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Woman: Why so pensive?

Man: I had a really interesting lecture today. Our professor made the point that the agricultural revolution was mankind's biggest mistake.

Woman: What a load of hogwash!

Man: No, really. It was actually quite convincing. New archaeological discoveries show that when civilisations adopted agriculture, life expectancy declined and disease became more rampant.

Woman: Maybe. But in the long run we're much better off than any caveman.

Man: That's because we belong to a privileged class, living off the misery of others.

Woman: Now that's getting a bit rich.

Man: Seriously. Look at the world as a whole. Who in the world has our standard of living? Yet we import food and resources from countries that are much poorer than us. You can hardly call this egalitarian.

Woman: Don't tell me the world was ever any different.

Man: Hunter-gatherers never had the hierarchies that agricultural societies have had.

Woman: So you're off to gather dinner in Yellowstone?

Man: Get real. It does make one think, though.

Choose the best answer to the questions below.

1. What is the man doing when the woman arrives?

a. Writing                      b. Reading

c. Thinking                    d. Listening

2. What was the subject of the lecture the man attended?

a. Politics                       b. Biology

c. Horticulture                d. Anthropology

3. How does the woman feel about the idea of the lecture?

a. Worrying                    b. Ridiculous

c. Interesting                   d. Convincing

4. What does the woman mean when she says "a bit rich"?

a. Priceless                       b. Quite valuable

c. Difficult to believe          d. Bad but necessary

5. What suggestion does the woman make?

a. That they study together

b. That they go on a holiday

c. That the man invite her to dinner

d. That the man become a hunter-gatherer

Solutions          1. c, 2. d, 3. b, 4. c, 5. d

By Mr. Test