Reading Comprehension Quiz
Some people believe that unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programs (for example working for a charity, improving the neighborhood, or teaching sports to younger children).
The idea of high school students participating in some form of service to the community without remuneration is interesting. Some people may think that it is taking advantage of young people, effectively obtaining unpaid labor. Others may think that it provides an opportunity for youngsters to give back to their community and make a difference, even help build their character.
While there is no doubt that the word ‘compulsory’ may cause problems for some people, indicating that young people have no choice, it is generally accepted that society expects all its members to be useful, productive, and law-abiding citizens as adults. What better way to instill this than to begin early and get youth involved in their local community? The fact that it is unpaid may not be popular, but there might be potential to reward participants in other ways such as by awarding education credits or similar.
How effective and popular such a community service program would be would depend greatly on how exactly it is implemented and managed. Obviously, young people would need to be encouraged to find a form of participation that would hopefully be interesting and rewarding for them personally, based on their likes, skills, and areas of interest. The idea of maybe planting trees or cleaning up a neighborhood may not sound very attractive to a teenager, however, teaching or coaching a younger child how to play soccer, use computers or something similar might not cause such a problem and may be accepted more readily.
Much of such a program’s success would depend on how it is perceived by the general public and the variety of options for participation offered to the young students. Overall, it would seem to be a fair proposal based on what is expected of these same young people when they become older.
Reading Comprehension Questions
1. What is one potential benefit of unpaid community service for high school students?
A) It provides a source of incomeB) It helps build character and give back to the community
C) It allows students to avoid responsibility
2. What does the word 'compulsory' mean in the context of the passage?
A) OptionalB) Required
C) Temporary
3. What is one concern some people have about unpaid community service?
A) It causes boredomB) It takes advantage of young people
C) It provides too many rewards
4. Why does the author suggest offering education credits for unpaid community service?
A) To encourage participationB) To reduce the workload
C) To discourage participation
5. What does the author suggest about the success of a community service program?
A) It depends on public perceptionB) It is guaranteed
C) It has no factors affecting it
6. According to the passage, what might be more attractive to a teenager than planting trees?
A) Teaching younger childrenB) Cleaning up neighborhoods
C) Working for a charity
7. Why does the author mention law-abiding citizens in the passage?
A) To criticize themB) To emphasize societal expectations
C) To discourage community service
8. What aspect of community service programs does the author believe is important for success?
A) UnpopularityB) Implementation and management
C) Lack of variety
9. How does the author suggest youth should be encouraged to participate in community service?
A) By offering moneyB) By providing incentives based on interests
C) By forcing them to participate
10. What does the author suggest about the perception of unpaid community service by society?
A) It is generally acceptedB) It is widely criticized
C) It is irrelevant