E6B Review Quiz 2 Part C Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension Passage:

A. Labor Day (Labor Day in the USA) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labor Day has its origins in the labor union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. For many countries, Labor Day is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May. For other countries, Labor Day is celebrated on a different date, often one with special significance for the labor movement in that country. In Canada and the United States, Labor Day is the first Monday of September and considered the official end of the summer holiday for most of the respective countries, as public school and university students return to school that week or the following week.

B. Celebrating the Australian labor movement and specifically the achievement of a working day limited to eight hours, the Labor Day public holiday is fixed by the various state and territory governments, and so varies considerably. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia and, since 2013, Queensland. In both Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day). In Western Australia, Labor Day is the first Monday in March. In the Northern Territory, it is the first Monday in May.

C.In New Zealand, Labor Day is a public holiday held on the fourth Monday in October. Its origins are traced back to the eight-hour working day movement that arose in the newly founded Wellington colony in 1840, primarily because of carpenter Samuel Parnell's refusal to work more than eight hours a day. He encouraged other tradesmen also to work for only eight hours a day and in October 1840, a workers' meeting passed a resolution supporting the idea. On October 28, 1890, the 50th anniversary of the eight-hour day was commemorated with a parade. The event was then celebrated annually in late October as either Labor Day or Eight-Hour Demonstration Day. In 1899 government legislated that the day be a public holiday from 1900. The day was celebrated on different days in different provinces. This led to ship owners complaining that seamen were taking excessive holidays by having one Labor Day in one port then another in their next port. In 1910 the government stipulated that the holiday would be observed on the same day throughout the nation.

D.Labor Day (French: Fête du Travail) has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada since the 1880’s. The origins of Labor Day in Canada can be traced back to December 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week. The Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) called its 27 unions to demonstrate in support of the Typographical Union who had been on strike since March 25. George Brown, Canadian politician and editor of the Toronto Globe hit back at his striking employees, pressing police to charge the Typographical Union with "conspiracy." Although the laws criminalizing union activity were outdated and had already been abolished in Great Britain, they were still on the books in Canada and police arrested 24 leaders of the Typographical Union. Labor leaders decided to call another similar demonstration on September 3 to protest the arrests. Seven unions marched in Ottawa, prompting a promise by Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald to repeal the "barbarous" anti-union laws. Parliament passed the Trade Union Act on June 14 the following year, and soon all unions were seeking a 54-hour work-week.

E. The Toronto Trades and Labor Council (successor to the TTA) held similar celebrations every spring. American Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was asked to speak at a labor festival in Toronto, Canada on July 22, 1882. Returning to the United States, McGuire and the Knights of Labor organized a similar parade based on the Canadian event on September 5, 1882 in New York City, USA. On July 23, 1894, Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson and his government made Labor Day, to be held in September, an official holiday. In the United States, the New York parade became an annual event that year, and in 1894, it was adopted by American president Grover Cleveland to compete with International Workers' Day (May Day).

What is the main idea of the passage?

• Labor day is a day of parades

• Labor day is on the same day every year

• Labor day is an annual holiday celebration for workers

• Labor day is a day of work

Labor Day (Labor Day in the USA) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labor Day has its origins in the labor union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. For many countries, Labor Day is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May. For other countries, Labor Day is celebrated on a different date, often one with special significance for the labor movement in that country. In Canada and the United States, Labor Day is the first Monday of September and considered the official end of the summer holiday for most of the respective countries, as public school and university students return to school that week or the following week.

What is the closest meaning to the underlined word advocated in paragraph A?

• considered

• bargained

• demoted

• promoted

Celebrating the Australian labor movement and specifically the achievement of a working day limited to eight hours, the Labor Day public holiday is fixed by the various state and territory governments, and so varies considerably. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia and, since 2013, Queensland. In both Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day). In Western Australia, Labor Day is the first Monday in March. In the Northern Territory, it is the first Monday in May.

What can you infer from the sentence (paragraph B), “The Labor Day public holiday is fixed by the various state and territory governments”?

• that the governments choose the day

• that the holiday is special

• that the holiday occurs at the same time

• that the holiday is for companies only

Celebrating the Australian labor movement and specifically the achievement of a working day limited to eight hours, the Labor Day public holiday is fixed by the various state and territory governments, and so varies considerably. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia and, since 2013, Queensland. In both Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day). In Western Australia, Labor Day is the first Monday in March. In the Northern Territory, it is the first Monday in May.

What does the underlined pronoun It in paragraph B refer to?

• The state government

• The territory government

• Labor day

• The working day

In New Zealand, Labor Day is a public holiday held on the fourth Monday in October. Its origins are traced back to the eight-hour working day movement that arose in the newly founded Wellington colony in 1840, primarily because of carpenter Samuel Parnell's refusal to work more than eight hours a day. He encouraged other tradesmen also to work for only eight hours a day and in October 1840, a workers' meeting passed a resolution supporting the idea. On October 28, 1890, the 50th anniversary of the eight-hour day was commemorated with a parade. The event was then celebrated annually in late October as either Labor Day or Eight-Hour Demonstration Day. In 1899 government legislated that the day be a public holiday from 1900. The day was celebrated on different days in different provinces. This led to ship owners complaining that seamen were taking excessive holidays by having one Labor Day in one port then another in their next port. In 1910 the government stipulated that the holiday would be observed on the same day throughout the nation.

What is the closest meaning to the underlined word encouraged in paragraph C?

• influenced

• helped

• envied

• understood

In New Zealand, Labor Day is a public holiday held on the fourth Monday in October. Its origins are traced back to the eight-hour working day movement that arose in the newly founded Wellington colony in 1840, primarily because of carpenter Samuel Parnell's refusal to work more than eight hours a day. He encouraged other tradesmen also to work for only eight hours a day and in October 1840, a workers' meeting passed a resolution supporting the idea. On October 28, 1890, the 50th anniversary of the eight-hour day was commemorated with a parade. The event was then celebrated annually in late October as either Labor Day or Eight-Hour Demonstration Day. In 1899 government legislated that the day be a public holiday from 1900. The day was celebrated on different days in different provinces. This led to ship owners complaining that seamen were taking excessive holidays by having one Labor Day in one port then another in their next port. In 1910 the government stipulated that the holiday would be observed on the same day throughout the nation.

What can you infer from the sentence (paragraph C) “a workers' meeting passed a resolution supporting the idea”?

• that the workers were against the idea

• that the workers didn’t like the idea

• that the workers liked the idea

• that the workers went on strike

Labor Day (French: Fête du Travail) has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada since the 1880’s. The origins of Labor Day in Canada can be traced back to December 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week. The Toronto Trades Assembly (TTA) called its 27 unions to demonstrate in support of the Typographical Union who had been on strike since March 25. George Brown, Canadian politician and editor of the Toronto Globe hit back at his striking employees, pressing police to charge the Typographical Union with "conspiracy." Although the laws criminalizing union activity were outdated and had already been abolished in Great Britain, they were still on the books in Canada and police arrested 24 leaders of the Typographical Union. Labor leaders decided to call another similar demonstration on September 3 to protest the arrests. Seven unions marched in Ottawa, prompting a promise by Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald to repeal the "barbarous" anti-union laws. Parliament passed the Trade Union Act on June 14 the following year, and soon all unions were seeking a 54-hour work-week.

What is the main idea of paragraph D?

• Labor day in Toronto

• Labor day is celebrated on the 1^st Monday in September

• Labor day activities

• Labor day in Canada

The Toronto Trades and Labor Council (successor to the TTA) held similar celebrations every spring. American Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was asked to speak at a labor festival in Toronto, Canada on July 22, 1882. Returning to the United States, McGuire and the Knights of Labor organized a similar parade based on the Canadian event on September 5, 1882 in New York City, USA. On July 23, 1894, Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson and his government made Labor Day, to be held in September, an official holiday. In the United States, the New York parade became an annual event that year, and in 1894, it was adopted by American president Grover Cleveland to compete with International Workers' Day (May Day).

What does the underlined pronoun it in paragraph E refer to?

• The American President

• The parade

• Labor day

• New York

In New Zealand, Labor Day is a public holiday held on the fourth Monday in October. Its origins are traced back to the eight-hour working day movement that arose in the newly founded Wellington colony in 1840, primarily because of carpenter Samuel Parnell's refusal to work more than eight hours a day. He encouraged other tradesmen also to work for only eight hours a day and in October 1840, a workers' meeting passed a resolution supporting the idea. On October 28, 1890, the 50th anniversary of the eight-hour day was commemorated with a parade. The event was then celebrated annually in late October as either Labor Day or Eight-Hour Demonstration Day. In 1899 government legislated that the day be a public holiday from 1900. The day was celebrated on different days in different provinces. This led to ship owners complaining that seamen were taking excessive holidays by having one Labor Day in one port then another in their next port. In 1910 the government stipulated that the holiday would be observed on the same day throughout the nation.

What did Samuel Parnell encourage?

• tradesmen

• to support the union

• to only support tradesmen

• to only work eight hours a day

The Toronto Trades and Labor Council (successor to the TTA) held similar celebrations every spring. American Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was asked to speak at a labor festival in Toronto, Canada on July 22, 1882. Returning to the United States, McGuire and the Knights of Labor organized a similar parade based on the Canadian event on September 5, 1882 in New York City, USA. On July 23, 1894, Canadian Prime Minister John Thompson and his government made Labor Day, to be held in September, an official holiday. In the United States, the New York parade became an annual event that year, and in 1894, it was adopted by American president Grover Cleveland to compete with International Workers' Day (May Day).

What was adopted in 1894?

• The Labor Day holiday

• The United States

• The New York parade

• The American president