KEY

1. Choose 5 of these 10 words in bold from the text and using the context explain their meaning. Make a complex
sentence with each of them using a different context:
1. Impassioned: (adjective) Filled with or showing great emotion.
Complex sentence: She made an impassioned plea for help to whom she didn’t know.
2. Stark: (adjective) Extremely clear.
Complex sentence: It is said that the stark reality of life under coronavirus lockdown is dawning on investors.
3. Accustomed: (adjective) Used to (doing) something.
Complex sentence: She couldn’t get accustomed to what seemed constant criticism of her family.
4. Jaded: (adjective) Tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something.
Complex sentence: The hotel served meals to tempt the most jaded appetites.
5. Endeavour: (noun) An enterprise or undertaking.
Complex sentence: What he did seems to be the most ambitious political endeavour of all times.
6. Shredded: (verb) To strip of any pretence of merit or credence.
Complex sentence: We couldn’t stand the view of lawyers shredding hapless witnesses.
7. Naysayers: (noun) Those who say no, deny or oppose.
Complex sentence: I’m not going to accept any naysayers after we have decided on the procedure.
8. Inveigh: (verb) To speak or write about something with great hostility.
Complex sentence: Nationalists inveighed against those who worked with the British.
9. Preordained: (adjective) Decided or determined (outcome or course of action) beforehand.
Complex sentence: You might think the company’s success was preordained although it is not true.
10. Gridlock: (noun) A situation, typically one involving opposing parties, in which no progress can be made.
Complex sentence: The gridlock in attitudes has not allowed us to change the situation.

2. Explain the meaning of these phrasal verbs from the text:

1. Stream down: (in this text, it is not a phrasal verb. It consists of the verb “stream” followed by the adverbial of place
“down her face”) To run or flow in a continuous current in a specified direction.
2. Blend in: To become unobtrusive or harmonious by being similar in appearance or behaviour.
3. Tick away: (time) To pass, used especially when someone is pressed for time or keenly awaiting an event.
4. Pull off: To eliminate or discard.
5. To have bought in: To accept the truth of something.
3. Translate into Spanish the 5th and 6th paragraphs.
La decisión de dejar hablar solo a niños y adolescentes fue clave para todo el proyecto. Sin discursos políticos enlatados;
sin emoción fingida. La experiencia de los más de 180.000 estudiantes que han estado expuestos a la violencia con
armas en las escuelas en las últimas décadas fue repentinamente muy real, muy inmediata.
Aquellos en el escenario del evento hablaron sobre sus amigos, su certeza en el cambio político, su solidaridad con
otras víctimas y su valentía frente a los detractores y cínicos. Al mismo tiempo que se burlaban de la Asociación
Nacional del Rifle, la condenaron también, y a los políticos que aceptan su dinero. (El Senador Marco Rubio era un saco
de boxeo favorito). Sonaban enojados, tristes y serios. Hablaron sobre la democracia e instaron a la multitud a votar;
y vituperaron contra el politiqueo.

4. Find synonyms in the text for the following words and write a complex sentence.
1. Coherent: articulate.
Complex sentence: Although they have given quite an articulate account of their experiences, we do not know what
happened.
2. Blatant: palpable.
Complex sentence: People say that, despite their palpable attraction to each other, they try to stay just friends.
3. Ragged: overused.
Complex sentence: The word has been so overused as to have lost any precise meaning.
4. Compassionate: empathetic.
Complex sentence: This remarkable success, which was really admirable, required empathetic determination.
5. Increases: amplifies.
Complex sentence: The politician said that urban policy initiatives amplified social polarization.

5. Complete these sentences with proper words from the text. Fill in the gap exercise.
1. Knit.
2. Canned.
3. Outcome (Futility)
4. Urged / fight.
5. Blame / mocked.

6. Write an essay of 200-250 words in which you deal with how you would explain the words of Emma Gonzalez to
your ESO students.
This kind of texts can allow us to teach values and transversal contents, as they are defined in Decree 111/2016,
which establishes Compulsory Secondary Education in Andalusia. Due to the complexity of the issue, we could use the
technique of debate after reading the article or its simplified version, depending on the level of the group. Social and
civic competence would be developed by creating awareness about social conflicts in present-day societies.
 We start by reading the article or its shortened version and, in an inductive process, students would practice
lexical, grammatical and cultural contents, based on the evaluation criteria from the curriculum. Vocabulary and
grammar work on carefully selected items would prepare the group for a communicative task in which they could
express their opinions, for example writing an opinion essay and exposing these opinions in class. Enhancing their
communicative competence is paramount if we want them to feel motivated to learn. Evaluation with a speaking rubric
would cover formal, communicative and cultural aspects, using the corresponding standard of writing a text of opinion
and considering all the different leaning styles and levels of competence.
Eliciting students’ opinions and contrasting them in essays or a discussion would allow us to transmit the values
of non-violence and tolerance, expressed in Emma’s words, and in this way explain them to our students in a
meaningful way, avoiding any imposition of ideas.