Unit 5: Illiteracy - Reading

Choose the correct word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best completes the passage. The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to, read, write, listen, and speak. In modern contexts, the word refers to reading and writing at a level (1) _____ for communication, or at a level that lets one understand and communicate ideas in a literate society,' so as to take (2) _______ in that society. The United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has drafted the following definition: “Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written 'materials (3) _______ with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an Individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his, or her (4) _______ and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society." Many policy analysts consider literacy rates a crucial measure of a region's human capital. This claim is made on the (5) _______ that literate people can be trained less expensively than illiterate people, generally have a higher socio-economic (6) _______ and enjoy better health and employment prospects. Policy makers also argue that literacy increases job opportunities and access to higher education. In Kerala, India, for example, female and child mortality rates declined (7) _______ in the 1960s, when girls who were educated in the education reforms after 1948 began to raise families. Recent researchers, (8) _______, argue that correlations such as, the one listed above may have more to do with the effects of schooling rather than literacy in general. Regardless, the (9)_______ of educational systems worldwide includes a basic (10) _______ around communication through test and print, which is the foundation of most definitions of literacy.

Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answers. A literate population is a necessity for any nation wishing to take advantage of modern technological growth. For .instance, research has shown a direct relationship between literacy among women and improved health' and child care in the family. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has long supported the concept that education must be considered an ongoing process. Adult education has long been important in Europe, where formal programs began in the 18th century. In Britain, concern for the education of poor and working-class people resulted in the growth of adult education programs, such as the evening school and the, Mechanic's Institute, to expand education opportunities for all people: ,After the Russian Revolution, the Russian government virtually eliminated illiteracy through the establishment of various institutions and extension classes for adults. In other areas of the world, adult education movements are of a more recent origin. In 1960, Egypt established a 'schools for the people' system designed to educate the adult population. In the 1970s, countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America began to increase opportunities for adult education. Innovative programs involving the mass media are being used in many countries. Tanzania, for example, has used mass education techniques and the radio to organize national education programs in health, nutrition, and citizenship. In the 1980s, international educational exchange programs grew in popularity in the United States and many other countries.