The people who decide how much it costs to borrow money in Turkey have made it more expensive. They did this because the prices of things are going up very fast. The leader of Turkey didn’t want to make borrowing money more expensive, but he changed his mind. Now, the person in charge of the money decisions is trying to make prices stop going up so quickly.

The money people in Turkey said they will not make it more expensive to borrow money for much longer. They want to make sure that prices for things don’t keep going up too much. Turkey used to have a strong economy, but it’s been having trouble lately. Last year, because they made some bad decisions, the money in Turkey was not worth as much as before.

Turkey is now trying a new way to stop prices from going up too much. They want to make it harder for people to borrow money so that things don’t get more expensive. A woman who knows a lot about money is now in charge of these decisions. Everyone is waiting to see if her plan will work to make the economy better.

Original news source: Turkey’s central bank raises interest rates to 40% (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in 3-5 sentences.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Instruct the groups to discuss and share their opinions on the following questions:
– Do you think it was a good decision to make borrowing money more expensive in Turkey?
– How do you think this will affect the economy?
3. After a designated time, have each group share their opinions with the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board.
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Instruct each pair/group to choose a word from the list and draw a picture to represent that word.
4. Have the pairs/groups take turns showing their pictures to the class and asking their classmates to guess the word.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a copy of the article.
3. Instruct one student in each pair to be the “speaker” and the other student to be the “listener.”
4. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes.
5. The “speaker” must read the article aloud and try to summarize the main points as quickly as possible.
6. The “listener” must listen carefully and then summarize what they heard to the best of their ability.
7. After the time is up, have the pairs switch roles and repeat the activity.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Ask the class the following question: “What do you think are some possible reasons for the economic troubles in Turkey?”
2. Give the students a few minutes to think about their answers individually.
3. Instruct the students to pair up and share their thoughts with their partner.
4. After a designated time, have a few pairs share their ideas with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why did the people in charge make it more expensive to borrow money in Turkey?
2. Why did the leader of Turkey change his mind about making borrowing money more expensive?
3. What are the money people in Turkey trying to make sure doesn’t happen?
4. What happened to the money in Turkey last year?
5. What is Turkey trying to do to stop prices from going up too much?
6. Who is now in charge of the money decisions in Turkey?
7. What is everyone waiting to see if her plan will do?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The people who decide how much it costs to borrow money in Turkey have made it more expensive. They did this because the (1)______ of things are (2)______ up very fast. The (3)______ of Turkey didn’t want to make borrowing money more expensive, but he changed his mind. Now, the (4)______ in charge of the (5)______ decisions is (6)______ to make prices stop going up so quickly.

The money people in Turkey said they will not make it more expensive to borrow money for much longer. They want to make sure that prices for things don’t keep going up too much. (7)______ used to have a strong (8)______, but it’s been having trouble lately. (9)______ year, because they made some bad decisions, the money in Turkey was not worth as much as before.

Turkey is now trying a new way to stop prices from going up too much. They want to make it harder for people to borrow money so that things don’t get more (10)______. A woman who knows a lot about money is now in charge of these (11)______. Everyone is (12)______ to see if her plan will work to make the economy better.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What does it mean to borrow money?
2. How would you feel if the price of things in your country started going up very fast?
3. Do you like it when borrowing money becomes more expensive? Why or why not?
4. What do you think happens when the prices of things keep going up too much?
5. How do you think making it harder for people to borrow money can help stop prices from going up?
6. Do you think it’s important for a country to have a strong economy? Why or why not?
7. How do you think making bad decisions can affect the value of money in a country?
8. What do you think about having a woman in charge of making money decisions?
9. Do you think the woman’s plan will make the economy better? Why or why not?
10. How do you think the economy can be improved in a country?
11. What would you do if you were in charge of making money decisions in your country?
12. Why do you think everyone is waiting to see if the woman’s plan will work?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. borrow
2. expensive
3. prices
4. leader
5. decisions
6. economy
7. trouble
8. plan

Meanings:
(a) The person in charge
(b) A strategy or idea to achieve something
(c) Choices that you make
(d) To take something from someone with the promise to give it back
(e) The amount of money you have to pay for something
(f) Costing a lot of money
(g) The system of money and trade in a country
(h) Problems or difficulties
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why did the people who decide how much it costs to borrow money in Turkey make it more expensive?
(a) The leader of Turkey wanted borrowing money to be more expensive
(b) The economy in Turkey was doing very well
(c) They wanted to make it easier for people to borrow money
(d) Prices of things were going up very fast

2. What did the leader of Turkey originally want?
(a) He wanted prices to keep going up
(b) He didn’t want borrowing money to be more expensive
(c) He wanted to make it easier for people to borrow money
(d) He wanted to make the economy worse

3. Why did the money people in Turkey say they will not make it more expensive to borrow money for much longer?
(a) They want to make sure prices don’t keep going up too much
(b) They want to make it harder for people to borrow money
(c) They want to make the economy worse
(d) They want to make borrowing money easier

4. What happened to the money in Turkey last year?
(a) It became more valuable
(b) It stayed the same
(c) It disappeared
(d) It was not worth as much as before

5. What is Turkey trying to do to stop prices from going up too much?
(a) Make it easier for people to borrow money
(b) Make prices go up even more
(c) Make it harder for people to borrow money
(d) Ignore the problem

6. Who is now in charge of the money decisions in Turkey?
(a) The leader of Turkey
(b) A woman who knows a lot about money
(c) The people who decide how much it costs to borrow money
(d) Nobody

7. What is everyone waiting to see?
(a) If the woman’s plan will work to make the economy better
(b) If prices will keep going up
(c) If borrowing money will become easier
(d) If the leader of Turkey will change his mind again

8. What is the main problem in Turkey’s economy?
(a) Money is not worth as much as before
(b) Borrowing money is too expensive
(c) Prices are going up too fast
(d) The leader of Turkey is making bad decisions

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The person in charge of money decisions in Turkey is trying to speed up the increase in prices.
2. Last year, the value of money in Turkey increased because of some bad decisions.
3. The people in charge of borrowing money in Turkey have made it more expensive because prices are increasing quickly.
4. Turkey is attempting a new strategy to prevent prices from rising too much by making it harder for people to borrow money.
5. The leader of Turkey initially did not want to make borrowing money more expensive, but he changed his mind.
6. An ignorant woman is now in charge of making these money decisions, and everyone is waiting to see if her plan will worsen the economy.
7. The money people in Turkey have said that they will not make borrowing money more expensive for much longer.
8. Turkey used to have a weak economy, but it has been flourishing recently.
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. Why did the people in charge of money in Turkey make it more expensive to borrow money?
2. Who is trying to make prices stop going up so quickly in Turkey?
3. What happened to the money in Turkey last year?
4. How is Turkey trying to stop prices from going up too much?
5. Who is now in charge of the decisions about borrowing money in Turkey?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why did the people in charge make it more expensive to borrow money in Turkey?
Because the prices of things were going up very fast.

2. Why did the leader of Turkey change his mind about making borrowing money more expensive?
He changed his mind because he didn’t want prices to keep going up too much.

3. What are the money people in Turkey trying to make sure doesn’t happen?
They are trying to make sure that prices for things don’t keep going up too much.

4. What happened to the money in Turkey last year?
The money in Turkey was not worth as much as before because of some bad decisions.

5. What is Turkey trying to do to stop prices from going up too much?
Turkey is trying to make it harder for people to borrow money.

6. Who is now in charge of the money decisions in Turkey?
A woman who knows a lot about money is now in charge of the money decisions in Turkey.

7. What is everyone waiting to see if her plan will do?
Everyone is waiting to see if her plan will make the economy better.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) prices
(2) going
(3) leader
(4) person
(5) money
(6) trying
(7) Turkey
(8) economy
(9) Last
(10) expensive
(11) decisions
(12) waiting
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. borrow
Answer: (d) To take something from someone with the promise to give it back

2. expensive
Answer: (f) Costing a lot of money

3. prices
Answer: (e) The amount of money you have to pay for something

4. leader
Answer: (a) The person in charge

5. decisions
Answer: (c) Choices that you make

6. economy
Answer: (g) The system of money and trade in a country

7. trouble
Answer: (h) Problems or difficulties

8. plan
Answer: (b) A strategy or idea to achieve something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why did the people who decide how much it costs to borrow money in Turkey make it more expensive?
Answer: (d) Prices of things were going up very fast

2. What did the leader of Turkey originally want?
Answer: (b) He didn’t want borrowing money to be more expensive

3. Why did the money people in Turkey say they will not make it more expensive to borrow money for much longer?
Answer: (a) They want to make sure prices don’t keep going up too much

4. What happened to the money in Turkey last year?
Answer: (d) It was not worth as much as before

5. What is Turkey trying to do to stop prices from going up too much?
Answer: (c) Make it harder for people to borrow money

6. Who is now in charge of the money decisions in Turkey?
Answer: (b) A woman who knows a lot about money

7. What is everyone waiting to see?
Answer: (a) If the woman’s plan will work to make the economy better

8. What is the main problem in Turkey’s economy?
Answer: (c) Prices are going up too fast
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The person in charge of money decisions in Turkey is trying to speed up the increase in prices. (Answer: False)
2. Last year, the value of money in Turkey increased because of some bad decisions. (Answer: False)
3. The people in charge of borrowing money in Turkey have made it more expensive because prices are increasing quickly. (Answer: True)
4. Turkey is attempting a new strategy to prevent prices from rising too much by making it harder for people to borrow money. (Answer: True)
5. The leader of Turkey initially did not want to make borrowing money more expensive, but he changed his mind. (Answer: True)
6. An ignorant woman is now in charge of making these money decisions, and everyone is waiting to see if her plan will worsen the economy. (Answer: False)
7. The money people in Turkey have said that they will not make borrowing money more expensive for much longer. (Answer: True)
8. Turkey used to have a weak economy, but it has been flourishing recently. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧