Worksheet 'Aspects of poverty'Caritas: Nov 09
1) True or false?

Quite a lot of poor people try to hide their miserable situation.
About a million of Austrians live in manifest poverty.
F.K. claims that with 733 Euro in a month people may still be poor.
F.K says that, so far, only wealthy people are affected by the credit crunch.
According to F.K. greed is the main reason for poverty in Austria.
The PISA-study showed that about a quarter of Austrian kids need private lessons or individual support to be successful in school.
In F.K.’s opinion, a bad conscience should never be the reason for donations.

2) Questions
How does F.K. explain why we can see poverty so rarely?
What is ‘inherited poverty’?
Can you explain the concept of the British “Early Excellence Centers”?
What are, according to F.K., the main reasons of poverty in Austria?
What is a vicious circle?
How can the greed of some lead to poverty of others?
In what way does F.K see donations critically?
Do you ever donate anything? What for?
What are, in your opinion, the motivations for donations?
P. 1
3. Match the following synonyms from the article:

1 / to accumulate / an instinct that tells people what is right and wrong
2 / to display / to have a duty
3 / invisible / to pile up, to merge and grow
4 / to be convinced / a feature that shows a difference
5 / a lack of / to be sure of something, to believe firmly
6 / sufficient / to give up, to capitulate
7 / distinction / to make clear you will not do something, to disobey
8 / conscience / to demonstrate, to show
9 / to donate / enough, a satisfactory amount
10 / to be obliged to / a deficit, not enough of something
11 / to refuse / to give money or goods voluntarily (for a good cause)
12 / to abandon / impossible to be seen

P. 2