Test Yourself is where you can improve your reading skills. Whether it’s for tests like University Entrance Exams or IELTS and TOEFL, or even just for fun, these pages help you to read, understand and improve your English.
Read the following story by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
The Safe Cities for Women campaign has recently been launched with the aim of reducing the rate of sexual harassment on public transport.
THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
Worawan Tinala was sexually harassed on a crowded skytrain five years ago. The experience has left a deep mark.
Two stations into her trip, she noticed a big slash on her skirt, which she assumed was cut by a knife. She didn’t notice when it occurred. Fellow passengers stepped in and helped her patch up the skirt. Worawan later informed security about the incident, but was told that they couldn’t help her.
“The guard said they had no CCTV on the train,” said Worawan, now 32 years old. “There was no evidence. And I couldn’t do much more than just accept it and go home.”
The incident affected Worawan’s lifestyle drastically. She changed her make-up, hairstyle and wardrobe. She even asked her office if she could change her working hours. She also took up boxing lessons.
“I felt very unsafe. So I ended up doing everything to make sure I didn’t have to be in that situation ever again,” she said.
ME TOO
The issues of sexual harassment and assault are now under more public scrutiny than ever due to the allegations coming out of Hollywood. The hashtag #MeToo has taken over the world, with many people, famous or otherwise, sharing their horrible experiences online to raise awareness of the issue.
Last November, during the Safe Cities for Women campaign launch at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Worawan and several other victims shared their experiences with the public.
Representatives from civil organisations and the public transport system also attended the event, discussing awareness of the prevalence of sexual harassment against women and what can be done to improve the situation.
RELATED RESEARCH
Survey results, as gathered by researchers at the Faculty of Public Health, Thammasat University, showed that the most common type of harassment - amounting to 18.8 percent of all cases - is unwelcome looks down a woman’s cleavage or up her skirt. Cornering and touching a person’s body follows at 15.4 percent.
The most common place for harassment to occur is on buses, which makes up 50 percent of all sexual harassment cases found on public transport. Surprisingly, coming in second is the motorcycle taxi, making up 11.4 percent of the cases. This was followed by taxis, vans and the skytrain.
LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER
Maneesh Pradhan, country director for Action Aid, an international organisation working against worldwide injustice, suggested at the Safe Cities campaign launch that perpetrators often go undetected and unpunished due to the victims and the public keeping silent when things happen, thus making some people feel they can get away with it.
“Keeping quiet only encourages such behaviour,” Maneesh said. “Whether you’re being harassed or you’re a passer-by, you can intervene to stop it.”
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. When was the Safe Cities for Women campaign launched?
a. Last September.
b. Last October.
c. Last November.
2. How old was Worawan Tinala when she was harassed?
a. 27 years old.
b. 32 years old.
c. 37 years old.
3. Where is the most common place for harassment to occur?
a. On the bus.
b. In a taxi.
c. On the train.
4. What is Action Aid?
a. A government agency that provides medical aid.
b. A non-government organisation that fights injustice.
c. A campaign that raises awareness of first aid.
5. What were the topics discussed during the launch of the Safe Cities for Women campaign?
a. Awareness of sexual harassment against women.
b. Solutions to the problem.
c. Both a and b.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. Worawan was harassed on the bus five years ago.
b. The hashtag #MeToo helped to raise the issue of sexual inequality in Hollywood.
c. The survey was conducted by Thammasat University’s Faculty of Public Health.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. Maneesh Pradhan is Action Aid’s country director.
b. Maneesh encourages people not to keep quiet if they witness sexual harassment.
c. Cornering and touching a person’s body is the most common form of sexual harassment.
Section 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.
| 8. slash | a. the fact of a situation being unfair |
| 9. patch up | b. to repair something especially in a temporary way by adding a new piece of material |
| 10. wardrobe | c. to make a long cut with a sharp object, especially in a violent way |
| 11. scrutiny | d. not noticed by anybody |
| 12.undetected | e. the clothes that a person has |
| 13. injustice | f. careful and thorough examination |
Section 3
Read the following passge. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words form the choices given.
While the Safe Cities campaign did focus …..14….. on the power of the public, representatives from civil organisations argued this is just the entry point they’re aiming …..15….. On a bigger scale, the best organisation to become involved …..16….. actually the government, who can lay down policy and enforce the law to discourage inappropriate behaviour. The law will need to define clearly what …..17….. sexual harassment …..18….. determine the penalties for intimidating looks, …..19….. words and improper contact.
14.
a. heavy
b. heavily
c. heaviness
15.
a. from
b. with
c. for
16.
a. is
b. are
c. were
17.
a. constitute
b. constitutes
c. constituted
18.
a. and
b. or
c. but
19.
a. threaten
b. threatened
c. threatening
Section 4
Specify whether each of the following words is used in the story as a verb, noun, adjective or adverb.
20. otherwise
……………………
21. harassed
……………………
22. unpunished
……………………
23. passer-by
……………………
24. surprisingly
……………………
Answers
Section 1
1. c.
2. a.
3. a.
4. b.
5. c.
6. c.
7. c.
Section 2
8. c.
9. b.
10. e.
11. f.
12. d.
13. a.
Section 3
14. b.
15. c.
16. a
17. b.
18. a.
19. c.
Section 4
20. Adverb.
21. Verb.
22. Adjective.
23. Noun.
24. Adverb.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
