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Test Yourself: Nice threads
Itsarin Tisantia
Read the following story by Karnjana Karnjanatawe from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
When travellers arrive in the village of Ban Sanuan Nok, the first thing they notice is all the mulberry trees. The villagers use the leaves to enhance their local cuisine. More importantly, they use them to feed their silkworms. Ban Sanuan Nok is famed for its hand-woven silk. And the village has recently opened itself up to visitors who want to come and learn how to make their special variety of cloth.
DEEP ROOTS
“The village is named after a tree. According to folklore, Ban Sanuan Nok was a dense forest where sanuan trees grew abundantly. Although nobody knows what the trees looked like, they were thought to be very large,” said village head Bunthip Karam, 43.
In 1805, a skilled blacksmith named Dam moved from Roi Et to settle in the area. He named the village Ban Sanuan in remembrance of the trees. Later, clay walls and moats were built to protect the community. Time passed and the village grew bigger. Those who lived outside the walls called their community Ban Sanuan Nok — nok means outside — while those who lived inside were known as Ban Sanuan Nai. Today only some parts of the old moats and walls remain.
COTTAGE INDUSTRY
Locals speak both the Issan dialect and the Khmer language fluently. They are primarily rice farmers, but in their free time, as part of local tradition, the women raise silkworms to weave silk cloth for personal use.
In 2004, officials from the Huai Rat Office of the Community Development Department under the Ministry of Interior visited the village and established the Silk Weaving Group to promote handmade silk fabrics. The group initially had a 10,000 baht investment and about 20 members to start producing silk for sale.
Their local pattern is known as hang krarok, or “squirrel’s tail,” because the pattern is inspired by the bushy tails of the animal. The pattern uses two colours, either yellow with red or yellow with green, imitating the two-tone black and brown of the squirrel’s tail.
LOVE CRAFT
The silk cloth is a 5-star Otop product of Buri Ram. Two years ago, the village’s fabrics generated almost 900,000 baht in revenue. Last year, earn-ings increased to 1.5 million baht.
“None of us ever imagined that we’d earn more than a million baht from selling our silk fabrics. It was a happy surprise,” said Samroeng Kotiram, chairwoman of the Silk Weaving Group.
The villagers have introduced walk-ing routes where visitors can learn the process of making silk and handicraft products. A few houses allow visitors to try making bamboo fans, bracelets and necklaces by using by-products such as dry cocoons and rough short silk fabrics.
“We haven’t changed our way of life to serve tourism. When people visit us, they’ll experience a simple way of life and a tradition of hand-weaving silk cloth that hasn’t changed for generations,” Samroeng said.
SECTION 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. What is Ban Sanuan Nok?
a. A type of tree.
b. A type of silk.
c. A village.
2. Where is the Ban Sanuan Nok situated?
a. In Roi Et.
b. In Buri Ram.
c. In Udon Thani.
3. What is the main industry of the area?
a. Rice farming.
b. Silk weaving.
c. Blacksmithing.
4. How much money were the villagers given to develop their silk weaving industry?
a. 10,000 baht.
b. 900,000 baht.
c. 1.5 million baht.
5. How many members does the Silk Weaving Group currently have?
a. 20.
b. 43.
c. The article doesn’t say.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. Bunthip Karam gave the village its name.
b. The villagers are bilingual.
c. Hang krarok means “squirrel.”
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. Local government officials helped to promote the silk industry in the village.
b. Tourists can learn local crafts.
c. The hang krarok pattern is black and brown.
SECTION 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.
| 8. dialect | a. a covering of silk threads that some insects make to protect themselves before they become adults |
| 9. cocoon | b. to increase or further improve the good quality, value or status of somebody or something |
| 10. bushy | c. (of hair or fur) growing thickly |
| 11. moat | d. the act of starting or creating something that is meant to last for a long time |
| 12. enhance | e. a deep wide channel dug around a castle or settlement and filled with water |
| 13.establishment | f. the form of a language that is spoken in one area with grammar, words and pronunciation that may be different from other forms of the same language |
SECTION 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
Those …..14….. visit the village can stay overnight through a homestay service. Many houses in the village, …..15….. other houses in rural areas, are wooden with raised floors. However, there are …..16….. houses that are made …..17….. concrete. Locals use the …..18….. area under …..19….. houses to raise silkworms or to weave cloth.
14.
a. where
b. who
c. when
15.
a. likely
b. like
c. likeable
16.
a. each
b. another
c. some
17.
a. in
b. of
c. by
18.
a. shaded
b. shade
c. shading
19.
a. they
b. them
c. their
Answers
Section 1
1. c.
2. a.
3. a.
4. a.
5. c.
6. b.
7. c.
Section 2
8. f.
9. a.
10. c.
11. e.
12. b.
13. d.
Section 3
14. b.
15. b.
16. c.
17. b.
18. a.
19. c.
Section 4
20. Simple.
21. Abundance.
22. Large.
23. Dense.
24. Skilled.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
