work in India is making people think about work-life imbalance and how workers are mistreated.
5. It’s important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also things like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
6. Many people in India already do not work a lot, but experts say working fewer hours is not the only way to do more work.
7. A rich man in India thinks young people should work 70 hours a week to help the country grow.
8. Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks.
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 did NR Narayana Murthy say about how much young people should work in India?
2. What are some concerns that people have about working too much?
3. What are some other ways to do more work besides working more hours?
4. Do all leaders in India agree with Murthy’s idea about working 70 hours a week? Why or why not?
5. Why is the argument about how many hours people should work making people think about work-life balance and how workers are treated?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What did NR Narayana Murthy say young people should do to help the country grow?
NR Narayana Murthy said young people should work 70 hours a week to help the country grow.
2. Why are some people worried about working too much?
Some people are worried about working too much because it can lead to low pay and health problems.
3. What are some other ways to do more work besides working more hours?
Some other ways to do more work besides working more hours are learning new skills, having a good place to work, and getting paid fairly.
4. Do all leaders in India agree with Murthy about working 70 hours a week? Why or why not?
No, not all leaders in India agree with Murthy about working 70 hours a week. Some leaders say working five days a week is not right for a fast-growing country like India.
5. Which countries are trying shorter work weeks?
Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks.
6. What are some things that people should think about besides the number of hours they work?
Besides the number of hours they work, people should think about learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work.
7. Why is it important to have a good place to work?
It is important to have a good place to work because it can make people feel happier and more productive.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) help
(2) country
(3) others
(4) Covid-19
(5) more
(6) leaders
(7) Murthy
(8) India
(9) growing
(10) think
(11) workers
(12) treated
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. India
Answer: (h) The country where NR Narayana Murthy is from
2. work
Answer: (d) Something people do to earn money
3. hours
Answer: (a) The amount of time spent doing something
4. pay
Answer: (c) The money someone receives for their work
5. skills
Answer: (f) Abilities or knowledge that someone has
6. balance
Answer: (b) The state of having an equal amount of work and personal life
7. workers
Answer: (e) People who have jobs
8. pandemic
Answer: (g) The global health crisis caused by Covid-19
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Who said young people should work 70 hours a week in India?
Answer: (b) NR Narayana Murthy
2. What are some concerns about working too much?
Answer: (a) Low pay and health problems
3. What other factors are important besides working more hours?
Answer: (c) Learning new skills, having a good place to work, and getting paid fairly
4. Which countries are trying shorter work weeks?
Answer: (d) Belgium and the UK
5. What does the argument about how many hours people should work in India make people think about?
Answer: (a) How much work is done, work-life balance, and how workers are treated
6. What is the main point of the article?
Answer: (b) It’s important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also factors like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work
7. Who disagrees with NR Narayana Murthy’s idea of working 70 hours a week?
Answer: (d) Some leaders in India
8. What is the concern about working five days a week in a fast-growing country like India?
Answer: (c) It may not be right for the country’s growth
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Some people disagree with the rich man, but others worry about high pay and health problems from not working enough. (Answer: False)
2. Some leaders in India disagree with the rich man, but others say working five days a week is right for a fast-growing country like India. (Answer: False)
3. Experts say it’s important to learn new skills, have a good place to work, and get paid fairly to do more work. (Answer: True)
4. The agreement about how many hours people should work in India is making people think about work-life imbalance and how workers are mistreated. (Answer: False)
5. It’s important to think about not just how many hours are worked, but also things like learning new skills, getting paid fairly, and having a good place to work. (Answer: True)
6. Many people in India already do not work a lot, but experts say working fewer hours is not the only way to do more work. (Answer: False)
7. A rich man in India thinks young people should work 70 hours a week to help the country grow. (Answer: True)
8. Belgium and the UK are trying shorter work weeks. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧
