On a cold December morning in Delhi, a group of women wearing colorful saris met outside a building. This building is home to Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, a company started by seven housewives in 1959. They began by making papad, a crunchy snack loved in India. Now, the company has over 45,000 women members and makes a lot of money each year.

The women in the cooperative can work from home, which helps them take care of their families. They go to a local center to get dough made from lentils and spices, then take it home to make papad. Some women, like Lakshmi, can make a lot of papad quickly. This work helps them earn money and feel part of a community.

The cooperative started after India gained independence, when women faced many challenges. The founders wanted to help their families by using their cooking skills. With some help, they started selling their poppadoms, which became popular. The cooperative is owned by all its members, and everyone has a say in decisions. This has helped many women become financially independent and respected in their communities.

Original news source: How a home-made snack empowered Indian women (BBC)

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– CHARADES
Instructions: Students will take turns acting out key vocabulary words from the article (e.g., “papad,” “cooperative,” “independence”). The rest of the class will guess the word. This will help with vocabulary recall and pronunciation.

– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Create statements related to the article (e.g., “Women should work from home” or “Making snacks can be a successful business”). Students will move to different sides of the classroom based on whether they agree or disagree. Afterward, they can discuss their opinions in pairs.

– MIND MAP
Instructions: In small groups, students will create a mind map about the article. They can write “Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad” in the center and add branches for key ideas such as “women,” “papad,” “community,” and “financial independence.” This will help with understanding the main themes.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Students will work in pairs to create a catchy headline for the article. They should think about the main idea and try to summarize it in a few words. Afterward, they can share their headlines with the class.

– PASS THE STORY
Instructions: Students will sit in a circle. The first student will start by saying one sentence about the article. The next student will add another sentence, and so on, until the story is complete. This activity encourages speaking and listening skills while reinforcing the content of the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the company started by the seven housewives?
2. What snack do the women make at the cooperative?
3. How many women members are there in the company now?
4. Why is it helpful for the women to work from home?
5. What do the women get at the local center to make papad?
6. Why did the founders start the cooperative after India gained independence?
7. How does being part of the cooperative help the women in their communities?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

On a cold December morning in Delhi, a group of women (1)______ colorful (2)______ met outside a building. This building is home to Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat (3)______, a company started by seven housewives in 1959. They began by making papad, a crunchy snack loved in India. Now, the company has over 45,000 women members and makes a lot of (4)______ each year.

The women in the cooperative can work from home, which helps them take care of their (5)______. They go to a local center to get (6)______ made from lentils and spices, then take it home to make (7)______. Some women, like Lakshmi, can make a lot of papad quickly. This (8)______ helps them earn money and feel part of a community.

The cooperative started after India gained independence, when women faced many challenges. The (9)______ wanted to help their families by using their cooking skills. With some help, they started selling their poppadoms, which (10)______ popular. The (11)______ is owned by all its (12)______, and everyone has a say in decisions. This has helped many women become financially independent and respected in their communities.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a papad?
2. Do you like to eat snacks? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you could work from home?
4. Do you think it is important for women to work? Why?
5. What is a community?
6. Have you ever worked on a project with your friends? How did it feel?
7. Do you think cooking is a good skill to have? Why?
8. How would you feel if you could help your family by doing something you love?
9. Do you think it is good for people to make money from their hobbies? Why or why not?
10. What is your favorite snack?
11. How do you think working together with others can help people?
12. Do you think everyone should have a say in decisions? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. cooperative
2. independence
3. challenges
4. founders
5. financially
6. respected
7. community
8. members
9. decisions
10. cooperative
11. independence
12. challenges

Meanings:
(A) A group of people living in the same area or having shared interests
(B) A group of people working together for a common goal
(C) Being free from control by others
(D) Difficulties or problems that need to be solved
(E) Choices made after thinking about different options
(F) Related to money or how money is managed
(G) Admired or thought highly of by others
(H) A group of people working together for a common goal
(I) People who start something new, like a business
(J) People who are part of a group or organization
(K) Difficulties or problems that need to be solved
(L) Being free from control by others
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What do the women in the article make?
(a) Bread
(b) Papad
(c) Rice
(d) Noodles

2. When was the company started?
(a) 1965
(b) 1970
(c) 1959
(d) 1980

3. How many women members are there in the cooperative?
(a) 10,000
(b) 20,000
(c) 30,000
(d) Over 45,000

4. Where do the women get the dough for making papad?
(a) A local center
(b) A supermarket
(c) Their homes
(d) A restaurant

5. What do the women use to make the dough?
(a) Lentils and spices
(b) Rice and beans
(c) Flour and water
(d) Sugar and salt

6. What did the founders want to help their families with?
(a) Sewing skills
(b) Writing skills
(c) Painting skills
(d) Cooking skills

7. What is one benefit of being in the cooperative?
(a) Free food
(b) Travel opportunities
(c) Financial independence
(d) Free clothes

8. What do the women feel by working together in the cooperative?
(a) Lonely
(b) Part of a community
(c) Tired
(d) Bored

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🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The cooperative was started to help women earn money and not support their families.
2. A group of women met outside a building in Delhi on a cold December morning.
3. Every member of the cooperative has a say in the decisions made by the group.
4. There are fewer than 45,000 women members in the cooperative now.
5. The women in the company make a crunchy snack called papad.
6. The building is home to a company called Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad.
7. The women cannot work from home, which makes it challenging for them to take care of their families.
8. This company was started by seven businessmen in the year 1959.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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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 do the women in the article make to sell?
2. Why is it good for the women to work from home?
3. When did the cooperative start and who started it?
4. How many women are members of the cooperative now?
5. What is one benefit of the cooperative for the women in their communities?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the company started by the seven housewives?
The name of the company is Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad.

2. What snack do the women make at the cooperative?
The women make papad, which is a crunchy snack.

3. How many women members are there in the company now?
There are over 45,000 women members in the company now.

4. Why is it helpful for the women to work from home?
It is helpful for the women to work from home because they can take care of their families while they work.

5. What do the women get at the local center to make papad?
The women get dough made from lentils and spices at the local center to make papad.

6. Why did the founders start the cooperative after India gained independence?
The founders started the cooperative to help their families by using their cooking skills.

7. How does being part of the cooperative help the women in their communities?
Being part of the cooperative helps the women become financially independent and respected in their communities.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) wearing
(2) saris
(3) Papad
(4) money
(5) families
(6) dough
(7) papad
(8) work
(9) founders
(10) became
(11) cooperative
(12) members
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. cooperative
Answer: (B) A group of people working together for a common goal

2. independence
Answer: (C) Being free from control by others

3. challenges
Answer: (D) Difficulties or problems that need to be solved

4. founders
Answer: (I) People who start something new, like a business

5. financially
Answer: (F) Related to money or how money is managed

6. respected
Answer: (G) Admired or thought highly of by others

7. community
Answer: (A) A group of people living in the same area or having shared interests

8. members
Answer: (J) People who are part of a group or organization

9. decisions
Answer: (E) Choices made after thinking about different options

10. cooperative
Answer: (B) A group of people working together for a common goal

11. independence
Answer: (C) Being free from control by others

12. challenges
Answer: (D) Difficulties or problems that need to be solved
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What do the women in the article make?
Answer: (b) Papad

2. When was the company started?
Answer: (c) 1959

3. How many women members are there in the cooperative?
Answer: (d) Over 45,000

4. Where do the women get the dough for making papad?
Answer: (a) A local center

5. What do the women use to make the dough?
Answer: (a) Lentils and spices

6. What did the founders want to help their families with?
Answer: (d) Cooking skills

7. What is one benefit of being in the cooperative?
Answer: (c) Financial independence

8. What do the women feel by working together in the cooperative?
Answer: (b) Part of a community
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The cooperative was started to help women earn money and not support their families. (Answer: False)
2. A group of women met outside a building in Delhi on a cold December morning. (Answer: True)
3. Every member of the cooperative has a say in the decisions made by the group. (Answer: True)
4. There are fewer than 45,000 women members in the cooperative now. (Answer: False)
5. The women in the company make a crunchy snack called papad. (Answer: True)
6. The building is home to a company called Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. (Answer: True)
7. The women cannot work from home, which makes it challenging for them to take care of their families. (Answer: False)
8. This company was started by seven businessmen in the year 1959. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧