A recent power outage in Sri Lanka left millions of people without electricity, showing how weak the country’s power system can be. The blackout started around 11 a.m. on a Sunday and affected the whole island, which has about 22 million residents. What makes this situation even more surprising is that the cause of the blackout was a monkey.

According to Sri Lanka’s energy minister, Kumara Jayakody, the blackout happened when a monkey touched a grid transformer near Colombo, the capital city. This strange event caused a problem in the electrical system, leading to the power failure across the nation. Mr. Jayakody mentioned that engineers were quickly sent out to fix the issue and restore electricity to the areas that were affected.

Some places got their power back within a few hours, but many homes stayed without electricity until late Sunday night. This blackout isn’t the first of its kind; Sri Lanka has had serious problems with its power system before. In 2022, the country faced major blackouts and had to ration electricity because of an ongoing economic crisis, which raised worries about how reliable the power supply is.

Local news has pointed out how unusual this incident was. Jamila Husain, the editor of the Daily Mirror, joked that only in Sri Lanka could a monkey cause a nationwide power outage. This event has led to conversations about the need to improve the national power grid, which many believe is in bad shape. Engineers have warned past governments that upgrading the system is necessary to stop frequent blackouts.

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 two teams. Each team takes turns sending one member to act out different words or phrases related to the article (e.g., “blackout,” “monkey,” “engineer,” “electricity”). The rest of the team must guess the word or phrase within a set time limit.

– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: Ask students to come up with catchy headlines for the article. In pairs, they should create three different headlines and share them with the class. Discuss which headlines are the most effective and why.

– OPINION SPECTRUM
Instructions: Set up a line in the classroom with “Strongly Agree” at one end and “Strongly Disagree” at the other. Read statements related to the article (e.g., “Animals can cause serious problems in human systems”). Students will position themselves along the line based on their opinions, and then discuss their reasoning with a partner.

– MIND MAP
Instructions: In small groups, students will create a mind map based on the article. They should include different aspects such as the cause of the blackout, its impact on society, and potential solutions. Once completed, each group will present their mind map to the class.

– SYNONYM CHALLENGE
Instructions: Provide students with a list of words from the article (e.g., “outage,” “restore,” “engineers,” “reliable”). In pairs, they should come up with as many synonyms as possible for each word within a time limit. Afterward, discuss their findings as a class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What caused the recent power outage in Sri Lanka, and how did it happen?

2. How many residents were affected by the blackout in Sri Lanka?

3. What actions did the energy minister take after the blackout occurred?

4. How long did some homes have to wait before their electricity was restored?

5. What past issues has Sri Lanka faced with its power system, according to the article?

6. Why did Jamila Husain find the incident of the monkey causing a blackout amusing?

7. What do engineers believe needs to be done to improve the power supply in Sri Lanka?

8. How does this incident reflect on the reliability of Sri Lanka’s power system?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A recent (1)______ outage in Sri Lanka left (2)______ of people without electricity, showing how weak the country’s power system can be. The blackout started around 11 a.m. on a Sunday and affected the whole island, which has about 22 million residents. What makes this situation even more surprising is that the cause of the blackout was a monkey.

(3)______ to Sri Lanka’s energy (4)______, Kumara Jayakody, the (5)______ happened when a monkey touched a grid (6)______ near Colombo, the capital city. This strange (7)______ caused a problem in the (8)______ system, leading to the power failure across the nation. Mr. Jayakody mentioned that engineers were quickly sent out to fix the issue and restore electricity to the areas that were affected.

Some places got their power back within a few hours, but many homes (9)______ without electricity until late Sunday (10)______. This blackout isn’t the first of its kind; Sri Lanka has had serious problems with its power system before. In 2022, the country faced major blackouts and had to ration electricity because of an ongoing economic crisis, which raised (11)______ about how reliable the power supply is.

(12)______ news has pointed out how unusual this incident was. Jamila Husain, the editor of the Daily (13)______, (14)______ that only in Sri Lanka could a (15)______ cause a nationwide power outage. This event has led to conversations about the need to improve the national power grid, which many believe is in bad shape. Engineers have warned past governments that upgrading the system is necessary to stop (16)______ blackouts.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is your opinion on how a single animal can cause such a big problem, like a nationwide power outage?
2. How would you feel if you experienced a blackout that lasted all day?
3. Do you think it’s important for countries to invest in their power systems? Why or why not?
4. What is a funny or unusual story you have heard about animals causing trouble?
5. How do you think people in Sri Lanka felt when the power went out suddenly?
6. Do you like having electricity all the time, or do you think it’s okay to have blackouts sometimes? Why?
7. What is a time when you had to deal with a power outage? How did you handle it?
8. Do you think animals should be kept away from important places like power grids? Why or why not?
9. How would you feel if you had to live without electricity for a week?
10. Do you think governments should prioritize fixing power systems over other issues? Why?
11. What is a solution you would suggest to prevent animals from causing problems in power systems?
12. How do you think the economy of a country can be affected by frequent blackouts?
13. Do you believe that technology can completely eliminate problems like power outages? Why or why not?
14. What is a time when you felt grateful for something as simple as electricity?
15. How would you feel if someone joked about a serious problem in your country, like a power outage caused by a monkey?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. outage
2. blackout
3. transformer
4. grid
5. restore
6. ration
7. economic
8. crisis
9. reliable
10. incident
11. nationwide
12. upgrade
13. frequent
14. ongoing
15. necessary

Meanings:
(A) Related to money and finance
(B) To bring back to a normal state
(C) A network of power lines and equipment
(D) Required or needed
(E) An event or occurrence
(F) A device that changes the voltage of electricity
(G) A period when there is no electricity
(H) To limit the amount of something people can use
(I) A time of intense difficulty or danger
(J) To improve or make better
(K) A complete loss of power in an area
(L) Happening often
(M) Affecting the whole country
(N) Continuing without stopping
(O) Able to be trusted or depended on
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What caused the recent power outage in Sri Lanka?
(a) A storm
(b) A monkey
(c) A technical failure
(d) A protest

2. When did the blackout in Sri Lanka start?
(a) Around noon on a Saturday
(b) Around 10 a.m. on a Monday
(c) Around 11 a.m. on a Sunday
(d) Around midnight on a Friday

3. How many residents does Sri Lanka have approximately?
(a) 15 million
(b) 30 million
(c) 10 million
(d) 22 million

4. Who is the energy minister of Sri Lanka mentioned in the article?
(a) Kumara Jayakody
(b) Jamila Husain
(c) Mahinda Rajapaksa
(d) Ranil Wickremesinghe

5. What city is mentioned as the capital of Sri Lanka?
(a) Kandy
(b) Galle
(c) Colombo
(d) Jaffna

6. How quickly did some places restore their power after the blackout?
(a) By the next morning
(b) Within a day
(c) By the end of the week
(d) Within a few hours

7. What issue did Sri Lanka face in 2022 regarding its power supply?
(a) Increased electricity prices
(b) Major blackouts and electricity rationing
(c) New energy sources being introduced
(d) A complete power system overhaul

8. What did engineers warn past governments about?
(a) The need to upgrade the power system
(b) The importance of renewable energy
(c) The benefits of privatizing electricity
(d) The necessity of reducing energy consumption

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A recent power outage in Sri Lanka left only a few people without electricity.
2. The cause of the blackout was a monkey touching a grid transformer near Colombo.
3. Sri Lanka’s energy minister, Kumara Jayakody, confirmed the monkey’s involvement in the power failure.
4. Engineers were quickly sent out to fix the electrical issue and restore power to affected areas.
5. The blackout affected only a small portion of the island of Sri Lanka, which has about 22 million residents.
6. Some areas regained electricity within a few days, while others remained without power until late Sunday night.
7. There are no discussions about the need to improve the national power grid to prevent future blackouts.
8. Sri Lanka has experienced serious problems with its power system in the past, including major blackouts in 2022.
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 caused the recent power outage in Sri Lanka?
2. How long did some people have to wait for their electricity to be restored after the blackout?
3. What did the energy minister say about the monkey’s role in the power failure?
4. Why have there been concerns about Sri Lanka’s power system in the past?
5. What do some people believe needs to be done to prevent future blackouts in Sri Lanka?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What caused the recent power outage in Sri Lanka, and how did it happen?
The recent power outage in Sri Lanka was caused by a monkey that touched a grid transformer near Colombo, which led to a problem in the electrical system and caused a nationwide blackout.

2. How many residents were affected by the blackout in Sri Lanka?
The blackout affected about 22 million residents across the whole island.

3. What actions did the energy minister take after the blackout occurred?
The energy minister, Kumara Jayakody, mentioned that engineers were quickly sent out to fix the issue and restore electricity to the affected areas.

4. How long did some homes have to wait before their electricity was restored?
Some homes had to wait until late Sunday night before their electricity was restored, while others got their power back within a few hours.

5. What past issues has Sri Lanka faced with its power system, according to the article?
Sri Lanka has faced serious problems with its power system in the past, including major blackouts and electricity rationing due to an ongoing economic crisis in 2022.

6. Why did Jamila Husain find the incident of the monkey causing a blackout amusing?
Jamila Husain found it amusing because she joked that only in Sri Lanka could a monkey cause a nationwide power outage, highlighting the unusual nature of the event.

7. What do engineers believe needs to be done to improve the power supply in Sri Lanka?
Engineers believe that upgrading the national power grid is necessary to stop frequent blackouts and improve the reliability of the power supply.

8. How does this incident reflect on the reliability of Sri Lanka’s power system?
This incident reflects poorly on the reliability of Sri Lanka’s power system, as it shows how vulnerable it is to unexpected events like a monkey touching a transformer, and it raises concerns about the need for improvements.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) power
(2) millions
(3) According
(4) minister
(5) blackout
(6) transformer
(7) event
(8) electrical
(9) stayed
(10) night
(11) worries
(12) Local
(13) Mirror
(14) joked
(15) monkey
(16) frequent
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. outage
Answer: (G) A period when there is no electricity

2. blackout
Answer: (K) A complete loss of power in an area

3. transformer
Answer: (F) A device that changes the voltage of electricity

4. grid
Answer: (C) A network of power lines and equipment

5. restore
Answer: (B) To bring back to a normal state

6. ration
Answer: (H) To limit the amount of something people can use

7. economic
Answer: (A) Related to money and finance

8. crisis
Answer: (I) A time of intense difficulty or danger

9. reliable
Answer: (O) Able to be trusted or depended on

10. incident
Answer: (E) An event or occurrence

11. nationwide
Answer: (M) Affecting the whole country

12. upgrade
Answer: (J) To improve or make better

13. frequent
Answer: (L) Happening often

14. ongoing
Answer: (N) Continuing without stopping

15. necessary
Answer: (D) Required or needed
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

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

2. When did the blackout in Sri Lanka start?
Answer: (c) Around 11 a.m. on a Sunday

3. How many residents does Sri Lanka have approximately?
Answer: (d) 22 million

4. Who is the energy minister of Sri Lanka mentioned in the article?
Answer: (a) Kumara Jayakody

5. What city is mentioned as the capital of Sri Lanka?
Answer: (c) Colombo

6. How quickly did some places restore their power after the blackout?
Answer: (d) Within a few hours

7. What issue did Sri Lanka face in 2022 regarding its power supply?
Answer: (b) Major blackouts and electricity rationing

8. What did engineers warn past governments about?
Answer: (a) The need to upgrade the power system
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A recent power outage in Sri Lanka left only a few people without electricity. (Answer: False)
2. The cause of the blackout was a monkey touching a grid transformer near Colombo. (Answer: True)
3. Sri Lanka’s energy minister, Kumara Jayakody, confirmed the monkey’s involvement in the power failure. (Answer: True)
4. Engineers were quickly sent out to fix the electrical issue and restore power to affected areas. (Answer: True)
5. The blackout affected only a small portion of the island of Sri Lanka, which has about 22 million residents. (Answer: False)
6. Some areas regained electricity within a few days, while others remained without power until late Sunday night. (Answer: False)
7. There are no discussions about the need to improve the national power grid to prevent future blackouts. (Answer: False)
8. Sri Lanka has experienced serious problems with its power system in the past, including major blackouts in 2022. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧